Real Kingship

Reflections on the Solemnity of Christ the King

by Fr. Earl A.P. Valdez

The image of Christ the Pantokrator, the ruler of all, in the Monreale Cathedral in Sicily | Photo from My World of Byzantium

Let us not sugarcoat the fact that globally speaking, politics is in shambles. We could describe this as another era in which we have a crisis of leadership, and this can be attributed to many causes around us. On one hand, we see them as being products of a dissatisfaction of promises that were left undelivered and of choices gone wrong. But on the other hand, there are still many of us who see that tiny sliver of hope, realizing that this is an opportunity for us to truly realize: what does it mean to be a true leader, and how do we actually get to choose them? 

Fortunately, for us Christians, we end our liturgical year by recognizing the kingship of Christ, who rules all over the universe. Ironically, while we know that this is a truth that we have long held and believed, it was only in the early 20th century that this feast became a part of our liturgical calendar. In 1925, in that brief period of time that stands between two world wars, Pope Pius XI affirmed through his encyclical Quas Primas the true reign of Christ the King, who is more than any leader, political system, or worldly order. Let me quote section 33, which is a good reminder for us and what should begin our reflection today:

“He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.” (Quas Primas 33)

This may sound too ancient for us, especially that our ideas of leadership are more participatory, most especially in a Synodal Church, that calls us to listen to each other as we walk forward in hope. It may sound too imposing for us, for who can control our bodies and our ways of thinking? As Christians of this modern age, we recognize that it is only in our exercise of freedom, in the context of our relationships with ourselves, others, and God, that we can truly be ourselves. Surely, we can say that Pius XI has a faith of his time, and probably not applicable to us.

But what does it actually mean for Christ to reign? 

Perhaps to understand this in the context of our feast today, we also take into account that the end of the Liturgical Year can also be considered a summary of sorts. Just as important events and ceremonies today are marked by “same day edits” that highlight the important events, let us make this end of the liturgical year as a means for looking back at what Christ does in order to understand how Christ reigns. 

The first reading reminds us of the Kingship of David, not so much of the fact that He is King, but because He is chosen by God to be the King of Israel. This of course serves as a preview of what the Father does to the Son, and is clear with Our Lord Jesus Christ. Though they are of the same divinity with a different nature, the Son chose to obey the Father to reign over everything but with the same love that the Father has for the Son. The second reading affirms this as we have seen, for St. Paul sees that Our Lord’s kingship is above all, for it is through Him that everything began as the Word of creation, and it is through Him that all will be gathered to the Father, as the Word of salvation. 

But all these sounds abstract to us until we reach the Gospel, for we have seen what this Kingship truly is in Christ. It is His willingness to save us through a death so grim and a Resurrection so glorious. He went through the depths of our humanity: our joys and sorrows, our needs and hunger, our woundedness and brokenness, and brought us to a new life. 

He did not come as the VIP that should be protected from the dangers that common people experience; rather, He went with those in danger and in need and brought them healing.

He had no privilege that shields him from accusations, nor does he accuse and hurl curses at those who were miscreants and criminals; rather, he took the faults of his people and faced its proper punishment, without even the right to judge and take the life of a criminal until the very end. 

He did not come with an elegant life to show his power and authority; rather, his authority came in his willingness to die a criminal’s death so that his people can live. 

He did not come in the final moments of his life to be saved from death; rather, he embraced death so that we may have life. 

Let’s think about these things that we see as summarized in the last moments of Our Lord’s life on the Cross, and then go back to the words of Pius XI. Isn’t it just right for us to pledge our allegiance to the King, a leader of tattered robes and garments, a leader with a wounded body, a leader that promises even His last breath for the most gruesome criminal beside Him, a leader who gave all and showed us what it means to be truly human. Surely, this would be a leader - a true King - who deserved to reign because He has His people in mind, a leader who ruled with true compassion and obedience to the Father who rules over all. Indeed, He is a King that truly deserved our praise, our allegiance and obedience. 

Moreover, if I may dare say: in times of a crisis of leadership, ought we not see the Lord as a model of our lives both as leaders and followers in our own way? That does not mean that we totally ignore politics and focus on our own lives; neither does it mean that we think that we equate politics to the Church’s social order (or other churches for that matter); rather, it means being able to see everything from the perspective of faith, and to respond from the perspective of love. And isn’t it fitting because that is how Christ the King lived? 

As we end this liturgical year with praise and thanksgiving, we ask the Lord for this grace to freely follow the Lord, to see that He is the true King that we ought to follow, one who reigns in love and mercy, one who learns how to listen and leads us to being who we truly are. May we be servants of the servant of all, instruments through which we communicate His Kingship characterized by community, by compassion for the least, and most of all, by love.