In 1793, King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, were condemned to death. Before the King was guillotined, he asked the revolutionary government to give him a priest to support him in his final moments. Unfortunately, as the French Revolution was breaking out, most of the native priests had fled out of fear for their lives. There was one priest, though, an Irishman named Abbe Edgeworth who had been the confessor of the King’s sister. He was reluctant to come to the King in prison for fear of his own life. But, he felt compelled to be there for the King. He met the King during the evening hours and it was reported that King Louis, upon seeing the priest, broke down and cried. He was one of the few who remained loyal to the king.
The priest spent the night with the King and, early in the morning, celebrated Mass with him. After that, he walked the king to the guillotine. After Louis XVI was beheaded, the priest descended the scaffold to find that he was surrounded by 20-30,000 armed revolutionaries. He had a feeling that he would also be killed but, to his surprise, the revolutionaries let him pass and he escaped to freedom before the Reign of Terror went on to claim thousands of lives.
Much of the European world was shocked by the execution of Louis and Marie since most of them were governed by monarchies. European monarchs feared that the rise of a republican form of government would mean their overthrow. Their fears came to pass. The execution of Louis XVI had a domino affect in many countries. By the end of WWI most of the monarchies in Europe were overthrown. Loyalty to one’s sovereign ruler was at an all time low.
Ironically, it was just at that time, in 1925, when the Church instituted the Feast of Christ the King. This Feast came on the heels of the decline of earthly kings and queens. The Feast focused attention on the fact that, while earthly rulers come and go and, over time, are largely forgotten, there is one sovereign who will remain: Jesus Christ. While loyalty to earthly governments might decline over time, loyalty to Christ the King was to remain. After all, as St. Paul said, “Every knee in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth, will bend to the name of Jesus.” Jesus is the alpha and the omega; the first and last. Today’s Gospel tells us that, at the end of human history, all nations will be gathered before Christ who will judge according to their deeds.
But what kind of King is Jesus? Today’s first reading reveals to us that God will rule his people as a shepherd tends his flock. This is the revelation about the kind of ruler Jesus is. He is the gentle and good shepherd who comforts the weak and condemns the strong. He searches out the lost and brings back those who have strayed. He binds up the injured and promises to give rest to the downtrodden. In this first reading, the ruler of Israel is a God who is gentle and who cares for his people with a compassionate love.
Jesus borrows this language when he speaks of his own style of leadership. On the great day of judgment, Christ will gather the nations before him and separate them out as sheep from goats. The sheep are those who have cared for the least of their brothers and sisters while the goats are those who have not exercised care of the weak and, in doing so, reject the leadership of Christ.
It is interesting to note that Jesus will not judge according to earthly standards. The exercise of his rule does not discriminate according to social status, cultural heritage, or even theological beliefs. Instead, Jesus makes it clear that we will be judged by the compassion of our deeds. Those deeds are universally valid: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick and imprisoned, clothing the naked and more. Why are these works of mercy the basis of judgment? Because Jesus identifies himself with the weak and vulnerable of the world. He emptied himself and took the form of a slave. So, as often as we have served the weak among us, we have served him.
As Mother Theresa often prayed:
O suffering Jesus, let me, today and every day, see you in the person of your sick ones, and assisting them, serve you.
We live in a day and age when most people are demanding more of their presidents, kings and queens and prime ministers and elected leaders. We are no longer content with giving loyalty to our rulers simply because they are our rulers. We abhor corruption in governments and we cannot tolerate abuse of authority. We want our leaders to find ways of feeding the hungry, finding jobs for the unemployed, providing for the future of our children, eradicating illness and disease and helping us live in peace with others. Sadly, our world leaders often abandon the promises they make in this regard and adopt ideological agendas that have little to do with the growing needs of the world population.
In the face of failed human leadership, we turn to a God whose promises are fulfilled. We have in the person of Jesus one who has given his life for our well-being. Not only have we been saved from sin and death by the human sacrifice of Jesus, but he continually lives and moves within us so that we can bring his justice and love to others. When we serve the least of our brothers and sisters, we are furthering Christ’s reign and are promised a place in the Kingdom along with those we have served in this life.
That is why the Church found it necessary to establish the Feast of Christ the King. Our world hungers for just and compassionate leadership. We are reminded on this Feast that we have that just and compassionate leadership in the person of Jesus and we commit ourselves to serve him loyally. His reign will not end.
On this last Sunday of the Church year, we remember the final triumph of Christ our King. As we approach Thanksgiving, we express our gratitude for his gentle yet powerful leadership in our lives. And as we anticipate Advent, we look ahead to the time when our loving God will return with power and majesty to establish a new creation. On that final day of human history, Christ will bring about what earthly rulers have long failed to do— establish a reality based on perfect equality, love and peace.