Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

The solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, marks the end of ordinary time and our liturgical year. Next week Advent and our new year begins. We close out our year with a celebration in which we acknowledge and adore Jesus as King of kings, Lord of lords, the beginning, and the end.

This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in response to growing nationalism and secularism. It was instituted to promote, not just the worship of Jesus privately in our hearts, but his worship in the public square as well. Pope Paul VI gave this feast its current name and raised it to the level of a solemnity in 1969 when he moved it to the last Sunday in the liturgical calendar.

When we look upon the cross on which Christ the King hung, we see the visible image of the invisible God. What does God look like? God is total sacrificial love and the crucifixion is the greatest act of love mankind will ever know. Jesus allowed himself to be put to death by our hands so that he could descend into the underworld and pay the wages of sin for all mankind. He opened the gates of the underworld for those who had been imprisoned there since the fall of man and he opened the gates of heaven to give us the ability to live with him there for all eternity. Upon the cross of Christ hung the salvation and redemption of the world.

For love to exist there must be a choice. Love can never be forced. Salvation and redemption are not given to us automatically. We have to choose them by choosing the love of Jesus over the love of self. There were two men who were being crucified with Jesus, one to his right and one to his left. Both of these men were receiving the just punishment for their crimes; death. We know that one of these men mocked Jesus. The other is known as the good thief, for in the end he only asked that Jesus remember him. On one cross we have the penitent man. On the other, a man who turns from the Lord. Both men must die for their sins, but the penitent man will be with Jesus in his heavenly kingdom. The man who turns away from God goes to hell. On these two crosses we are presented our choice. On one cross hangs God’s mercy. On the other hangs his justice. If we do not choose mercy, we will receive justice.

Today’s solemnity is here to remind us that Christ is the King of the universe. We need to do more than just acknowledge this with our lips. To properly worship God, we must allow him to reign in our lives. Your heart is a throne that has room for only one ruler. Those of the world make themselves the king. Their kingdoms will fade away like the setting sun.

The question each of us has to answer is this; “Who sits upon my throne?” If Jesus is truly the Lord and King of our lives, we will hear his voice and harken to his commands. Put God first in your life, loving him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Love your neighbor as you love God. All of Jesus’s teachings boil down to these two commands.