Christ is My Savior and King

11-26-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Anthony Okolo, C.S.Sp, V.F.

The Church’s liturgical year concludes with this feast of Christ the King instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee year and the 16th centenary of the Council of Nicaea. One of the reasons this feast was shifted to take place at the end of the Church’s liturgical year is to remind us that Jesus is the end of our lives. In instituting this feast, Pope Pius XI proclaimed “Pax Christi in Regno Christi.” The peace of Christ in the Reign of Christ. This means that we live in peace of Christ, when we surrender our lives to Him as our God, Savior and King and allow Him to rule our lives. We honor Christ as the king of the universe and the king of our hearts by allowing Him to take control of our lives.

The feast was a reminder to the totalitarian government of Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin that Jesus Christ is the only sovereign King. Christ is our spiritual king and ruler who rules by truth and love. We declare our loyalty to Him by the quality of our Christian commitment, expressed in the serving of others with sacrificial and forgiving love and by our solidarity with the poor. John Bergsma said, “The Feast of the Christ the King is a profession of our faith that ultimately there is a moral standard to the universe, that all is not in flux or random, that the good, the true, and the beautiful triumph in the end over darkness, ugliness and selfishness”.

The gospel exemplifies this reality by calling our attention to the plight of those in need. It is good to note that those who were condemned by the king were not necessarily condemned because of any evil act they committed but rather because of the good they neglected to do. At the end of our life, each of us would be scrutinized on how sensitive we are to the needy situations around us especially the life of indifference and nonchalant attitude to those in need. Thus, holiness is not just the avoidance of evil acts but more about being sensitive and doing what is good. Being sensitive to a situation that calls for one’s help remains a noble and unique virtue. That is the reason St. Paul in his second letter to Thessalonians, encourages us when he says, “Never grow tired of doing whatever is good in all situations.”

Fr. Tony Okolo C.S.Sp., V.F.