SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING (2025)
Readings:
2 Samuel 5:1-3
Psalms 122:1-5
Colossians 1:12-20
Luke 23:35-43
We come to the end of a liturgical year which shares with us the portrait of a King that eight million people do not have to protest. Indeed, today’s solemnity reminds us of the only King that truly matters, and the liturgy does that in the most curious of ways. Many were witnessing what they assumed was the failure of an itinerant preacher who had become a thorn in their sides, and He did that not by being truly bothersome, although there was that incident when He cleansed the Temple. Rather, Jesus walked among them and preached a gospel about right living, exposing their hypocrisies and highlighting their sinfulness when that was necessary. In their minds, He deserved to die because He embarrassed the priestly caste in front of the people. For most of us, however, we know that this is not the end of the story, and in spite of the jeers of the onlookers and the soldiers, the inscription insisted on by Pilate, spoke a truth which multitudes would one day learn: “This is the King of the Jews.”
The criminals crucified with Jesus were evenly divided with their perception of just who this Jesus was. There was very little faith manifested in what the first criminal to speak said: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The proposed question held not even a scintilla of faith, just curiosity, and, if anything, there was a manifest selfishness, just the kind of thing Jesus railed against. The other criminal, customarily referred to as the ‘good thief,’ and who the Church would refer to by name as Dismas, manifested humility, and a desire of the need for forgiveness: “we have been condemned justly… this man has done nothing criminal.” Dismas’ keen insight knew that Jesus didn’t belong on that cross. Dismas could see that the cross had, in fact, become a throne, and the kingdom that Jesus so often preached about was a real thing. A sudden surge of faith made Dismas want to be part of that kingdom: “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” With His last breaths the all-powerful and merciful King assures Dismas of a place in Paradise.
The Solemnity of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and, later, after the Second Vatican Council, it was placed in the more prominent place at the close of the liturgical year, just before the Church starts a New Year with the beginning of the season of Advent. While at first it may appear odd that the planners of the liturgical calendar would place a story about the ‘death of the king’ on a cross to accompany the celebration, it is a perfect reminder of what true kingship is all about. It is Jesus’ selflessness and His absolute obedience to the will of the Father that is important. Unlike the kings of His day, like Herod, He dies naked and alone, with none of the trappings that ordinarily accompany a king. He is not surrounded by loyal sycophants telling Him what to do. Rather He is flanked by criminals, and His crown is one of thorns. Jesus leaves an often unheeded lesson for future kings, that true kingship involves obedience to something or someone more important, that it involves self-sacrifice and not the flexing of one’s political muscles, that it involves a generosity to do the right thing. The King, Jesus, gave of Himself completely, He was not interested in taking, and He did that so others would have an avenue to eternal life.
While our spell passage seems to be overwhelmed by the “jeering” and “sneering,” it is good to remember the image of the good thief whose faith got him an assured place in Paradise (good to remember that moment of conversion when we are weighing the importance of capital punishment). But the entire crucifixion was a moving moment, and parts of the account cite crowds who “returned home beating their breasts” (23:48), something middle-easterners and Muslims do even today when they are upset. Then there is the story of the Centurion, a Roman, who “glorified God and said ‘This man was innocent beyond doubt.’” (23:47). These are the roots of Christianity beginning even before the resurrection.
This Solemnity of Christ the King celebrates the King of the Universe, a King not just for the Jews, but a King for all peoples. In a world which admires the few kings that are left, and which disdains those who seek the equivalent of kingship, we Christians can glory in a King who is generous, humble, kind, and merciful. Jesus, King of the Universe, wants what is best for all humankind, and seeks only our hearts filled with faith. As St. Paul said to the Colossians: “For in Him all fullness was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things for Him, making peace by the blood of His cross through Him, whether those on earth or those in heaven” (Col. 1:20).
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