Sunday Homily for Solemnity of Christ the King Year A

 

My dear friends today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and this also marks the last Sunday in ordinary time Year A. The first reading today taken from the prophet Ezekiel is addressed to the Israelites who were living in exile in Babylon. The reading is directed at the “shepherds” which is a common metaphor for kings, or political leaders. These “shepherds” have failed in their responsibilities. Instead of feeding their sheep, they have been fattening themselves. They have neglected the sick, the injured, the lost. Their rule has not been kind but harsh. The “scattered” sheep is a clear reference to the exile. Scattered sheep are evidence of a poor shepherd.

Because the leaders whom the Lord appointed as shepherds over the people of Israel have done such a bad job, God himself shall take up the role of shepherd. The Hebrew word בָּקַר (baqar) indicates a careful, deliberate search. The Lord, the Good Shepherd, has not forsaken those who are scattered in the gloom and darkness of exile, but is searching them out. God will rescue them, bring them home and make them lie down in green pastures and will be their caring Shepherd. God promises to bring the people of Israel from their exile in Babylonia to their homeland of Israel.

It was not only the people of Israel who suffered due to false shepherds, but even today people all around the world suffer due to the actions of the false shepherds – the people in government. The democratically chosen leaders ought to be caring for the sheep, not exploiting them and fattening their own lives. Today although we need politicians and leaders who will care for their people responsibly, the leaders come searching for the sheep only when they require votes but after the elections, they disappear in thin air.

In the second reading taken from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the questions about the resurrection, both of Christ and our own. He writes at a time when the Jewish society was divided about the issue of the resurrection - some Jews such as the Sadducees denied any possibility of resurrection or life after death, while other Jews such as the Pharisees did believe in the resurrection of the dead. At the same time, Greek philosophy gave more importance to the preservation of the soul and did not subscribe to the idea of the resurrection of the body. He uses the symbol of the first fruits which the Israelites were required to offer to the Lord in the fourth year after having planted the trees. The resurrection of Jesus signals the resurrection of all those who have placed their faith in Christ. Paul introduces the Adam–Christ typology. He mentions that just as the disobedience of the human being Adam in the Garden of Eden brought about the physical and spiritual death of human beings; the resurrection of human beings also comes about through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was also a human being. In ancient times, after having won a battle the victorious king would place his feet on the necks of the kings whom he had defeated. This gesture symbolises that the enemy is vanquished, humiliated, and completely at the mercy of the victorious king. Similarly, St. Paul tells us that Christ must reign until he has utterly defeated all God’s enemies—until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Christ will first bring to an end all earthly power and authority—in the process restoring the Godly reign that existed before the introduction of sin into the world. Then, once the restoration is complete and the world is once again what God created it to be, Christ will hand over “the Kingdom to God, even the Father.”

In the gospel taken from Matthew, we have the narrative of the judgment of the nations. The Son of Man divides sheep from goats according to whether they have fed the hungry, provided drink for the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, tended to the sick, and visited the prisoner. The narrative is set in the apocalyptic context of the judgment of the whole world. While the world pays more attention to the rich and powerful, Jesus emphasizes that the verdict is based on the treatment of deprived outcasts. We also need to understand the significance of the metaphors of sheep and goats. Sheep by nature are willing to follow, and they stick together with other sheep. Sheep refers to those who are willing to follow God and live in a community. Jesus is the good Shepherd who loves His beloved sheep and lays down His life for them. Goats on the other hand are stubborn and independent, and unlike sheep, they are not led well or willingly. Goats are those who reject salvation in Jesus, and think that they are fine without God. Although Jesus came to save all, not all will accept salvation in Him.

Today when we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, we also need to know the meaning of the term ‘kingdom of God’. For the Aramaic-speaking audience of Jesus, the kingdom of God would be a symbol. It would not stand for a territory ruled over by God, nor even for his royal power, but for the use of this power in actions through which he shows himself to be the king. The Kingdom of God is God’s kingly activity which brings about freedom, fellowship and justice. Jesus’ kingdom of God is an unfinished task which we need to continue. The kingdom of God is not like the earthly kingdoms which value only the rich and powerful. The kingdom of God is a kingdom where all matter – God’s kingdom has a place for the rich and the poor, the sinner and the saint.

While reflecting on this text I felt there are two ways in which we can interpret it. The first is the literal level where hunger, thirst, nakedness, hospitality, illness and imprisonment can be seen at the physical level. So there is a call to alleviate the physical hunger and thirst of people by giving them food, water etc. But in our day-to-day lives, these opportunities could be rather infrequent. There is, therefore, another deeper level, at which we could interpret the text. If Jesus were to speak these words again in the year 2023, I speculate he would say something like this.

I was hungry for mercy but you chose violence; I was thirsty for love but you chose to ignore me; I was a stranger and you made fun of how I looked and spoke; I was stripped naked by gossip but you didn’t stand up for me; I was sick but you let me die on the streets; I was imprisoned unjustly but you never fought for me.

As the next Indian general elections approach, each one of us will have to vote to choose our shepherd, our leader. Registering ourselves and voting responsibly is a fundamental duty of each citizen of the country and if a false shepherd gets elected we all have only ourselves to blame. I pray that each one of us will be able to work for the establishment of God’s kingdom in this broken world. Happy Feast to all of you and God Bless.