Today we are at the end of the liturgical year. Over the past several weeks, the readings have been preparing us for the end times. From last week’s Gospel we heard the parable of the talents, and how well the servants who received them prepared themselves for their master’s return. Some invested wisely for a good return. Others did not. Two weeks ago, we heard the parable of the ten bridesmaids; five who were prepared for the wedding banquet, and five who were foolish and unprepared.
Today’s Gospel is a little more direct in teaching us how to prepare ourselves for the end times, whether that be the end of the world when Christ comes again, or at the end of each of our own lives.
On this last weekend of the liturgical year, we celebrate the feast of “Christ the King”; a day to remember that Christ is our king, and Lord of our lives. “King” is a word we don’t usually use to describe Jesus because we associate the word “king”, with power & majesty. Jesus did not display that kind of “kingly & majestic” attributes that we associate with those terms. In chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said they could all be his if Jesus worshipped him. But Jesus had no desire for that kind of kingship. Jesus avoided all shows of earthly power and authority. Unfortunately, people in this world who are in positions of authority often abuse their power in so many different ways and that’s one reason why this feast day was introduced.
It’s one of the newest feast days on the Church calendar, being added in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. He created this feast in response to prevailing attitudes of the time; a way to refute the threats of communism, as well as the trends of secularism, and all those who abuse positions of authority. Communism isn’t too much of a threat anymore, but abuse of power seems to be a regular theme in the news; from many who are elected government officials to corporate CEO’s and those in upper management positions, and, coming as no surprise, all the sex abuse scandals hitting Hollywood and the entertainment industry. And then secularism is a constant and ever-growing problem; struggling with those who want to take away any kind of public display or mention of religion; everything from displaying the ten commandments, to taking away prayer in school, or prayer in any public forum. This time of year, is especially bad as we start thinking about Christmas and the battles over displaying nativity scenes, Christmas trees and religious symbols, to even our simple greeting of “Merry Christmas” which has come under fire in the past few years. The term “politically correct” has undermined and distorted so much of our Christian morals and values.
Today’s feast day stands in defiance of all that. It challenges us to ask ourselves: “Who, or what, really rules our lives?” Do we let our elected officials tell us when we can pray and when we can’t? Do, we let the entertainment industry dictate our family values and morals? Or “Is Christ truly our king?” “Do we belong to his kingdom?” That is what we pray for when we pray the “Our Father”? When we pray “Thy kingdom come.”?
Holy Scripture is pretty direct in telling us that Jesus’ Kingdom is not here on earth, but he is still our King. In all of Holy scripture, nowhere is Jesus portrayed as a “conquering ruler”, coming in glory to claim his seat on a throne. Today’s readings give Jesus the more pastoral and gentler image of a shepherd. Let’s go back to the 1st reading. In the reading from Ezekiel, we hear God refer to us as sheep. This is just one of many scripture passages that compare us to sheep and Jesus as the “Good Shepherd”. In today’s passage, God says: “I, myself, will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock, so will I tend my sheep.” ——-Has anyone here been on a sheep farm? The biblical image of us as a flock of sheep is not particularly flattering. Sheep may look cute and cuddly, but they’re not very clean; and they are far from the smartest animals on the farm. They definitely need a shepherd to guide and protect them. Sheep without a shepherd are a pretty sad bunch, and probably wouldn’t survive long. They would likely perish, either from their inability to fend for themselves, or from their lack of self-defenses against predators. But, if we’re really honest with ourselves, it’s probably a pretty accurate comparison; and until we come to the profound realization of how much we—– truly —– need a shepherd, we cannot appreciate how truly blessed we are to have been given a shepherd, one who laid down his life for us. One thing sheep do have going for them is an acute sense of hearing, which allows them to recognize the voice of their shepherd, from long distances, or from among a multitude of other noises. The relationship between a shepherd and his sheep and how they recognize each other is quite amazing. That should prompt us to ask ourselves, if we can hear our shepherds voice amongst all the distractions and the noise of today’s society.
Today’s Gospel from Matthew tells us how to prepare for God’s kingdom, and it also tells us how God will recognize us as his sheep:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food.
I was thirsty and you gave me drink.
A stranger, and you welcomed me.
Naked, and you clothed me.
Ill, and you cared for me.
In prison, and you visited me.”
These are the criteria on how God will recognize us, and on which we will be judged; what have traditionally been called “The Corporal Works of Mercy”. The way in which we take care of each other, is the way in which the Lord will take care of us; and whether we will be counted among the sheep or counted among the goats.
The Feast of Christ the King is a reminder to each of us that we are called to return God’s love by loving our neighbor as ourselves. This is what God expects of us; and this is how Jesus will judge us.
Jesus’ only focus was on serving his Father. He did that by reverencing the Divine Presence in all of creation, especially human beings. When he served others, healed the sick, raised the dead and called others to acts of charity, he showed us how to serve God. Immediately before he gave us the Eucharist, he washed the feet of the disciples and told them, and us that what he had done, we must also do. We have the lives of all the saints that have gone before us as examples; many of them going against the grain of their societies, even to the point of martyrdom. But they all died with one focus in life; to serve God no matter what the cost to themselves. And so, we too can serve the King of Kings when the focus of our lives is to serve God in our actions.
This feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority of any kind, to compare their use of that power with Jesus. Are they using their power to serve others or to manipulate for their own gain? Are they using their power for the building up of a more just society, or to further their own selfish agenda? Jesus is a King, but his kingdom isn’t of this world. It does begin here when we let love reign in our lives. That’s where we meet “Christ the King” in today’s Gospel. Jesus has shown us how to bring about his Kingdom. Let us pray that all nations and individuals will be humble enough to look to Jesus as the one –true —–King of all our lives.