See other templates

 

Christ The King

 

By Fr. Robert Chiesa, SJ

We don’t have as many kings and queens around the world as we used to. We have more presidents and prime ministers. Some of them are very nice people, others are questionable. But they are all very expensive. Government is very expensive and we pay for it with our tax money. And we wonder how that money is being used and whether for the right purposes.


Today we celebrate Jesus as our King—the King and Center of the universe and the King of our hearts. He doesn’t take any tax money from us but he asks us to use what we have for the purpose of spreading his kingdom on earth—by working with and for one another. That seems to be the main point of today’s gospel.

It is the great judgment scene. All the nations—not just Christian believers—are gathered before the King. And they are judged not by how many prayers they said or how many times they did not come to church on Sundays. They are judged by what they have done or not done for others. What you did for the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done for me.


There is a story about St Martin of Tours. Martin was born in the fourth century in what is now Hungary and was serving in the imperial Roman army at the age of 18. One cold winter evening as he rode back into town, he saw a poorly dressed beggar at the town gate. Martin halted his horse, took off his large red cape, slit it in two, gave half to the beggar, and rode on into town. That night in his dream Christ appeared to him wearing the red cloak Martin had given to the beggar, thanking Martin and saying “I was naked and you clothed me.” Martin left military life, became a Christian and later a famous pastor and bishop. He educated the clergy and preached the gospel to the poor. As the ancient account of his life says, “He left this life himself a poor and lowly man and entered heaven rich in God’s favor.” He is a patron and model for people who serve the needy.


We hear there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, if only we learned how to distribute it so that no one will have too much and everyone will have what they need. I was hungry but you did not give me anything to eat (and had too much for yourself). We mess up our rivers and oceans, we pollute the air and destroy the ecological balance. I was thirsty but you did not give me clean water to drink. These are the things we don’t want to hear. These are the things we will be judged by.
Right here in our own parish, we have a variety of nationalities—right here in this congregation. We hear that more than half of the Catholics in Japan are immigrants like myself and most of you here today. I was a stranger and you took me in. We thank the Japanese people for welcoming us and making us feel at home. And we examine our own attitudes toward other ethnic groups.


I’m sure we all have sick relatives and friends. Do we go out of our way to visit them and cheer them up? The Lord says, I was sick and you visited me. Some members of our parish have the qualification it takes to visit those in prison or reformatories, or those retained by immigration authorities. The Lord says, I was in prison and you visited me. These are the things we will be judged by.

Those last words of the King echo in our conscience: Whatever you neglected to do to the least of these, you neglected to do to me. These words should echo in our hearts as we pray “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done here on earth as in heaven.” It is through us that his will is done here on earth. We are the hands and feet, the eyes and tongues of the Lord Jesus. It is through us that he says, in the words of our first reading, I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded, and make the weak strong.

In another gospel text Jesus told his disciples: The kings of this world lord it over the people and make their authority felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant. For I did not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.

Lord, forgive us for not seeing you present in the people who needed us. Yes. Help us to know that this is how you want us to work for your kingdom here on earth that you may truly be Lord of all and King of the universe.
 

Visitors Counter

002145219
Go to top