Every year on the final Sunday in Ordinary Time the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King. This feast was added to the calendar of feasts by Pope Pius XI on December 11, 1925. The image of the Messiah King is everywhere in the Old Testament and Christians today hail Christ as King of the universe. The Gospel reading for this feast leaves no doubt that Jesus is a special kind of king. He reigned from a cross, an instrument of torture, which served as his throne amidst ridicule and laughter. The text on the plate attached to the cross, “This is the King of the Jews,” mocks Jesus and the Jews, but it also indicates that sedition was the specific crime with which he was charged.
Crucifixion was the penalty for such a crime. This episode appears only in the Gospel of Luke. The penitent sinner received salvation through the forgiveness of the crucified Jesus. Jesus’ words reveal Luke's understanding that the destiny of the Christian is "to be with Jesus," and that his death had opened the way to salvation today. “The word ‘paradise’ was a Persian term for an enclosed park and was used in Genesis for the Garden of Eden. Late Hebrew writings considered paradise an intermediate state of happiness of the righteous before the final judgment. This intermediate state seems to have been the meaning of paradise here.” (The Collegeville Bible Commentary. The Liturgical Press, 1988)
This past Sunday’s reading offers three significant messages:
- The liturgical celebration of Christ the King reveals the tension between a “suffering, poor king” and a king of eschatological (end of time) glory. The kingdom of God has come but is not yet fully revealed!
- Jesus is crowned not with gold, but with thorns; enthroned, not on precious woods, stones and jewelry, but on a rough cross.
- Jesus gave new meaning to kingship with his message not of power over others but of compassion and communion in the new kingdom of God.
For shared or personal reflection:
After a brief pause for silent reflection share your answers, ideas or feelings.
- Many today have difficulty accepting the image of Jesus Christ the King on a cross. How do you feel about it?
- When was the last time you asked Jesus to, “remember you?”
From miamiarch.org
