_{Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Homilies}

 _{Christ the King}

Our trust in government and politicians is at an all-time low.  Our trust in business leaders, especially those in the financial and automotive industries, might even be worse.  And, because of the horrible scandals, there is even distrust of leadership in the Church.

We certainly crave better leadership, but do we even know what it is anymore?  What is the standard of leadership against which we should compare our leaders, whether in government, business, or the Church?

Part of our American heritage is the truth that all people are created equal.  Unfortunately, this ideal has been misinterpreted by many people who think it means being given equal income and possessions rather than having equal respect and opportunity.  If we are to be absolutely equal, some believe, then no one should have any more than everyone else.  There is even the notion that everyone should have these things without any accompanying responsibility.  This unintended interpretation has led to many problems.

It has led to the credit meltdown because so many people borrowed to "keep up with the Jones."  It has led to good people justifying sinful behavior by thinking they have a "right" to the same things as other people.  It has led children to pester their parents to buy them everything their friends have.  "No one will be more important than I am . . . It's all about me!" seems to be the byword of our culture.

How do we live the ideal of equality but at the same time avoid its unintended consequences of selfishness?  Today's feast provides our best guide. 

The feast of Christ the King was instituted only 85 years ago by Pope Pius IX on December 11, 1925.  Pope Pius was having to deal with a global leadership problem that needed a Gospel solution.  It was the time of the rise of dictators.  The world had seen Lenin take over Russia and was watching Stalin soar to power.  It was keeping an eye on Hitler's growing popularity in Germany.  Mussolini had already ruled for three years in Italy.

Pope Pius IX recognized this crisis in world leadership, and he was also watching the spread of communism and its replacement of Christianity with an atheistic political religion.  He recognized this dawning of the age of secularism as a direct result of the world's turning away from Christ's sovereignty and denying the role of Christianity and Christian teaching in public discourse.  He called this a "disorder," a move away from the Divine Order.  By creating the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Pope was able to present Jesus Christ as the ideal ruler, the bringer of Divine Order back into the world.

We are not permanently loyal to presidents and prime ministers; they are voted in today and out tomorrow.  Being subject to a king is radically different.  Subjects of a king pledge their lives to their king.  Such a pledge is seen in Second Samuel as the chieftains made David their king.  This was a huge change in leadership.  Israel had traditionally been governed by the heads of the twelve tribes.  The chieftains had held power, although they were willing to sacrifice this power for a great ideal.  In their minds, David had been anointed by God.  To pledge to David was to pledge to God who was their ruler.

We know that David, anointed by God, was not free from sin.  His sinfulness led to a civil war that split Israel into two kingdoms.  His human leadership failed.  And while there have been and certainly still are great leaders, no human leadership is perfect.

Christ must be the model for leadership and equality.  Christ governs differently.  He is always thinking about those He governs.  He does not use the word "govern," however.  Christ spoke of serving, not ruling.  He spoke of using power to serve the whole kingdom, not himself.  The notion of equality is different in God's kingdom.  We are children of God, but we are not God.  God is God. 

Remembering that we are God's subjects can keep us from being selfish.  What we eventually earn or have is not ours.  It is His.  He looks at what we do with the gifts we have been given!  He looks for the aliens, the outcasts, for those who are leaderless.  This king does not only reign, this king also changes us by the mere fact of who He is.  Even a thief can find himself changed by this leader!

Today we celebrate something that has not yet happened, the absolute rule of Christ.  We can speed that up a little by pledging our loyalty to this King and working to live in His paradise!  Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King.  Are we His?  Is He really our King and leader?