Homily Christ The King Feast Ordinary Time Year C I Homily 23 November 2025

Homily Christ The King Feast Ordinary Time Year C I Homily 23 November 2025

My dear friends on the last Sunday of each liturgical year, the Church celebrates the

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or Christ the King. Pope Pius XI

instituted this feast in 1925 to respond to growing secularism and atheism. This solemnity

reminds us that while governments come and go, Christ reigns as King forever.

In the first reading taken from the second book of Samuel, David is made king over a united

Israel after a period of division and hardship. The people come together acknowledging their

relationship with David—they are his “bone and flesh”—and accept him as their shepherd

and leader. This event is rooted in God’s plan, as David was chosen to unify the people and

guide them with justice and care. Historically, David’s reign was seen as the ideal kingship in

Israel’s memory, even though he was an imperfect human leader. The Church reads this

story on the Feast of Christ the King because David’s kingship is a symbol—called a

“type”—of the kingship of Jesus. Where David brought together the tribes of Israel, Jesus

brings together all people and all creation. David’s forty-year reign pointed toward the eternal

reign of Christ, whose kingdom is everlasting. Just as Israel recognized their unity and need

for a shepherd, Christians are called to unite under Christ, the true shepherd and king. David

ruled “before the Lord,” making a covenant rooted in God’s law. Similarly, Jesus rules with

mercy, truth, and sacrificial love, inviting all to live under his reign of peace and justice—not

by force, but by grace. Celebrating Christ the King, then, is not only looking back to David’s

story but forward to the fullness of God’s kingdom in Christ—one of justice, humility, and

love for all. David’s anointing points us to the hope and call to live as children of the King,

working for unity and surrendering to Christ’s gentle leadership each day.

The second reading taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians is one of the most beautiful

descriptions of who Jesus truly is. Paul begins by encouraging believers to give thanks to the

Father, who has made us worthy to share in the inheritance of His holy people. This means

God has invited us into His family—not because we earned it, but because He has chosen to

love us. Paul then gives us an imagery of being pulled out of a dark cave and brought into

the bright sunlight. Through Jesus, we receive forgiveness, freedom, and a new identity as

God’s children. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God,” meaning that if we want to know

what God is like, we look at Jesus. He shows us God’s heart, God’s compassion, and God’s

power. Paul also says that everything in creation—heaven and earth, visible and

invisible—was made through Him and for Him. Paul also calls Jesus the head of the Church.

Just as the head guides the body, Christ leads and nourishes His people. Through His death

on the cross, Jesus brought peace and restored our broken relationship with God.

This passage invites us to see Jesus not just as a teacher or miracle worker but as the

centre of everything. When life feels scattered or confusing, remembering that “in Him all

things hold together” brings peace to our hearts. It also calls us to gratitude- our daily prayer

can simply be: “Thank You, Lord, for bringing me from darkness into Your light.” Finally,

knowing that Christ is the head helps us trust that the Church, despite its struggles, is guided

by His love and wisdom. When we keep Jesus at the centre, our faith becomes rooted,

strong, and full of hope.

During the fierce persecution of the Church in Mexico in the 1920s, Blessed Miguel Pro

secretly travelled from house to house, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, and bringing

comfort to frightened Catholics. He wore disguises to avoid arrest—sometimes a mechanic,

sometimes a businessman—whatever helped him reach his people. Eventually, he was

captured on false charges. On the day of his execution, he refused a blindfold. With arms

stretched out like Christ on the cross, he boldly cried, “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”—“Long live Christ

the King!” The firing squad expected fear; instead, they saw a man whose courage came

from a King who saves not by coming down from the cross, but by giving His life in love.

In the gospel taken from Luke, Jesus hangs on the cross while people mock Him: “If you are

the King, save yourself!” The soldiers laugh, the leaders sneer, and even one criminal joins

the insults. Everyone’s eyes are on the crowd, the noise, the humiliation. But the Gospel

gently invites us to shift our focus from the people to Jesus. If we keep looking at the

mockery, we only see defeat. If we look at Jesus, we see love waiting for us. He is the King

who does not force us, but waits for us to turn to Him, just like He waited for the good thief.

The criminals beside Jesus represent two ways of looking at life. One chooses bitterness,

demanding a miracle to suit his expectations. The other chooses trust: “Remember me when

you come into your kingdom.” This simple plea becomes one of the most beautiful prayers in

Scripture. It reminds us that Jesus’ kingship shines brightest when wounded people return to

Him in humility. We often wonder: What would have happened if Jesus had come down from

the cross? He could have. He had the power. But had He done so, He would have saved

Himself—not us. The cross is His throne because it reveals not fear, but love—a love strong

enough to stay, to suffer, and to save. Earthly kings show power by dominating. Christ the

King shows power by lifting others up, even when He Himself is nailed down. His kingship is

not about escape but embrace. Not about punishing but forgiving.

Jesus does not wait for perfect people. He waits for turning hearts. No matter how late, how

broken, or how lost we feel, Christ the King whispers the same promise He gave the good

thief: “Today you will be with me.” It is the voice of a King who reigns by mercy, not might.

Even when we feel forgotten or unworthy, Jesus waits for us to turn to him, promising love,

healing, and life. On this feast, let’s shift our focus from the voices around us to the voice of

Jesus—the King who calls us by name and never stops loving us.

My dear friends, as we celebrate Christ the King, the Church invites us to ask a simple

question: Who is the true king of my life? Where do I resist Christ’s leadership? For

Christians, when our faith is repeatedly marginalized in public life, we can fall into the habit

of compartmentalizing our lives. We love Jesus in our private lives, but we shrink from

acknowledging the kingship of Christ in social life. When we celebrate the Solemnity of

Christ the King, we declare to the world and remind ourselves that Jesus is the Lord of the

Church and of the entire universe. Let us like Blessed Miguel Pro, boldly whisper to the

world—not in words alone, but in the witness of our choices: “Viva Cristo Rey… Long live

Christ the King!”. May God bless us all.