Christ the King

Christ the King (the Least of these)Today in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is the Solemn Feast of “Christ the King” (the Extraordinary Form observed feast a month ago). I cam across this rather interesting and provocative image for the Christ the King with the question: “Christ the Least of These”? Of course, Matthew 25 is the judgement we all face.

Some reduce the person of Jesus and His kingship with being “impressed” in favor of being “transformed.” Actually, I prefer the theological datum of being transfigured. Christ the King is reason enough to be impressed but His work as king is a service to all with a preference for the humble because He Himself was made low in the Incarnation.

What comes to mind is the pious story of St Martin of Tours with his encounter with a beggar who was none other than Jesus. What comes to mind all the ways in which we Catholics live the Faith with a similar gaze Christ had for hungry, the thirsty, the lonely, the imprisoned, the sorrowful and ignorant.