Solemnity of the Feast of Christ the King

Collect for Christ the King.

The Collect for the Feast of Christ the King reads as follows:

Almighty ever-living God,

whose will is to restore all things

in Your beloved Son, the King of the Universe

grant, we pray, that the whole creation set free from slavery,

may render Your majestic service,

and ceaselessly proclaim Your praise.

 Pope Pius XI universally instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas. Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of dictatorships in Europe, and saw Catholics being taken in by these earthly leaders. Pope Pius connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism, since at the time of Quas Primas, secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, even Catholics, were doubting Christ's authority, as well as the Church's, and even doubting Christ's existence.

It is interesting to observe that just as the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted when devotion to the Eucharist was at a low point, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today, as these problems have not vanished, but instead have worsened.

Pope Pius hoped the institution of the feast would have various effects. They were:

1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state (Quas Primas, 32).
2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ (Quas Primas, 31).
3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies (Quas Primas, 33).

Today, the same distrust of authority exists, although the problem seems to have deteriorated. Individualism has been embraced to such an extreme, that for many, the only authority is the individual self. The idea of Christ as ruler is rejected in such a strongly individualistic system. Also, many balk at the idea of kings and queens, believing them to be oppressive. Some even reject the titles of "lord" and "king" for Christ because they believe that such titles are borrowed from oppressive systems of government. However true these statements might be (some kings have been oppressive), these individuals miss the point: Christ's kingship is one of humility and service. The following two scripture quotes support this view.  Jesus said:

'You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45, NAB).
and also:
'Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?"... Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world,to testify to the truth (John 18:33b, 36-37).

Jesus knew the oppressive nature of secular kings, and in contrast to them, He connected His role as king to humble service, and commanded His followers to be servants as well. In other passages of Scripture, His kingdom is tied to His suffering and death. While Christ is coming to judge the nations, His teachings spell out a kingdom of justice and judgment balanced with radical love, mercy, peace, and forgiveness. 

 Christ the King Sunday used to be celebrated on the last Sunday of October, but since the calendar reforms of 1969, the feast falls on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, which is the Sunday before Advent. It is fitting that the feast celebrating Christ's kingship is observed right before Advent, when we liturgically wait for the promised Messiah (King).

As we celebrate this solemnity, we may thank God that Pope Pius XI' instituted this  feast of Christ the King because it reminds us that our allegiance is to our spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy in whatever form it takes in our lives.

When we celebrate Christ as King, we are not celebrating an oppressive ruler, but one willing to die for humanity and whose "loving-kindness endures forever." Christ is the king that gives us true freedom, freedom in Him. Christ radically redefined and transformed the concept of Kingship.

As we celebrate this feast, we may wish to look back at our spiritual year. We may ask ourselves whether Christ has been king of our hearts throughout the year and if not, resolve to make Him King of our hearts. 

Why not lift up your heart to the King of Kings as you listen to Hallelujah chorus by Handel. 

Prayer during illness

Since Friday 8/11/19, I have been in hospital and ended up with a mini stroke and other health related issues.

This is the reason there have been no blog posts and podcasts.  Added to that, I just got my computer recently from a kind soul who went and brought it in for me to hospital. Actually I don t feel like doing that much. So forgive me for keeping posts short.

However the question I would like to pose is how do you pray when you are sick? Do you try to pray or just stay still and sense God's presence?

I suppose there are million and one ways but what I am finding is that even the basic Our Father and Hail Mary which is so basic and something I would say everyday  is just a muddle. I start out with the  Our Father and end up with the Hail Mary or Glory be.

Even though my health right now is not riveting, it made me wonder how people pray when they are a lot sicker than I am.

It also made me realise how important prayer is when you are well. It is as though you have some in the bank for such an occasion.  Obviously I dont mean that literally, but I am sure you know what I mean.

So I have had days of muddled basic prayers- the intention is there but the connections are missing. So perhaps one has to go with the intention.

Then do you say '' I will wait or do I persevere with muddled prayers''.  I have to ask myself why it is so hard to pray when I am sick. It raised the question of how Jesus must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane- how did He pray at that time knowing the disciples would betray Him and He would have to walk the road of Calvary by Himself.

Sorry if post sounds rambling- but it is the best I can do right now.  I guess I would love to remind myself and my readers to pray well when you can especially when you are well, because although I have plenty of time on my hands I do not have the ideal conditions to pray as I would like.

One thing that has been a life saver is having the Bible on the phone. Just surfing the New Testament for some inspiration has been good too. Three cheers for technology I have to say in this regard.

Well I hope this post starts you thinking too- how do we pray when we are sick?

No 114 How did Jesus conduct Himself in regard to the law of Israel.

COMPENDIUM SERIES.

 

Jesus the Teacher: Compendium Series icon.

No 114.  How did Jesus conduct Himself in regard to the law of Israel? (CCC 577-582,592)

WHAT DOES THE COMPENDIUM SAY?

Compendium states:

Jesus did not abolish the law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai but He fulfilled it by giving it its definitive interpretation. He himself was the Divine Legislator who fully carried out this Law.  Furthermore, He was the faithful Servant, He offered by means of his expiatory death the only sacrifice capable of making atonement for all the ‘’transgressions committed by men under the First Covenant” ( Heb 9:15).

What does this mean for me?

1.            I can thank God every day for His saving plan of redemption for all of humanity and that my redemption came at a great price- the suffering, death and resurrection. My redemption came through His blood.

2.            I can be thankful that Jesus, in His humanity did not deny who He truly is- the Son of God.

3.            I can draw inspiration from Jesus to stay true to my own identity as a child of God through adoption.

Questions to consider.

1.      How can I appreciate the saving plan of God- the Paschal Mystery in my life every day?

2.      How do I build up the Church – what contribution do I make?

3.      Why is important to understand why the Jewish leaders handed Jesus over to Pilate?

4.      How would I explain to someone who asked me what does the death of Jesus mean to you today?

Collect for 31st Sunday of Year C

THE COLLECT SERIES

the Mass: The Collect Series Icon.

The Collect for the 31st Sunday of Year reads as follows:

Almighty and merciful God,

by whose gift your faithful offer You right and praiseworthy service,

grant, we pray, that we may hasten without stumbling

to receive the things you have promised.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS.

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged.

  1.  What is right and praiseworthy service in God’s eyes? 

  2.  What is right and praiseworthy service in my eyes?

3.     What are the things that God has promised me?
4.     What are the stumbling blocks to me receiving these promises?
5.     What is my current prayer life/spiritual life like?
      Does it need an overhaul or just tweaking here and there?
6.    How will I give God right and praiseworthy service this coming week?.

GOSPEL REFLECTION.

Today’s reflection is directly taken from www.catholicculture.org

The Gospel is from the Gospel of Matthew 23:1-12. As this picture of the Pharisees is painted by none other than Christ himself, we can have no doubt but that the description given is the truth and nothing but the truth. In spite of their great knowledge of "the law and the prophets"—the divine revelation God had given to the Chosen People—and of their many strict observances of that law, they were not pleasing to God. All their good works and all their learning were spoiled by the vice of pride which made them seek earthly glory for themselves and prevented them from giving glory or thanks to God. Their religion was an empty external cloak which they used to attract attention and honor to themselves. Internally, they were so full of their own importance that there was no room for God in their hearts.

Our divine Lord warned his disciples, and through them all of us, to avoid that pernicious vice of pride. It should not be hard for any true Christian to avoid this vice. We know that every material and spiritual talent we have has been given us by God, so we must give glory to God for any gifts we possess and not to ourselves. St. Paul reminds us of this fact when he asks us: "What have you that you have not received, and if you have received it why glory in it as if it were your own?" We owe everything we have to God and we should use all the gifts he has given us for his honor and glory, and for that purpose alone.

Do we always do this? Are we never tempted to look down on our less fortunate brothers? If we have got on well in our temporal affairs do we attribute our success to our own skill and hard work or do we thank God for the opportunities he gave to us and not to others. If, aided by God's grace, we are keeping his commandments, do we show contempt for those who give in to temptations which we did not have to meet?

The best of us can profit from an examination of conscience along these lines. If our external observance of the Christian rule of life is motivated solely by love and gratitude to God all is well. But if our hearts are far from God and our motives in our religious behaviour is self-glorification, we are in a dangerous position. The sinners and harlots of Christ's day repented and were received into his kingdom; the Pharisees, unable to repent, were left outside.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

I have written a series called The Virtue series (this is the first post of the series) which you may find helpful and/or on my podcast where I have completed a few episodes of this series.