34 Sunday Ordinary Time, B, Solemnity of Christ the King, 25 November 2012, John 18:33-37

Christ the King

This Sunday is the last Sunday in the Church's calendar. Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, and with it comes a new year. On this Sunday, the thirty-fourth Sunday of the Church's year, we celebrate Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King.

This Solemnity was first instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925. In his encyclical entitled Quas Primas, the Pope sought to say the things that really matter as he looked out on the post World War I world. He saw the rise of fascism as the result of the economic decline that would culminate in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. As Pope, as Pastor to the world, he could see some of the serious difficulties that the world was heading towards.

Living now, as we do, at a time of increased uncertainty and anxiety, primarily as a result of economic recession, we find ourselves once more called to re-evaluate where our deepest allegiances lie. To do this we must first of all take a hard and honest look at what is really happening in our world. Like Pope Pius XI, we find ourselves living in an uncertain time, with the possibility for great good and for great evil.

We must be careful to discern the truth, and even if we found ourselves being swept along by the talk of economic certainty and fortune, we must now be careful not to be swept away by the blue talk of economic downturn.

If we are to have an anchor, some stability in this storm of words, then we must float on top of words like depression, unemployment, recession, economy, loss of jobs. Like St Peter, we find ourselves trying to step out in faith, to do that which seems impossible, to walk on water, only in our case the water is made up of ugly words and ugly talk. Only by placing our trust in Christ who reigns over everything will we find a firm foundation, free from the stormy waters of economic upturn and economic downturn. This was what Pope Pius XI was attempting to do in 1925 when he inaugurated this feast day. He was attempting to call people to have allegiance to Christ, to recognise that we are not kings or princes of our own destiny, but that in Christ the King we might find peace.

Our Gospel for today, a snippet of the Passion account from the Gospel of John which we hear proclaimed every Good Friday, points us in the way of truth. All who are on the side of truth listen to the voice of Christ. These are words written for us in our time. The truth, which is difficult, and at times is a two-edged sword, is the only way that we can follow. Christ is truth personified; we cannot claim to be followers of Jesus Christ if we deny truth. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Today is a day to ask ourselves about how we have lived up to the demands of the Gospel in our own lives. The bottom line is not about money. The bottom line is about truth, the bottom line is about people.


Pope Pius XI's encyclical Quas Primas is available at:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_11121925_quas-primas_en.html