The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

     Today’s Solemnity is more popularly called Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of our Church year. In Church terms, it is a relatively new Solemnity, having been established by Pope Pius XI in 1925. It was moved to this final Sunday in our Church calendar in 1970.

     The idea of Christ’s Kingship has much meaning to us. In establishing it, Pope Pius XI wanted the laity in particular to be attentive to its importance and to learn from it. The lesson (and this is reinforced in all of our readings on this holy day) is that the Lord must reign in our minds, in our hearts, in our wills, and in our bodies. We have regularly pointed out in these reflections that stewardship is God-centered in nature.

     Stewardship is a total way of life, a life of accountability which acknowledges God as our Creator and God as the owner of everything. We are merely stewards, or caretakers of what is rightfully the Lord’s. Being God-centered rather than self-centered requires conversion of heart and mind. None of us can ever completely achieve stewardship as a way of life; it is a journey of a lifetime. As St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote, “The more I contemplate God, the more God looks on me. The more I pray to Him, the more He thinks of me, too.”