The Solemnity of 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 also his worship in the public square. 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.

As Christians, we are called to act differently than how the world acts and the way we approach charity is no exception. What the world thinks is charity is actually a duty for the Christian. We have a duty to provide for the needs of someone when we have a surplus of what they need. If we see someone in the cold without a coat and we have an extra one in the closet it is our duty to give it to them. Charity for a Christian involves sacrifice. True charity is giving something you need to someone who needs it more. Charity is giving the man in the cold with no coat the coat you are wearing, especially if he has no other means to stay warm. You may have to suffer for a time until you can replace the coat for yourself.

We have been commanded to love one another as God loves us. God loves us with total sacrificial love. Sacrificial love is a love that is willing to give everything without a demand for something in return. Today’s gospel makes it very clear what Jesus expects of those who follow him. We are expected to love and care for one another, especially the most in need among us, with the same love and care we have for Jesus himself. We will be judged at the end of time on how we loved. Those who gave their lives in sacrifice to others will be with Jesus. Those who had only love of self with be in the place created for the devil and his demons.

Christian charity involves more than just throwing money or material things at the needy. Charity involves sacrifice and with sacrifice there is suffering. Suffering is the currency of love. Charity begins by recognizing the dignity inherent in every person. Dignity is God’s thumbprint on the human soul. We have dignity because we were created in his image and likeness. Charity begins by looking the person in the eyes, recognizing their dignity, and loving them as we love Jesus. Ask them their names. Our identities as people are centered around our names. It is easy to ignore the faceless and nameless person. It is difficult to ignore someone you see as a friend. Because Christ dwells in every one of us, you love the Lord only as much as you love the person you love the least. You cannot love the Lord and hate another person at the same time.

Who among us, after hearing the gospel message, would not volunteer to be Simon of Cyrene and carry the cross for our Lord? Yet, we are given that opportunity every day in the people whom we meet. Everyone has a cross they are trying to carry. Everyone has a struggle we can have compassion for. Everyone has a burden we can help to bear. Like with the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, the love God has for us is multiplied when we share it with others and those who share this love without reservation will be richly blessed. When you care for the poor and needy you become a conduit for God’s love and grace to flow to them.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We are called to acknowledge Christ’s kingship with our whole lives. This solemnity encourages us to celebrate and live out our faith always and everywhere.

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