Christ the King

The Solemnity of Christ the King is celebrated on the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. It’s a day to honor our Savior as King, who leads us with love, kindness and compassion, unlike many other ruthless Kings and Emperors who lead with tyranny, oppression and cruelty, many of whom were deposed by their own people. The image of Christ the King has always been presented to us as if sitting on a glittering throne, with a sceptre in hand and golden crown on his head. In actual fact, his throne was the cross on which he was crucified, the sceptre were the nails driven through his hands and feet, and the crown was made of sharp thorns that were pushed on his head. The feast of Christ the King as we know it now was introduced in 1925, to counteract the start of Communism in the world. The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 had taken the presence of Christ from the hearts of people, and the Church wanted to bring Him back into the center of their lives. The feast was celebrated on the last Sunday in October until 1969, when Pope Paul VI shifted this feast to the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year, usually towards the end of November.

The bronze statue you see in this post was created by Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino, and was installed in 1917 to commemorate the 1913 International Eucharistic Congress held in Malta. Below the statue of Christ the King, there is a woman symbolizing Malta, adoring her Creator in all humility. People still congregate around this iconic statue to pray for protection, especially this year, praying for an end to Covid, and of course an end to abortion.