Nov 26 – Solemnity of Christ The King
Christ The King is a title of Jesus based on several passages of scripture and used by all Christians. The name is found in various forms in scripture: King Eternal (1 Timothy 1:17), King of Israel (John 1:49), King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11), King of kings (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16), King of the Ages (Revelation 15:3), and Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Revelation 1:5).
Many denominations including Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and some Lutherans and Methodists celebrate the Feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the liturgical year.
The ideological movement of Christ’s Kingship was addressed in Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas (‘In The First’). In it, he quotes with approval St. Cyril of Alexandria, noting that Jesus’ Kingship is not obtained by violence: “Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature.”
Pope Benedict XVI has remarked that Christ’s Kingship is not based on “human power” but on loving and serving others. The perfect exemplar of that acceptance is the Virgin Mary, he pointed out. Her humble and unconditional acceptance of God’s will in her life, the Pope noted, was the reason that “God exalted her over all other creatures, and Christ crowned her Queen of heaven and earth”.
- Wikipedia
Ez 34:11-12,15-17
1 Cor 15:20-26,28
Mt 25:31-46
“…in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me…”
Some years ago, I watched an episode of a programme on television that featured the life of a senior citizen. He was just an average elderly man, not someone who had any remarkable achievements in terms of the usual worldly standards. But he did donate his entire life savings to a Buddhist charity organisation, leaving almost no money for himself. On a typical day, he would go around the estate collecting cardboard to sell, and then around evening time, he would go to the food courts and collect the ice from buckets used to chill beer. When he returned to his flat which was lit only by candlelight, he would add the ice water to a pail containing water collected from a slowly dripping tap (apparently, this approach saves on water bills). He would rely on this water supply for the rest of the evening. By minimising the amount he paid for his utility bills, he could channel the savings into more donations to charity. As someone who is beginning to worry about whether I would have enough savings to have a comfortable retirement, I can only think — how can someone live like this?
Today marks the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the solemnity of Christ The King. The concept of a king is probably alien to many of us, but we can surmise from history that kings are (supposed to be) figures of strength and power, with the ability to protect their kingdom from enemy attacks. But Christ as the king? He wears a crown of thorns instead of one that is adorned with jewels, and willingly submitted himself to be brutally crucified by His own people. His authority does not lie in having the power to win battles against one’s human enemies, but in love and self-sacrifice. As followers of Jesus, we abide in his authority of love by emulating his self-sacrificing love.
The behaviour of the virtuous that is highlighted by Jesus in today’s gospel reading should not just be taken literally. In the quote below, St. Mother Teresa gives an illuminating description of the hungry, naked and homeless in the present day:
“God has identified himself with the hungry, the sick, the naked, the homeless; hunger not only for bread, but for love, for care, to be somebody to someone; nakedness, not for clothing only, but nakedness of that compassion that very few people give to the unknown; homelessness, not only just for a shelter made from stone but for that homelessness that comes from having no one to call your own.” – St. Mother Teresa
Have we paid attention to those around us who are hungry for love, who are naked for having lost their dignity or self-respect, and who are homeless for being rejected? How do we show them self-sacrificial love? According to St. Mother Teresa, the greatest evil in the world is a lack of love and charity, and indifference towards one’s neighbour. Oftentimes, I read accounts of people who had undergone personal tragedies such as loss and illness, and found most of their friends distancing themselves in the process. Will you be a fair-weather friend or one who will be there for another?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Edith Koh)
Prayer: We pray for the grace and courage to go out of our way to help those around us who are in need.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the people who were there for us during difficult times.
OXYGEN 
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