The Roman Catholic Church, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, the Anglican Communion, and some Protestant and Evangelical churches celebrate the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or Christ the King. This year’s celebration is set to be held on November 24, 2024, Sunday. It marks the last Sunday after Pentecost, closing the Liturgical year 2023-2024.
On December 1, 2024, the first Sunday of Advent, the Liturgical season (2024-2025) begins, reminding us of the hope of realizing a transformed society. The Feast of Christ the King celebrates the realization of God’s kingdom—“a new heaven and a new earth”—or Shalom.
The Feast of Christ the King was instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, in response to the growing secularism and atheism of the time. In his encyclical Quas primas (“First”), Pope Pius XI reminded the Catholic faithful that “Christ reigns as King forever.” Jesus Christ “is very truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind” (Quas primas, 7).
The kingship of Jesus Christ is rooted in the Church’s teaching on the Incarnation. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is both the divine Lord and the man who suffered and died on the Cross. One person of the Trinity unites himself to human nature and reigns over all creation as the Incarnate Son of God.
The story of Jesus Christ begins in the Incarnation. The Incarnation, at the very heart of Christian faith, refers to the belief that the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, willingly took on human nature, becoming fully God and fully human simultaneously. This is supported by the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 1 and 14 (NIV): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
In becoming human, Jesus identified with people in their experiences, including temptation, suffering, and struggle. The Incarnation paved the way for Jesus’ crucifixion and, ultimately, the redemption of humankind.
The Incarnation also serves as a revelation of God’s nature. In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 NIV). In Jesus, Christians see the very essence of God’s character—love, compassion, and selflessness—embodied in human form. Jesus’ teachings, actions, and interactions with people exemplify the nature of God in a way that is accessible and applicable to humanity.
The Incarnation provides Christians with an example of holiness and righteousness to follow. Jesus, as both fully divine and fully human, lived a sinless life, demonstrating the possibility of living according to God’s will. In 1 Peter 2:21, Peter writes, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (NIV). The Incarnation shows that holiness is attainable, and Christians are called to emulate Christ’s life of love, compassion, and obedience.
Through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, humanity’s sins are forgiven, and the barrier between God and people is removed. The Incarnation enables believers to experience a restored relationship with God, marked by forgiveness, grace, and the hope of eternal life. This reconciliation brings peace to troubled hearts and assures believers of God’s unwavering love. Through faith in Jesus as the incarnate Son of God, Christians believe they receive the gift of salvation and the promise of life beyond this earthly existence. This hope sustains believers in times of trial and assures them of a future in the presence of God.
The Incarnation also holds the promise of personal transformation and renewal. The power of the Incarnation lies in its capacity to change lives. Through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to overcome sin, grow in holiness, and live lives that reflect the character of Christ. This transformation impacts not only individuals but also communities and societies, as the love and values of Jesus are embodied in the lives of his followers.
In our present context, the transformation of society is our struggle and hope. In this decadent society, the majority of the Filipino people suffer from increasing poverty, oppression, and exploitation, which weigh heavily upon them as long as the basic problems of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism prevail. They continue to suffer as long as the imperialist comprador landlord rule maintains its power.
Our hope for the transformation of society relies on the struggle of the Filipino people. It is a national democratic struggle against imperialism and its collaborators. In this struggle for national liberation and salvation, we believe the Incarnate God is at work with the people.
As followers of the Incarnate God, we are called to take part in working out our common salvation in history. As part of the Filipino people, we Christians must face the challenge of our faith and the challenge of a radical struggle. It is an imperative of our faith to exercise a ministry that expresses the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in our midst. The expression of this is our struggle with the hope of God’s reign, where life is full of grace and abundance.
Thus, celebrating the Feast of Christ the King is a celebration of struggle and hope. The Gospel reading, taken from John 18:33-37, tells of Jesus who said, “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37 NIV).
“To testify to the truth” tells us that he is the Incarnate God, and he will effect a transformation of society. He will establish a society called “a new heaven and a new earth,” as prophesied in Isaiah 65:17-25. The important verses to remember are:
- Verse 19: “The sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”
- Verses 21-22: “They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat.”
- Verse 25: “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain.”
These verses offer concrete examples of harmonious living in a transformed society, unlike the present, where people live in competition with each other.
This “new heaven and a new earth” will happen as promised in Revelation 21:1-7. Verses 2 to 4 state: “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”
This is our hope, but also our struggle. It is our struggle because we are called to participate in the realization of a transformed society.
As Jesus commissioned his disciples, we, as his present disciples, are commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV).
As Christians, we must commit to participating in the struggle to transform the semi-feudal and semi-colonial system of the Philippines. We commit ourselves to help develop unity and cooperation among progressive individuals and work in solidarity with progressive organizations and communities.
As Christians, we commit to working for Christian unity with the responsibility of announcing the good news of liberation and salvation, while denouncing the enemies (evils) of the people. In addition, we shall work for reforms within Christian churches to realize the reign of God, where exploitation and oppression no longer exist.
We must express our faith by taking the side of the people’s struggle for liberation and salvation. We need to live disciplined lives and sustain a painstaking struggle within the Christian churches until true worship of the Incarnate God is expressed according to the light of our consciences.
