Feast of Christ the King
(Sunday 22nd November 2015)
Let us bow down and adore our triumphant King – (John 18:33-37)
We have come to the last Sunday in the Church’s Liturgical Cycle, the glorious feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King (or more simply known as the Feast of Christ the King). The Gospel for this feast recounts a rather tense conversation between Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, and Jesus whom people are calling King of the Jews. Pilate is perplexed because the appearance of Jesus and the stories about him do not indicate that he might be a rival king, someone who is a threat. Jesus, without trying to persuade Pilate one way or the other, nevertheless offers Pilate words that get to the heart of the matter, yet still retain a little bit of mystery. He says “My kingdom is not of this world”. We notice that Jesus does not say “My kingdom is not in this world”. Rather, he says: “My kingdom is not of this world,” meaning that his kingdom has come from above, that he was sent into the world by his Father to establish his kingdom of love, truth, peace and justice. Jesus’ kingdom is of a different kind to that of the pagan rulers who typically rely on brute force to manage their affairs. Pagan rulers are “of the world” and tend to fall into the usual traps of worldliness: the abuse of power, the love of popularity, placing oneself above the truth and disdain for those who are poor.
In his encounter with Pontius Pilate, Jesus indicates that his kingship is wider than merely being King of the Jews. It is true that Jesus’ mission began in Palestine but this was only his starting point. He is the Universal King, which means that he is king of all places, all peoples, all institutions in human life and all periods of history. In this sense, Jesus’ kingship is very much “in the world,” the entire world. Now, if Jesus is King of all institutions of human life, what can we say about the relationship between religion and politics? Or between Church and State? Jesus has said enough – in this Gospel passage and elsewhere – to show that worldly institutions do indeed have specific roles and may carry out their tasks without a direct reference to religion. For example, politicians and civil servants have their tasks in building roads and bridges, in fighting disease, in collecting taxes and such like. The Church is very happy that the state handles these affairs. However, what we have learned from the words of Jesus is that those in civil authority must acknowledge that there is a also higher truth than what meets the eye in the here-below of this world. As such, there will be times when the reasoning of civil leaders will have to be purified by sound religious principles especially those principles that refer to the dignity of human life, the freedom to practice one’s religion, the truth of marriage and care for the poor and vulnerable. What our faith teaches us, then, is that there is indeed a proper distinction between Church and State, and between religion and politics, but there is not an absolute separation between them. Christ, the Universal King, pervades all walks of life – our private lives, our social lives and our political and legal affairs.
So, let us rejoice in this glorious feast of Christ the King. Christ is our true King because he has conquered sin and death, having achieved his triumph on the cross at Calvary. The hallmarks of his kingship are witnessing to the truth and serving others. We, in our baptism, have been made partakers in Christ’s kingship. Therefore, we can hold our heads high and wear the crown of Christian dignity, knowing that, in Christ, we have the means to defeat sin in our own lives and to resist the temptations offered by the world. As Christians, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in building up the kingdom of God in our world, a kingdom of love, peace, truth and justice. Christ – the Shepherd-King – now rules in us in a gentle and loving way. May he rule in our bodies and in our minds, in our homes and in our societies. His rule sets us free to enjoy the delights of his kingdom. Let us bow down and adore our triumphant King.
Fr. Eamon Roche