Solemnity of Christ the King
The celebration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, closes the Liturgical Year in which the whole mystery of his life, his preaching and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God have been meditated upon.
Pope Pius XI, on December 11, 1925, instituted this solemnity that closes ordinary time. Its objective is to remember the universal sovereignty of Jesus Christ. We confess him supreme Lord of heaven and earth, of the Church and of our souls.
During the announcement of the Kingdom, Jesus shows us what it means for us as Salvation, Revelation and Reconciliation in the face of the deadly lie of sin that exists in the world. Jesus responds to Pilate when he asks if He is really the King of the Jews: “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, my people would have fought so that it would not be handed over to the Jews; but my Kingdom is not from here” (Jn 18, 36). Jesus is not the King of a world of fear, lies and sin, He is the King of the Kingdom of God that He brings and leads us to.
Christ the King announces the Truth and that Truth is the light that illuminates the loving path that He has traced, with His Way of the Cross, the path to the Kingdom of God. “Yes, as you say, I am a King. I was born for this and for this I have come into the world: to bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (Jn 18, 37) Jesus reveals his reconciling mission of announcing the truth in the face of sin’s deceit. This feast celebrates Christ as the kind and simple King who, as a shepherd, guides his pilgrim Church towards the Celestial Kingdom and grants him communion with this Kingdom so that he can transform the world he pilgrims in. The possibility of reaching the Kingdom of God was established by Jesus Christ, by leaving us the Holy Spirit who grants us the necessary graces to achieve Holiness and transform the world in love.That is the mission that Jesus left to the Church when establishing his Kingdom.
It can be thought that the Kingdom of God will only be reached after passing through death, but the truth is that the Kingdom is already installed in the world through the Church that makes a pilgrimage to the Celestial Kingdom. Precisely with the work of Jesus Christ, the two realities of the Church -pilgrim and heavenly- are definitively linked, and thus the pilgrimage is strengthened with the prayer of the pilgrims and the grace they receive through the sacraments. “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (Jn 18, 37) All those who meet the Lord, listen to his call to Holiness and undertake that path become members of the Kingdom of God.
Prayer to Christ the King.
O Christ Jesus! I recognize you as Universal King. Everything that has been made has been created for You. Exercise all your rights over me.
I renew my Baptismal promises, renouncing Satan, his pomps and his works, and I promise to live as a good Christian. And very particularly, I promise to make the rights of God and of your Church triumph, according to my means.
Divine Heart of Jesus! I offer you my poor deeds so that all hearts may recognize your Sacred Royalty, and thus the reign of your peace may be established in the entire Universe. Amen.
Consecration of humanity for the day of Christ the King by Pope Pius XI
Sweetest Jesus, Redeemer of the human race! Look at us humbly prostrated; We are yours and we want to be yours, and in order to live more closely united with you, each and every one of us spontaneously consecrate ourselves on this day to your Most Sacred Heart.
Many, unfortunately, have never met you; many, despising your commandments, have rejected you. O Most Benign Jesus! Pity one and the other, and attract them all to your Most Holy Heart.
Oh Lord! Be King, not only of the faithful children who have never walked away from You, but also of the prodigals who have abandoned you; make them return quickly to their father’s house, so that they do not perish from hunger and misery.
Be King of those who, by seduction of error or by spirit of discord, live separated from You; Bring them back to the port of truth and to the unity of faith so that soon a single flock may be formed under a single Shepherd.
Be King of those who still remain wrapped in the darkness of idolatry; deign to draw them all into the light of your kingdom.
Grant, oh Lord!, safety and secure liberty to your Church; Grant all peoples tranquility in order; make that from one end of the earth to the other not resound but this voice: Praised be the divine Heart, cause of our health! To Him be sung songs of honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
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