Who’s the Boss?

This feast on the church calendar poses a very basic question for believers:  Who’s the Boss? God – or us? Who’s the Boss of us in our family lives?  in our work lives? in our lives at school? in our parish life? in our community life? in our nation’s life?

Who’s the Boss of the secret life of our hearts and minds  our desires, fantasies and imaginations?

Who’s the Boss when push comes to shove?
Who’s the Boss of me?  Who’s the Boss of you?

The ‘Law and Order’ Moment

There has always been a certain amount of fascination with courtroom dramas… It is usually in the courtroom when a lawyer asks a particular question or a witness gives a particular response.  Suddenly it becomes obvious who is guilty and who is innocent.  In an instant we know the true nature of the characters. Perhaps, in honor of the leading television show, we should call this moment, “the Law and Order Moment.”

Today’s gospel gives us the ultimate “Law and Order Moment.”  The courtroom is the entire world and Jesus is the judge, sitting on his royal throne.

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The Type of Kingdom

Today’s feast concludes the Church year with this exclamation: Jesus Christ is King. He is the King of Kings. His Kingdom does not follow the model of kingdom we might have in our minds. He is a conquering Messiah, but his army is spiritual, not physical. He battles to restore life, not destroy life. He came down from heaven to bring us to heaven.

he readings for this Feast of Christ the King evoke three images of Christ as King. 

Clergy E-Notes

“…if the family is the sanctuary of life, the place where life is conceived and cared for, it is a horrendous contradiction when it becomes a place where life is rejected and destroyed. So great is the value of a human life, and so inalienable the right to life of an innocent child growing in the mother’s womb, that no alleged right to one’s own body can justify a decision to terminate that life, which is an end in itself and which can never be considered the “property” of another human being.”

— Pope Francis

“I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight?”

In Camelot, the Broadway musical, from the 1960s, there is a song that asks the question: “I wonder what the king is doing tonight.” Let’s borrow that thought and ask what our King is doing today. The answer is found in today’s Gospel, where we are given a description of a very strange kind of king. Our King describes himself in terms of great need, not great wealth.

You Did It to Me

Bottom line: The care for our least brothers begins with reverence for Jesus. You did it to me.

St. Teresa of Calcutta used to teach the “five-finger Gospel.” I saw a video of her holding a man’s hand, palm up. Beginning with the thumb, she say, “You. Did. It. To. Me.” Mother Teresa emphasized that you don’t need to go to Calcutta to practice the five-finger Gospel. We have people near us who are hungry, imprisoned and ill. The person who comes across angry and sullen often has the greatest need. You did it to me.

Jesus is King When We Treat Others Well

I have sometimes been surprised that some people who are living a life of prayer and good works are afraid of their judgment in the next life. Surely, we could find no more just or merciful judge than Jesus. Surely, we could find no more loving judge than Jesus. Since Jesus gave his life for you, why would you be afraid to meet him at your judgment? Have you forgotten that Jesus loves you? At the end of Rom 8 (Rom 8:31-39), Paul describes a scene that to my mind looks a little like a judgment scene and Paul says Jesus is pleading for us at the right side of the Father. Surely you could have no better lawyer than Jesus. There is another one to help you also. Our Lady, who has been your spiritual mother all your life, would not let you down at that time. Think of this quote from St. John Vianney, “Only after the last judgment will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children.” From now until after the last judgment Our Lady will be busy with you.

The Gospel Realm

In all the ways that God has been revealed to high human consciousness, there has been one abiding theme: the dignity and value of the human person. The ancient Chinese may have been among the first to formulate it: never do to others what you would not have done to yourself. Archaic Babylonian law commanded that we show good will to others. The mighty Egyptians were told, “Terrorize not a human.” Buddha reached enlightenment only when he embarked on the life of compassion for others. And Jewish faith, parent of both Christianity and Islam, revealed the source of the truth: “Male and female God created them; in God’s own image were they created.”

Ambition and Discipleship

My friends, what are you most ambitious for? What is it that you want most for in life? This weekend we celebrate Christ the King. Indeed, Jesus tells us in the Gospel reading that we will all stand before the throne of God and be judged on how we cared for the people around us in life, especially the most vulnerable. In this way, Jesus challenges us to truly discern what is most important and what values should shape our priorities.