Feast of Christ the King, cycle B

JOHN 18:33-37

FOR MOST OF THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT KINGS. THERE WERE GOOD ONES AND BAD ONES, AND THE VAST MAJORITY WERE PROBABLY AVERAGE. KINGS OFTEN OBTAINED THEIR POWER BY FORCE OR SOMETIMES BY DECEPTION; AND DESPITE EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE YOUR KINGDOM WAS PASSED ON TO YOUR HEIRS, THAT PLAN WAS OFTEN RUINED BECAUSE YOUR CHILDREN FOUGHT AND KILLED EACH OTHER OVER THE KINGDOM. IN THE MIDDLE AGES, THERE WAS A MOVEMENT IN EUROPE WHICH CHRISTIANIZED THE IDEA OF KINGSHIP. FOR A TIME KINGS TRIED TO OUTDO EACH OTHER IN HOW WELL THEY MATCHED THIS IDEAL OF A CHRISTIAN KING; AND FROM THAT TIME WE HAVE A LOT OF SAINTS – STEPHEN, LOUIS, HENRY, DAVID, AND OF COURSE WENSESLAUS COME TO MIND. AND THERE WERE QUEENS AS WELL – MARGARET, OLGA, KINGA, TO NAME A FEW.

POSSIBLY BECAUSE THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE SO DEVOTED TO DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THEIR PEOPLE, THERE AROSE THE IDEA OF THE “DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS” WHICH HELD THAT THE KING RECEIVED HIS RIGHT TO RULE FROM GOD HIMSELF, AND TO REBEL WAS A SLAP IN GOD'S FACE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE GLORIOUS AGE OF SAINTLY KINGS AND QUEENS RAPIDLY DIED OUT, TO BE REPLACED BY TYRANTS AND BULLIES WHO FOUGHT WARS TO GATHER MORE WEALTH FOR THEMSELVES. AND TODAY THE INSTITUTION OF KING HAS ALMOST DIED OUT IN WESTERN SOCIETY.

SO I THINK THAT WHEN WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING, WE HAVE A VAGUE IDEA THAT WE ARE CELEBRATING MAYBE A PERMANENT PRESIDENT OR GOVERNOR; TO US THE WORD “KING” DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING LIKE WHAT IT MEANT WHEN THE FEAST WAS FIRST CELEBRATED.

SO WHAT DO WE TRULY CELEBRATE ON THIS FEAST DAY? CERTAINLY JESUS IN NO WAY RESEMBLED A KING; OUR GOSPEL HAS HIM STANDING HELPLESS BEFORE PILATE, A PRISONER. BUT JESUS TALKS ABOUT HIS KINGDOM BEING NOT OF THIS WORLD.

WE CHRISTIANS LIVE IN TWO WORLDS. WE ARE FULLY ENGAGED WITH THIS WORLD; MOST OF US MARRY, RAISE CHILDREN, HOLD DOWN JOBS, PAY OUR BILLS – AND UNFORTUNATELY WE FAIL AT TIMES TO ACCOMPLISH THE WORLDLY TASKS THAT WE HAVE TO DO. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME AMONG US WHO FORGO MARRIAGE, OR WHO LEAVE THE WORLD TO LIVE IN A CLOISTER OR A MONASTERY, MOST OF US CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

BUT WE ALSO LIVE IN THE WORLD TO COME. THIS IS THE WORLD JESUS AND THE PROPHETS TALKED ABOUT; A WORLD WHERE GOD'S PLAN HAS BEEN COMPLETED; A WORLD IN WHICH THERE IS NO MORE WAR, DISEASE, HUNGER, OR DEATH. THIS WORLD IS WHERE THE ETERNAL BANQUET TAKES PLACE, THE WEDDING PARTY TO WHICH WE WERE INVITED WHEN AT BAPTISM WE WERE GIVEN A WHITE GARMENT. IF WE ARE CHRISTIANS, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT WORLD, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WORLD WILL FADE AWAY AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL BE FULLY REALIZED, FOREVER.

WE CHRISTIANS ARE A NATION OF PRIESTS. PRIESTS ARE BRIDGE-BUILDERS, AND WE ARE CALLED TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND THE WORLD TO COME. HOW WE LIVE AND WHAT WE DO SHOULD BE BRINGING THE KINGDOM CLOSER. WHEN THE HUNGRY ARE FED, WHEN THE SICK ARE HEALED, WHEN WE BRING PEACE TO ENEMIES, WHEN FIGHT AGAINST DEATH, OPPOSING ABORTION, SO-CALLED “ASSISTED SUICIDE”, WE ARE BRINGING THE KINGDOM A LITTLE CLOSER.

WE CHRISTIANS ARE A HOLY PEOPLE. WE MAY NOT LOOK HOLY, AND WE MAY NOT EVEN THINK WE ARE PARTICULARLY HOLY, BUT AGAIN, BY VIRTUE OF OUR BAPTISM, WE HAVE BEEN SET APART FOR GOD'S PURPOSES, WHICH IS THE MEANING OF THE TERM “HOLY”. AND GOD'S PURPOSE IS TO GATHER THE NATIONS TO HIMSELF. WHEN WE WORK TOWARDS THE UNITY OF PEOPLE – OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, DIFFERENT RACES, DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS, EVEN THE PEOPLE IN OUR WORK PLACE OR OUR HOME – WE ARE EXERCISING OUR COMMISSION AS HOLY PEOPLE.

BUT BECAUSE WE CHRISTIANS LIVE IN TWO WORLDS, THAT UNFORTUNATELY PUTS US IN A SORT OF TENSION. IT IS EASY TO BE TOO MUCH OF THIS WORLD – WHERE OUR RELIGION COMES TO THE SURFACE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, AND THE REST OF THE TIME, WE ARE BUSY DOING ALL THE THINGS EVERYBODY DOES. IT IS EASY AS WELL TO LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND, AND LIVE IN A GHETTO OF OUR OWN MAKING. THE AMISH PEOPLE IN PENNSYLVANIA ARE SORT OF LIKE THIS. THE WORLD CONTAMINATES, THE WORLD DISTRACTS AND CARRIES WITH IT CONSTANT TEMPTATION, SO IT IS BETTER TO TURN YOUR BACK ON THE WORLD. WE HAVE MOVEMENTS IN OUR OWN CHURCH LIKE THIS. SOME GROUPS CONTINUE TO RESENT THE CHANGES IN THE CHURCH BROUGHT ABOUT BY VATICAN II – CHANGES WHICH STEMMED DIRECTLY FROM POPE JOHN XXIII EXPRESSED DESIRE FOR THE CHURCH TO RE-ENGAGE THE WORLD.

EACH OF US NEEDS TO CONSTANTLY SEEK THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN THE TWO WORLDS WE LIVE IN.

THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING HAS AN INTERESTING HISTORY. UP UNTIL 1925, IT WAS SORT OF AN UNOFFICIAL FEAST; SOME PLACES CELEBRATED IT AND OTHERS DID NOT. IN 1925, THE POPE PROCLAIMED THIS FEAST. HE DID NOT JUST COME UP WITH THE IDEA ONE DAY; HE PLACED THE FEAST ON THE SUNDAY THE PROTESTANTS CALL “REFORMATION SUNDAY” WHICH CELEBRATES MARTIN LUTHER'S SEPARATION FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. HE DID THIS, I GUESS, TO CONTRAST THE RULERSHIP OF CHRIST OVER THE FAITHFUL, AS OPPOSED TO THE PERCEIVED REBELLION OF MARTIN LUTHER . THAT FEAST, BY THE WAY, IS IN OCTOBER. AFTER VATICAN II, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, IN ORDER TO GIVE THE FAITHFUL A MORE COMPLETE EXPOSURE TO THE BIBLE, CREATED THE CURRENT LECTIONARY – THE SCRIPTURES WHICH ARE READ ON SUNDAY AND AT THE WEEKDAY MASSES, THE SO-CALLED THREE YEAR CYCLE. THIS WAS DONE IN 1969. AFTER THAT, CATHOLICS AND SOME OF THE OLDER PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS BEGAN TO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A COMMON LECTIONARY. THIS REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY, BASED CLOSELY ON THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY, WAS ADOPTED BY MANY PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS IN THE US AND CANADA, AND NOW IS USED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

WITH THE REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY AND THE REVISED CATHOLIC LECTIONARY, PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS NOW CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING ON THE LAST SUNDAY BEFORE ADVENT. ALTHOUGH WE SHARE OTHER FEAST DAYS, SUCH AS CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING IS THE ONLY FEAST DAY WE HAVE IN COMMON WHICH CAME INTO BEING AFTER THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION.

ALL CHRISTIANS HAVE A FOOT IN THIS WORLD AND THE OTHER IN THE WORLD TO COME. THIS IS A GREAT DAY TO REMIND OURSELVES AND OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF OUR DUAL CITIZENSHIP, AND TO REFLECT ON WHETHER WE ARE LIVING WHERE WE SHOULD BE – BALANCED BETWEEN THE TWO WORLDS.