Christ the King
Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King of the universe. On this Sunday we find the synthesis of the entire journey we have experienced in the liturgical year. From next Sunday, in fact, with the first Sunday of Advent we will begin a new liturgical year which makes us re-live the mysteries of Christ's life, the mysteries of our salvation.
What is the meaning of celebrating Christ the King? From the word of God that was proclaimed we can understand that this celebration bases our hope in a positive sense of life and history. Affirming that Christ is the king of the universe means that life has meaning. Our personal history and the history of everyone is in the hands of Christ, the crucified and risen.
The greatest danger that humanity is experiencing today is not only wars, conflicts and great ecological challenges. The greatest danger is the loss of meaning of life. On the contrary, when we are sure that there is a good destiny that awaits us, then we can courageously face everyday problems and also the great challenges concerning the future.
Listening to the word of God we realize that Jesus presents himself to us as a very special king. His kingdom is not of this world. He is not a power-hungry dominator. He is rather a good shepherd, who knows his sheep by name and who takes them out to pasture so that they can be nourished and happy. Jesus is the son of God who took upon himself our wounded humanity, died for us on the cross, and rose from the dead. He conquered death and opened the way to eternal life for us.
Finally, Jesus manifests himself as the judge of history. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew presents us with this grandiose image of all the people who are called to give an account of their lives.
First, this tells us that we are all under the judgment of God. History will be judged by God. In the face of God, evil is evil and good is good. It is not true that doing bad or doing good are the same thing. God is a just judge.
Furthermore, the gospel makes us understand what the criterion with which we will be judged by God is love. The scene of the Last Judgment is impressive. Everyone is surprised by the criterion of God's judgment on history: Jesus identifies himself with the sick, with the hungry and the thirsty. Jesus identifies himself with the prisoner, with those who are naked and live in need. Therefore, those who love these people welcome Jesus into their lives. Anyone who doesn't love these people doesn't welcome Jesus into their life. Jesus therefore manifests himself as king of the universe, making himself present in the most needy and poor. He is a humble king.
This tells us a very important message: in life all things seem provisional and temporal. Everything seems to pass and disappear, but love will remain forever. When we love, we do something that has eternal value. Love remains written forever in the heavens.
The message that comes to us from this great solemnity is for everyone, but it is particularly valid for the new generations, for young people. This Sunday, in fact, we celebrate the thirty-eighth World Youth Day. After the extraordinary meeting this summer in Lisbon, in which many of our young people from the vicariate were also able to participate, today we remember them in a special way in prayer.
Pope Francis sent a message to young people around the world today entitled. “Rejoicing in Hope” (Rom 12:12). Precisely hope is the fundamental message of the solemnity of Christ the King. Our hope is Christ died and risen. He is the meaning of history; he is the ultimate meaning of our life. Ours is a reliable hope because it is based on God's love for us which is manifested in Christ.
To all young people I say: have courage, face the future with the certainty of being loved, wanted and welcomed unconditionally by God. You are called by name by God, one by one. Don't let your hope be stolen by the evil we see around us in the world. God's love is stronger than evil. He conquered death, which is why we commit ourselves every day for our good and the good of all; we work for the kingdom of God every day with joy and humility until we reach the fullness of final joy.
Finally, let me conclude with a thought of great love for the Holy Father, Pope Francis. As you know, at the end of coming week he will be in Dubai for Cop28, the international meeting on climate change. This is not a pastoral visit but a meeting of great importance for humanity. We all know the great efforts of our Holy Father towards the protection of our mother earth for the future generations. Let us pray for the success of the visit of our Holy Father. May his visit bring hope to the hearts of all people of good will.