Pope Francis
noted that the feast of Christ the King “reminds us that the life of creation
does not advance by chance, but proceeds towards a final goal:
the definitive
manifestation of Christ, the Lord of history and of all creation.”
He said the
end goal of history will be fulfilled in Christ’s eternal kingdom.
Pope Francis’s Angelus address for the feast of ‘Christ the King’ can be read at, for instance: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-angelus-christ-the-king-love.html
Pope at Angelus: ‘Jesus’ eternal kingdom founded on love’
Ahead of the Sunday Angelus prayer on the Solemnity
of Christ the King, Pope Francis says Jesus came to establish an eternal
kingdom which is founded on love and gives peace, freedom, and fullness of
life.
By Devin Watkins
Pope Francis prayed the Angelus on Sunday with thousands of pilgrims
huddled under umbrellas in a rainy St. Peter’s Square. He even complemented
their courage. “You’re brave to have come with this rain!” he said.
In his address ahead of the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father reflected on
the day’s Gospel passage (Jn 18:33b-37) and the Solemnity of Christ the King.
He said Jesus’ kingdom rests on the power of love, since God is love.
Christ the King
Pope Francis noted that the feast of Christ the King “reminds us that the
life of creation does not advance by chance, but proceeds towards a final goal:
the definitive manifestation of Christ, the Lord of history and of all
creation.” He said the end goal of history will be fulfilled in Christ’s
eternal kingdom.
In the day’s Gospel, Jesus has been dragged – bound and humiliated – before
Pontius Pilate to be tried. The Pope said the religious authorities of
Jerusalem present Jesus to the Roman governor of Judea as one who is seeking to
supplant the political authority of Rome. They say he wants to become king.
So Pilate interrogates him, twice asking Jesus if he is the king of the
Jews. Jesus replies that his kingdom “is not of this world”.
“It was evident all his life that Jesus had no political ambitions,” the
Pope said. He noted that, after the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus’
followers had wanted to proclaim him king and to overthrow the power of Rome,
in order to restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus responded, the Pope said, by
retreating to the mountain alone to pray.
Love over political power
With his responses to Pilate, Pope Francis said Jesus “wants to make it
clear that above political power there is another, much greater power, which is
not achieved by human means.”
Jesus, he said, “came to earth to exercise this power, which is love, to
testify to the truth.”
The Holy Father said this divine truth, “which is ultimately the central
message of the Gospel”, is that “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).
Pope Francis said Jesus worked to establish “his kingdom of love, justice,
and peace in the world”. Jesus’ kingdom, the Pope said, will last until the end
of time.
