Solemnity of Christ the King
Today the last Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A and the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe famously known as the Solemnity of Christ the King. Today’s solemnity and readings remind us of the Kingship of Christ who suffered, died and resurrected to grant us salvation and redemption. The Kingship of Christ points to the existence of the Kingdom of God, an eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.
So, today’s Solemnity emphasizes how our love for God encourages us to work harder on our call to holiness and grace, while standing firm on the virtues of justice and peace. Our gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 25:31-46 gives us a preview of the judgment day, and reminds us of the criteria of our judgment. The criteria for our judgment is love of neighbor which should be exemplified with the hungry, sick, naked, imprisoned and others in need of our help and assistance as Jesus shows us in today’s gospel reading. This re-echoes the greatest commandment which is love of God and love of neighbor. So loving one another or our neighbor shows our love for God. Hence, our love for our neighbor is the criteria for which we are going to be judged. My brothers and sisters, how many of us here today who say we truly love God show that love of God in our love for our neighbor? The greatest problem in our world today is the lack or absence of love, yet we Christians claim to be true and sincere disciples of Christ. How can we be true disciples of Christ and not live out his gospel of love? Prophet Ezekiel in our first reading (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17) today, tells us of how God loves us as He leads, guides and protects us as a shepherd does his flock. Saint Paul in our second reading from his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:20-26, 28), tells us of how Christ sacrificed himself for us because he loves and cares for us.
My dear friends in Christ, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King today, let us acknowledge the kingship of Christ which points to the existence of the Kingdom of God, an eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace, by loving God as He loves us and by showing as well as sharing that love of God by truly and sincerely loving our neighbors, thereby healing and uniting our broken world. Amen!
