FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING - SUNDAY HOMILY, YEAR A

FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING – SUNDAY HOMILY, YEAR A

THEME: HE IS ALL AND IN ALL

By: Fr. Gerald M. Musa

Ezekie1 34:11-12, 15-17; Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46

There is a proverbial truth that says, “The shadow of an oppressive king darkens the land and the hearts of its people.” King Leopold II of Belgium is a typical example of an oppressive king. He exploited the Congo Free State in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His reign as king from 1865 to 1909 was often characterized by ruthless exploitation, brutality, and greed. He took control of the Congo as his private property, and not a Belgian colony, at the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 when Europeans divided Africa among themselves. As a ruthless king, he subjected the Congolese to forced labour and exploited valuable resources such as rubber. Humanitarian activists, journalists, and missionaries exposed the abuses and raised awareness about the exploitation and brutality under Leopold’s rule. In 1908 King Leopold was forced to relinquish control of the Congo to the Belgian state. The kingship of Leopold was characterised by brutality, exploitation, greed, widespread human rights and power abuses.

Shortly after the inglorious reign of King Leopold, Pope Pius XI introduced the annual celebration of Christ the Universal King in 1925 as a way of responding to all leaders, especially despotic political leaders who wielded absolute power and relegated God to the backseat. Modern totalitarian governments – particularly communist governments, removed God out of public space and enthroned themselves as the absolute powers in control of the lives of citizens.

A New Way of Being King
Unlike despotic and brutal kings, there are remarkable features of the kingship of Christ. Famous kings of the world rode on special horses, but here was a king who chose to ride on a common donkey, which he borrowed. Famous kings boasted about their army battalions but Jesus on his part chose a small ‘army’ who had no weapons of war but simply the power of the Holy Spirit. Kings of the world wore crowns of gold, but Jesus accepted a crown of thorns. Powerful kings sat on powerful thrones but for Jesus, his throne was the cross from where his work was accomplished. One would expect that at the burial of the King of kings, all the people who matter will be there, but in his case only his mother, his disciple John and a few loyalists were present, perhaps only about five to ten people.

Today, many people struggle to gain power in order to oppress and dominate, but Jesus shows us that the best way to use power is to be at the service of others. The power he wielded was therefore not a domineering power but rather a compassionate power through which he raised the lowly and gently called sinners to repentance. The Prophet Ezekiel prophesied the role of Jesus when he said: He is the Shepherd-leader who will search for the lost sheep, rescue the sheep from danger, he will make the sheep to lie down and rest, he will bind up the crippled, he will strengthen the weak and fill them with justice (cf. Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17). This is a new way of being king in a world that is full of power-drunk bosses.

Children of the Kingdom
To acknowledge Christ as king is to proclaim oneself as a child of his kingdom. The scripture defines the kingdom of God as the reign of ‘righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14: 17). William Carey, a shoe cobbler, was accused of neglecting his business because of his evangelisation efforts. He responded: “Neglecting my business? My business is to extend the Kingdom of God. I only cobble shoes to pay expenses.” The response of Carey shows that it is the duty of all children of the Kingdom to build the kingdom of justice, love and peace where “God may be all and in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

We could deduce the following salient points from the celebration of Christ the Universal King: Christ is the king of the universe and not Satan.
*The kingship of Christ lasts from age to age.
*His kingship is characterised by profound humility and selfless service.
*Christ is above every president, king or leader because he is all and in all.
*Christ is not just the king of the universe but also the king of all hearts loyal to him.
*All who occupy the position of leadership, including parents, teachers and preachers have much to learn from the leadership style of Jesus.

A successful life is not about grabbing power and exercising absolute authority over other people. Jesus, the final and ultimate judge gives us a glimpse of what will happen on judgment day. On the final day, we shall not be judged by the amount of power we wielded on earth but by the unconditional help, we rendered to people who were hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, imprisoned, and sick. Jesus says, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you did unto me.”

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