IN a rare development, the Catholic Church will hold this year’s Christ the King procession without passing through the streets.
Parish Priest, Catholic Church of the Ascension, Revd. Fr. Hilary Ibegbulam made the disclosure while delivering a homily during the celebration of the Holy Mass on Sunday morning.
According to him, the procession would take place only within the church compound unlike previous celebrations where Catholics passed through the streets singing, dancing and proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the King.
He said, “today is the solemnity of Christ the King, a day we go out and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the King of the universe.
“We will not walk on the streets today, but, we will do it within the church compound.
“This celebration is normally done on the feast of Corpus Christi but, in this part of the world, we do it on the feast of the Solemnity of Christ the King.
“As we celebrate, book a space on the right hand of the King; as we celebrate the Kingship of Jesus Christ, we should remember that His Kingship was proclaimed before He was born.
“When the Angel visited the Virgin Mary, it was proclaimed that the child will rule forever; Jesus also agreed before Pilate that yes, He is a King and after His death, Pilate, wrote on the Cross, ‘Jesus, is King.’
“What kind of Kingship is the Kingship of Jesus?
“Jesus said, ‘my kingdom is not of this world.’
“His Kingship is different from the worldly kingship, He is a shepherd King; the worldly King is taken care of by the subjects, but Jesus takes care of His subject, He died to save His subjects.
“The kingship of the world has an end but the Kingship of Jesus Christ has no end.
“Today is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and we heard the parable of the final judgement to remind us that there will be judgment at the end of time, that He will separate us as Shephered will separate the goat from the sheep
“God is not expecting so much; you do not need to do so much to book a space on the right side of God, all that you need to do is, give food to those who are hungry, give water to those who are thirsty, show hospitality to strangers, visit the sick, assist them and visit those in prison.
“Assist those in need, be compassionate.
“This is the time to book a space on the right side of God by doing those simple things and you do not have to wait, do them now and always, Jesus is taking records of your deeds.”
The Holy Mass featured thanksgiving.
Some Catholics attributed the development to the effects of COVID-19, assuring that it would still be accompanied with funfair and the world will always acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the King.
The Eucharistic procession is expected to start at 4 pm.
