Reflections on the Feast of Christ the King...

I know, I’m Maronite. In my rite, today is not the Feast of Christ the King. However, beautiful weather dictates I sit by my pool and work on my tan. This meant early morning Roman rite mass. But, before I apply my tanning oil, I’m in my office writing this.

Reason being? Well, I felt inspired.

First I’ll tell you where the feast came from, then I’ll tell you why I was shocked in the best-kinda-Catholic-way when I heard the gospel reading.

Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in his 1925 encyclical letter Quas Primas. The title of the feast was "D. N. Jesu Christi Regis" (Our Lord Jesus Christ the King). Pope Paul VI gave the celebration a new title: "D. N. Iesu Christi universorum Regis" (Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe). He also gave it a new date: the last Sunday in the liturgical year, before a new year begins with the First Sunday in Advent and assigned to it the highest rank, that of "Solemnity".

Why did Pius XI institute this feast? He wanted it to impact the laity.
"… If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God." ?

- Quas Primas (Pius XI)

He rules our minds, our wills, our hearts, our bodies. He is Christ the King. So what was the gospel reading today?

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 

- Matthew 25:41-45

I love the Church. He is the King, but on the feast that commemorates His kingship, when we’re meant to reflect on Him reigning our hearts, wills, minds and bodies, we speak of him as a vulnerable servant. WEIRD…

Contrary to what the world thinks, His being a servant is what makes Him the ultimate King. 

Why? Christ did not come to glorify the flesh but the spirit. He did not live a life of riches, but because of this – because, and not in spite of it – His life was one of distinction. What did the world see? His palace was an inn, later a simple home in Nazareth. His birth was celebrated only by shepherds and animals. He was born in the feeding trough of donkeys and sheep. His Mother was a young girl of no notable birth. He didn’t dine with royalty, but tax collectors. His own people hated Him. His crown? Thorns. His vestments? Sackcloth. The only scarlet cloak He wore was given to Him in mockery then savagely torn from Him in His passion. His followers were mere fishermen and merchants, and yet even they betrayed him.

What does Heaven see? His palace is in the hearts of those who love Him. His birth was celebrated by shepherds and animals, as well as all the hosts of Heaven. It was foretold for thousands of years by the prophets. The angels sang endless chants of “Hallelujah!” This was the long awaited Messiah. He was born in the feeding trough of donkeys and sheep, to foretell His new temple: our feeding trough, the tabernacle. His Queen Mother was a virgin, born without sin – God’s greatest creation. He dined and came for those who needed to be saved. He came to call sinners! And for these sinners, he wore a crown of thorns and endured hatred, and eventually His passion. The world could not take away His kingship, because Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. "My kingdom is not of this world… but now my kingdom is from another place" (John 18:36).

His kingdom is not temporal. It is spiritual. His Kingdom cannot be overcome by its enemies, the enemies of love. Christ’s kingdom is in our hearts. We see his spiritual Kingdom in the hearts of those around us, and know that we reflect a microcosm of Heaven in the Church, made up of us – living stones.

THIS IS THE TRUE KINGDOM.