A Reflection on The Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, November 21, 2021
Reading I: Daniel 7:13-14
Responsorial Psalm: 93:1, 1-2, 5
Reading II: Revelation 1:5-8
Gospel: John 18:33b-37
The Solemnity of Christ the King is the final Sunday of the liturgical calendar –This Solemnity defines the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, and it denotes a time of ending. It is a time to think and reflect deeply about the last days, not just the season of Ordinary Time in the Church calendar, but the ultimate end. This Feast also heralds in a new beginning, as the following Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, a time to prepare for the coming Christ, Christ, who will come again at the end of time.
This Feast takes on a serious tone, for we are called to consider the universal nature of our Lord and to recall our connection to one another, a connection through the fact that we are all part of God’s creation. We are to realize that we share in the kingdom here on earth while also understanding that Christ calls us to be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
This connection to one another is often overlooked in our current society as the authority and sovereignty of Christ are often denied, and His kingship is passively rebuked. It is often easy to identify so many other kings in the world that quickly call us away from Christ. Kings of bitterness, jealousy, arrogance, we are often ruled by our own weaknesses and desires. Desires that lead us away from the Kingdom of Heaven also cause us to lose sight of the universal connection to one another and Christ.
We are being called to look at our world differently, we are being asked to reconsider who or what rules our lives and honor the only King that matters, Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis, in his Angelus Address on the Solemnity of Christ the King in 2015, stated, “the Kingdoms of this world at times are sustained by arrogance, rivalries and oppression; the Reign of Christ is a Kingdom of Justice, Love and Peace.”
As followers of Christ, as true believers in the Son of God we are called to accept the Kingship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of our lives and to the centrality of Jesus in the world that God the Father has created. We are invited to embrace Christ as our King, the King of our universe, to make Him central to our lives and to the world we live in. By doing this, we allow Justice, Love and Peace to flourish in all aspects of our lives and all those we are connected to.
As we reflect on The Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, let us see it as a time of renewal, a call to the simplicity of Justice, Love and Peace. Let us be faithful to our King so that in the end, we may share in the Heavenly Kingdom of God.
Blessings,
Deacon Jeff Borski
