On The Solemnity of Christ The King - Your Kingdom Come

On The Solemnity of Christ The King - Your Kingdom Come

(Reading for Feast of Christ The King by Origen, one of the early Church Fathers)

The kingdom of God in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom ­of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God's kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it may grow and bear fruit and become perfect. For God reigns in each of his holy ones. Anyone who is holy obeys the spiritual laws of God, who dwells in him as in a well-ordered city. The Father is present in the perfect soul, and with him Christ reigns, according to the words: We shall come to him and make our home with him.

Thus the kingdom of God within us, as we continue to make progress, will reach its highest point when the Apostle's words are fulfilled, and Christ, having subjected all his enemies to himself, will hand over his kingdom to God the Father, that God may be all in all. Therefore, let us pray unceasingly with that disposition of soul, which the Word may make divine, saying to our Father who IS in heaven: Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come.

Note this too about the kingdom of God. It is not a sharing of justice with iniquity, nor a society of light with darkness, nor a meeting of Christ with Belial. The kingdom of God cannot exist alongside the reign of sin.

Therefore, if we wish God to reign in us, in no way should sin reign in our mortal body; rather we should mortify our members which are upon the earth and bear fruit in the Spirit. There should be in us a kind of spiritual paradise where God may walk and be our sole ruler with his Christ. In us the Lord will sit at the right hand of that spiritual power which we wish to receive. And he will sit there until all his enemies who are within us become his footstool, and every principality, power and virtue in us is cast out.

All this can happen in each one of us, and the last enemy  death, can be destroyed; then Christ will say in us: O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory.  And so, what is corruptible in us must be clothed in holiness and incorruptibility; and what is mortal must be clothed, now that death has been conquered, in the Father's immortality. Then God will reign in us, and we shall enjoy even now the blessings of rebirth and resurrection.

Almighty and merciful God,

you break the power of evil

and make all things new

in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe.

May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory

and never cease to praise you.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

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The Solemnity of Christ The King - Our Parish Patron - November 25, 2012

(edited from http://www.churchyear.net/ctksunday.html)

In addition to being the name-sake or patron of our Parish, the Solemnity of Christ the King celebrates the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of the cosmos. This highest of Catholic Feasts  is celebrated on the final Sunday of Liturgical Year, the Sunday before Advent. This year, the feast falls on November 25th.

Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925. The Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today, as these problems have not vanished, but instead have worsened.

Today individualism has been embraced to such an extreme, that for many, the only authority is the individual self. The idea of Christ as ruler is rejected in such a strongly individualistic system. Though many balk at the idea of kings and queens, believing them to be oppressive, these individuals miss the point: Christ's kingship is one of humility and service.

Jesus said: You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them...But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45).

Jesus knew the oppressive nature of secular kings, and in contrast to them, he connected his role as king to humble service, and commanded his followers to be servants as well. When we celebrate Christ as King, we are not celebrating an oppressive ruler, but one willing to die for humanity and whose "loving-kindness endures forever." Christ is the king that gives us true freedom, freedom in Him. Thus we must never forget that Christ radically redefined and transformed the concept of kingship.

The earliest Christians identified Jesus with the predicted Messiah of the Jews. The Jewish word "messiah," and the Greek word "Christ," both mean "anointed one," and came to refer to the expected king who would deliver Israel from the hands of the Romans. Christians believe that Jesus is this expected Messiah who came to free all people. He came to free us and the world from sin and death. Thus the king of the Jews, and of the cosmos, is king of all and of the world to come:

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Pope Benedict XVI, declared A YEAR OF FAITH in honor of the 50^th anniversary of 2^nd Vatican Council, which begins from 2012 Christ the King Feast to 2013 Feast of Christ The King. We are very specially Blessed and honoured since our Patron is Christ the King.

The Liturgy Committee of Christ the King invites and welcomes all to join us for the Special celebration we have planned.

A special reminder to everyone of us to wear red, gold or white on the weekend of the feast of Christ the King November 25^th 2012.

As we inaugurate the 2012-2013 Year of Faith throughout the world, let us take time this year to reflect in a special way how we might live more fully the Kingship our Lord Jesus Christ invites us to share.

May Christ The King be our God and Guide.

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