Feast of Christ The King

Dear Parishioners,

The Feast of Christ the King marks the end of liturgical year. On this feast we remember that Jesus came to establish his kingdom. Sometimes we speak of that “kingdom” as if we expect it to come someday. We talk of the kingdom of heaven and we assume that we will experience that kingdom at the end of our lives. Maybe when we speak of Jesus establishing a kingdom we assume that we are speaking of him starting the church. We may also think of the kingdom as coming at the end of all time.

Really, the kingdom is all of that. It is here among us. It started when Jesus came into the world and will continue until the end of all time.

The question for us is, how will we help build up that kingdom? We are not supposed to sit back passively and wait for it to arrive. We are to try to bring about a better world which involves a lot of work. The poor must have their needs met. The refugee has to be able to have a safe haven. Senseless killing must end and there must be more of a respect for human life. The gospel message needs to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. The list of what is necessary to have a better world is endless.

We will never accomplish everything we need to for Jesus, but that is the challenge of living the Gospel. The main mistake we probably make is that we think of the Gospel as a self-help project. As long as we personally are moral we have done what we can, but in the “Kingdom of Jesus” we take responsibility for one another. When Jesus arrives for the final judgement we are asked to be actively working at building his kingdom. If we are, the Master will be well pleased.

Blessings,

Fr. Mark