The text of the Gospel of Saint Luke, now proclaimed, brings us back to the highly dramatic scene that takes place in “the place called Calvary” (Lk 23:33) and presents us with three groups of people gathered around the crucified Jesus, discussing his “figure” and his “end” in various ways. Who, in reality, is the one who is crucified there? While the common and anonymous people remain rather uncertain and limit themselves to watching, "the leaders, on the other hand, mocked him, saying, 'He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one. As we can see, their weapon is negative and destructive irony. But even the soldiers - the second group - mocked him and, almost in a tone of provocation and challenge, said to him, 'If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself', perhaps taking their cue from the very words of the inscription they saw above his head. Then there were the two criminals who disagreed with each other in judging their fellow sufferer: while one blasphemed him, repeating the contemptuous expressions of the soldiers and leaders, the other openly declared that Jesus "had done nothing wrong" and, turning to him, implored him: "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom" .

This is how, at the climax of the crucifixion, just as the life of the prophet of Nazareth is about to be taken, we can gather, even in the midst of discussions and contradictions, these arcane allusions to the king and the kingdom.

2. This scene is well known to you, dear brothers and sisters, and needs no further comment. But how appropriate and significant it is, and, I would say, how right and necessary it is that today's feast of Christ the King should be set against the backdrop of Calvary. We can say without hesitation that the kingship of Christ, which we celebrate and meditate on today, must always be referred to the event that took place on that hill and be understood in the saving mystery wrought there by Christ: I am referring to the event and mystery of the redemption of man. Christ Jesus, we must note, affirms himself as king at the very moment when, amid the pains and torments of the cross, amid the misunderstandings and blasphemies of those present, he agonises and dies. Truly, his is a singular kingship, such that only the eye of faith can recognise it: 'Regnavit a ligno Deus'!

3. The kingship of Christ, which springs from his death on Calvary and culminates in the inseparable event of the resurrection, calls us back to the centrality that belongs to him by reason of what he is and what he has done. Word of God and Son of God, first and foremost, "through whom - as we will shortly repeat in the "creed" - all things were created", he has an intrinsic, essential and inalienable primacy in the order of creation, in relation to which he is the supreme exemplary cause. And after 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us' (Jn 1:14), also as man and son of man, he attained a second title in the order of redemption, through obedience to the Father's plan, through the suffering of death and the consequent triumph of the resurrection.

With this twofold primacy converging in him, we therefore have not only the right and duty, but also the satisfaction and honour of confessing his exalted lordship over things and men, which can be called kingship in a term that is certainly neither inappropriate nor metaphorical. "He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil 2:8-11).

This is the name of which the apostle speaks: it is the name of Lord, and it designates the incomparable dignity that belongs to him alone and places him alone—as I wrote at the beginning of my first encyclical—at the centre, indeed at the summit of the cosmos and of history. “Ave Dominus noster! Ave rex noster”!

4. But if we wish to consider, in addition to the titles and reasons, the nature and scope of the kingship of Christ our Lord, we cannot fail to refer to that power which he himself, on the verge of leaving this earth, defined as total and universal, placing it at the basis of the mission entrusted to the apostles: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:18-20). These words not only explicitly claim sovereign authority, but also indicate, in the very act of sharing it with the apostles, its ramification into distinct, albeit coordinated, spiritual functions. If, in fact, the risen Christ tells his disciples to go and reminds them of what he has already commanded, if he gives them the task of both teaching and baptising, this is explained by the fact that he himself, precisely by virtue of the supreme power that belongs to him, possesses these rights in full and is empowered to exercise these functions as king, teacher and priest.

There is certainly no need to ask which of these three titles comes first, because, in the general context of the salvific mission that Christ received from the Father, each of them corresponds to equally necessary and important functions. However, in order to remain faithful to the content of today's liturgy, it is appropriate to insist on the royal function and to focus our gaze, enlightened by faith, on the figure of Christ as king and lord.

In this regard, the exclusion of any reference of a political or temporal nature seems obvious.

To Pilate's formal question, "Are you the king of the Jews?" (Jn 18:33), Jesus explicitly replies that his kingdom is not of this world and, in response to the Roman procurator's insistence, he affirms, "You say that I am a king," adding immediately afterwards: "For this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth" (Jn 18:37). In this way, he declares the exact dimension of his kingship and the sphere in which it is exercised: it is the spiritual dimension that includes, first and foremost, the truth to be proclaimed and served. His kingdom, even though it begins here on earth, has nothing earthly about it and transcends all human limitations, reaching towards its fulfilment beyond time, in the infinity of eternity.

5. It is to this kingdom that Christ the Lord has called us, giving us the gift of a vocation that is a participation in those powers of his that I have already mentioned. We are all at the service of the kingdom and, at the same time, by virtue of our baptismal consecration, we are invested with a dignity and a royal, priestly and prophetic office, so that we may effectively collaborate in its growth and spread. This theme, on which the Second Vatican Council so providentially insisted in its constitution on the Church and in its decree on the apostolate of the laity (cf. Lumen Gentium, 31-36; Apostolicam Actuositatem, 2-3), is certainly familiar to you, dear brothers and sisters and children of the diocese of Rome who are listening to me. But today, on the feast of Christ the King, I wish to recall it and strongly recommend it to your attention and sensitivity.

You have come to this sacred assembly as representatives and leaders of the Roman laity, who are most directly involved in apostolic action. Who better than you, given the duty of exemplarity that falls upon Christians in the city, is called upon to reflect on how to conceive and carry out such work on such a significant occasion? It is truly a service to the kingdom, and this is precisely why I have summoned you today to the Vatican Basilica, to encourage your hearts to render ever vigilant, concrete and generous service to the kingdom of Christ.

I know that, in view of the new pastoral year, you are studying the theme of 'community and communion', and you have based your reflections on the well-known words addressed by the Apostle John to the first baptised, which can be considered as the dynamic programme of every Christian community: 'What we have seen with our eyes, what we have contemplated and what our hands have touched, namely the Word of life... we proclaim to you too, so that you may be in communion with us' (1 Jn 1:1, 3).

Here, dear friends, is your plan for life and work: you, believers and Christians, lay people and committed priests, gathering the testimony of the apostles, have already seen Christ the Redeemer and King, you have encountered him in the reality of his human and divine, historical and transcendent presence, you have entered into communication with him, with his grace, with the truth and salvation he brings, and now, on the basis of this powerful experience, you intend to proclaim him to the city of Rome, to the people, families and communities who live there. This is a great task, a high honour, an ineffable gift: to serve Christ the King and to devote time, effort, intelligence and fervour to making him known, loved and followed, in the certainty that only in Christ - the way, the truth and the life (Jn 14:6) - society and individuals can find the true meaning of existence, the code of authentic values, the right moral line, the necessary strength in adversity, and light and hope regarding meta-historical realities. If your dignity is great and your mission magnificent, always be ready and joyful in serving Christ the King in every place, at every moment, in every environment.

I am well aware of the serious difficulties that exist in modern society, particularly in populous and frenetic cities such as Rome today. Despite certain complicated and sometimes hostile situations, I urge you never to lose heart. Take courage! Work zealously throughout the diocese and in individual parishes and communities, bringing everywhere the enthusiasm of your faith and your love for punctual and faithful service to Christ the Lord. So be it.

[Pope John Paul II, homily, 23 November 1980]