| Jesus Christ is king
of all creation. At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples
that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (28:18).
The Revelation of John calls him King of kings and Lord of lords (19:16).
People wanted to make Jesus a king after he worked the miracle of the loaves,
but he went away by himself instead (Jn 6:15). They wanted a secular king
to govern their land. Jesus wanted to rule their hearts.
The Catholic Church celebrates the
kingship of Christ on the last Sunday of the church year. The liturgical
year reaches its climax in a celebration that honors the supreme command
of Christ. He has dominion over all creation, and he rules every person
who believes in him.
The feast of Christ the King entered
the Catholic calendar in 1925, which Pope Pius XI had set aside as a holy
year. Pius thought the feast would bring the year to a solemn close, help
combat the forces of secularism, and remind the world that Christ is its
ultimate ruler. The pope chose the last Sunday of October because of its
proximity to the end of the liturgical year and to serve as a prelude to
All Saints Day on Nov. 1. The same day was already being observed as Reformation
Sunday in the Protestant traditions.
Pope Paul VI moved the observance
from the end of October to the very last Sunday of the church year in order
to exalt its theme even more. Now we end the year with an idea that sums
up all that we have celebrated and that prepares us to start anew: this
Jesus, whose birth we will soon celebrate, is the king of all creation.
ML
For additional bulletin insert resources,
try Index of Bulletin Inserts
Or, order the CD containing 260 bulletin
insert resources, as seen on the ML
Bulletin Inserts page.
What do YOU Think?
Send an e-mail to ML
Editor or post an entry on the ML Current Issue
Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may
be edited for length.)
This bulletin insert originally appeared in Ministry
& Liturgy, a pastoral planning resource used by the worship leaders
in your parish as an aid for better liturgy. Copyright © 2007, Resource
Publications, Inc. 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San Jose, CA 95112, (408)
286-8505. This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission
from the publisher. For permission e-mail
info@rpinet.com.
Paul
Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, MO, holds a doctorate
in sacramental theology from Sant' Anselmo University in Rome.
Comment online at ML Current Issue
Discussion. |
