History of Christ the King Sunday
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The word 'King' connotes power, dominion, pomp and glory. While we may not like the idea of kingship and we certainly do not want someone to have control over us, yet most people crave for one thing that kings, especially in the past, exercised: Power. Either openly or subtly we do exercise power and like to have power over others. We like to affirm: "I'm the one in charge here!", or "I am my own boss!", "I don't take orders from any one." Is it wrong to exercise power over others? What is the Christian's attitude to exercising authority and power?
May His word and example inspire us! (J.Botelho)
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Michel DeVerteuil
Textual Comments
In today’s feast we celebrate Jesus under the title of King. These days, of course, we don’t have too many kings around but we do have “leaders” – so today we can call him a “perfect leader”. He is the kind of leader we all want to be, the kind of leader we want for ourselves and for others.
We know that Jesus exercised a special kind of leadership. His example must therefore invite us to a deep reflection on how we exercise leadership. Is our way of exercising it true or false? How do other people do it? What is the true form of leadership as it is understood in the world of today? This is clearly the importance of this feast for us and for the world in which we live.
To help us in this meditation on leadership, the church invites us, in this year B, to reflect on St John’s account of the confrontation between Jesus and Pilate. What we have here is only a short extract of a long and very wonderful scene. It is still long enough, however, for us to really enter into the extraordinary interplay between these two men.
It is a meeting between two people who know what kind of leadership they are about. We often find ourselves in this kind of situation today and so we can really meditate on it.
– Jesus is the ideal we are all looking to be like;
– Pilate represents the kind of leadership we are anxious to get away from.
We have played both parts at different times in our lives and we must be able to see how we can fit into each; we will then be able to measure how we are like them, and draw our conclusions. So this meditation will lead us to two things:
– to make an act of thanksgiving for the times when we have exercised leadership as Jesus wants us to;
– to make an act of humble repentance for the times when we have done it all wrong, when we have been more like Pilate than like Jesus.
We remember those who stood up proud and self-confident in the presence of rulers who were considered powerful in the eyes of the world but in fact were not. We think of people like
– the great popes and saints of our church’s history
– the great women in the history of our church who have objected to the accepted ways of behaving and done wonderful things on their own;
– people of different faith traditions who we know are among us today;
- the many strong men and women in the world today.
We need to go more deeply into this aspect of what Jesus claimed for himself. Note his total self-confidence. He says, “My kingdom is not of this kind”. It is a tremendous act of self-confidence. He is claiming his kingdom and declaring it to be different from that of Pilate. Let us learn to recognize how separate we are from many in our society.
Jesus in his nothingness was totally self-confident, while Pilate was afraid. This comes out more clearly in a later passage but we already see it here. Pilate was afraid, anxious to set Jesus free, but Jesus was not afraid. Jesus knew what kind of leadership he was offering and how different it was from that of Pilate. We too must be very conscious of what is special in our kind of leadership and how it separates us from the rest of humanity today.
Often in our lives we are like Pilate. As we sit on our thrones and call people into our presence to pass judgment on them, it is they who question us. They ask us, are we speaking from the truth of ourselves or just mouthing what others have told us? Jesus knew what was happening in the world, how different his style was from that of other leaders. He chose it with no reference to what others said or taught.
Scripture prayer reflections
“Teach us to love as you did and to see others as you did.” …Gandhi
Lord, remind us that the values of Jesus cannot be imposed.
It is never a matter of fighting battles,
with followers preventing their leaders being surrendered into the hands of their enemies.
Our kingdom is different, it is not of this kind.
“The springs of war are in the invincible world and it is there that we must deal with it, remembering that those most responsible for its sins and horrors lie in the power of those who are our neighbours and they need our help.” … Evelyn UnderhillLord, give us the power which comes from knowing that we were born for a purpose.
We come into the world to bear witness to certain principles,
and therefore we don’t have to worry about who approves or disapproves of them.
We know that those who are on the side of these principles
listen to our voice and will be touched by them.
Lord, nowadays anybody who has something to sell
spends a lot of time and money making it look good,
covering up whatever aspects are not attractive.
Forgive us that we try to do the same with the message of Jesus.
Remind us that like Jesus we have come into the world
to bear witness to the truth and that whoever listens to the truth will listen to our voice.
“God has created me to do him some definite service. I may never know it in this life but I shall be told it in the next.” … Cardinal Newman
Lord, once we know that like Jesus we have come into the world for a purpose,
we need not be afraid of others,
even if they are governors and can summon us to enter into their praetorium.
“God communicates himself to all persons, redeems them and stamps their being with an orientation towards sharing his own life.” …Karl Rahner
Lord, we thank you that you have planted your truth
in the heart of every human being.
We know that we are followers of Jesus
when those who are on the side of truth recognize our voice.
“Lord, look through my eyes, speak through my lips, walk with my feet. Then my poor human presence will be a reminder – however weak – of your divine presence.”…Helder Camara
Lord, help us to walk with Jesus in our daily surroundings,
so that we may be sure that you are there to walk with us.
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Thomas O’Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration
‘Last January we began a cycle of readings from the gospels of Mark and John. We read them between January and Ash Wednesday, and then again from Pentecost until today: they have been laying before us one way of recounting the mystery of Jesus, our teacher, our brother, and our God. Now today we come to the end of this year-long recollection. Today we are thinking of Jesus, not as someone who came among us in the past, but as the King of all creation who will come again among us. When he comes at the end of time, he will gather all of us into his kingdom, and present that kingdom to the Father.
Homily notes1. When we listen to the voices of those advocating concern for the environment, care for the planet, or care for the quality of human life, we hear certain themes recurring. We find these themes whether the promoters of these concerns are Christians (viewing the universe as a creation with a plan and providence within it) or theists (who see ecological concern as somehow a sacred activity) or people who ignore the sacred dimension as if it were irrelevant.
2. Some of these themes are:
The importance of recognising that humans can act constructively or destructively in the way we live.
The importance of recycling: we must not behave as if anything can simply be used and thrown away as waste; we must see every object as having its own value.
That we must recognise that everything we do as individuals or small groups becomes part of a larger pattern that can have far greater consequences.
We must keep our eyes fixed on the longer-term picture: ‘Now’, ‘Today” are such fleeing moments!
3. For us who believe that God is the creator, the beginning and ’ end of all that is, seen and unseen, these four themes of ecologists are not simply ‘human wisdom’ but part of our whole understanding of this mystery of why we are here. And the imagery we use to express this very complex set of beliefs is that Jesus, the Anointed of the Father, is the King of All Creation. It is in him that all creation comes to its perfection, and then through him that it is presented to his Father.
4. On Holy Saturday night we welcomed the risen Christ by inscribing the Paschal Candle (that actual candle, now a worn down butt, can be a visual at this point) with these words:
Christ yesterday and today,
The beginning and the end
Alpha and Omega
All time belongs to him
And all the ages
To him be glory and power through every age forever.
5. We often think of God the Son at the beginning of the creation: as we say in the creed: he is ‘begotten not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made’ and St John adds: ‘and without him was not anything made that was made.’ This is recognising Christ at the beginning, the Alpha of all.
6. Today we think of Christ as the end, the final point, the goal of all creation, the Omega of all.
7. And for us, This is the future of hope, not a great catastrophe but when all that is good and noble in brought to perfection. The figure of the Christ stands at the end of time like someone gathering the harvest, and then presenting it in its completed state to the Father.
8. So how do we Christians realise these four things:
A. *The importance of recognising that humans can act constructively or destructively in the way we live.
Our actions are not simply random activity: we are called to act with justice and honesty, with care and respect, not from self-interest but because this is part of God’s loving plan. We want to be in harmony with nature, but we also want to be in harmony with the Love that brought nature into existence and which draws it towards its goal.
B.*The importance of recycling: we must not behave as if anything can simply be used and thrown away as waste; we must see every object as having its own value.
Everything exists because of God’s loving will in giving it existence, and each thing has unique value because it is brought into being through the Son. To see anything as useless, waste, rubbish, is to ignore the Alpha of the creation and its Omega.
C.*That we must recognise that everything we do as individuals or small groups becomes part of a larger pattern that can have far greater consequences.
We recognise that we are called to behave responsibly as individuals and as groups. We know we must have an intimate relationship with God as individuals in prayer and action, but we must also have a group relationship with Christ as his body, the church. The Lord, who calls each of us by name, is also the Lord who calls us to become the kingdom, and it is that kingdom, embracing all creation, that is presented to the Father.
D.*We must keep our eyes fixed on the longer-term picture: ‘Now’, ‘Today’ are such fleeing moments!
Just as we must think long-term about the material universe – both, forwards and backwards – if we are to act with understanding, so we have to remember the Alpha of the universe – that all comes into being through the Son and its Omega – when the Son presents it to the Father – if act wisely within God’s creation.
9. For us these are not bits of human wisdom, rather they are fragments of the divine plan that we can see around us and which point us to the incompleteness of any understanding of the universe that does not acknowledge it as a creation that comes from God and which returns to God and which is suffused with the divine love through the presence of Christ, the Alpha and the Omega.
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Sean Goan
Gospel
For the last gospel of the church’s year we return to John and this scene from the trial of Jesus before Pilate. Pilate represents the most powerful empire the world has ever known and lives out of a world view that is utterly contrary to that espoused by Jesus. For Pilate, kings and kingship mean only one thing: a threat to the established order. For Jesus this is the language of the Bible where God is the shepherd king who looks out for the lost and bandages the wounded. For the worldly governor of Judea this is all a pipe dream; for Jesus it is a vision that will endure long after the Roman Empire has crumbled into the dust By his death and resurrection Jesus has witnessed to the truth about God and those who search for the truth still listen to his voice.Reflection
We don’t know how many people witnessed the death of Jesus in Jerusalem. We know that some of those who did were delighted to have him out of the way at last. Others were heartbroken at the death of a truly good man and the shattering into pieces of a dream for something better, a new world order in which love and service would triumph over oppression and hatred. The majority probably just went about their business and reflected that really it is wiser just to keep your head down and say nothing. We can be sure that nobody there thought they were witnessing the death of Christ the Universal King. His kind of king-ship has to be learned and not in palaces nor in schools of diplomacy but among the poor and needy and those whom the world has forgotten. For our king is the servant of the poor and we only belong to his court when we do likewise.****************************
Donal Neary SJ
What type of King?
A big thing in life is ‘where are you from’? We say ‘your accent betrays you’. Sometimes we judge totally on where people are from, as Pilate with Jesus. With all he knew of him and heard, the miracles and the speeches – where are you from? Are you a king really? What sort is your kingdom?
Pilate was intrigued with Jesus and so are we.
Our Christian life is getting to know Jesus more, and taking part in his mission. The type of person he was. That he came from God and from humanity. He speaks of the best of God and the best of us, the best of heaven and the best of earth. He is worth our following.
Our role in life, our vocation and our mission is a calling to live like him in love and service.
There is the ‘from above’ in Jesus and much of John’s gospel stresses the divinity of Christ. He doesn’t look very divine but he does look very human. In the human is the divine. So we could be like him. We become like him by reading about his life and living like he did. He is a king in his truth, justice, compassion and love. The king-defender of the poor.A good ending of one church year to begin another. King and servant. We’ll see more of what it’s all like in the weeks of December. Meantime we want to live in this reign of God and pray and live – your kingdom come.
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From the Connections:
THE WORD: We celebrate the kingship of Jesus with the John’s Gospel account of what is perhaps Jesus’ most humiliating moment: his appearance before Pilate. It is a strange exchange: Pilate has been blackmailed by the Jewish establishment into executing Jesus for their ends; it is the accused who dominates the meeting and takes on the role of inquisitor; Pilate has no idea what Jesus is talking about when speaks bout “the truth.”
Pilate, a man of no great talent or competence, was under a great deal of political pressure. He had needlessly alienated the Jews of Palestine by his cruelty, his insensitivity to their religious customs and his clumsy appropriation of funds from the temple treasury for public projects. Reports of his undistinguished performance had reached his superiors in Rome. Jesus proclaims himself ruler of a kingdom built of compassion, humility, love and truth -- power that Pilate cannot comprehend in his small, narrow view of the world.
The kingdom of Jesus is not found in the world’s centers of power but within human hearts; it is built not by deals among the power elite but by compassionate hands; Christ reigns neither by influence nor wealth but by selfless charity and justice.
To be faithful disciples of Christ is to be servants of truth -- truth that liberates and renews, truth that gives and sustains life and hope, truth that transcends rationalizations, half-truths and delusions, truth that serves as a looking glass for seeing the world in the intended design of God.
Christ’s reign is realized only in our embracing a vision of humankind as a family made in the image of God, a vision of one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, a vision of the world centered in the spirit of hope and compassion taught by Christ.
A storm devastates a town; a fire reduces a neighborhood to burnt timber and ashes; an act of terrorism cuts a wide and bloody swath through a community. That’s when they go to work: skilled medical professionals, tireless construction workers, patient and gifted counselors, compassionate volunteers. These dedicated souls work around the clock to care for the hurt and injured, rescue those in danger, help the traumatized cope, and begin the hard work of rebuilding. By their very presence, these good people transform the debris and ashes into the kingdom of Jesus.
The tired old downtown building has seen better days but no better use. The city’s churches have worked together to turn the brick structure into a community center, a safe place where children can come to play basketball, receive tutoring, or just hang out after school. The well-stocked pantry provides for dozens of hungry families every week; a free clinic offers basic on-site medical care and referral services to the poor and uninsured. Its meeting rooms are always busy: the elderly have a place to go for companionship and immigrants are taught how to master the language of their new homeland. In this austere brick building, Jesus reigns.
The kingdom of Jesus is not found in the world’s centers of power but within human hearts; it is built not by deals among the power elite but by compassionate hands; Christ reigns neither by influence nor wealth but by generosity and justice. A politician and influential figure like Pilate cannot grasp the “kingship” of Jesus -- but we who have been baptized in the life, death and resurrection of Christ are called to build and maintain that kingdom in our own time and place. Christ’s reign is realized only in our embracing a vision of humankind as a family made in the image of God, a vision of one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, a vision of the world centered in the spirit of hope and compassion taught by Christ.
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ILLUSTRATIONS:
The first reading from the Book of Daniel continues to speak in apocalyptic terms like last Sunday’s reading. The prophet is speaking to the people who were disillusioned about the kings who ruled over them. They were despots and did not care for the people. To these people who were losing hope, the prophet says: Your God is coming to you, your King is coming to you. He will come to save you. Yes, He is Lord and King but different from earthly rulers. The point of the reading is that God is coming to his people. The Son of man will come to bring hope to his people, and his kingdom will never end, this hope no one can take away.
Give us a king!
Kings and Queens do not exist today and those that do are remnants and no longer functional. But Kings and Queens do exist in fairy tales and in stories. Indeed when people were in need and badly off, they always started to tell stories of a king who would reign in such a way that good times would return, everybody would be happy and there would be prosperity and peace. The Hebrews had that dream and desire during their history. When they had difficulties they would pray: "Yahweh, give us a king." And when they had one who was more part of the problem than part of the solution, they would pray again: "Yahweh, give us a king, a new one, a real one. The one we have is fake!" They yearned for a real king.
Joseph Donders in 'Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel'
The Gospel reading goes on to stress how different this Jesus King is from the kings of the earth, totally different, a sign of contradiction. The whole idea of Christ being king does not come up at the height of his popularity but at the moment when everyone, all his disciples and followers have abandoned him. When he seems to be powerless at that moment he claims kingship. "Yes I am a king. I was born for this; I came into the world for this. His kingship consists in bearing witness to the truth; "all who are on the side of truth will listen to my voice." In the Gospel we see the Kingship of Jesus contrasted with worldly power. Pontius Pilate was the Governor of Judea, a powerful man who questioned Jesus to judge his innocence or guilt. Yet it would seem that Jesus is questioning Pilate and made to face the truth. Pilate is ill at ease while Jesus is the one who is in control. Jesus points out that his kingship is not in the realm of political power. His kingdom is not of this world. Jesus has surrendered all power -He came not to be served but to serve. Today this King invites us to serve those in need. As followers of this King we are challenged if we wish to be part of his kingdom. His Kingdom does not belong to this world and its values. Can we surrender power? Can we let go of the desire to control others? Instead of wanting to be served, to let others know who the 'boss' is that we can serve? Are we people of the Kingdom? We do not have to wait for the last judgement to find out if we are people who live according to the values of His Kingdom. We are constantly being tested by people, situation and events to prove if we are people for God and of God, people who believe in service and in action. Our lives are our greatest witness. Would there be sufficient evidence in our lives for us to be condemned as followers of the Lord Jesus today?
The Story...our story
Soren Kierkegaard a philosopher and theologian tells a story about a king who fell in love with a peasant girl. The king knew that it was next to impossible for him to marry the girl. But this king was so powerful that he knew he could marry the girl and get away with it. But another thought occurred to him. If he married the peasant girl and stayed king, there would always be something missing in their relationship. The girl would always admire the king, but she could never really love him. She would always be conscious of the fact that he was royalty and she was merely a lowly peasant. So the king decided on another plan. He decided that he would resign his kingship and become a lowly peasant himself. Then he would offer his love to her as one peasant to another. The king realized, of course, that if he did this, the situation could backfire. She might reject him, especially if she thought him foolish for doing what he did. The king finally decided that he loved the peasant girl so much that he would risk everything to make true love between them possible. Kierkegaard never told how the story ended. He had two reasons for not telling how the story ended. Firstly the point of his story was the king's love for the lowly peasant girl. It was so great that he renounced his royalty and his throne for her. The second reason why Kierkegaard never told how the story ended is that the story has not ended yet. It is still going on. It is a story whose ending has not been written. It is the story of God's love for each one of us. The King in the story is God; the girl in the story is us. Only we can write the end of that story! What will it be???
Mark Link in 'Sunday Homilies'
The interview is over!
The story is told of a man who traveled to London to attend an interview for an important post in the security services. When he arrived at the appointed place he found five other applicants in the waiting room, all discussing their prospects. There was no security on duty. A sign on the wall stated that applicants were to knock and enter the interview room at fifteen-minute intervals, beginning at eleven o'clock. They were to leave the interview room by another door, so the nature of the questioning could be kept secret. The applicants discussed this strange arrangement; they reflected on what questions they might be asked; they wondered what qualities would be needed for the post. At eleven o'clock, one of them who said he had been the first to arrive went to the door of the interview room, knocked and entered. The remaining five men continued to discuss various matters among themselves. So, the time passed. At quarter past twelve the last man to arrive rose from the chair, walked over to the door of the interview room, knocked and entered. When he stepped into the room he was confused by what he saw. Behind the large oak table that dominated the room sat his interviewers: they were the same five men who had been in the waiting room. The interview was already over! We believe our final interview with the Lord will be on judgement day. In reality it has begun! "What you did to the least of my brethren you did unto me."
Anonymous
"I am ready for your Kingdom"
Once a village blacksmith had a vision, an angel of the Lord came to him and said "The Lord has sent me. The time has come for you to take up your place in his kingdom." "I thank God for thinking of me" said the blacksmith, "but as you know, the season for sowing crops will soon be here. The people of the village will need their ploughs repaired, and their horses shod. I don't wish to seem ungrateful, but do you think I might put off my place in the kingdom until I have finished?" The angel looked at him in the wise and loving ways of angels. "I'll see what can be done" he said and vanished. The blacksmith continued with his work and was almost finished when he heard of a neighbour who fell ill in the middle of the planting season. The next time he saw the angel, the blacksmith pointed towards the barren fields and pleaded with the angel, "Do you think eternity can hold off a little longer? If I don't finish this job, my friend's family will suffer." Again the angel smiled and vanished. The blacksmith's friend recovered, but another's barn burnt down, and a third was deep in sorrow at the death of his wife. And a fourth, and so on. Whenever the angel reappeared, the blacksmith just spread out his hands in a gesture of resignation and compassion, and drew the angel's eyes to where the suffering was. One evening the blacksmith began to think of the angel, and how he'd put him off for such a long time. He felt very old and tired and he prayed "Lord if you would like to send your angel again, I think I would like to see him now." He'd no sooner spoken than the angel stood before him. "If you want to take me" said the blacksmith, "I am now ready to take my place in the kingdom of the Lord." The angel of the Lord looked at the blacksmith, and smiled, as he said, "Where do you think you have been all these years?"Jack McArdle in 'And that's the Gospel Truth'
Film -Cool Hand Luke- A Good thief
Luke is a happy-go-lucky ex-serviceman who, while drunk, damages public property and is sentenced to prison for two years. He seems to live a charmed life because he is always smiling. At first the other prisoners dislike him but his attitude eventually wins over his fellow convicts. Life is harsh in prison but Luke enables others to keep going because he refuses to bend to the arbitrary authority of the bosses. Luke escapes twice but is caught and tortured and is ultimately shot and bleeds to death because the bosses refuse to let him be taken to the nearest hospital. The authorities have killed Luke but his spirit lives on in the stories and memories of the prisoners. The character of Luke can be seen as a Good Thief as well as a Christ-figure. The movie tells us about Luke's irresponsibility and inability to settle down. Going to prison does not seem to bother him, but the injustices that he experiences and the brutal treatment that is meted out to him there take their toll. Despite this he keeps up the morale of the other prisoners. Luke's life culminates in what seems to be his arbitrary death. Once again, Luke can be seen as a Christ-figure because he suffers torment so that others may have life, even if only through encouragement to survive prison. Just as Luke's story was told and re-told by the prisoners, so the story of the Good Thief has become part of Jesus' own story and has been told and re-told for thousands of years, giving courage to the fainthearted and strength to the weak.
Peter Malone in 'Lights Camera... Faith!'
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1. Background: Fr. Andrew Greeley
2. “Who’s on first?”
4. Ordinary People
"The fundamental reason why Jesus has to die makes the question of responsibility for his assassination pointless. Every society, Jewish or Gentile, that is founded on money, power, and law, condemns him. He puts people first, making economics and politics less important than men and women. In contrast, society, even when it says the opposite, deceiving others as well as itself, considers individuals simply as a means." (Sulivan, Morning Light, p. 75)
John C. Purdy, God with a Human Face
From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
1: “Christ has conquered, Christ now rules, Christ reigns
supreme”: In the middle of St Peter’s square in Rome, there stands a
great obelisk. About four and half thousand years old, it originally stood in
the temple of the sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. It was bought to Rome
by the dreaded Emperor Caligula and it was set right in the middle of the
equally dreaded Circus of Nero, on Vatican hill. It was in that Circus that St
Peter was martyred, and the obelisk may well have been the last thing on this
Earth that Peter saw. On top of the obelisk there now stands a cross. In
ancient times, there was a gold ball
representing, of course, the sun. Now there is a cross however, the cross of
Christ, and on the pedestal of the obelisk there are two inscriptions. The
first of them is in Latin, “Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus
imperat”, which translated means, Christ has conquered, Christ now rules,
Christ now reigns supreme. The other inscription is, “The Lion of Judah has
conquered.” So here we have the language of victory. Christianity has triumphed
by the power of the cross and triumphed over even the greatest power that the
ancient world had known, the Roman Empire, and here in the middle of St Peter’s
square stands the obelisk bearing those triumphant inscriptions. (Mark
Coleridge Archbishop of Brisbane) (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
2: “Long live Christ the King!” In the 1920s, a
totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and tried to suppress the Church.
To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, “Viva Cristo Rey!”
(“Long live Christ the King!”) They called themselves “Cristeros.” The
most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre
Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of
Mexico City. Finally, the government arrested him and sentenced him to public
execution on November 23, 1927. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles)
thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the
execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a
crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up.
Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, “Viva
Cristo Rey!” (“Long live Christ the King!”) At that moment the soldiers fired.
The journalists took pictures; if you look up “Padre Pro” or “Saint Miguel Pro”
on the Internet, you can see that picture. (Fr. Phil Bloom). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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3: “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” St.
Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers and politicians, among others. He
was a brilliant lawyer and diplomat in 16th century England. His patriotism and
loyalty to the throne attracted the attention of King Henry VIII who made him
Lord Chancellor of England. What Henry VIII did not know was that Thomas More’s
first loyalty was to Christ, the King of kings. When Henry VIII decided to
divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, marry Anne Boleyn and make himself head
of the Church of England, More thought this was not right. Rather than approve
what he believed to be against the Divine will, he resigned from his
prestigious, wealthy position as Lord Chancellor and lived a life of poverty.
Since he would not give his support to the king, Thomas More was arrested,
convicted of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534 and beheaded in
July of the following year. On his way to public execution, More encouraged the
people to remain steadfast in the Faith. His last recorded words were: “I die
the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” For More, it was not simply enough
to confess Christ privately in the safety of his heart and home; he believed
one must also confess Christ in one’s business and professional life as well as
in the laws and policies that
govern society. (Fr. Munacci). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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4: On His Majesty’s Service: St. Polycarp, the
second century bishop of Smyrna, was brought before the Roman authorities and
told to curse Christ and he would be released. He replied, “Eighty-six years
have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong: how then can I blaspheme my
King, Jesus Christ, who saved me?” The Roman officer replied, “Unless you
change your mind, I will have you burnt.” But Polycarp said, “You threaten a
fire that burns for an hour, and after a while is quenched; for you are
ignorant of the judgment to come and of everlasting punishment reserved for the
ungodly. Do what you wish.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
5: A king with a big difference: Charles Colson,
former legal counsel to Richard Nixon and later founder of the Christian Prison
Fellowship, says it like this: “All the kings and queens I have known in
history sent their people out to die for them. I only know one King Who decided
to die for his people.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
6: Christ is in charge: Susan C. Kimber,
in a book called Christian Woman, shares a funny piece of
advice she received from her little son: “Tired of struggling with my
strong-willed little son, Thomas, I looked him in the eye and asked a question
I felt sure would bring him in line: ‘Thomas, who is in charge here?’ Not
missing a beat, he replied, ‘Jesus is, and not you mom.’ ”
7: Co-pilot Christ the king: Many people
love bumper sticker theology. Bumper stickers may not always have the
soundest theological statements, but they generally at least have the ability
to make you think. One such, “God is my Co-pilot,” has also
been found on Church signs, where the theology is just as much fun and
sometimes sounder. In this case, the Church sign says, “If Christ
the King is your Co-Pilot, change seats.”
8: “Right near the end!” Once a
priest was giving a homily and as he went on, he became more animated. He made
a sweeping gesture – and accidentally knocked his papers from the pulpit. He
scrambled to pick them up, then asked, “Now, where was I?” A voice from the
congregation responded, “Right near the end!” Well, we are at the end – not of the
homily, but of the liturgical year
9: The most famous man who ever lived: One
day a kindergarten teacher nun said to the class of 5-year-olds, “I’ll give $2
to the child who can tell me who was the most famous man who ever lived.” An
Irish boy put his hand up and said, “It was St. Patrick. “The teacher said,
“Sorry Sean, that’s not correct.” Then a Scottish boy put his hand up and said,
“It was St. Andrew.” The teacher replied, “I’m sorry, Hamish, that’s not right
either. “Finally, a Jewish boy raised his hand and said, “It was Jesus Christ.”
The teacher said, “That’s absolutely right, Marvin, come up here and I’ll give
you the $2.” As the teacher was giving Marvin his money, she said, “You know
Marvin, you being Jewish, I was very surprised you said Jesus Christ.” Marvin
replied, “Yeah. In my heart I knew it was Moses, but business is business…”
34- Additional anecdotes
1) A Man for All Seasons: There is a
great scene in the play, A Man for All Seasons, that fits very
well with today’s Feast of Christ the King. You might remember that the
play was about the determination of St. Thomas More to stand for the Faith
against the persuasion and eventually the persecution of Henry VIII of
England. In the scene I’m referring to, in Henry VIII , in 1527, is
trying to coax his second-in-power Thomas More, to agree with him that it is
proper for him, the King, to divorce his wife Catherine on the grounds that she
was also his sister-in-law (a marriage impediment for which the King, before
the marriage, had requested and received , in January 1505), a
Papal Dispensation, from then-reigning Pope Julius II!) The King’s
real reason was that his wife, Catherine of Aragon, had not given birth to a
male heir to the Kingdom. After the King made all his arguments, Thomas
More said that he himself was unfit to meddle in this argument and the King
should take it to Rome. Henry VIII retorted that he didn’t need a Pope to
tell him what he could or couldn’t do. Then we come to the center
point. Thomas More asked the King, “Why do you need my support?”
Henry VIII replied with words we would all love to hear said about each of us,
“Because, Thomas, you are honest. And what is more to the point, you are
known to be honest. There are plenty in the Kingdom who support me, but
some do so only out of fear and others only out of what they can get for their
support. But you are different. And people know it. That is
why I need your support.” — In
the presence of integrity, Henry VIII knew who was King and who was subject.
(Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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2) “I am the greatest.” Jesus is not a
king like the ancient Egyptian king, Ramses, whose arrogant motto was inscribed
on temples still standing, “I am the greatest.” Jesus is not a king like the king
of China, a savage tyrant who used millions of slaves to build the Great Wall
of China, a wall so huge that it can be seen from the moon. He is not a king
like Louis XIV, who lived in excessive luxury in his Versailles palace of 1000
rooms. Jesus is different in that he was not born of a reigning King, though He
is of the royal House of David. Rather, as Scripture tells us, Jesus is the One
Whom God “will choose as king….” There is no other king like King Jesus, for
Jesus is a Divine King, none other than the very Son of God, the Messiah.
Jeremiah calls Him, “the Lord of our Salvation.” (v. 6) St. Paul sees Jesus as
“the image of the invisible God” and in Whom dwells “all the fullness of God.”
Jesus Himself knows Who, and Whose, He is, for He says, “The Father and I are
one … he who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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3) Desperate deaths of autocratic kings and dictators: The
death of the Communist Dictator, Josef Stalin (1879-1953), was described by his
daughter as difficult and terrible. Silenced by a stroke shortly before he
died, Stalin’s “last words” were more visible than audible. Newsweek magazine
quoted Svetlana Stalin who said, “At what seemed the very last moment, he cast
a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane, angry,
and full of fear of death. With one final menacing gesture, he lifted his left
hand as if he were bringing down a curse on us all.” Philip III of Spain
(1578-1621), who proved himself to be an unfit king, indifferent to the plight
of his people, breathed his last wishing, “Would to God that I had never
reigned. What does all my glory profit but that I have so much the more torment
in my death?” Charles IX of France (1550-1574, reigned 1560-1574), who in 1572
had ordered the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of the Huguenots throughout
France, met death with despair, “What blood! What murders! I am lost forever. I
know it.” When she lay dying, Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) was
reported to have said she would give, “All my possessions for a moment of
time.” — Today’s Gospel challenges us to compare with these royal deaths
Christ the King’s death on the cross, offering his life to God his Father in
all serenity and elegance. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez) (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
4) King in disguise: The story is
told of Mother Teresa of Calcutta observing a novice using tweezers to pluck
maggots from the leg of a dying leper. The young woman stood at arm’s length to
perform the odious task. Gently but firmly, Mother Teresa corrected her charge.
Taking the tweezers and putting her face quite near the wound, she said, “You
don’t understand, my dear. This is the leg of Christ our Lord. For what you do
to this man, you do to Him.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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5) Francis of Assisi was wealthy, high-born and
high-spirited, but he was not happy. He felt that life was incomplete. Then one
day he was riding, and he met a leper, loathsome and repulsive in the ugliness
of his disease. Something moved Francis to dismount and fling his arms around
this wretched sufferer; and, lo, in his arms the face of the leper changed to
the face of the Christ. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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6) Leo Tolstoy’s story “Martin the Cobbler”
tells of a lonely shoemaker who is promised a visit by our Lord that very day.
Eagerly all day he awaits his arrival. But all that come are a man in need of
shoes, a young mother in need of food and shelter, and a child in need of a
friend, all of which he cheerfully assists. Martin the cobbler ends the day
thinking “Perhaps tomorrow He will come,” only to hear a voice reply, “I did
come to you today, Martin; not once, but three times.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
7)”Long Live Christ the King! Long Live the Pope.”
Those of us, who pray for the persecuted Church, mourned the loss of Ignatius,
Cardinal Kung who died at the age of 98. He stood by his convictions, and
withstood persecution for his Faith. He was consecrated the bishop of
Shanghai in 1949, shortly after the Communists took over China. The Chinese
government pressured him to align his loyalties to the “Chinese Catholic
Patriotic Association.” But he refused, choosing to remain loyal to his
Church’s chain of command. In 1955, the authorities brought him and 200
other priests to a stadium in Shanghai. The government ordered them to
“confess their crimes.” Instead, Kung shouted “Long Live Christ the
King! Long Live the Pope.” Shortly thereafter, he received a life
sentence, where he spent the next 30 years in prison, most of the time in
solitary confinement. When he was freed in 1987, he came to the United
States with his nephew and settled in Stamford, Connecticut. He
went to his eternal reward on March 12, 2000. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
8) “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!” Of
thirty Roman emperors, governors of provinces and others in high office, who
distinguished themselves by their fanatical zeal and bitterness in persecuting
the early Christians, one became mentally deranged; another was slain by his
own son. One of them became blind; another was drowned. One was
strangled; another died in miserable captivity. One of them died of so
loathsome a disease that several of his physicians were put to death because
they could not abide the stench that filled his room. Two committed
suicide; another attempted it but had to call for help to finish the
work. Five were assassinated by their own people or servants, five others
died the most miserable and excruciating deaths and eight were killed in
battle, or after being taken prisoners. Among those who died in battle
was Julian the Apostate. In the days of his prosperity he is said to have
pointed his dagger to heaven, defying the Son of God whom he commonly called
the Galilean. But when he was wounded in battle and saw that all was over
with him, he gathered up his clotted blood and threw it into the air,
exclaiming, “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!” (Boise) (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
9) “He is something more than a king.” In
Lloyd Douglas’ novel, The Robe, the slave, Demetrius, pushed his
way through the crowd on Palm Sunday, trying to see who the center of
attraction was. He got close enough to look upon the face of Jesus.
Later another slave asked, “See him – close up?” Demetrius nodded.
“Crazy?” Demetrius shook his head emphatically. “King?” “No,”
muttered Demetrius, “not a king.” “What is he then?” demanded the other
slave. “I don’t know,” mumbled Demetrius, “but he is something more than
a king.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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10) “Honey, take a long, long look”: As
the body of Abraham Lincoln’s body lay in state for a few hours in Cleveland,
Ohio for mourners to pay their tribute, a black woman in the long queue lifted
up her little son and said in a hushed voice: “Honey, take a long, long look.
He died for us, to give us freedom from slavery.” — Today’s Gospel gives us the
same advice, presenting the trial scene of Christ our King who redeemed us from
Satan’s slavery by His death on the cross.
11) “Little omission of kindness”:
William McKinley, the 25th U.S. President, once had to choose
between two equally qualified men for a key job. He puzzled over the choice
until he remembered a long-ago incident. On a rainy night, McKinley had boarded
a crowded streetcar. One of his prospective candidates was in the car. When an
old woman carrying a basket of laundry struggled into the car looking for a
seat, the job candidate pretended not to see her while McKinley obliged.
Remembering the episode as a “little omission of kindness,” McKinley decided
against the man on the streetcar. — Our decisions – even the small fleeting
ones – tell a lot about us, whether we serve ourselves or Christ our King living
in others. [Presidential Anecdotes by Paul F. Boller Jr. (Penguin
Books).] (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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12) The Generals of Insignificance in our
lives: In the Berlin Art Gallery there is a painting by the famous
artist Adolph von Menzel that is only partially finished. It is called,
“Frederick the Great Addresses His Generals before the Battle of Leuthen in
1757.” Menzel painstakingly painted the generals first, placing them around the
outside of the painting as a background and leaving a bare patch in the middle
of the painting for the King. But Menzel died before he could finish the
painting. So there is a painting full of generals but no king. — We often
spend much time enthroning the generals of insignificance in our lives and
postpone inviting Jesus the King of Kings into our hearts till the last moment
which is quite uncertain. As a result, many Christians die without
putting Christ into the very center of their lives. The painting of our
lives will never be complete until we place at its center Christ the King whose
feast we celebrate today. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
13) “I shall be that soldier.” Sportsman
and best-selling author Pat Williams, in his book The Paradox of
Power, tells about one man who deserved to bear the name Christian. In
fact, that was his name — Christian X – who was King of Denmark during World
War II. The people of Denmark remember him the way any of us would want to be
remembered, as a person of character, courage, and principle. Every morning,
King Christian rode without bodyguards in an open carriage through the streets
of Copenhagen. He trusted his people and wanted them to feel free to come up to
him, greet him, and shake his hand. In 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Denmark. Like
so many other European nations, this small Scandinavian country was quickly
conquered. But the spirit of the Danish people and their king proved
unquenchable. Even after the Nazis had taken control of the nation, King
Christian X continued his morning carriage rides. He boldly led his people in a
quiet but courageous resistance movement. On one occasion, the king noticed a
Nazi flag flying over a public building in Copenhagen. He went to the German
Kommandant and asked that the flag be removed. “The flag flies,” the Kommandant
replied, “because I ordered it flown. Request denied.” “I demand that it come
down,” said the king. “If you do not have it removed, a Danish soldier will go
and remove it.” “Then he will be shot,” said the Kommandant. “I don’t think
so,” said King Christian, “for I shall be that soldier.” The flag was removed.
(Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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14) Jesse Owens crushing Hitler’s Aryan Supremacy
theory: The black man standing in the arena was an affront to Der
Fuehrer’s authority. The scene was the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin,
Germany. The black man was Jesse Owens of The Ohio State University
representing the U.S.A. He was aptly called “the fastest human alive.” Der
Fuehrer was Chancellor Adolf Hitler who had recently risen to power championing
an arrogant theory that his “Aryan race” of “supermen” would conquer the world.
In implementing his theory, he began systematically to stamp out the Jews in a
bitter expression of prejudice and discrimination. Hitler also publicly
denounced Blacks (Negroes as they were called then), as an inferior race. Jesse
Owens, in his estimation, should not even be present at the Games. Jesse Owens
was not only present, but he went on to win four gold medals in the
100-meter-dash, the 200-meter-dash, the broad jump and the 400-meter relay
race. He demolished Hitler’s claim that the Aryan race was superior to all
others. Furthermore, this soft-spoken black athlete embarrassed Hitler and
undermined his pompous authority in the heart of the Fatherland. — Today
is Christ the King Sunday in the liturgical calendar, an
appropriate time for us to grapple with the whole question of authority. We may
not be in danger of being seduced by an evil power such as Hitler, but we may
not be clear on the authority to whom we give allegiance. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
15) Faith in and fidelity to the King: While
battling the Philistines, King David was camped at a place called the Cave of
Adullam. He was tired of fighting and was longing for a taste of home. David
said, wishing out loud, “O that someone would give me water to drink from
the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” Three of his most able
and faithful soldiers overheard the king, and took it upon themselves to go and
get water from that well for him. It meant risking their necks, for they had to
break through the camp of the Philistines to do it. When they brought the water
to David, however, he refused to drink it. He recognized how dangerous it had
been to get the water, and he realized that this act showed how highly they
regarded him. Instead of drinking it, he poured it out on the ground as an
offering to the Lord. David had already shown his faith in his men, and these
three were responding with faith and love for their king. (1 Chronicles
11:15-19). — What about Christ? Does he inspire Faith in you? (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
16) In the Line of Fire. Dr.
Gary Nicolosi compares God’s love to the 1993 hit film, In the Line of
Fire. Clint Eastwood plays Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan. Horrigan
had protected the life of the President for more than three decades, but he was
haunted by the memory of what had happened thirty years before. Horrigan was a
young agent assigned to President Kennedy on that fateful November day in
Dallas in 1963. When the assassin fired, Horrigan froze in shock. For thirty
years afterward, he wrestled with the ultimate question for a Secret Service
agent: Can I take a bullet for the President? In the climax of the movie,
Horrigan does what he had been unable to do earlier: he throws himself into the
path of an assassin’s bullet to save the President. Secret Service agents are
willing to do such a thing because they believe the President is so valuable to
our country that he is worth dying for. — At Calvary the situation was
reversed, says Dr. Nicolosi. The President of the Universe actually took a
bullet for each of us. At the cross we see how valuable we are to God. (Fr.
Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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17) The shivering and hungry King: This
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 took up a collection for him so that he could 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 overcoat he had given to the beggar at the park and greeting him as
the new King of the country. — When He comes in glory, Christ the
King is going to judge us on the basis of our corporal and spiritual works of
mercy. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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18) “If only I knew it was you!” Nelson
Mandela was still a young man when he became leader of the banned African
National Congress. At a certain stage of the struggle he was forced to go
underground. He used many disguises and in general remained as unkempt as
possible, so that he would not be easily recognized. Once he was to attend a
meeting in a distant part of Johannesburg. A priest had arranged with friends
of his to put him up for the night. However, when Mandela arrived at the house,
the elderly woman who answered the doorbell took one look at him and exclaimed,
“We don’t want your kind here!” And she shut the door in his face. Later when
she found out who it was she had turned away — Jesus appears to
us in different guises. If only we knew it was He … [Flor McCarthy
in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (Fr.
Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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19) Gluttonous kings versus humble king: Hu
Hai was the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC). Hu Hai
indulged in the super luxurious life. He forced a large number of peasants from
around the country to build Epang Palace and the mausoleum in Lishan Mountain.
He ordered 50,000 soldiers to defend the capital and all parts of the country
were forced ceaselessly to send provisions to the capital. Several of the Roman
emperors, unmatched in wealth and power, fully demonstrated a capacity for
luxury and gluttony. Among these emperors, Claudius (ruled AD 41–54) is famous.
The luxury banquet laid out in the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen of Egypt
(died 1352 BC.), which was intended for the monarch to enjoy in the afterlife,
included a gourmet selection of wines inscribed with names of wine districts—
one may call them— the Nile Valley, the Nile Delta, and the Oases. Hundreds of
attendants waited on them. — Against this background, there came a King, giving
a shocking surprise to his followers. Jesus washed the feet of His followers
and waited on them. He performed a gesture that had never been heard of, and
commanded His followers to do the same, and to follow it as a new commandment
in his Kingdom. (Fr. Bobby Jose). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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20) Large grave in the monastery: St.
Theodosius was a monk who lived in Palestine in the 500s. After growing in
holiness himself, he decided to start a new monastery, which soon
attracted so many vocations that it became more of a monastic city than
just a monastery. One of the first things Theodosius did when
he founded his monastery was rather shocking. He dug a
large grave, right in the middle of the cloister. When he had finished
digging, the little group of curious monks gathered around the rectangular pit
to get an explanation. Theodosius said simply: “Here you see a
grave. Here we will all one day be buried and our bodies will
return to the dust from which they were made. Remember this, my sons, so that
you never stray from the Lord’s sure but narrow road of prayer
and self-denial. It is better to die to ourselves each day and
rise again on the Day of Judgment than indulge ourselves foolishly now
and remain in the grave forever.” St Theodosius had learned well the lesson of
today’s parable – Christ wants us to know what’s going to happen after death,
so that we can make the right choices throughout our life.
(E-Priest). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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21) The British Navy Welcomes the Devil: The
main point of Pope Pius XI’s 1925 encyclical on the Fest of Christ the King was
to remind Catholics that Christ matters not only for our private lives, but for
our public lives too. That reminder is as valid today as it was in 1925. We are
constantly bombarded by media messages that tell us to keep our religion safe
at home and keep it out of the public square. But if we don’t defend and spread
Christian values in society, what values will thrive there? If we don’t
continue to bring Christ into culture, what will culture become? You may
remember a story that was in the news a couple of years ago. It told how the
British Royal Navy officially recognized and approved of the practice of
Satanism. A naval technician named Chris Cramer, who explicitly claimed to be a
devil worshipper, was granted permission to perform satanic rituals on his
ship. A Royal Navy spokesman explained that the Navy was “an equal opportunity
employer and we don’t stop anybody from having their own religious values.” —
If we truly believe that Christ is the Savior, that there really is one God who
created us and redeemed us, we should not be afraid to bring that Faith to play
in the society around us. If we don’t bring it to play, others will bring into
play other values and beliefs, and those may not be as innocent as we would
like. All religions are not the same. All values systems are the not the same.
Today, the Church is reminding us of this, and encouraging us to be faithful
followers of the one, true God, who so loved the world that He sent His Son to
be our Savior by winning for us the forgiveness of sins through His death on
the cross. [Rev. Francis M. de Rosa, STL; E- Priest.] (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
22) Hilaire Belloc won the election: In
1908, the famous Anglo-French historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc [BELL-ock]
ran for the British Parliament. His opponents tried to scare off his
supporters by claiming that Belloc’s faithfulness to the Catholic Church would
inhibit him from being objective. Belloc responded in a speech: “Gentlemen, I
am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This [taking his
beads out of his pocket] is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell
its beads every day. If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank
God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative.” The crowd
was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause. Belloc went on to win
that election, and many more. If Catholics cannot bring Christ’s wisdom,
goodness, and grace into our society, what do we have to offer? Our
paltry human wisdom? Our own tendencies to selfishness? Our shortsightedness?
Pope Pius XI’s encyclical stresses that Christ truly is the King
of the Universe, that He will reign forever, and that the
Church on earth is the beginning of His Kingdom. It is not enough,
therefore, for Christians to hold onto their Faith just in their
private lives. We must bring Christ and Christian values into culture,
politics, and every sphere of society. If we truly
believe in Christ, why would we be afraid of defending and
spreading Christian values? Why would we let ourselves be bullied by secular
fundamentalists who try to exclude Christ from
culture? (E- Priest). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
23) The Obelisk in St Peter’s Square: In St
Peter’s Square in Rome, there stands an ancient
Egyptian obelisk – a single block of granite in the
shape of the Washington monument, almost 100 feet high and
weighing 330 tons. It is the oldest obelisk in
Rome, dating from about 1850 BC. At that time it had been erected as
a monument to the Pharaoh, and it watched over two thousand years
of Egyptian history – the longest reigning empire in history.
It stood there when Abraham was called, when Joseph was
viceroy of Egypt, when Moses led his people out of Egypt. At
the time of Christ, soon after the Magi came to worship him, the
Roman Emperor Caligula brought it to Rome as a sign of
Rome’s superiority as conqueror of Egypt. There it stood
for four more centuries, a symbol of the Roman
Empire, the largest empire in human history. A golden urn with
Julius Caesar’s ashes was placed on it. It stood in the arena where St
Peter himself was martyred, along with hundreds of other early Christians.
Then the barbarians invaded Rome, and in the Middle Ages it
fell. Ivy grew around it. It was half-buried near
the old Basilica. But the Church converted the barbarians, and
when a new Christian culture emerged and flourished, and St.
Peter’s Basilica was rebuilt and expanded, Pope Sixtus V had the
obelisk re-erected in the center of the plaza. No longer is it a
reminder of the long-perished empires of Egypt, Rome and the
barbarian hoards. Now it is topped with a bronze cross, and inside
that bronze cross is a small fragment of the true cross, the cross
on which Christ, conquering his Kingdom, was crucified. Now it
serves the universal Kingdom that will have no
end, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. (E- Priest). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
24) Empires Come and Go – The Church Endures: St
Maximilian Kolbe: This is one of the reasons why tyrants hate
the Catholic Church so much. Tyrants want total control – we
call their governments “totalitarian regimes.” And so they can’t stand the
Catholic Church, because it is a constant reminder that they don’t have
total control – that they can’t; only God can.
And so, just as Herod tried to do with Jesus, the
eternal King, they try to stamp out the Church, the
eternal Kingdom. The Roman emperors tried.
The barbarian tribes of northern Europe tried. The Medieval
Islamic Caliphs tried. The French Revolutionaries tried. Napoleon tried
– he even kidnapped the Pope, twice! The Nazis tried,
and the Communists tried too, giving the twentieth
century the bittersweet honor of having more Christian
martyrs than any previous century. The tyrants of every generation
try to take over the throne that only Christ can
occupy, but the Church continues to survive, grow,
and spread. A favorite example of this unconquerability of
our Faith is found in St. Maximilian Kolbe. He was the Franciscan
priest who died famously in a Nazi concentration camp during World War
II. A fellow prisoner had been condemned to death. But
the condemned man had a family, and St. Maximilian had none, so the
saint offered himself as a substitute. It was the crowning
action of a string of selfless deeds that he
performed throughout his imprisonment. Even the horrors of
that concentration camp couldn’t conquer his Christian spirit. He
celebrated secret masses on crowded, plank bunk beds; he
secretly heard confessions walking through the mud to work; he
even gave hope to his fellow death-row inmates: for fifteen
days they prayed and sang hymns in the bunker where they were
being starved to death. This is Christ the
King’s everlasting, unconquerable, universal Kingdom. This is our Kingdom.
This is our Church. (E- Priest). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
25) The King of Kings is here! The
old Cardinal, Hugh Latimer, often used to preach before King Henry VIII. It was
customary for the Court preacher to present the King with something on his
birthday, and Cardinal Latimer presented to Henry VIII a pocket
handkerchief with this text in the corner –“Whoremongers and adulterers God
will judge,” a very suitable text for King Henry. Then he preached very
forcefully on the sins of lust, and did not forget the personal application to
the King. And the King said that the next time (the next Sunday), when the
Cardinal preached he must apologize. The next Sunday, when the Cardinal stood
in the pulpit, he thought to himself, “Latimer, be careful about what you say,
the King of England is here.” At the same time a voice in his heart said,
“Latimer, Latimer, be careful about what you say, the King of Kings is here.”
Strengthened by this, he preached what God wanted him to preach. -Today we
celebrate the feast of Christ the King. We must enthrone Jesus as our King in
our hearts and in our homes. (John Rose in John’s Sunday
Homilies). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
26) The real king? This happened a
number of years ago when the late King Baudouin was reigning in Belgium. As the
Constitutional Monarch, one of his duties was to “rubber stamp” all the bills
passed by Parliament with his signature, thereby officially promulgating them
as law. In 1990, the Belgian parliament passed a reprehensible bill that
basically removed all legal sanctions against abortions. As a practicing and
conscientious Catholic, King Baudouin objected to abortion vehemently, and so
he could not and would not endorse the measure. But according to the
constitution, he did not have a choice – as figurehead monarch, he had to
ratify the bill, so by refusing to sign the bill into law, he was, in effect,
attempting to veto the Parliament, and putting his throne on the line! The
parliament simply dethroned him for one day, promulgated the law on that day
when there was no reigning monarch in Belgium, and then re-instated him on the
next day. Granted, earthly monarchs need constitutional limitations to prevent
the abuse of power. But, that’s not true for the Heavenly Monarch, the
all-good, all-loving God, for any time we attempt to impede Christ’s reign in
our lives, we’re just erecting an obstacle to the good that He could be in our
lives. Clearly then, there’s false comfort and perilous perdition in that
illusion of ultimate self-determination: if someone on the street swears at you
and says, “Go to Hell!” sure, it’s easy to invoke your autonomy then and shrug
it off with the slur, “I’m free – I don’t have to go anywhere I don’t want to
go!” Yet the same people who declare self-determination their highest law and
have thus pretended to enthrone themselves as the sovereign moral authority by
dethroning in their hearts Christ the King, will discover, when HE solemnly
speaks those same words as the judgment of eternal damnation, the absolute
limits of personal freedom, limits constituted by the True and Almighty King of
all creation. [John Ruscheinsky in Daily Online Reflections;
quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
27) A king of love, mercy and justice: The
contemporaries of Jesus grew up hearing the stories of the cruelty of the
ancient kings and rulers. Biblical Accounts give vivid descriptions of the
cruelty of the Assyrians. “In 722 BC Assyrian armies swept through the Near
East. They became notorious for their cruelty. There are caves in
Palestine to this day where we can find etched into cave-walls depictions of
Assyrian cruelty: men beheaded, children disemboweled, pregnant women ripped
open. The Assyrians did it. Up until the Assyrian assault there had been twelve
tribes in Israel. The Assyrians slew ten. After 722 BC there were only two
tribes left, Judah and Benjamin. The other ten will never be seen again. The
kings of Assyria tormented the miserable world. They flung away the bodies of
soldiers like so much clay; they made pyramids of human heads; they
burned cities; they filled populous lands with death and
devastation; they reddened broad deserts with carnage of warriors;
they scattered whole countries with the corpses of their defenders as with
chaff; they impaled ‘heaps of men’ on stakes, and strewed the mountains
and choked rivers with dead bones; they cut off the hands of kings and
nailed them on the walls, and left their bodies to rot with bears and dogs on
the entrance gates of cities; they employed nations of captives in making
brick in fetters; they cut down warriors like weeds, or smote them like
wild beasts in the forests, and covered pillars with the flayed skins of rival
monarchs.” — The contemporaries of Jesus also were familiar with the cruelties
of the Roman emperors and King Herod. They knew how the kings in the ancient
world treated their enemies. Against this background there arose a king with a
different code of conduct. Hammurabi, the ancient Babylonian king, created the
first written set of laws. Since the laws were clearly written down, everyone
was expected to obey them. But Jesus, the king of Kings, summarized
all the laws into two and wrote them down in the hearts of men. He taught,
“Love God with your whole being and love your neighbors as yourself.” In the
ancient world where enemies were treated with great cruelty, and criminals were
murdered mercilessly, this was a shocking message. But from this powerful
surrender emerged the uniqueness of the Kingdom of Jesus. On this code of
is grounded the power of His kingdom which will last forever. This has made the
kingdom of Jesus different from all the kingdoms on the earth. History has seen
the rise and fall of many empires. But history has not seen any empire other
than the empire of Jesus that grows century after century. When the angel
announced to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus, he
said, “His kingdom will have no end.”(Lk 1:33) The angel thus
conformed the prophecy of Daniel: “His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” (Dan
7:14). Fr. Bobby Jose. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
28) Jesus is the king of hearts: Bishop
Villegas in his book entitled Jesus In My Heart said that
Jesus is king of hearts in every Christian. To explain this contention,
Villegas used the image of a deck of cards which carries four images of kings.
The first image is the king of clubs. A club is an extension of a violent hand.
A club is an extension of a hostile man. Christ cannot be king of clubs because
Jesus is not here to sow violence. Jesus is not here to sow hostility. Jesus is
here as a king of peace. Jesus is here, gentle and humble of heart, not to sow
enmity among us. Jesus is here so that all may be brothers and sisters to one
another. Bishop Villegas continued that Jesus could not be king of
spades. A spade is used to throw dirt. Jesus is not here to make our lives
dirty. Jesus is here to cleanse us from everything that defiles us. Jesus is
not the king of spades because Jesus is not in the grave. Jesus is risen from
the dead. Jesus is not king of spades because the business of Jesus is not to
make other people dirty, to make people look at the grave dug by spades. The
business of Jesus is to give hope and purity to us. Jesus cannot be king
of diamonds for he came to bless our poverty. Jesus came to bless our
pains and our aches. Jesus is not here to make our lives easier and more
comfortable. Jesus is here to give meaning and purpose to our crosses and pains
and trials. But Jesus can only be king of hearts. This is the kind
of king that Jesus is. He is the king of the universe because he is the king of
hearts. (Fr. T.S. Benitez). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
29) Come unto me: A wonderful
statue of Jesus the Christ exists in the cathedral of Denmark’s fairy-tale city
of Copenhagen. The sculptor was the master Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen who
died in 1844. He chose to sculpt a monumental Christ, the Christus, that
would reveal Him in all His majesty. His hands would be raised as befitted His
awesome power. His face would look out regally on everyone and everything. He
would indeed be the King of kings, the Man in total control. It was done.
“Jesus is the greatest figure in human history,” the sculptor said when the
clay model was finished, “and this statue will so represent Him.” However, a
funny thing happened on the way to the unveiling. The statue was left in a shed
near the water. The dampness had its way with the clay Christ statue. The
upraised hands had drooped. They no longer commanded. Rather, they beseeched.
The fiercely upturned face had lowered itself onto the Master’s chest. The
person who wore this face had known many problems and was compassion itself.
This was no longer a King before whom one would grovel and stutter, “Your Royal
Majesty.” Rather, it was a Shepherd solicitous for every one of His sheep. At
first, Thorvaldsen was bitterly disappointed by the accident. Then he realized
after reflection that this was a more accurate Jesus than the one he had
originally conceived. Indeed, it might have been providentially planned. So, he
left it undisturbed. His original intention had been to inscribe the dictum
“FOLLOW MY COMMANDS” on the base of the statue. But now he realized that was no
longer appropriate. Instead he chiseled the softer message “COME UNTO ME.” To
this day, this benign Nazarene touches the hearts and spirits of those who
enter the Copenhagen cathedral. It is reported that often Thorvaldsen’s
masterpiece reduces spectators to tears. In most probability, it has more of a
genuine effect on them than his majestic Christ ever would have. The statue
reminds them of His famous words to a puzzled Pontius Pilate in today’s
Gospel, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Father James
Gilhooley). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
30) “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” I
am sure that most of you have read the immortal play Julius Caesar by
William Shakespeare. After the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus and
Cassius, the body of Caesar lies before the people. It is then that Mark
Anthony gives his famous speech reminding the people how much Caesar loved and
cared for them. He said, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him; the evil that men do lives after
them; the good is often interred with their bones. So be it with Caesar. The
noble Brutus has told you that Caesar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a
grievous fault and grievously has Caesar answered it. Caesar was my friend,
faithful and just to me. He has brought many captives here to Rome, whose
ransom did the general coffers fill.” Then he mentioned Caesar’s will in which
he made the Roman citizens his heir. — Often, we forget the good and great
things people do to us. It took Mark Anthony to remind the Roman citizens of
Caesar’s love and care. Then their hearts were set on fire. This morning may we
remember the great love, care and power which Christ has bestowed upon us. (Fr.
Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
31) King of kings and Lord of lords. Listed
in any history book among the greatest leaders that the world has ever known
would be the name, Augustus Caesar. It was Augustus Caesar who fixed the limits
of the Roman Empire. It was during his reign that the Pax Romana, the peace of
Rome that lasted for over 200 years, was initiated. It was Augustus who ordered
the building of roads linking the colonies of the great Empire and allowing
rapid access to subordinate governments. It was he who gave Rome its
constitution, creating the office of Emperor and investing in that office
unlimited power, though he never used the title Emperor himself. The age of
Augustus was a bright spot in literature and the arts. It was the era that gave
the world Virgil, and the great historians. Augustus was truly a great ruler.
Is it not ironic, then, that 2000 years after the reign of Augustus Caesar, he
is mainly remembered because every year at Christmas time, we read these
timeless words: “In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that
all the world should be taxed” (Luke 2:1) Among those to be
taxed, of course, were Mary and Joseph from Nazareth. Augustus Caesar would
truly be shocked to realize that during his reign was born One who was far
greater than he. He was the One Who had been anointed King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. It was a minor official in the Roman Empire, Pontius Pilate, who first asked
him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33). Jesus
obviously convinced him that he was. We often see engraved on crosses the
letters INRI. They stand for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, Jesus
the Nazarene, King of the Jews. St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th century
Carmelite reformer, always referred to Jesus as “His Majesty,” and so He is.
After 2000 years, His stature has not diminished.” (http://stjohngrandbay.org/wt/client/v2/story/WT_Story.cfm?SecKey=151)
(Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
32) Jesus wins, Pilate loses: George
III of England, America’s enemy in the Revolutionary War, felt terrible about
the loss of the colonies. It was said, in fact, that for the rest of his life,
he could not say the word “independence” without tripping over it. He was an
odd duck in many ways, but he had good insights. When the fighting in America
stopped, King George and all his royal cronies in Europe were sure that George
Washington would have himself crowned “Emperor of the New World.” That’s what
they would have done. When he was told, on the contrary, that Washington
planned to surrender his military commission and return to farming at Mt.
Vernon, George III said, “Well, if he does that, he will be the greatest man in
the world.” There is power in giving up power, in emptying oneself. Jesus knew
it, Pilate didn’t. (William R. Boyer, A Confusion of the Heart.
Freedom Riders). Quoted by Fr. Kayala. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
33) Freedom Riders in the American South: Recently
I heard someone tell a story about the experiences of the Freedom Riders in the
American South during the ’50s and ’60s and their struggle for civil rights.
The story was a vivid illustration of how life changes when Jesus has the last
word, when Jesus is King. When the Freedom Riders traveled through the South
staging their sit-ins and marches and protests, they were often arrested and
jailed. The guardians of racial segregation and the status quo were not going
to let them have the last word. While in jail the Freedom Riders were often
treated poorly and brutally in order to break their spirits. They were deprived
of food or given lousy food. Noise was blasted, and lights were flashed all day
and night to keep them from resting. Sometimes even some of their mattresses
were removed in order that all would not have a place to sleep. For a while it
seemed to work. Their spirits were drained and discouraged, but never broken.
It happened more than once and in more than one jail. Eventually the jail would
begin to rock and swing to sounds of gospel singing. What began as a few weak
voices would grow into a thundering and defiant chorus. The Freedom Riders
would sing of their faith and their freedom. Sometimes they would even press
their remaining mattresses out of their cells between the bars as they shouted,
“You can take our mattresses, but you can’t take our souls!” The Freedom Riders
were behind bars in jail, but they were really free. They were supposed to be
guilty, but they were really innocent. They were supposedly suffering, but they
were actually having a great time. They were supposedly defeated but they were
actually victorious. Why? They may not have said it, but they could have:
because Jesus has the last word, because Christ is King! (Steven E. Albertin,
Against the Grain — Words for a Politically Incorrect Church, CSS
Publishing). Quoted by Fr. Kayala). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/21
34) Gandhi’s Strength: In the published diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the infamous Nazi Propagandist, there are two or three references to Mahatma Gandhi. Goebbels believed that Gandhi was a fool and a fanatic. If Gandhi had the sense to organize militarily, Goebbels thought, he might hope to win the freedom of India. He was certain that Gandhi couldn’t succeed following a path of non-resistance and peaceful revolution. Yet as history played itself out, India peacefully won her independence while the Nazi military machine was destroyed. What Goebbels regarded as weakness actually turned out to be strength. What he thought of as strength turned out to be weakness. This what happened to Christ the King. (Kevin M. Pleas, Sufficient Grace) Quoted by Fr. Kayala. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
