Homily: Solemnity of
Christ the King, YR B
“Christ our King”
by Fr. William
Holtzinger
Nov. 25/26, 2006
Today we celebrate Christ as King of the
Universe. That is quite a title for sure. What does it imply for us?
Well, simply put, we are to subject ourselves to his rule. We are to
proclaim his reign to the ends of the earth. There are a couple ways of
doing this. Let me offer just two... (get a megaphone and proclaim
Jesus as the King, quoting today’s Scriptures)
Now, we can use a megaphone to proclaim
his sovereignty over all things, but what if our behaviors contradict
our proclamation? Couldn’t we all confess that many of our actions do
contradict what we proclaim with our mouths? We are sinners for sure.
Another way of proclaiming Christ as King is to live that reality with
our lives. You see, our actions always speak louder than our words.
Okay, so I think we could all agree that
living for our King is the most potent way of making known his reign.
But, what kind of king is Jesus? We in the United States have abandoned
royalty as our mode of governance. Monarchies are what we fled from in
order to gain religious freedom. Is Jesus another replacement for an
already corrupt idea? Well, I don’t think any of us would say that.
But, let me offer a story that might illustration the kinds of king we
have...
There is a story about an Irish king. He had
no children to succeed him on the throne. So he decided to choose his
successor from among the people. The only condition set by the king, as
announced throughout his kingdom, was that the candidate must have a deep
love for God and neighbor.
In a remote village of the kingdom lived a
poor but gentle youth who was noted for his kindness and helpfulness to all
his neighbors. The villagers encouraged him to enter the contest for
kingship. They made a collection for him to make the long journey to the
royal palace. After giving him the necessary food and a good overcoat, they
sent him on his way. As the young man neared the castle, he noticed a
beggar sitting on a bench in the royal park, wearing torn clothes. He was
shivering in the cold while begging for food. Moved with compassion,
the young man gave the beggar his new overcoat and the food he had saved for
his return journey. After waiting for a long time in the parlor of the
royal palace, the youth was admitted for an interview with the king. As he
raised his eyes after prostrating before the king, he was amazed to find the
king wearing the over coat he had given to the beggar at the park, and
greeting him as the new king of the country.
Today’s Scriptures all point to the
authority that God in the person of Jesus has. The question is, do we
allow his authority in our lives. Does our worship here at Mass
demonstrate our belief? I think so, for better or worse. For example,
how many of us are guilty of being distracted or responding to the
prayers in a non-committal way? How many of us come to communion
without any realization as to what we are doing? How many of us simply
repeat our prayers without the words touching our hearts? Again, I
think in some way we are all guilty of some of this, myself included.
So, let’s take notice today of what we are doing. For example, when we
come to receive the Eucharist, let us do so with the greatest of
reverence. For those of you who receive our communion in the hand,
listen to some age-old advice from St. Cyril of Jerusalem who lived
around the year 390 AD:
"Approaching, therefore, come not with
thy wrists extended, or thy fingers open; but make thy left hand as if a
throne for thy right, which is on the eve of receiving the King. And
having hallowed thy palm, receive the body of Christ, saying after it,
‘Amen.’ Then after thou hast with carefulness hallowed thine eyes by the
touch of the holy body, partake thereof; giving heed lest thou lose any
of it; for what thou losest is a loss to thee as it were from one of
thine own members. For tell me, if anyone gave thee gold dust, wouldst
thou not with all precaution keep it fast, being on thy guard against
losing any of it, and suffering loss?" (Catechetical Lectures
23:22).
When we pray the Our Father, be mindful
of the meaning of our words: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.” Do we really want our wills conformed to
Christ’s? I think many of us want to want that, but don’t. Our world
is very appealing and we so value our freedom that such a submission
would be difficult. Let us then pray that we will have such grace.
Join me now as we pray to Christ our King:
Novena of Christ the King
O Lord our God, You alone are the Most Holy
King and Ruler of all nations.
We pray to You, Lord, in the great
expectation of receiving from You,
O Divine King, mercy, peace, justice and all good things.
Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth.
Guard us we pray Most Faithful One.
Protect us from our enemies and from Your Just Judgment
Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against you.
Jesus, You are a King of Mercy.
We have deserved Your Just Judgment
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us.
We trust in Your Great Mercy.
O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray;
May Your Reign, Your Kingdom, be recognized on earth. Amen.
Almighty and merciful God, you break the
power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of
the universe.
May all in heaven and earth acclaim your
glory and never cease to praise you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.