Homily for Christ the King, Year A
Fr. Albert
St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA
Jesus Christ is not our senator. He is not our president. His power over us does not come from us and it cannot be changed by a vote. Jesus Christ is our King. He is King of the entire universe. As Americans, as members of a democratic republic, maybe this is lost on us. President John F. Kennedy was the first and so far only Catholic president. When he first ran for office, a lot of Americans were worried about his loyalty being split between the country and the Catholic Church. JFK famously responded to these concerns by saying “I am not the Catholic candidate for president… I am the candidate who also happens to be Catholic. I do not speak for the Church and the Church does not speak for me.”
Now, there is some truth there. The Church does not micromanage how a country is run, but we can’t just put our faith on the shelf when it comes to politics and government. Even if we are good American Citizens who love our country, we must remember our loyalty to Jesus Christ. In fact, that’s why Pope Pius XI added this special feast day to the calendar almost 100 years ago. The Pope saw increasing secularism and nationalism. He realized there was too much emphasis on loyalty to the country. So, this day, this solemn occasion is a reminder that, no matter when are where we were born, Jesus Christ is our King.
And as Jesus himself tells us, we will have to face our King eventually. We will see him seated “upon his glorious throne” with “all nations assembled before him. And he will separate them.” But he won’t group them into Americans and Mexicans and Germans. No, at the end of time, only two categories that matter: A servant of the King or a stranger to the King. The sheep are friends because they were docile, obedient, and trusted him. The goats are strangers to the King because they were disobedient, selfish and either ignored or rejected him.
We’ve spent the last several weekends hearing parable after parable about the end of the word and the return of the King of the Universe. Scripture and the Church have told us over and over that we will face judgment and they have even told us what we are being judged for. What we do in our lives is going to matter. What we don’t do is going to matter as well. There is no rebuttal, you cannot change the King’s mind and he won’t care about your nationality.
So, let this feast day do what it is supposed to do. Take a look at your loyalties. Are you a servant of the King? Someone who uses the talents God gave you? Someone who listens to the prophets and servants God has sent to you? Someone who remembers to bring oil to the wedding feast? Are you someone who recognizes that the least members of society, the lowest of our human brothers and sisters are also our King in disguise? Have you ever even asked yourself any of these questions before? It’s easy not to worry about it. It’s easy to avoid thinking about it and just follow the culture and the country.
After all, being an American is compatible with being Catholic in a lot of ways. Christmas and Easter are national holidays. Our pledge of allegiance mentions God. Americans tend to be very generous with charities and our culture praises people who help the needy. Freedom of religion still exists in this country for now and there are lots of other little things that make being Catholic and American a little easier.
But that will change. It always does. Countries and cultures come and go, but God is eternal. Political loyalties are always in flux, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Human beings want to belong. We want community, we need community and our natural desires will pull us toward compromise if it makes it easier to belong to something. Christians belong to this country, but the truth is that Christians are pilgrims and guests in every country because our true citizenship is in heaven.
And if we forget that, if we do not pay attention to the competing demands of God and country, we will inevitably end up choosing country and culture over God. But, if we are faithful, we get to be kings with him and share eternal life.
So, look at your King on the cross and declare your loyalty now. Declare your loyalty during the offertory by placing your heart, mind, soul and your loyalty on the altar with the bread and wine. Declare your loyalty by reflecting on what it means to Christian, to be Catholic in a secular world and an increasingly hostile country. And you can do that in a concrete way starting next week.
Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas, the birth of our King. It celebrates the first coming of our King, but it also prepares us for the second coming of our King and the final judgment. And when it comes to Advent, you have to make a choice between the culture and God. America celebrates Christmas, yes, but every year it gets further away from the truth.
Today is a celebration of Christ the King. Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birth. But not everything in life is a celebration. Christ’s return in glory will be full of joy if we are loyal, but it is also a cause for great fear if we are not prepared. When Jesus was born, it was joyful, but how many people missed the first Christmas? The wise men and the shepherds were prepared, but the Jews and the world were not. Every Christian holy day and festival requires preparation. Advent is preparation for Christmas like Lent is preparation for Easter. And both of them prepare us for the final judgment.
But the culture says “Merry Christmas” right now. People want to jump straight to the celebration. They want to party and to skip the preparation because preparing takes work and partying helps businesses make money. You have to choose. Will you take advantage of Advent? Will you prepare for Christmas in the same way that every Catholic has for 2000 years, or in the way the corporations want you to? Will you celebrate Christmas like a Catholic, or like an American?
We have one week until Advent starts. It’s like New Years for Catholics and it’s a lot like Lent. What resolutions will you make? Will you give something up? Will you pray and fast to remind yourself that this world isn’t all there is? Will you give alms because your King is hiding in the poor and the lowly? Jesus Christ is our King and it is right to celebrate that today. Jesus came once as a little baby, and it is right ot rejoice in that. But Christ the King will come again and we will stand before that throne. Will you be prepared?
