Thoughts on the Feast of Christ the King

Today (Sunday) is the Feast of Christ the King according to the liturgical calendar of the Church and, of course, the Gospel reading was from St Matthew. I love the Gospel of Matthew. Don't get me wrong. The other Gospels are awesome as well; Luke with its awesome prayers; Mark, the memoirs of St Peter; St John's beautiful prologue. But St Matthew, with his emphasis on the kingship of Jesus Christ just resonates powerfully for me.

Let me tell you why I love St Matthew so. When, shortly after my wife's death, I first got serious about religion again, I set out to read the whole Bible. I started with the New Testament, and I started in the traditional order (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). Over and over again, it struck me that Matthew emphasized the kingship of Jesus, Of course, I had attended a Catholic high school, so this idea was already in my head, but this time it dawned on me, I finally got it.

But here's the thought that really floored me as I read on and on. Matthew calls Jesus "the Christ", that is, "the Anointed One" (not to be confused with "the one", there's a hell of difference between being anointed by Jesus Christ and being anointed by Oprah). In the Old Testament, prophets and kings were anointed. Jesus, the Anointed One, the King. Kings, at least good kings, are pretty serious guys. They mean what they say. Not only that, but they just don't hang out, they have a Kingdom, and those Kingdoms are pretty well defined places. I mean this King, Jesus, tells us that the Kingdom of God is among us. But where?

Then, in chapter 16, like a thunderbolt, it comes out of nowhere. The King turns to His trusted retainer, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the powers of death will not prevail against it..." Where Peter is, there is the Church! Wow!

I had, for along time, held the opinion that religion was a private affair between me and my God, and so, I distrusted "organized" religion. But here was the King, handing on His Kingdom to a man he trusted, St Peter. How could I love the King, but distrust His Kingdom?

And, of course, there was only one place, only one Church, where I could find an unbroken line of succession which, when traced to its beginning, orginates with St Peter, the Catholic Church. At last I was at home, at last I had found the Kingdom. I knelt at the feet of the King.

Til next time, all the best. Joe