I
don’t know about you, but it has been hard to pick up the paper or watch the
news lately. It seems like every time I check on what is happening in our world
there is more bad news. Whether
you’re talking about our nation’s politics, world events, especially with ISIS,
Ebola, and the Ukraine, or of course, the local happenings in Ferguson, there
doesn’t seem to be much good that is going on at this time. To be honest,
reading the news often leaves me frustrated and discouraged as I see story
after story of corruption, people hurting each other, suffering souls with no
relief in sight, and scandalous behavior by those who promised to care for the
poor, the sick, and the weak.
Perhaps
you understand this feeling yourself. Maybe you have been hurt by some of the
events that are taking place in our country and across the world. Just the
other day I was talking with a member of my family who is having trouble making
ends meet and it breaks my heart to see them suffering, struggling to get
through this time of the year which is supposed to be characterized by giving
and getting together with family. Maybe you, like me, sit down amidst all of
this and wonder “why”? Why have so
many good people lost their jobs, their homes, their retirement savings and
live paycheck to paycheck? Why do executives of failing companies get massive
bonuses or severance packages while thousands of employees are laid off? Why
are so many innocent people losing their lives to wars, disease, and hunger,
even when so much of this could be prevented? Why are troublemakers glorified
and law-abiding citizens ignored? But even more fundamental than the question
“why” is the question, “where is God in all of this?”
As
Christians, we believe that God is all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing, and
ever-present here in our world. But when we see good people being hurt, when the
innocent are suffering and dying at the hands of the wicked and greedy, this
belief can be challenging. And it becomes even more difficult when the people
who are suffering are our friends or family members. At times like these, it
can be easy to look around and wonder: “Where
are you God? How can you allow these things to happen?”
It’s
for times like these that the Church, in her wisdom, gives us the feast that we
celebrate today, the feast of Christ the King. Today we reminded as Christians,
of the faith we profess in Jesus Christ as king of heaven and earth. He is in
control of all that is happening, no matter how bad it seems, and he will make
all things work for his greater honor and glory.
This feast is relatively new in the life of the
Church. It was founded in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for a very practical reason. At
the time, a certain dictator named Mussolini had taken control of Italy and
another young man named Adolph Hitler was gathering support for the Nazi Party.
Across the world, the economy was beginning to fail
and peace was faltering only a few years after the devastating First World War.
These times were dark times and many were wondering if God was present or if
evil had finally conquered the world. So Pius XI founded the feast of Christ
the King to remind Christians that Jesus was in charge of the world and of
history; not evil people and their destructive plans.
Now our times aren’t so different from the 1920’s.
We often experience the effects of modern-day Mussolini’s and present-day
Hitler’s; evil people still seize power and oppress the weak. Our world hopes
for peace even while wars rage and terrorists murder the innocent and
defenseless. So many in our world are affected by the struggle for earthly
power and dominance, which causes abuses in marriages, families, and whole
societies. Our times have seen some horrendous attacks on human life and
dignity. People still go hungry; the rich still oppress the poor, good so often
appears to be defeated by evil. We need
the message of hope and comfort given to us by Christ the King just as people
did in 1925!! We need to be reminded that Christ still rules over history, even when things look terrible and
depressing. We need to recall the fact that this world is passing away and the
kingdom of God is coming to take its place for all eternity.
This is the truth of Christ the
King. He is Lord of heaven and
earth. He will return to make things
right and to destroy evil once and for all. But for now he waits and, despite
his unlimited power, he gives us a choice, he doesn’t force us to serve him. He
asks us to choose between serving him and serving the world. But we cannot do
both.
Do we allow Christ to be Lord of our lives and king
of our hearts? Or do we allow a desire for earthly power, personal autonomy,
and worldly comfort to take hold of us? Do we choose Christ’s version of power,
with its mandate to serve others and sacrifice ourselves? Or do we seek the
power of this world, which so often crushes and dominates.
We
can take consolation in Christ our king, whose kingship is described in psalm
23 today as a loving shepherd. We have a king who doesn’t just rule over us but
who actually loves us to the point of laying down his life for you and me. And
it’s in dark times like these, when things are truly difficult and frightening,
that Christ comes to seek us out when we feel lost or frightened, to show us
the way to safety. In this Eucharistic sacrifice, let us thank God for his
loving kingship and let us renew our faith in him, our all-powerful shepherd
who never stops caring for us and protecting us from all harm.
