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Compassionate king dies for those he governs
Based on the readings: 2 Sm 5:1-3; Col 1:12-2; Lk 23:35-43
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” says the Alleluia verse for today’s Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King that marks the end of the church year.
Pope Pius XI instituted the solemnity of Christ the King in 1925 as a spiritual response to the anti-Christian leaders at that time. While the feast is not very old, the fact that Jesus Christ is King of all creation is timeless.
Today’s reading from Colossians is the “Christological hymn” that praises and emphasizes the glory of Christ. Paul points out that Jesus Christ is God Almighty – “the image of the invisible God” (1:15), the creator of everything, “the head of the body, the church” (1:18), who died on the cross and rose from the dead to redeem and reconcile all things with God the Father.
Luke’s Gospel account shows Jesus as a merciful Savior and a compassionate King who dies for those he governs.
With the Preface for today’s feast, we pray:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord,
holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For you anointed your Only Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness
as Eternal Priest and King of all creation,
so that, by offering himself on the altar of the Cross
as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace,
he might accomplish the mysteries of human redemption
and, making all created things subject to his rule,
he might present to the immensity of your majesty
an eternal and universal kingdom,
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love and peace.
Lord Jesus, we give you all honor and glory! Marianne Couture
