KING of KINGS
& LORD of LORDS, -
“JESUS”
On the last
(34th) Sunday of
our liturgical year
the Church celebrates the
Solemnity of Christ
the King. Pope
Pius XI
solemnly instituted this feast day in 1925.
World War I, also known as the Great War and the War To End All Wars,
was a global military conflict which took place primarily in
In the wake of this horrendous carnage and mindless destruction of human life, the pope called the faithful to contemplate the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This Feast of Christ the King fights against ‘Secularism’, which promotes a way of life that attempts to leave God out of man's thinking and living. A person who embraces a secular lifestyle organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast celebrates His reign...
CHRIST, OUR GOD
& KING?
continued from cover page
...over individuals, families, society,
governments, and nations. Jesus, the King of Kings, unlike any other
king, ruler, president or authority, invites His subjects to an intimate, loving relationship with
Him. In the midst of that relationship,
those who truly embrace His kingship and enthrone Him in their hearts will find
the power and the grace to overcome & counteract the attraction to riches
and slavery to the allurements of
pleasure, greed, and vainglories.
From Jesus, the King of Kings, all
those who are
called to govern
nations will discover what
it means to
be a good
and benevolent ruler
of God’s people.
His rule is
observed by powers, governments and
authorities who seek justice for the poor and the oppressed,
seek to foster peace among all peoples and
nations, seek to distribute the goods of the nation entrusted to their
charge in an equitable way to all of the subjects and ensuring people the
rights to live in the true dignity as God’s beloved sons and daughters.
All of us who claim to be His subjects are
called to examine our own hearts, souls, attitudes and values to see if we are
aligned and worthy to call ourselves the heavenly King’s true disciples and
followers. Those who claim and pledge
allegiance to Christ, the King, will strive to form their consciences, minds
and will to be in sync with the values of the Gospel. The world and its glamour and prestige and
power will have no sway over their soul.
When Christ begins to reign in our hearts, and is number #1 in our
lives, we will find peace and joy flooding our souls. We will find wisdom to topple the erroneous
thinking of the atheist’s mindset. There
will be power and grace given to overcome the temptations and seductions of the
pleasures of the flesh and eventually those who remain steadfast and faithful
will win a glorious victory over Satan and everlasting life among the Blessed
in heaven.
We choose to let God, the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit enter into our soul and make it their dwelling place in
baptism. The reign of God and His kingdom
is established in us. We pray as Jesus
asked us to in the Our Father, for His kingdom to be manifest in our lives and
His will to be above our will as it is in heaven. As God is given a free reign in our life then
His kingdom begins to grow in us, and in obedience to Him we obey His spiritual
laws and courageously stand up for His ways in the world. We adore and worship Him who is enthroned by
refusing to let sin master us and constantly wage battle against Satan and any
of his works in our life or in our world.
These last two weekends, young members of
the community have asked to be enrolled into the two-year program to prepare to receive the Sacrament
of Confirmation and to take ownership of their faith as young adults. At the enrollment mass they were reminded
that Confirmation is not a Graduation from the church but an Initiation into a
deeper relationship with God and an active participation into the life of the
Church. The confirmandi
de facto are asking God to be number #1 in their lives and to reign supreme in
their lives as the source and end of all their decisions and the final goal of
their lives. We take them ‘at their
word’ and pray for them and support them in their first young adult step to claim
Jesus Christ as their very own, King of King and Lord of Lords, their Savior.
“The way to "enter" into God's Kingdom
"does not permit shortcuts"; rather, "every person must freely
welcome the truth of the love of God. He is Love and Truth and both love and
truth never impose themselves: they knock at the door of the heart and mind
and, wherever they may enter, they bring peace and joy. This is God's way of
reigning; this is his project of salvation, a 'mystery' in the biblical sense
of the word, which is a plan that is revealed little by little throughout
history."
— Pope Benedict XVI
