Making the Choice: Homily for the Feast of Christ the King

Dn 7:13-14

Ps 93:1-5

Rv 1:5-8

Jn 18:33b-37

So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king."  In his commentary on these verses, Jesuit Father Stanley Marrow, described Jesus' reply as unequivocal, "for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world."  Stanley goes on to explain that the 'for this,' was Jesus' single aim and purpose in coming into the world. Jesus single purpose is to reveal the Father, a revelation that is accessible only to those who believe.  The revelation of the Father is the revelation of the Father's Kingdom.  This is the Kingship of Jesus.  This is the King we celebrate today. .  

 

Next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent when we begin our annual commemoration of the singular act that saved us from the death of sin, the seamless event that began with Jesus' incarnation, progressed through his birth, ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. An annual commemoration that takes the entire year.

 

A single unbroken event,  not a series of discreet moments in history with Christmas as some sort of apogee.  A single event in one continuous flow.  Considering the two millennium history of the Catholic Church the Feast of Christ the King is brand new.  It was promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1925 not yet a century ago.  Originally celebrated on the last Sunday of October it was moved to the last Sunday of the Church year in 1969.

 

The Book of Daniel is oftentimes dramatic in its imagery and poetry. but that is how it must be when trying to  describe something that is ultimately indescribable.  Thus we read in Daniel, " . . .the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed."

 

This is the King whom we celebrate today. 

 

Jesus describes himself as the Alpha and the Omega in the final verse of today's second reading from Revelation. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the past, the present, and the future. The one who is, who was, and who is to come.  The King of the universe and all it contains. A ruler who demands total allegiance not a chum, a pal, or a buddy. A leader not an accompanier or affirmer. A King who decrees sin for what it is rather than affirming it under a rubber-stamp of love.

 

What kind of king is John describing in his gospel?  What kind of king allows himself to be  judged by a commoner?   What kind of king is so unkingly in response to Pilate's sneering impertinence . . . ? 

 

He is the kind of King we are called to follow  if we choose to do so.  The choice to follow Jesus the Eternal King must be a conscious one,  it must be a deliberate choice. a choice that each of us makes and remakes throughout life.  There is no alternative.  

 

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are meant to help make or reinforce that choice. with two meditations on Jesus as King.  

 

The first begins with meditating on the characteristics of a good earthly king.  That kind of king is not the type who is sitting up there on his throne surrounded by a court, with hangers-on, spokesmen and spokeswomen, press secretaries, and court jesters, something like the president's entourage.  A good king is one who is down in the mud struggling with the people rather than popping on a clean white hard hat for a photo-op and then helicoptering away.  The good king eats the same food, dresses the same way, and lives in the same accommodations as his subjects. He knows his people and his people know him.

 

After meditating on the characteristics of a good earthly king one is asked to meditate on Jesus, the Eternal King:  

 

The King who became man.  

The King who walked in the dust and the mud. 

The King who was buffeted by wind and rain.  

The King who sweated and shivered.  

The King who learned carpentry.  

The King who was loved by many 

and reviled, persecuted and killed by others.  

The King, fully God and fully man 

who lived as we do and died to save us.  

 

This is the King who instructs us,  “Whoever wishes to join me must be willing to labor with me.”  At times that labor is neither pleasant nor fulfilling.  His yoke does not always seem easy. His burden rarely feels light. 

 

After meditating on the characteristics of the good king, comes the need to make a conscious choice in The Meditation on the Two Standards. Do I choose to march under the standard or banner of Jesus the Eternal King or do I follow Satan, prince of darkness?

 

The choice is stark.  

The choice is black and white.  

There are no grays. 

 

No one can march under both banners.  No one can have a foot in each camp.  One’s loyalties cannot be split.  It is not a matter of following Jesus when it is convenient, safe, or acceptable to others but hanging with the prince of darkness when it is more expedient for getting ahead, or because it is cooler, politically correct, or because "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable because of my beliefs."   

 

The choice is one or the other.  It is not both and.  As we will hear in the Gospels proclaimed throughout the coming year, Jesus will present us with the choice to accept or reject Him in different ways.  Do we follow Him or do we not?  Do we fix our eyes on the banner of the Good King or do we wrap ourselves in the banner of the Evil One?

 

Just as we make resolutions on New Year’s Eve, today, on the Feast of Christ the King, the eve of the new church year, we have the opportunity to choose whether or not to live more fully under the banner of Jesus the King THE King who is, who was, and who is to come. 

 

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"  

And blessed are those who  choose to follow Him. 

 

This is the King whom we celebrate today. 

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An early post due to early awakening (not planned) and what is going to be a busyk day.  The photos come from a monastery in Europe.  

Long cloister walks characterized this very large monastery.  The cross in silhouette against the colored glass caught my eye immeidatelyl

This crucifix stopped me ded in my tracks.  It says everything that needs to be said.  I've no idea if this was the artists intention or if this is what is left from some of the attacks on the moanstery over the centuries.

Another very long walk.  The silence is almost total. 

Whenever I was there I was always greeted with flowers on my table. Just one or two but perfectly arranged.  

A view of the monastic church shooting through the openings in the loft.

Looking behind from the shot above, the rose window.  These are always difficult shots because of the inevitable distortion from the angle of shooting.  

Fr. Jack, SJ, MD