Kingship of Christ: Identity and Identification

Today November 22, 2015 is the 34th or last Sunday in Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar of the Church. It is also called Christ the King Sunday and is celebrated worldwide.

This traditional feast reminds us that the Kingdom of God became a reality in the life and ministry of Jesus the Christ, God in human form. This kingdom, otherwise known as the Reign of God, is being continued in a particular way in the life of Christians who, as individuals and communities, experience that Jesus is alive. They believe that the power of Christ’s resurrection impels and urges them to continue His saving mission.

The result of this saving mission is expressed in the Preface of the Feasts liturgical text: “…a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.”

Carrying out this mission, which the CBCP Committee on the Eucharistic Congress specifies for our country today, is “to walk humbly with the poor and the marginalized, in the company of Mary…”(Official Prayer of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress).

Courageously “walking with the poor and the marginalized” who are “the architects of the new heaven and the new earth” defines the Christian identity of the followers of Christ the King. And for Filipinos who are Eucharist-inspired their present identification is consequently their active support and participation in system change through regime change.