This feast day of Christ the King is still “wet behind the ears” when it comes to feast days. In our church of 2000 years or so, this feast is less than 100 years old. But it came about in 1925 when Pius XI declared it a feast day for the whole church. The world had witnessed the carnage of WWI, the onset of economic depression, and the rise of communism and fascism. They must have felt that God’s dominion over the world had taken a long vacation. But then came today’s feast day.
And judging from the readings, at first we would think that Jesus is a king without a kingdom. Today’s gospel focuses on the cross at Calvary. He wears a crown of thorns. A sign is affixed to the cross. It reads, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” All of these things—cross, crown and sign—were intended by his adversaries to mock him. What they didn’t know is that they were actually expressing the truth about God in Christ. At Calvary, God is perfect self-offering love. God is perfect humility. At Calvary, God revels a kingdom whose power is expressed in undying love. Before the cross and resurrection, Jesus has no kingdom.
But after Good Friday and Easter Sunday, God shows how the world has changed. Death is no longer an ending point but a turning point. The world is no longer condemned to violence and oppression, but now is characterized by justice, peace, and new bonds of friendship.
Trouble is, like Christians in 1925, all too often we don’t see it. What we do see (or what grabs our attention) are the holes, the places where this kingdom of Christ has yet to take hold. Crime, violence, terror are daily news items. Closer to home, we know all too well that people get sick. People pass away. And our families are not always the models of unity and peace that they are meant to be. The kingdom of God may be here, but in many ways, it’s still at a distance.
Next weekend will begin the start of the Advent season. In the church year, it will be the start of a new year. Maybe too it will be the start of renewed vigor in the life of our families, our archdiocese, and in our nation and world. We can never become inured to the wars, divisions, and injustices we see today. As Catholic Christians, we must recognize that our world is progressing to something better, and that something is the kingdom of God that Jesus preached, taught, and even died for.
