This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. The gospel reading for this year is the scene of Jesus on trial before Pontius Pilate during which the nature of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom is revealed. The Civil proceedings against Jesus begin after the religious trial by the Sanhedrin.  Jesus is bound and led to Pilate.  The opening confrontation with Pilate and the Jews is described with subtle irony.  Having cynically decided on the death of Jesus because it was more advantageous that one man die than that the whole nation be destroyed, the Jewish authorities are, nevertheless, scrupulously correct in their observance of ritual purity.  They do not hesitate to make use of the Gentile to destroy their adversary, but they will not enter the Gentile’s house.  In the ritual impurity would affect their participation in the Passover seder. Continue reading →

This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. The gospel reading for this year is the scene of Jesus on trial before Pontius Pilate during which the nature of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom is revealed. Roman civil involvement in the death of Jesus was recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus where, speaking of Jesus, he states, ‘And when Pilate, because of accusations made by leading men among us, condemned him to the cross’ (Ant 18.3.3 §63-64).   Continue reading →

This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. The gospel reading for this year is the scene of Jesus on trial before Pontius Pilate during which the nature of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom is revealed. Throughout the trial before Pilate, there are numerous scenes in two different locations: outside and inside the praetorium (“Pilate’s headquarters”). Outside the praetorium Pilate speaks to the “Jews,” because they won’t enter the praetorium, “so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover” (18:28b). What does this indicate about Jesus who is inside the praetorium? Continue reading →

The coming Sunday is the final Sunday in the liturgical year, the 34th such Sunday of Ordinary Time, celebrated as the Solemnity of Christ the King Sunday. While the title of Christ as “King” is scriptural and has always been in the tradition, the solemnity itself was established in the aftermath of the “Great War” that raged in Europe 1914-1918. Established  by Pope Pius XI in 1925, the point of the celebration was that despite all the machinations of man, Christ was the only true king; a king timeless and universal. As such, it is placed on the final Sunday of each liturgical year, a symbol of the kingdom that will come at the end of time. Continue reading →