Christ the King
Christ the King celebrates Jesus's kingship over all creation, concluding the liturgical year.
Christ the King
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, proclaims the universal sovereignty of Christ over all creation, all peoples, and all time. This feast marks the culmination of the Church year before the new cycle begins with Advent.
Historical Origins
Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 through his encyclical Quas Primas. In an era of rising secularism and totalitarianism, the Pope declared Christ's kingship as an antidote to the "plague of anti-clericalism, its errors and impious activities."
Originally celebrated on the last Sunday of October, Pope Paul VI moved it to its current position in 1969, emphasizing that Christ's kingship is the goal toward which all history moves.
The Kingship of Christ
Christ's kingship differs radically from earthly power:
"Jesus answered, 'My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.' Pilate therefore said to him, 'Are you a king then?" — John 18:36-37
The Three Dimensions of Christ's Kingship
King of Hearts
Christ seeks not to conquer by force but to reign in human hearts through love. His kingdom is established when we freely submit our wills to his.
King of Society
Christ's teachings of justice, mercy, and human dignity should inform how societies are organized. His law of love stands as the measure of all human law.
King of the Universe
All creation finds its origin and destiny in Christ. "In him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17). At the end of time, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
The Last Judgment
The Gospel for Christ the King Sunday (Matthew 25:31-46) presents Christ as the King who will judge the nations:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory... he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."
The criteria for judgment is how we treated "the least of these"—the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned.
A Kingdom of Truth and Life
The Preface for the feast describes Christ's kingdom as:
- An eternal and universal kingdom
- A kingdom of truth and life
- A kingdom of holiness and grace
- A kingdom of justice, love, and peace
The End of the Liturgical Year
As the final Sunday of the Church year, Christ the King directs our gaze toward the Second Coming and the fulfillment of God's plan, when Christ will hand over the kingdom to the Father and God will be "all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).