Feast of Christ the King

XXXIV SUNDAY : II Sam 5: 1-3; Col 1: 12-20; Lk 23: 35-43
Today's Feast - Christ the King - has an interesting history. Even though the Bible clearly presents Jesus as King, it wasn't until 1925 that the Church established a feast day with that title. Pope Pius XI inaugurated this celebration as a response to the totalitarian regimes that emerged in the early twentieth century. Those regimes claimed absolute power over their citizens and they scoffed at the role of God in guiding people's lives. Against this grab for absolute control, the Church said, "No, the state does not have the highest authority. That belongs to God." And as Christians, we know that Jesus is God. He is the King over all kings. In our second reading, St. Paul states that all things were created through Jesus and for him. "He is before all things...preeminent."

We belong to Jesus. He is our king. If a government overreaches itself, if it demands a submission that we cannot give, we have a simple, direct response: Jesus is our king. We see an example of this from the nineteen-twenties. At that time a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey." At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture.

Like the good thief in the Gospel today, Padre Pro died acknowledging Jesus as King. Hopefully you and I will die with the name of Jesus on our lips and in our heart. But, more important, we live today acknowledging Christ as our King. Now, we do not live in a totalitarian country. Unlike Mexico in the twenties (or the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany) we enjoy religious freedom. At the same time we must be vigilant. Government can infringe on what ultimately belongs to God.

It is not enough, therefore, for Christians to hold onto their faith just in their private lives. We must bring Christ and Christian values in to culture, politics, and every sphere of society. If we truly believe in Christ, why would we be afraid of defending and spreading Christian values? Why would we let ourselves be bullied by secular fundamentalists who try to exclude Christ from culture?

In 1908, the famous English historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc, ran for the British Parliament. His opponents tried to scare off his supporters by claiming that Belloc's faithfulness to the Catholic Church would inhibit him from being objective. Belloc responded in a speech: "Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell its beads every day. "If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative."
The crowd was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause.
Belloc went on to win that election, and many more. If Christ truly is King, which he is, we should not be afraid to spread his Kingdom.

The feast of Christ the King is a day of glory, exaltation and majesty. And yet, the strange thing is that today, we read the story of the crucifixion. After all, if there was a low tide in the Kingship of Christ, it was when he died, his life and work mocked, his hope crushed. Surely, at that moment, he was least a king. "lf you are a king, save yourself", they said. But of course, Jesus was not a king in the only fashion in which they could understand the word, namely a king by the exercise of his power. By dying, he displays the kind of king he is, one who suffers trusting in God and punishes no one.

The Good Thief understood this. The bad thief didn't. The rulers didn't. As Jesus hung on the cross, revealing God's saving love, they sneered and jeered at him. They knew that he had claimed to be the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Israel, but they could only imagine kingship in earthly terms. And so they challenged Jesus to show that he was truly a king by coming down from the cross. If Jesus could eliminate human suffering and injustice (symbolized by coming down from the cross), so they thought, he would prove himself to be a worthy king. But Jesus didn't do it. He didn't even respond to them with an explanation. He simply kept suffering unfairly until the very end. And as he suffered, the Good Thief realized the truth. He realized that there is more to the human story than what we see, experience, and understand here on earth. He realized that Jesus held the key to a Kingdom much greater than any the earth would ever know. He realized that Christ's Kingdom could begin on earth, through faith, hope and obedience, but that it would only reach its fullness hereafter, and so he makes his prayer: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To that request, Jesus responded.
As a true King, he granted the favor. He didn't take away the Good Thief's suffering - Christ's Kingdom is not of this world - but he gave it purpose: he made it a path to Paradise. And as the Good Thief hung on the cross, dying, tortured, in excruciating pain, he was happy, because he had placed himself under the King's protection, and the King would keep his promise.

We are with Jesus as he makes the rounds of healing, preaching and working miracles. But we find it hard to remain in his company when we must keep fellowship with him in his suffering. We want a Messiah who is king with all the trappings of glory but not a Messiah who invites us to follow him on the way of the cross. Why then do we Christians have a king who reigns from the cross?

St. Luke provides a powerful response. Jesus is on the cross because we need him to be there. We find both the good thief and the bad one within ourselves. We want Jesus to get off the cross and make everything right. We need a quick fix solution to all our problems and the bold display of power.

There are many Christians who demand of Christ the disappearance of suffering, injustice and war. There are other people who say that if Christ has royal power, let him fashion for us a better society, and then they will believe in him. At the same time, we also realize that Jesus must remain on the cross if we are to hear these words: "I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise."
We are ambassadors of Christ the King. We represent him to the world.
Through us, his wisdom enlightens culture. Through us, his grace reaches into every corner of the human community and heals it of selfishness, greed and injustice. Our job as ambassadors is simply to be loyal. That means first of all that we must know the King's desires and priorities.
Today especially, before we receive our Lord in Holy Communion, let us put more meaning than usual into the words that sum up every christian’s fundamental mission and deepest desire: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.