The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Dr. Martin Salia is the latest victim of the Ebola virus in the United States. He along with his family lived in Maryland. He was flown back from Sierra Leone in a critical condition and died thirty-six hours after he was admitted to the hospital in Nebraska. So what was he doing in Sierra Leone? Dr. Salia was a native of Sierra Leone and as his friend Patricia Mustapha said, "He was back in his country, helping his people." He was only 44 years old. In many ways, this is such a tragedy. The world needs more people like Dr. Salia. On the other hand, Dr. Salia died saving lives. Our gospel reading on the feast of Christ the King celebrates people like him. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
I would like to offer three points for reflection for us today:
1. The feast of Christ the King was not established as a triumphalistic feast. Rather, established by Pope Pius in 1925 after the World War I, the feast was meant to tame a very nationalistic Europe from the dangers of fascism and heady hero worship. Pius XI was trying to accomplish this not by proposing a triumphant and powerful Christ but a Christ who can be found in the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the naked and in prison. That is why, the scripture readings for this feast every year focuses on the humility, selflessness and sacrificial love of Christ. Obviously, the feast did not succeed in conveying the message. Only a decade and a half later, the world was engaged in another World War. Whether we are better off today than we were then – only history will tell. However, the number of active conflicts in the world and even in our own country seems to suggest that the original intention in establishing the Feast of Christ the King is as relevant now is it was when it was founded. The Feast of Christ the King suggests to us that Peace will not be accomplished until the relationship between nations, peoples and individuals in based on justice, mutual respect and deep desire for the common good. As long as the primary motive for our relationship is profit, self-preservation and domination, peace will always elude us.
2. A Reflection on Power. In today’s first reading Ezekiel delivers a damning incrimination of self-serving leaders of Judah. In direct contrast is Pope Francis’ advice to today’s bishops and pastors that they should smell like the sheep. Today, though, I would like to focus on all of us. None of us are without power. I, as a parish priest, and you as husband, wife, parent or child also exercise power. And no matter what we do for a living, it involves some exercise of power. If nothing else, we have power over our own lives. Moreover, social media has added a new dimension to the exercise of power. Those things we would not say to people face-to-face we more easily do it over social media. People’s lives are ruined on social media. People break-up on facebook and twitter. And then we have Christ. He was not powerless as he lay in the manger or hung on the cross. Yet he chose to exercise power in very a specific way. His power was tempered by unconditional love, undying compassion, and unending mercy. His power was most evident in his selfless service. If we want know our own attitude toward power and authority, all we have to do it is to look at how we conduct our relationships. To the extent prejudice, jealousy, selfish anger, manipulation, dishonesty and pure self-interest is part of any our relationships, to that extent we fail in the Christ-like exercise of power.
3. Make the poor central to your life. I wish to return to the story of Dr. Martin Salia. As a permanent resident of the country and as a married man with two children, Dr. Salia did not have to go to Sierra Leone to serve the ebola victims there. But he did. For that matter, Jesus did not have to come to earth to save us either. But he did. I cannot imagine that Christ did not welcome Dr. Salia into the Kingdom. The gospel reading on the feast of Christ the King teaches us that as central as the poor are to our lives, so central is Christ to our lives. Ministry to the vulnerable is not merely about taking money out of our pocket and giving it to the poor, but rather, that ministry to poor must become integral to our spirituality. Our worship and our ministry to the poor must go hand in hand. Genuine ministry to the socially weak and vulnerable is about giving people their dignity, treating them with respect, and being there in times of desperation. The problem today, especially in our country, is that the poor and vulnerable have become a victim of political and economic ideological tug-of-war. For example, even as immigration reform becomes a contentious political struggle in our country, at the World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Pope Francis said, “The Catholic Church is a mother without limits and without borders, welcoming and assisting all of God's children, particularly those fleeing violence, oppression and poverty.”
Today, as we worship Jesus in the Eucharist, let us not fail to find the same Christ in those who need us most. And just like Christ gave his body and blood to us, may we be selfless in our serving he poor. This is the best honor we can give to Christ our King. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph