A reflection on Christ the King, inviting us to see, love, and accompany the poor as members of our own family

The Church honors the end of the liturgical year with a feast of Christ the King of the Universe. The feast is designed to wrap up a Christian’s year by considering the last moments of human existence. A century ago, this feast was instituted to provide a strong image of Christ as the supreme ruler, and the readings make clear that his power and authority are not the values of this world.

We have spent this month reflecting upon the lives of our beloved dead and the communion of saints. November is a month of reflection. We ask, “Ultimately, who are we?” and “Do I need to shift my worldview to align with the heart and mind of Christ?” Pope Leo XIV asks Christians to reflect upon who we are by addressing how we are to see, know, and care for the poor. The test of our faith is matched to how well we care for the poor.

Scripture reminds us that one’s own salvation is tied to our proper treatment of the poor. The rich man dressed in purple was condemned to eternal punishment because he did not provide for poor Lazarus, who was covered in sores and filled with hunger. We do not merit our own redemption. At the Last Judgment, Christ will examine our hearts to see how mercifully we have treated those who are in greater need. We are judged on how we bother to care for those who suffer. Our life is measured by how much we bother to try to enter the chaos of another person.

We can begin our examination by asking Christ to talk with us about who he sees as “the poor.” For a Christian, the poor cannot simply be a societal problem. The poor are part of our family. Our understanding of the poor has been expanded. People who are vulnerable, rejected, and marginalized, and those who do not have opportunities or the ability to have their voices heard, are also the poor. They are one of us – our siblings, family, community members. We cannot speak as if the poor are a classification of a state of being.

Pope Leo asks us to provide spiritual companionship to those around us who suffer. He writes in his Apostolic Exhortation “He Loved Us,” “We are asked to devote time to the poor, to give them loving attention, to listen to them with interest, to stand by them in difficult moments, choosing to spend hours, weeks, or years of our lives with them, and striving to transform their situations, starting from them.” (p. 104) He continues, “The worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care.” (p. 114) We must bother to care to enter their lives through their door.

Pope Leo asks us to give alms because it “offers us a chance to halt before the poor, to look into their eyes, to touch them, and to share something of ourselves with them.” (p.116) By doing so, we are transformed. The poor can teach us about the Gospel and its demands by their silent witness. They often remind us how fragile and uncertain life can be, and that we are interconnected. Salvation is communal because it is offered on the basis on our right relations with our neighbor. One’s righteousness is dependent upon our proper treatment of each other, and individual cannot exist without a community. We are saved because we are part of a interdependent community that strives to love each member rightly.

This feast of Christ the King calls us to a self-reflection. It is less a reflection on “who we are and what we have done” and more of a consideration of “how we have been to one another.” Christ calls us to reflect and then to reconcile. This is our moment to ask Christ, “how do I need to amend my attitudes and expand my consciousness?” It is our moment to enter prayerful conversation with Christ, who is eager to share what is in his heart with us.