Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

The last Sunday of the liturgical year is when we rejoice in Christ who is our King and King of everything that is, both seen and unseen.
Is Christ really King of  your life, of your heart or do you keep some part for yourself? Only in surrender to Christ do we find real peace, true happiness and hope for the future.

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Music by TheNonVisibles from Pixabay

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:22

Pope Pius XI established this feast of Christ as the universal king in our liturgical calendar, and in doing so he said that Jesus is king by right of nature and by conquest. He went on to say that by right of nature means, and again I quote, that he possesses power over all creatures, not that he seized it by violence, nor received it from another, but he possesses it by his own nature and essence. His power comes from that wonderful union of divinity and humanity. For this reason Christ is not only to be adored as God, but is also owed submission and obedience to him as man. The Second Vatican Council reminds us why Christ's kingship is important to us. It says, and again I quote from the council, while helping the world and receiving many benefits from it, the church has a single intention that God's kingdom may come, and that the salvation of the whole human race may come to pass. Today's solemnity of Christ the Universal King draws our attention and our hearts and our minds to the way things should be, not the way they are. Of course, Christ's kingdom is not of this world, but it is in this world. Christ's words to Pilate must not be understood to mean that Christ is only a spiritual king. He is king of every nation on this planet, whether they acknowledge him or not, whether they love him or despise him, whether they honour him or ignore him. Equally he is king of every part of the universe, including those parts that we do not see or do not know anything of. In fact, we depend on the prayers of the saints in heaven and of our brothers and sisters in purgatory to help us in carrying out the mission of Christ the King in the world. We ask their prayers so that our hearts may belong purely and totally to the sacred heart of Jesus. Christ the King reigns over the world from his glorious heart, pierced for our salvation. From his sacred heart flows unceasingly and immeasurably the graces necessary to be truly his co-workers, his soldiers. According to the world's way of thinking, the kingship of Christ takes our freedom away, subjugating our wills to his own. But the opposite is true. When Christ reigns in our hearts then we are truly free. We realize our fullest dignity in the pure and selfless love of God and of our neighbor. We give our hearts completely to the sacred heart of Jesus, for in him alone do we find the freedom and peace which we so much desire. Christ reigns in our hearts by his pure and selfless love, so that we may love with purity and selflessness. We witness the truth of this in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, his mother, and his first and most perfect disciple. Having been preserved from every stain of sin from the first moment of her life by the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, which approaches soon on December the 8th, she was prepared to be the living tabernacle in which God the Son would take a human heart under her own Immaculate Heart. Intimately one with her Immaculate Heart is the purest heart of Saint Joseph, her true spouse and the foster father of her divine Son Jesus. God granted to Saint Joseph extraordinary graces of purity and justice, so that he could be the fitting spouse of the Virgin Mary, and with her provide the family for God the Son. Saint Joseph teaches us how to live one in heart with the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the company and service of Jesus. And we must remember too that we approach the close of this great year dedicated to Saint Joseph. There is no surer, easier, or more effective way to live securely within Christ's kingdom than to unite our heart with the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the most pure heart of Saint Joseph. Turn to them every day to give yourself to them, asking them to protect you from all that would draw you away from Christ, and imploring them to lead you to the fulfilment of the kingdom in the eternal life of heaven. Praise and honor to Christ our King. Amen.