FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
The feast of ‘Christ the King’ was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Originally, it was celebrated on the last Sunday of October, but in 1969 Pope St. Paul VI placed it strategically on the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year to emphasise the fact that all time and all seasons belong to Christ. So today, we salute our King and recommit ourselves to the task of making His kingdom come. The expression ‘kingdom of God’ appears 62 times in the New Testament, while the term ‘kingdom of heaven’ occurs 32 times. They have the same meaning. The most apt definition of this kingdom is ‘the place where God rules’. Its’ territory is the territory of peoples’ hearts. Its’ law is the Sermon on the Mount. It exists in every home where parents and children love and respect one another and where God is a welcome guest. It becomes a reality in every country where the weak and vulnerable are cared for, the hungry are fed and the homeless are housed. It is experienced in every parish where all feel welcome, included and safe. The kingdom is a present reality and a future hope. Life is the childhood of eternity and If we do our best to make the kingdom come on earth we believe that we will taste its’ fullness at the end of life’s journey around the throne of the King