Solemnity Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe

On December 11, 1925, the Bishop of Rome Pius XI instituted this liturgical celebration as a feast, ranked as a Double of the First Class with his encyclical Quas Primas (Latin: in the first). In which he connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. At that time, secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, including many Catholics, were doubting Christ's authority and even doubting Christ's existence. Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, were witnessing the rise of dictatorships in Europe and saw Christians being taken in by these earthly leaders. Just as the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted when devotion to the Eucharist was at a low point, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today.

PiusXI hoped the institution of the feast would have various effects. They were:
1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state (Quas Primas, 32).
2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ (Quas Primas, 31).
3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our minds, wills, hearts, and bodies (Quas Primas, 33).

In 1969, the Bishop of Rome 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. Through this choice of date, "the eschatological importance of this Sunday is made clearer".

The churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary observe Christ the King Sunday (titled, Reign of Christ Sunday, by some) as the last Sunday of the liturgical year. These churches include most major Anglican and mainline Protestant groups, including the Church of England and the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and other Lutheran bodies, the United Methodist Church and other Methodist bodies, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Church of Christ, and the Moravian Church.

As happens with all Sundays whose liturgies are replaced by those of important feasts, the prayers of the Sunday on which the celebration of Christ the King falls are used on the ferias (weekdays) of the following week; the Sunday liturgy is thus not totally omitted.

Returning to having the theme of this Feast on the last Sunday of the church year, most modern eschatology and apocalypticism, both religious and secular, involves the violent disruption or destruction of the world, whereas in true Christian and Jewish eschatologies, we view the end times as the consummation or perfection of God's creation of the world. For example, according to ancient Hebrew belief, life takes a linear (and not cyclical) path; the world began with God and is constantly headed toward God’s final goal for creation.

For us in the United States, the notion of Kingship is foreign. Remember, we had casted off our overlord (King George III of the United Kingdom) in 1776 and embraced an egalitarian Democratic Republic form of government and in doing so we created in our national consciousness the rejection of the notion of kingship, yet the emphasis on this title of Jesus as King of the Universe supersedes and transcends our national notions. This Kingship of Christ, the Anointed One, is rooted in our human need to accept God’s superior position over our lives, rather than the notion the only authentic authority is the individual self. This is an expected outgrowth of our national identity and, by extension, our relationship with our God. So, many balk at the idea of kings and queens, believing them to be oppressive. Some even reject the titles of "lord" and "king" for Christ because they believe that such titles are borrowed from oppressive systems of government.

However true these statements might be (some, others would say many, kings and queens have been oppressive), these individuals miss the point: Christ's kingship, his nobility is one of humility and service. Jesus said: “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45). And Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?"... Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:33b, 36-37).

Thus, Jesus knew the oppressive nature of secular kings, and in contrast to them, he connected his role as king to humble service, and commanded his followers to be servants as well. In other passages of Scripture, his kingdom is tied to his suffering and death; as the suffering servant, as we see in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John’s Gospel shows Jesus as triumphant and victorious. He freely mounts the throne of the cross; no one forces him to do it. He alone has the power to give up his life or to take it up again. While Christ is coming to judge the nations, his teachings spell out a kingdom of justice and judgment balanced with radical love, mercy, peace, and forgiveness.

When we celebrate Christ as King, we are not celebrating an oppressive ruler, but one willing to die for humanity and whose "loving kindness endures forever." Christ is the king that gives us true freedom, freedom in Him. Thus we must never forget that Christ radically redefined and transformed the concept of kingship. If we are able to put aside our national consciousness and look beyond it, we can see within the kingship of Christ there is service, humility, and commitment. Christ is our King. Hosanna to the Son of David!

In Christ, as your humble servant,

+Thomas