Christ the King
The Solemnity of Christ the King was last Sunday (Nov. 21, 2010). This was a reflection I wrote for our parish bulletin. Pope Pius XI created the feast of Christ the King in 1925 to combat the rising tide of secularism in the world. He wanted to draw our attention to the reality of being citizens of the Kingdom of God and the authority of Jesus as King over our lives as Catholics and his authority over all creation. Looking around at the world today it’s obvious that we need this feast day more than ever as atheism becomes chic, moral relativism becomes the norm, and threats from terrorism, economic collapse and “super bugs” disturb our peace. I think one of the saddest moments in the Old Testament is recorded in 1 Samuel 8 when the people of Israel demand a king from an aging Samuel saying, “Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else.” (1 Sm 8:5) The prophet goes to God disheartened by this news and God tells Samuel, “Go ahead and give them what they want. They’re not ...