Homily Notes: The Solemnity of Christ the King

You and I are living in enemy territory.

It's true.

We live in the midst of a war that's been fought since time began. And it's not a war between nations or world-powers, but rather between good and evil, between love and hate, between self-giving love and selfish, greedy pride.

Yes, there is a war. On one side we have God, the Almighty Creator of the Universe, and on the other side we have the forces of Hell - the Devil and his demons, as well as what we call "the spirit of the world," the atmosphere of sin that surrounds us.

This is a spiritual war, one that's fought on the battlefield of our souls. And even though it doesn't directly involve guns or bullets or missiles, we see it's effects every day. All around us we see the casualties of this fight, and sometimes those casualties are ourselves.

We were born in this condition. For us, the world has always been this way - so it's very easy to ignore what's going on, to distract ourselves with pleasure and entertainment and politics. But the reality is that all those things are just the effects of a fight that's happening inside of us, in our very being.

Looking at the world today, things can seem pretty hopeless for the good guys. People are killing each other, our hearts and minds are being numbed to the violence and pornography that surround us, people are treated as objects to be used. What hope is there for good to triumph against a world like that?

That is where today's feast comes in ... Today, on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, just before we start the new liturgical year with Advent next Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King.

That's Christ THE King, the only real king. Jesus is one with God the Father, the second person of the Holy Trinity. He's existed for all time. He is the pattern for kingship - every king, every president or prime minister, everyone who ever aspired to any kind of kingship or leadership, is just a pale imitation of the real thing.
He is the King, the King of the Universe.

And this king came down to us. He came into this enemy territory where sin reigned, and he conquered it. By his self-sacrifice on the cross, Jesus beat the forces of evil - the Devil, sin, and death - forever. The game is over, the war is won. The end.

But ...

Like any king or leader, Our Lord can't force us to give our allegiance to Him, to recognize Him as our king. He won the victory, but it's up to us to choose His side.

There will be sin in the world until the end of time. Jesus himself experienced that. In his conversation with Pontius Pilate before he is condemned to death, Jesus says that his kingdom "does not belong to this world."

We do not belong to this world, we're destined for eternity, living in union with God; but while we're here, the duty of a Christian is to strive to put Christ on the throne of our lives, to submit every part of ourselves to his rule.

He is the king, whether we like it or not. 
He is the king, even when acknowledging that makes our life difficult.
He is the king, even if holding to that truth costs us our lives.

And nothing can come before him - no country, no president (no matter what party they happen to belong to), no sports team, no pleasure, no desire, not even ourselves. He has to be first.

In the 1920s, the Catholic Church in Mexico was brutally persecuted by an atheist-led government. Thousands of Mexicans were executed for refusing to let go of their faith. Their rallying cry was, "Vivo Cristo Rey!" - "Long live Christ the King!"
One priest, Blessed Miguel Pro, whose feast day was celebrated on Friday, was killed by a firing squad with his arms outstretched in imitation of his King, and his last words were, "Vivo Cristo Rey!"

There is a war going on. May Our Lord Jesus Christ be king of every part of our lives, and so lead us to victory.