“…Grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render your majesty service, and ceaselessly proclaim your praise.” [Opening prayer] When Pope Pius XI established this feast day in 1925, World War I had ended and the League of Nations was established. But left standing were many geopolitical stresses that eventually led to World War II. This new feast of Christ the King presented him as more than the ruler of our souls, to be worshipped in interior piety. This new feast presented Christ as ruler of all nations and all time until “the Son of Man comes in his glory…” Fast forward to today. Recently we have been astounded by the images from the new James Webb Space Telescope, and we understand more and more the immensity of creation. This makes us wonder if we, such a tiny dot in the immense universe, are of any significance at all. But on the other hand, as we continue finding new planets but with no signs of life, we also may suspect that we living earthly things, still unique in all that has been seen, may have immense significance. We have begun to understand that if the human race destroys our planetary home, the universe itself will be changed. So this liturgy today calls us to step back and ponder our place in creation, and our responsibility for what we humans do in that creation. Lest we feel that’s “too much for me,” we have in today’s Hebrew Scripture and psalm the consoling image of God the shepherd, pasturing the sheep and giving them rest. The universe is His home — “behold I am with you always until the end of the world” — and ours. We pray today that we may not fear or feel burdened by our place in creation, but that in company with our accompanying Shepherd, we may move together toward a better, future world.
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia