Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, November 26, 2006:

“You say I am a king. For this I was born and came into the world, to testify to the truth.” Christians in some countries celebrate Christ the King Sunday with a big, festive parade through the main streets of their cities. This may sound unfamiliar to us, but a public manifestation of faith may not be far from what Pope Pius XI had in mind when, in 1925, he established this feast as a proclamation of our belief that the reign of Christ should be felt not only in the private lives of Christians but also in the public domain.

We know that the Kingship of Jesus is different from what our worldly standards of kingly power are. This is the trouble that the Jews had in accepting Jesus. They thought their Messiah, their anointed King, would be one who would bring political and military strength and freedom to their nation and lift it out from under the oppression of the Roman Empire. But, this was not what the Kingdom of God would look like.

In thinking of today’s feast, the life of St Thomas More, the patron saint of politicians, comes to mind. Thomas understood the difference between worldly and heavenly Kings. Thomas More was a brilliant lawyer and diplomat in 13^th century England. His patriotism and loyalty to the throne attracted the attention of King Henry the 8^th who made him Lord Chancellor of England, the first layperson to be entrusted with such an honorable responsibility. What Henry did not know was that loyal as More was to him, his first loyalty was to Christ, the only True King.

And so, when Henry decided to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, marry Anne Boleyn, and make himself head of the Church of England, More thought this was not right. Rather than approve what he believed to be against Divine Will, he resigned from his prestigious and wealthy position as Lord Chancellor and lived a life of poverty. Because he would not give his support to the king, More was arrested, convicted of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534 and beheaded in July of the following year. On his way to public execution, More encouraged the people to remain steadfast in the faith. His last recorded words were: “I die the king's good servant, but God's first.” You see, for Thomas More, it was not simply enough to confess Christ privately in the safety of your heart and family; you must also confess Christ in your business and professional life, in public life, as well as in the laws and policies that govern society. So today’s feast not only proclaims Jesus Christ as the True King, but it poses a question to all of us: Who is your king?

This does not mean that the kingship of Christ is necessarily a threat to the kingdoms of the world, as Pontius Pilate thought when he was interrogating Jesus. Jesus told Pilate that He was a king, but not the sort of king Pilate had in mind. “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

There are really three differences between the kingship of Christ and that of Pilate and other kings of this world. First, while other kingdoms have territorial boundaries, the kingship of Christ is universal. Christ is king without borders. Second, while other kingdoms come and go, the kingship of Christ is eternal. And third, while other kingdoms are sustained by military power, the kingship of Christ is sustained by the power of Truth and Love – the Truth and Love that come from God alone. Citizens of Christ's kingdom must, therefore, stand by this Truth even when it is inconvenient, embarrassing or challenging to do so.

When we speak about the Kingdom of God in this way, some people ask: what then becomes of patriotism and national loyalty? These things do have their place in the Christian life, as long as loyalty to God comes first. Today's celebration challenges us to do better: to look more critically at the laws and policies governing public life and examine them in the light of the law of Christ. As Christians, we should always be first and foremost loyal citizens of God's kingdom.

“You say I am a king. For this I was born and came into the world, to testify to the truth.” As this Church year comes to a close, we realize we have traveled a long journey. We have heard from Mark’s Gospel all year about the demands and costs of discipleship. Today we must ask: Who is your King? Do we belong to the Truth that is the foundation of God’s Kingdom? Let that Truth take root in our hearts, let it be proclaimed in all that we do. Let us bring the Truth from Jesus Christ our King – the King – to all whom we meet.

May God give you peace!