Adapted from homily given for Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form on October 27, 2019.
This Sunday marks the final Sunday of the liturgical year. When we gather together for the Holy Mass next Sunday we will begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year. In the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite this final Sunday of the liturgical year is known as the Solemnity of Christ the King.
This Sunday marks the final Sunday of the liturgical year. When we gather together for the Holy Mass next Sunday we will begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year. In the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite this final Sunday of the liturgical year is known as the Solemnity of Christ the King.
I have never met a king and this is probably true for just about all of you. If we were to ever meet a king it would be proper for us to genuflect in his presence. Thankfully each and every Sunday we do have this opportunity to encounter a King. This King whom we encounter is Christ our Lord. This is why we normally genuflect when we enter a Church. We genuflect for the one who is present with us within the Tabernacle is Christ our King. If the Tabernacle is not placed in its proper place and is thus hidden in some alternate location one should not genuflect for our Lord is not present.
Hopefully we allow nothing to take our sight away from this reality. It is to here that we should come to find our hope in the midst of any affliction that may befall us. Nevertheless, we are a society which has its news at its fingertips. There is nothing which is seemingly left for us to figure out on our own. So many allow themselves to get caught up with this endless revenue of information to the point that it becomes harmful for their soul. It becomes harmful because they forget about Christ. They take their sight off of Him and begin to worry about things which are out of their control. When we think about it there is nothing which we are ultimately in control of.
This is precisely why this Solemnity of Christ the King is so important for us. We must allow Christ to be the center of our life. We must allow Him to be the One who calms all of our fears. We must allow Him to be the one whom we go to as the source and summit of our life.
This Feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in order to remind Christians of their allegiance to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy. As we chase after Christ we must remember that His Kingdom is not of this world and thus we should come to elevate our sight upwards towards Heaven.
It would seem that many have lost sight of this direction as they come to push to the side Christ in order to chase after the world. Again we must be reminded that Christ is our King. We should be willing to submit to this just ruler. We should submit here all of our fears and worries. We should not let them overcome us, but submit them to Him. We should not chase after endless avenues of pleasure, but instead realize that it is Christ for which our heart now longs.
