The Church in her wisdom has never seized to enrich her children with special occasions and ceremonies within the liturgical year where people of God are meant to express their devotion to God, encounter God and have spiritual satisfaction. This is why there are numerous memorials of saints, feasts of saints and solemnities of different celebrations in the Church. The Solemnity of Christ the King is a special celebration of the Church. Apart from being the last Sunday of the Calendar year, it is a solemnity where the people of God pay homage to Christ the King of kings. The Church in Nigeria in addition to the Christ the King celebration does her Corpus Christi procession which was transferred to the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year because of the atmospheric conditions of this part of the world.
Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu was not left out in this celebration. Thus, on the 21st of November 2021, Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu in communion with the universal Church celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King. The reason behind the celebration of the feast is for all to proclaim Christ’s sovereignty and supremacy over all creation. The Seminary after the Mass also had the Corpus Christi procession, where the Seminary in a special way honoured Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for all He has been doing for the Seminary and for the different ways He has shown his kingship and supremacy to the Seminary.
The celebration of the day began with the Holy Mass, with the Rector of the Seminary Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Albert Ikpenwa as the principal celebrant and the formators as concelebrants.
In the homily efficiently preached by the Vice Rector II Rev. Fr. Dr. Kingsley Anagolu, he asked two vital questions: How do we know that Christ is the King? What type of King is Christ?
Answering the first question he made us know that Christ’s kingship is very evident in the Scriptures; from His being born into the descendants of the Davidic dynasty and so a King by birth, to the Magi’s proclamation, to even the teatimony of Pilate during the trial of Christ. Thus, Christ is the King of Kings and so should be celebrated. Addressing the second question, he identified that the Jews did not follow Christ because he did not fulfill for them the criterion of a King as one who satisfies only the physical desires of his followers. Rather, Christ albeit performing some miracles to fulfill their needs established himself as ‘Veritas Rei’ that is the King of truth. Thus he advised that as members of Christ’s kingdom we must also be ambassadors of truth wherever we are.
At the end of the Mass, all in adherence to the words of the homilist to praise Christ as the King of the world, began the Corpus Christi procession during which with flutes, lute and harp all acclaimed Christ as the King of the Universe and showcased Jesus in the Eucharist to the whole world.