Celebrating Where Christ is King
November 26, 2017
It seems to me there is a lot of confusion in the world in which we live. There is confusion as to what is real news and fake news. There is confusion over what to do during the National Anthem. It seems the needs of children become so loud that they run the household and the young believe it is entitled to them. The Church is confused over what to do with Millennials, Gen Xers and Gen Yers. It has become confusing as to what each generation is to be called and how to best minister to them. All of this saddens me. In the need to be inclusive, sometimes the divide of a people has intensified. We must ask ourselves if we have sold out.
Today we celebrate Christ as King. We proclaim in the midst of the Eucharistic Celebration that we are one, holy, apostolic Church. The confusion must end there. If we believe that Christ is King, we must reflect on His words about the Kingdom. There is little confusion there. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like…a mustard seed, yeast, a pearl of great price. He says the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who is a servant or a slave. He says His Kingdom will never end and the first will be last and the last will be first. All of this is to end the confusion. If Jesus is King, we are not. If Jesus is King, He has the authority in our lives. If Jesus is King, then the cross becomes the only weapon we have and sacrifice is the template of the journey.
Confusion comes when we think we are more than we are. Confusion happens when we try to be something we are not. All of the distinction, all of the categories, they have no power in the Kingdom where Christ is King. We have to get on with living it. We have to get on with trusting it. We waste so much time and energy worrying about the inclusiveness and being correct, yet in His Kingdom He will do the judging. He waits until the end of time, the end of the harvest to separate the wheat and weeds, the sin and the grace. The power of the confusion hijacks our peace. On this day we must give it to Christ who is King. We must give Him the power and the focus and the energy.
We are called to be holy. Let’s do it. We are called to be apostolic, let’s do it. We are called to be Catholic, let’s do it. We must stand together with Christ. We stand for something very important. We believe in something that was given to us as a gift. To be true to this we will have to confront government leaders. To be true to this we will be uncomfortable in this world. To be true to this we will exclude some from certain practices, not because they are unwelcome, but because their need for reconciliation, which God will freely give, is not yet complete. It was once said, “If we stand for everything we stand for nothing”. On this feast we are called to end the confusion and stand for our faith. We are to stand in the name of Jesus, not to the exclusion of any group or person, not to the exclusion of any way persons finds themselves categorized, but in His holy name realizing we are all pilgrims on a journey to our King. We say “the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory are His”, so let’s leave it to Him and get on with the love and peace that unites us. Anything else is a waste of time and energy.
Reverend John J. Ouper