Solemnity of Christ the King – C
November 23, 2025 5pm
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Christ the King
In the year 1925, exactly 100 years ago, there were 30 sovereign states or countries in our world ruled by kings.
In that same year, our Church created the feast that we celebrate today – the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. At that time, the world was still trying to recover from the devastation of World War I.
In that context, the Pope, Pius XI, wanted to lift up to everyone, kings and other civil rulers and everyone, he wanted to lift up who is our real king and ruler. The Holy Father wanted us to remember that Jesus Christ is to govern our lives and how we live and what we do.
The Church placed this celebration on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. So, we have journeyed through Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time and have now come to the end of the liturgical year.
And here, at this point, we celebrate that Jesus Christ and he alone is the ultimate ruler of our lives. Now, calling Jesus “King of the Universe” can feel distant and maybe even unreal to us.
Earthly kings and rulers govern with armies, wealth, and force. But the kingship of Jesus is different.
He is the King whose throne is the Cross and whose crown is made of thorns. In today’s Gospel, Jesus rules not from a palace but from Calvary.
He is not into domination. Instead, the kingship of Christ is about service, sacrifice, and self-giving.
The Image of the Invisible God
Saint Paul in our second reading expresses why Christ is our King.
He describes Jesus as the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” So, Jesus is God with us.
If we see and know him, we see and know God. As the Son of God, he is the first or “firstborn” and exists before all else that is.
And Paul then adds, “In him all things hold together.” So, if Christ as our loving God and King holds the universe together, he can also hold our lives together, no matter how stressed or strained we may feel.
Our Response to Christ the King
Recognizing Christ as our King is not just a theological statement or a belief in our heads.
It is to be a daily decision. It means allowing Jesus to rule in the places of our lives where we might prefer to rule ourselves.
So, I am asking us to do one thing today and this week. Allow Jesus, Christ the King to shape our choices, our relationships, and even our attitudes.
For example, allow him to help us when we want revenge and retribution. Remember that after Peter cut off the ear of one of the soldiers, Jesus forbade any more violence and he healed that man’s ear.
Allow Jesus to shape our choice of internet or social media sites. Jesus chose to enjoy things that were life-giving to himself and others, like the wedding at Cana or dinners with all kinds of people.
And allow Jesus to shape our attitudes to the strangers in our midst, yes, even the immigrants. He is the one who said that when we do something good for a stranger, you do it for me and that will be a criterion for our judgment before God.
Conclusion
So, I ask you to work at that today and this week – allow Jesus, Christ our King to shape our choices, our relationships, and even our attitudes.
If we do this, we can be in the position of one of the persons who was being crucified with Jesus. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
And Jesus, dying on the cross, makes that magnificent response, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” We can live with inner peace and with trust in that promise.
