The Feast of Christ the King
23 November 2014 – Shared Homily Starter
First
Reading
|
Ezekiel 34.11-12, 15-17
|
Second
Reading
|
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
|
Gospel
|
Matthew 25:31-46
|
Today
is the feast
of Christ the King or
Reign
of Christ Sunday.
The mental images that the words “king” and “reign” bring to
mind are based on our knowledge of the actions of kings and political
leaders. Today's first reading from the priest and prophet Ezekiel
gives us God's view of leadership. The
image of the shepherd is commonly used to portray good monarchs in
biblical literature. So, if we think of Christ the King as Christ
the Good Shepherd, we have a truer sense of what this day is about.
Now,
Ezekiel
lived during the time the city of Jerusalem and it's Temple were
destroyed in 586 BCE. He experienced the early years of the
Babylonian exile. So through Ezekiel, God is saying that
the "shepherds" have not taken care of the "flock,"
and because of their poor kingship the people of Israel were
"scattered," that is, sent into exile. Later in this
chapter of Ezekiel, portrays the leaders as stronger sheep who
trample the pasture and dirty the water that others must use, and who
push the weaker aside.
If
we look at what's happening around the world today, Syria, Iraq, The
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Hungary, Columbia, and for Indigenous Peoples, the Americas. The
people who wield the power push the weaker aside, “trample,”
destroy or confiscate their lands and pollute the water that they
need to use. Where will it all end?
Ezekiel
tells us that God says “the fat and the strong be destroyed.” To
give you an idea of why we should have faith and hope, I'll relate a
bit of a conversation that I had with Jun, whom some of you know.
During the conversation, I was wondering how corporations could think
they would survive and make profits when most of them seem to be
downsizing and working to impoverish the majority of the people.
These fat cats are against a living wage; engage in union busting;
export jobs to bolster profits, and buy up or take over smaller less
avaricious companies. I asked who do they think is going to be able
to afford to buy their whatever they're selling. Jun said something
quite profound and speaks to what God is saying about the destruction
of “the fat and strong.” He said, they are like male Siamese
fighting fish. They are going to feed on or fight each other to the
death, thereby destroying themselves.
But
Ezekiel reassures the exiles --and us-- that God intends
to uphold the covenant with his people and will restore a remnant of
the people to the land and with a new Temple at its center. For us,
21st
century people, let us consider the land as our hearts and the temple
as the presence of God at the center of our hearts and lives. Yes,
there
will be cloudy and dark days, windy and stormy ones, which scatter us
like sheep. The dark times may have sent some of us to various
distant places—figuratively and in reality-- for sustenance and/or
safety. God will gather together the sheep that were scattered, and
bring back those who have wandered from the fold. God promises not
only to gather and restore the outcasts but to nourish them, and to
soothe and heal
those that are hurt.
God's
promises are accomplished through us: first, in communities of
good-hearted people; and, second in the teachings of communities of
faith. All communities of faith have teachings on aligning ourselves
with the heart and will of God. The presence in the different faiths
of “golden rule” variants is an example. As Christians, the
Gospel is our guidebook. The beatitudes two weeks ago are an
example, as is today's Gospel from Matthew 25, which is the basis of
the first six of the Corporal Works of Mercy. The 7th, burying the
dead, comes from the Book of Tobit. The first six are:
- To feed the hungry.
- To give drink to the thirsty.
- To clothe the naked.
- To shelter the homeless
- To visit the sick.
- To visit the imprisoned.
The
original wording for the last one was "To
ransom the captive.” The conditions of many in the world today,
make it appropriate to reclaim this understanding. It calls us to
compassionate acts of kindness and comfort to victims of
imprisonment, captivity and any other form of just and unjust
confinement, such as people in sanctuary, prison or jail, and refugee
camps.
The
works of mercy may seem like a tall order but we help bring about the
Reign of Christ, the Good Shepherd, with each act of kindness and
love, each act of creativity, each act of speaking truth. God is
Love, Creativity and Truth beyond our comprehension. Small
compassionate acts performed in our daily lives nourish these
attributes of God within us. Each prayer for more peace, love and
justice in our world is the Spirit of God working in us. So I will
close with this prayer, adapted from Becoming Neighbours' World Day
of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees.
Holy
God, You are a God on the move. You move in the world and in our
lives. You shape and direct Creation, and us. Your people have
always been on the move. Moses led your people out of slavery in
Egypt. The Holy Family fled to Egypt as refugees. Today, people
continue to move. War, poverty, oppression and violence drive people
from home and country. We pray that today's refugees, forced
migrants, internally displaced people, and victims of modern slavery
and trafficking may know you are always with them in and through us.
May they find their journey’s end as
we open ourselves to their stories, their needs and, their hopes.
Together may
we experience filial solidarity and friendship, and recognize that as
Your children, we are all relatives.
Amen.1
Question:
Take a moment and recall a time when you felt lost or like a “in a
strange land” and share who or what helped you find your way?
1http://www.becomingneighbours.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/World-Day-of-Prayer-for-Migrants-and-Refugees-January-19-2014.pdf
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