Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. Each year we celebrate this feast to mark the end of the season of ordinary time and the beginning of Advent, which is four Sundays before Christmas.
The Feast of Christ the King was introduced by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in the encyclical, Quas Primas, as a form of warning against the totalitarian governments of the 20th century. What happened during that time? There were many dictatorial regimes in many countries. The revolution and civil wars caused economic and social disturbance. In Italy itself, there was a fascist coalition headed by Benito Mussolini that dismantled Italy’s democratic government. The world suffers because the hunger for power and
self-interest overpowers the love of neighbors. Pope Pius XI reminded the world, especially its leaders, that all those things, including their power, were only temporary, and we are all answerable to the real King. Jesus is the real King, the king who rules the entire universe. The Pope reminds them that the real king is a man for others. He works for the interest of the entire people so that they will have a prosperous and fulfilled life. He governs with humility and love. He captures the universe not by military might or
power but through love and sacrifice.
On the cross, we see a single phrase: “This is the King of the Jews” (Lk 23:38). That is Jesus’ title: he is a King. This is our King, the King of the universe. The title does not only refer to the entirety of the whole physical creation, or universe. The title means that he captures the deepest and farthest confines of our human experience.
Jesus does not look at our life only for a moment. He stays with us to give light into our lives. Look, when our children leave homes to have lives of their own, when our loved ones pass away, when we move to an entirely new place, and when we have serious conditions and we feel like hanging on a thread, it is Jesus who remains to give us that sparkle of hope that keeps us moving.
Now, we should ask: Is Jesus, the King of the universe, also the king of my life? Do I believe in him? The reality is that we can only celebrate Him as the Lord of all creation if He also becomes the King of our life. We must accept and love Him. Jesus says that what we do to the least among us is what we do to him. He gives the model of service and love for others as a King. We are also to love the least among us. Jesus is asking us to serve the least among us, which means we have some searching to do. We must find out where they are. And perhaps this will be our homework before Christmas comes.
For some of us, the search is close at hand. It might be in our very families. A member of our household might suffer from separation, brokenness, or other circumstances in life. How are Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Greg, and Aunt Susan doing? Who is the person in our workplace who is often dismissed? Let us reach out to them. These are the people that Jesus asks us to care for and give attention to.
We must go out and search for the least. When we find them, we will see God. And we can permeate the universe that Jesus reigns as the King with love.