34th
SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME:
FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
Colossians 1:12-20
Luke 23:35-43
"Amen, I say to you,
today
you will be with me in
Today is the last Sunday in the ordinary time. As we end this year's cycle, our liturgy has set this Sunday as a great day of our celebration of the feast of Christ the King. If we recall, with the 1925 decree of Pius XI promulgating the feast of Christ the King, its devotion acquired a universal character. This feast was first celebrated on the last Sunday of October, perhaps to stress a militant church. With it, the feast of All the Saints on November 1 (which emphasizes the church triumphant), and the feast of All the Faithful Departed on November 2 (which reminds us of the church suffering), form a thematic succession But with Vatican II, the feast of Christ the King became more and more integrated into the calendar. And as we have it now, it is celebrated on the last Sunday of the year.
This celebration is not only liturgical; it is also catechetical. Our faith has constantly taught us that as we begin with Christ, we also end with Christ. He is indeed the alpha and the omega. Thus, our journey as pilgrims climaxes with and in Christ as the apex of our faith, our aspiration, and our destiny. It is but fitting that today we honor Christ as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Our Lukan version for this year offers us these significant evangelical insights on Christ's kingship.
1. St. Luke gives us his crucifixion account as he
portrays the kingship of Christ. For indeed, while the poor man of
Actually, this redemptive sense of his kingship is
consistent with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. The suffering servant, like a sheep, silently and
obediently follows the path of death while he is led to the slaughter place.
But this is just the way he effectively pays the ransom of salvation. Thus, in
Pauline language, the obedience unto death makes the definite triumph and glory
of Christ. It is precisely because of this death on the
cross that God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every
other name, and that all creatures in the heavens, on the earth and even under
the earth shall bend their knees proclaiming the kingship and Lordship of
Christ (cf Phil 2:6-11).
Interestingly, this suffering servant who is
portrayed like a sheep corresponds to the sheep-shepherd relationship which
will be the basis of the final countdown when Christ reigns as King at the end-time. No wonder, Christ's triumph is inseparable
from his suffering, just as his kingship is inseparable
from his servanthood. Or better, we can even say that his triumph consists in
his suffering just as his suffering makes his triumph. So, even though Christ
begins his ministry of saving long before, the
2. Anyhow. Christ is still king even to those who reject him. "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us,” there goes the malicious challenge of the selfish thief However, it is here that we are reminded of that one overwhelming reason why God became man, why the immortal God had to suffer and die, and why he finally defeated death by his resurrection. And that reason is: to conquer sin and save the sinner. Christ himself is most conscious of this messianic purpose: he came not for the righteous but for the sinners (cf Lk 19:1-10). Hence, where sin most abounds there will the grace of salvation be most offered.
Rejection is one so grave a sin man may commit.
Today's gospel pictures before us such painful
scenario. "This is the king of the Jews,” goes the inscription
above his head. Although this is all true, such inscription was meant not to
hail him but to mock him. Why should the Jews crucify him, on the first place,
were they really meant of having Christ as their king? But everything was a
blatant insult and painful mockery. It was a sarcastic form of rejection. But
even then, Christ reigns over those who reject him. And his reign is not of
vengeance and anger, but of mercy and compassion: "Father, forgive
them, they know not what they do” (Lk
3. But if he is king even to those who reject him, much more is Christ the King of those who accept him. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." These are the words of Dimas, the repentant thief. These are humble words which come out as a powerful petition of a contrite heart that recognizes the presence of a king. For Dimas, Christ's kingship means:
a. A Kingship of Humility. At the point of
death, Dimas discovers that the one crucified with them at the middle was not
like them. He was no criminal. Yet, he humbly takes this form of death, a
shameful and degrading one. This humble act
of Christ opens the dark world of Dimas into a new horizon of light. And
although he is nearing the evening of his life, he dares to take a last ditch
of virtue by imitating the humility of
Christ. He accepts now his guilt and begs for mercy and love:”…the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes... Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom.”
b. A
Kingship which goes beyond this life. Together with this great discovery
and realization goes the belief that indeed this man hanging on the cross is
king whose kingdom goes beyond this life. The greatness of Christ's act is no
way a show and thus can in no way bear false hope, too. His kingship must be
eternal, his reign must shine even beyond the grave: "Jesus, remember
me when you come into your kingdom.”
c. A
Kingship that reigns in every heart. Although Christ's kingship goes beyond
this life, it builds itself fundamentally in the human heart. In fact, every
pure and honest heart is God's cherished kingdom. It is his home, the
indwelling of his Spirit. Thus, he who cannot feel the presence of Christ in
his heart, can in no way find his kingdom outside.
Indeed, Christ is King in every heart, since he is the King of hearts!