"You did for me"
Ez 34: 11-16
Eph 1: 15-23
Mt 24: 31-46
As
Americans living under a more than 200 year democracy which was established to
blot out any power or trappings of royalty, we seem to have an odd fascination
with all things royal in regards to the British Royal Family. Our interest in royal weddings, coronations,
palaces, British aristocracy, pomp and circumstance, extravagant uniforms and
the higher class caught our rapt attention during the years that Downton Abbey
was shown on television. I confess I was a loyal fan
of the multiple episodes and characters of that outstanding show. Maybe it's
wishful thinking, fantasy or some secret desire to be the royal family's
court chaplain or something more about power and superiority that pulls us but
our Feast today of Christ the King reminds us that it isn't about where I live,
how I dress, what my blood line is, who I associate with or how my English
accent may sound. It's far more about about
learning from Christ, who rules over all, than it is about me and who I pretend
to be.
Today’s
Feast culminates our liturgical year but likewise presents us with the final
reassurance that in the end, Christ will conquer all things and finally establish
his Kingdom. All that we fear and dark
powers against us will be destroyed and in the end and all those faithful to
the great “King” will triumph! But, as
uncomfortable as we present day Americans in our democratic government may be
with the image of a King, knowing who this ruler is and what his reign means
for us, is to know the true God who comes to us not with domination or absolute
rule but a King who desires our compassion, after his example, towards one another;
a ruler of mercy, kindness, love, forgiveness, and peace. As he has done so we must do as we await his
return.
Still,
on the one hand, we envision a great and mighty King. Not just an earthly King with royal powers
passed on through blood line and long tradition but a King who rules the
Universe! We call Jesus Lord, the
Almighty One, the Son of God, the Savior and Messiah, the Holy One, the Lamb of
God. In today’s Gospel this King comes with angels, on the clouds and sitting
on a “glorious throne.” Not ordinarily the image of Jesus we imagine
but one that reminds us the Christian way of life is not some mere society of
nice people who do good things for others.
If that is all that Christianity is, then we may as well just join any
number of organizations like Kiwanis or the Salvation Army. It is Christ who rules overall and we serve
after his example the Christ we see in one another.
So,
on the other hand we see a vision of “all the nations” assembled before the
King. They are divided between sheep and
goats as citizens of nations and the King speaks of the very basic human needs
of our brothers and sisters: hunger, thirst, poverty, sickness, imprisonment,
isolation. A scene that implies
messiness, a disorder, human suffering and certainly far removed from the royal
throne of the King of the Universe. But
amazingly, the two come together.
The
Son of Man, the King of the Universe, speaks:
“I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, ill and you cared for me . . .” (Mt. 25: 31-46). How could we feed the
King? By the care we show for the least brothers and sisters among us. This
King is shepherd who walked among us and still remains in our midst in Word,
Sacrament, and in the heart of every human person. Yet, it is the state of our
sin that has caused such human suffering.
Yet we: “give food, give drink, we welcome the stranger, we visit, we
clothe.”
We
are reminded today of the golden rule which is expressed in a variety of world
cultures and which zeroes in on the basic dignity of the human person: Never do
to others what you would not have done to yourself. Jesus expanded even further as he brought the
two greatest commandments together: “Love the Lord your God and your neighbor
as yourself.” This King who reigns in Heaven also lives in the heart and soul of
every human person and in particular with the least among us - those who can be
invisible and forgotten. And each person has a role to play: to feed, to
satisfy thirst, to befriend, to visit, to clothe, to care with compassion for
the suffering.
So
the Son of Man will separate the “nations of the world” between sheep and
goats. Not literally sheep and goats of
course but you and me. Obviously most of
us would rather be standing among the soft wool rather than the stubborn “eat-
any- things.” But it seems to depend on how we have lived.
“I was hungry and
you gave me food, naked and you clothed me, in prison and you visited me,
thirsty and you gave me to drink . . .” In other words, the Corporal works of Mercy
as we call them will determine our salvation. Where we finally spend eternity
will be determined by our compassion for others and our awareness that each
human is made after the image of the Creator.
As we serve each other we serve God himself. Let’s chew on that one for
a while! Who have I forgotten? Who have
I ignored? Who has asked for help and I
was too busy? Who have I not forgiven?
So
it is far more than just being nice and generous. Any non-believer is capable of that. It is the reason why we do such works, our
ultimate motivation, and not just to do them. We might say the very icon of
mercy in our day, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, as he offered her service to
the poorest of the poor was to fulfill this parable.
Are
we called to live as Mother Teresa then?
We are called to fulfill the vocation that God has called us to and
within that vocation to be people of mercy and compassion.
In
the face of every human person, especially in the face of the lowly ones, we
see the face of Christ himself. This
truth guides the direction of our lives and how we spend our money, our time,
and reminds us that Christianity is not a religion in the skies but a faith
that deals with the deeply personal.
When
God took on human nature as he did in Jesus he forever linked himself to
humanity. So, the plan for our lives is
laid out no matter what direction our lives has taken or no matter what
vocation, ordained or not ordained, we may find ourselves in.
To
be generous, compassionate, helpful, and sensitive to the suffering of others
is not an option in our Christian life. Although we may imagine material
poverty and empty stomachs the world is filled with all sorts of hunger and
thirst. Ignorance, loneliness, prejudice, and discrimination are human sin
which has created greater human need. To hear the cry of the poor and to see
the Christ within are one and the same.
Where
are the poor my life? We don’t need to move to suffering India or the slums of
Argentina or Mexico to exercise mercy. Our
Lord gave us the reason why we do what we do and serve as we serve: “Whatever you did for one of the least ones
of mine, you did for me.”
As we offer you, O Lord, the sacrifice
by which the human race is reconciled to you,
we humbly pray
that your Son himself may bestow on all nations
the gifts of unity and peace.
Through Christ our Lord
(Prayer after Communion)
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