Reign of Christ Sunday is a relatively recent addition to the liturgical calendar, instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. In 1970, its Roman Rite observance was moved from October to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time and thus to the Sunday before the first Sunday in Advent.
According to Cyril of Alexandria (4th CE), Christ “has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature. His kingship is founded upon the union of human and divine in one person. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; Christ has power over all creatures.” (Pope Pius X)
The Feast of Christ the King has an eschatological dimension, pointing to the end of time when the kingdom of Jesus will be established in all its fullness to the ends of the earth.
That may have been satisfying in the past, but the symbolism of rulers who hold absolute sway over others has ceased to be an attractive idea, even of a benign monarch. Through Samuel, God warns the people of Israel who are clamouring for a king (Samuel 8:11-17):
“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.”
Maybe it is time to revisit this idea of a monarchical God and elevate the idea of the servant, the healer, the wise teacher, the devoted shepherd. Perhaps then, we might get on with the business of saving the world through our actions, through our outrage at injustice, through our compassion for each other, instead of waiting to be saved from our own apathy and self-absorption.
Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37)