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“Christ the King”
Artist and Date are unknown |
Readings for the Solemnity of Christ the King [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: 2 Samuel 5:1-3
In those days, all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:
"Here we are, your bone and your flesh.
In days past, when Saul was our king,
it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back.
And the Lord said to you,
'You shall shepherd my people Israel
and shall be commander of Israel.'"
When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron,
King David made an agreement with them there before the Lord,
and they anointed him king of Israel.
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Commentary on 2 Sm 5:1-3
Within the historical books of 1 and 2 Samuel, this is one of the most important events. David is crowned King of Israel. From this anointing comes the later promise of a lasting dynasty (2 Samuel 7) from which royal messianism is developed. Within the context of the Solemnity of Christ the King, the theme of kingship reminds us of where the concept of the royal messiah, the king, had its roots in human understanding.
"But what did it mean for the Lord to be acclaimed the King of Israel? What did it mean to the King of all ages to be recognized as the king of men? Christ did not become the King of Israel in order to demand tributes or to raise armies and make war against the enemies [of Israel]; he became the King of Israel to reign over souls, to give counsel that leads to eternal life, to bring those who were filled with faith, hope and Love to the Kingdom of heaven" (St Augustine, "In loannis Evangelium", 51, 4).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5
R. (cf. 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the Lord."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5
Psalm 122 is a song of thanksgiving centered upon returning to the temple in Jerusalem. (Mosaic Law required such a trip three times in an individual's life.) The song rejoices in the visit to the holy place, the seat of King David. The original singers would have been rejoicing at returning to the one temple. For Christians, the new Jerusalem is the one and only house of God in his heavenly kingdom. There the Lord sits in judgment.
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Reading II: Colossians 1:12-20
Brothers and sisters:
Let us give thanks to the Father,
who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
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Commentary on Col 1:12-20
In the first part of this selection St. Paul reminds the Colossians that it is in Christ that we have redemption through the forgiveness of sins. We are given a place in the light, through him who is light itself, and delivered from power of darkness. “The struggle between light and the power of darkness is referred to in many passages of Sacred Scripture (cf. Jn 1:5, 9-11). Darkness means both evil and the power of the Evil One. Before the redemption took place, all men -- as a consequence of original sin and their personal sins -- were slaves to sin; this slavery darkened their minds and made it difficult for them to know God, who is the true light.” [5]
The second part of the reading is a hymn fragment, probably familiar to the members of that faith community, that reminds them of the Lord’s preeminence (i.e., first-born of all creation, first-born from the dead, all things are reconciled in him). As his eternal status is reiterated, his kingship over all creation is recalled. “He is the head: Points to the union of the Church with Christ, who as head directs and oversees the activities of his members. Paul’s analogy can likewise stress that the head and body share the same life (Rom 12:5) and that each member of the body is assigned a particular task for the good of the whole (1 Cor 12 12-26) (CCC 753, 792).[6]
CCC: Col 1:12-14 1250; Col 1:13-14 517; Col 1:14 2839; Col 1:15-20 2641; Col 1:15 241, 299, 381, 1701; Col 1:16-17 291; Col 1:16 331; Col 1:18-20 624; Col 1:18 504, 658, 753, 343, 792; Col 1:20-22 2305
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Gospel: Luke 23:35-43
The rulers sneered at Jesus and said,
"He saved others, let him save himself
if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God."
Even the soldiers jeered at him.
As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
"If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."
Above him there was an inscription that read,
"This is the King of the Jews."
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
"Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us."
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
"Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal."
Then he said,
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
He replied to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise."
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Commentary on Lk 23:35-43
This first part of the Gospel refers to the most grievous charge leveled against Jesus before Pilate. The Sanhedrin told the proconsul that Jesus had claimed kingship over the Jews in opposition to the rule of Caesar. We recall that, at the head of the Cross, was a sign that read: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” (Matthew 27:37)
In this part of the Passion from St. Luke’s Gospel, we hear the jeering of those in leadership because of what they perceived to be the Christ’s ironic fate. Even one of the two criminals begins to take up the insult but is silenced by the other who seems to understand that the kingdom over which Jesus rules is not of this world, but rather it is the Kingdom of God.
CCC: Lk 23:39-43 440, 2616; Lk 23:40-43 2266; Lk 23:43 1021
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Reflection:
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year. The authors of the Roman Missal who prayerfully assembled the liturgy and readings for our common worship ended the year’s Sunday celebrations on this particular note suggesting that we have been building toward it for a full year. We have recalled the Lord’s nativity in our Advent and Christmas celebrations. We have remembered Christ’s struggle as our own in our Lenten observances. We have rejoiced in the Easter of our year, celebrating as Christ’s own resurrection brought us hope and joy. And in these past months we have looked at the life and teaching of Jesus, building our interior faith in him to this point.
Now we are ready. We proclaim Christ as king. He is king in the line of David, as we are reminded in the reading from the Second Book of Samuel. He is the promise God made to his people that the Messiah would come and rule forever in his kingdom. He was king before all time, first-born of all creation, one with the Father; in him all things are made, as St. Paul reminds his letter to the Colossians.
Finally, we are reminded of the cost of kingship as we visit Christ on the Cross. His human life is ebbing away while the people whom he came to save curse and jeer him. He recalls his Heavenly Kingdom and invites the repentant thief, who represents all of us, to join him in paradise.
The question we must ask ourselves today is: “Are we there yet?” Have we been able to internalize all these lessons to the point where Christ is our king? It will show in all of our attitudes. It will show in our attitudes toward others. Surely a servant of Christ the king of the universe would love each person they met as their king commanded. It would show in our attitudes towards “things.” The attitudes of the king’s followers would be less concerned with things than building the spirit within them.
Throughout time, great kings have had loyal subjects who have followed the example of their king. They have worn the king’s livery in battle, and they have laid down their lives for him. Are we there yet?
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used today is “Christ the King” Artist and Date are unknown.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] The Navarre Bible Letters of St. Paul (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003), 467.
[6] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Old and New Testament (Ignatius Press, © 2024, San Francisco, CA.), 2104.
