Pope Pius XI established this feast in 1925 to counteract secularism and atheism in modern society. Although the concept of king as a symbol does not speak to our world with the impact it had hundreds of years ago, the reconciliation of all people under the lordship of the crucified and risen Jesus and his vision of the kingdom of God remains the goal of this feast. The interdependence of Church and State in modern society, as well as their functional separation, needs to be continually recognized and maintained.

The heart of the Gospel is the paradox of the cross — Jesus fulfilled in his total self his basic teaching: "he who would lose his life will save it." Representatives of all humankind — the common people, the leaders, the soldiers, and even a criminal who shares his crucifixion — failed to comprehend the mystery, and threw his own words back at him.

But the penitent thief recognized something beyond appearances here. He came at the end of a long list of outcasts and sinners in the Gospel accounts who found life in Jesus — prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, as well as characters in parables: the prodigal son, unjust steward, and Lazarus the beggar. The thief’s prayer (v 42) is more than an affirmation of Jesus’ innocence. In an act of faith that we cannot fully comprehend, he was moved to acknowledge Jesus’ lordship not in spite of but because of the cross. He was the first to follow literally the way of the cross, and so became the first to share explicitly in the glory of the kingdom.

Nothing is said here about the nature of the kingdom except that it consists in accepting Jesus’ lordship. Paradise was an old Persian word for the king’s garden, and was often used to describe humanity’s original state as well as the promised state of heaven. But paradise is more than any place; it is to be with Jesus.

David’s kingship came from a hard-won struggle. The Biblical accounts clearly depict his reign as the result of God’s will, but that did not make the achievement automatic or effortless. This reading gives us the third anointing of David, which signified his kingship over all Israel, thereby uniting as one nation the distinct regions of Israel and Judah. Anointing was both a sign of God’s authority shared with the king and an act of acceptance of this authority by the people. The first anointing, by the prophet Samuel (1 Sm 16:12-13) set David apart for his kingly role. A second anointing (2 Sm 2:14) acknowledged his rule over Judah.

This joyful psalm expresses pride and gratitude at the privilege of being under God’s orderly rule. "I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.

Early Christianity experienced many attempts to fuse faith in Christ with various pagan beliefs and practices. Cultural adaptations in forms of expression and worship were always necessary — and still are. But doctrines were also proposed that threatened the center of faith-life. This was the problem in community at Colossae. Pagan influences led the Christians to view Christ as only one among many "ruler spirits." In response, the author of this letter strongly asserted the absolute lordship of Christ over all creation. This reading in all likelihood quotes a hymn that would have been commonly used in the liturgy at this time.

1. What does Christ’s lordship mean to you?

2. Put yourself in the place of the repentant thief, and talk about your feelings at that moment.