Christ the King

[cappie]

Today as a Church, we conclude our liturgical year and celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The Gospel we proclaim shows the great mystery of our faith: In the moment of his crucifixion, Jesus is shown to be King and Saviour of all.

St Paul in the Second Reading speaks of Jesus not only as head of the Church, but as ruler of all things in heaven and on earth, the one through whom all things were created. So much comes together here, that if this feast didn't exist, it would almost be necessary to invent it.

That is exactly what happened in 1925, when the Catholic Church decided that there ought to be a feast that specially underlined the all-embracing authority of Christ. Originally set for the last Sunday in October, in 1970 the feast of Christ the King was moved to the last Sunday before Advent.  

 Today's Gospel shows us, Jesus' kingship is not of this world -- it is far bigger than that and more glorious. Jesus, the king who reigns from the cross, promises the repentant thief that they will be together in Paradise that very day. He has judged the "good thief" worthy of citizenship in his kingdom.

Today it is a good idea to take a couple of minutes to look at why we call Christ king in the first place.

Some people think we should throw out the word "king" as a relic of an old, oppressive era, but that is sadly ironic, because in that mystery of Christ's kinship is the root of our liberation.

Christ is King because he is the Son of God. He is both perfect human and perfect God, and because he is God, he is ruler of all that is; sole ruler because God is one. None other is worthy because only the one who created everything has the power of absolute rule over his creation.

Christ is King because he has redeemed all creation, and especially human nature, bringing us the promise everlasting life and peace. By taking our nature on himself he restored in us the image of God which we vandalized by our disobedience and self- separation from God. By becoming human, and by taking upon himself not only our nature but the punishment due us for our sins, Christ restored the God-life in us and peace between us and God. Jesus is always telling us that God's kingdom is within us, making his role as our restorer and redeemer doubly a kingly one.

Christ is King because he is lawgiver, judge, and the one who executes judgment. He is the source of the Law come among us in our flesh to show us perfect obedience to the Law, and he is the same one who will return at the end of days to be our judge and to carry out the sentence he passes upon us.

It is in his mercy as our kinsman in human flesh, as well as judge and king that our hope lies.
 
And finally, In the Advent weeks to come the song "O Come O Come Emmanuel" will probably find itself in our liturgies. As we sing, we remember that this promise is fulfilled,  then on Christmas, our King will come to us in the form of a helpless baby, to explain himself by living where we can see and hear, touch and handle him. For now, however,  maybe the best we can do on this Feast of Christ the King is to bow in awe and worship, ascribing to him as is most justly due, all might, majesty, dominion, and power, henceforth and forevermore. So, for today we go -- out to witness by our lives this Love incarnate!