by Michael Podrebarac
This Sunday marks the end of the liturgical year with the celebration of the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
Established one hundred years ago by Pope Pius XI, the solemnity commemorates the dominion of Jesus Christ over all things. Pope Pius desired to remind the faithful that, regardless of the politics of the day or the culture of the moment, Jesus himself is king over both, and that his own kingdom will triumph in the end.
Christ the King Sunday sustains us in the hope that, in the end, all shall be well, and that righteousness will eventually overthrow all the wrongs of human history.
From 1925 through 1969, the solemnity was observed on the last Sunday in October, just before All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. In 1970, Pope St. Paul VI moved it to the last Sunday of the liturgical calendar in order to draw the liturgical year to a fitting conclusion. In the end, Christ is coming back in glory, to judge the living and the dead, and the history of salvation will end when he establishes his kingdom without end.
Just as the liturgical year begins with a focus on the coming of Christ, so it ends with a celebration of the kingship of Christ and the future glory that awaits us in his triumphal return.
But the solemnity we celebrate this Sunday isn’t just about the future. Because we live in Christ as his brothers and sisters through baptism, we are privileged to enjoy a foretaste of his coming glory in the celebration of the Eucharist.
During Mass, present time is transformed into a present moment of future glory, as the Eucharist is the sacrificial banquet which ties together Christ’s death on the cross, his resurrection from the dead and his coming again to escort his people into his eternal kingdom.
And as we receive Communion, we are able to step into his glory for a time. Our participation in the liturgy is a foretaste of our participation in heaven. You might say that we are, each of us, resurrected and glorified when we share in his body and blood. This is why St. Thomas Aquinas referred to the Eucharist as the “pledge of future glory given to us.” During Mass, the Holy Spirit transforms earthly time into heavenly time, and we truly stand with all of the angels and saints before the very throne of God.
What future glory, yet glory even now. All shall be well, as with Jesus all is well.
