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| Basilica in Washington, DC |
Sunday, we celebrated the feast of Christ the King. Liturgically, we reach the end of salvation history, when all that is will be subjected to Christ. Pope Pius XI created this feast in 1925 in the aftermath of World War I, a bloody conflict which toppled four thrones. The purpose of the feast was to reunite all of us in a higher allegiance.
Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth explains that ultimately, the Son will hand over the kingdom to the Father. (I Cor 15:28). In the meantime, we are called to be co-creators, co-stewards, co-workers with God in ushering in that kingdom. We are called to build here and now a new social order.
In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus describes that God will judge us by how we treat one another. So many people beg for a livable, viable social order built upon truth, justice, love and freedom.
Truth is powerful in our relationships. Lies undermine trust in one another. To be severed from the true is to be severed from the real.
Justice is a second powerful word in our Catholic heritage. Communities have rights and duties. To refuse another what is his or her due, to treat others unfairly, is an injustice.
A third powerful word in our Catholic heritage is love, recognizing that every human being is made in the image of God and reflects the likeness of God. Love compels us to go out of ourselves and in reaching out to others, we reach up to the Other, God himself.
As for freedom, Christianity is all about freedom, with two facets: freedom from; and freedom for. God became one of us in Jesus to free us from all that keeps us from a relationship with God, one another and the universe. We have been freed from so that we can be free for. Emphasizing Christ’s example, St. Paul told the Galatians, “You were called to freedom...to be servants.”
Yes, we are free to serve.
All around us are people with hungers: for bread, peace, human rights and justice. Only a social order based upon truth, justice, love and freedom can satisfy these hungers.
I close with a true story. A homeless man was sitting on the curb. A homeless woman walking by paused. Deciding that he was worse off, she took from her worn coat two crumpled dollar bills and gave them to him. It was a random act of kindness but a snapshot of compassion that both inspires the spirit and breaks the heart. The so-called “bag lady” put aside her own hardships to compassionately reach out.
Christ the Shepherd-King call us to embrace his mindset: to realize that among the many blessings we have from God is the gift to share what we have with others.
In building a social order based upon truth, justice, love and freedom, we are building the kingdom of God. And for that blessing, may we be truly thankful.
