Christ, our eternal King

Submitted on November 20, 2003

Send to friendThe idea of "kingliness" is both foreign and at times offensive to American sensibilities.As a nation, we pride ourselves on a sense of fairness and equity that naturally militates against one person ruling over others.We are each master of our own destinies and captain of our own fate.While this is a cliched way of expressing the sentiment, the underlying truth is nonetheless real and poignant.Modern man believes himself to be self-determining and unfettered in freedom.Whatever limitations he encounters derive not from outside forces but from a lack of self-direction and discipline.Discipline and direction are praiseworthy, but only when they lead us to a deeper sense of ourselves in union with God and His Church. The celebration of the Feast of Christ the King is a wonderful opportunity for the Church and the world to contemplate the nature of our relationships with each other and with God. This feast, which completes the Church year, encourages each of us to meditate on who we are and whose we are.We do not belong to ourselves, but to God. Our lives and the directions in which they go must be driven by our fidelity to God and our deep and abiding trust in His divine providence.These are not mere theological constructs, but the very essence of our Catholic faith.When we speak about Christ as king, the focus is on the kingdom that is built in our heart and lives. Pope Pius XI, speaking on this feast in 1925, states: "So He (Christ) is said to reign "in the hearts of men," both by reason of the keenness of His intellect and the extent of His knowledge, and also because He is very truth, and it is from Him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind." Accepting Christ as King requires accepting truth in our hearts and being obedient to that truth in our daily lives.Through our fidelity and obedience we grow in holiness becoming more and more who we are by baptism — citizens of the kingdom of God. This citizenship is ultimately all inclusive because everyone is subject to God.Some are aware of this relationship and live accordingly; others, however, do not acknowledge the power of God in Christ in their daily lives.The beauty of the kingdom of Christ is that its glory, majesty, splendor and power do not rest on the wealth or health of its citizens, but manifest themselves in the very person of the King.This is the only kingdom, principality or domination where the leader is the very embodiment of the principles He espouses.Christ’s life which continues in His Church and is encountered in the Eucharist is the manifest of faithfulness and obedience for He Himself was subject to the Father. As one "year of grace and favor" draws to a close, let us take advantage of this opportunity this feast presents and reflect upon who we are before our God.Let us beg our Father to give us the grace we need to recognize Christ’s dominion over our lives.Through our obedience to Christ the King, we will continue to cooperate with the building of His kingdom here on earth.