SUNDAY HOMILY FOR SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING — YEAR B

SUNDAY HOMILY FOR SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING — YEAR B

HOMILY THEME: THE INAUGURATION OF THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST

BY: Fr. Anthony O. Ezeaputa

Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, marking the culmination of the Catholic Church’s liturgical year. The years leading up to the institution of this feast were marked by great turmoil.

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Back then, Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime pushed a toxic ideology of racial supremacy, extreme nationalism, and authoritarianism. The infamous Nuremberg Laws of 1935, which gradually deprived Jews of their citizenship and forbade marriage between Jews and non-Jews, represented a terrifying escalation in Nazi persecution.

There was Benito Mussolini and his fascist ways, which stressed violence, putting down dissent, and strict control over everyone. One well-known example of this was Mussolini’s harsh treatment of the Italian socialist and communist parties, especially in the 1920s, when his Blackshirts militia violently put down any resistance, strengthening Mussolini’s control over the country.

Vladimir Lenin, with his communist ideas, aimed to establish a society devoid of classes through violent conflict and significant alterations to people’s lifestyles. One very clear example of this was forcing farmers to work together. This led to the devastating Ukrainian famine, also referred to as the Holodomor, which claimed millions of lives and demonstrated the brutality of communist ideologies in real-world situations.

One thing Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime, Benito Mussolini and his fascist ways, and Vladimir Lenin with his communist ideals all had in common was their intense opposition to and persecution of the Church. Their ambition for totalitarian control over society motivated them to reject the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings.

Pope Pius XI established the feast of Christ the King in response to the rise of communism, fascism, and Nazism after World War I. He believed that the root of these problems was that people had rejected Jesus Christ and his teachings.

Pope Pius XI asserted that individuals and nations can only attain true and lasting peace by acknowledging and adhering to Christ’s authority. He hoped that the most efficient way to combat the destructive forces of secularism and ultranationalism is to recognize Christ as the king of our hearts and the king of all nations.

It’s also no coincidence that today’s feast falls on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. The solemnity of Christ the King is the pinnacle and fulfillment of the entire liturgical calendar—the enthronement of Our Lord Jesus Christ as King of the Universe.

According to Pius XI, Jesus Christ reigns over our minds through His teachings, rules our hearts with His love, and guides our lives by following His law and emulating His example. So, we are celebrating the enthronement of Jesus Christ as the King of soul, heart, and mind.

The enthronement of Jesus Christ as King entails dedicating ourselves to Him. It is deepening our understanding of Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is cultivating a steadfast and vibrant faith that shapes our thoughts and emotions and governs our actions.

Our gospel text (John 18:33b-37) today is the confrontation between Jesus and Pilate. Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus tells Pilate, “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.”

This demonstrates that the core of Jesus’ kingship is truth. And this brings us to one of the crises of our time: the flight from truth.

Pope Benedict called it the dictatorship of relativism: “We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.”

The kingdom of Christ is one of truth and life, holiness and grace, justice, love, and peace. Christ came “to bear witness to the truth,” and whoever accepts his witness serves beneath his “banner.” As a result, we must choose whether to serve beneath the banner of God or the secularists and ultranationalists.

Secularists and ultranationalists often disguise themselves as advocates of progress, patriotism, and freedom. But they want to replace God and religious beliefs as the guiding principles of private and public debate.

Today’s feast is the inauguration of the kingdom of Christ. Through baptism, Christ has already given us birth in this kingdom. He has shown us how to live in it through faith and action. Let us eagerly anticipate the day when we will all unite into his kingdom.

Until then, let us examine our involvement and commitment to the advancement of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ, especially in our lives. Let us pray, “May your kingdom come, O Lord.” Amen.

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