In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Yesterday there was a big game, at least if you’re a college football fan in the State of Michigan. Undefeated University of Michigan Wolverines, ranked 6 in the US, played the undefeated Michigan State University Spartans, ranked 8 in the US. While there are other universities and colleges in the State, there does seem to be a general division between Michigan and Michigan State. In fact, that was one of the first questions Bishop Boyea was asked when he was announced as the newest bishop of Lansing back in 2008 (to which he demurred).
But today, as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, and the thirty-second anniversary of the Traditional Latin Mass community in Flint, we deal with something much bigger than college football. We are invited to renew our loyalty to Christ the King, to a King who will suffer no rivals, at least not in the end; to a King who is head and ruler of His Mystical Body, the Church; to a King who has myriad of angels waiting on His command; to a King who suffered and suffers our rejection patiently, hoping for us to convert.
Those may seem like contradictions, but in Christ what would normally be a contradiction is held in the tension of the truest reality that exists. Christ is both King who has no equal, but who also humbles Himself. We see it in His exchange with Pontius Pilate. St. John is very clear in His Gospel that Christ is always in control. And yet, He engages in a kind of dialogue with Pilate, sometimes responding, sometimes in silence, which propels Christ to the Cross, which is His perfect throne on earth. He admits that He has angels who would protect Him from any harm. And yet, a chapter later, He will allow His sacred hands and feet to be pierced so that our rejection of our King could be healed and forgiven.
Christ is a patient king, and that should give us hope. He allows us time to turn back to Him after we have turned away, because we are part of Him, and He wants us to be a part of His Kingdom. This is not an excuse to be lax, or to presume on His mercy, but it does encourage us that, when we are not the subjects that we are supposed to be, because Christ wants to be generous with His mercy.
Further, since Christ is the Head of His Mystical Body, and we are members of that Mystical Body by baptism, Christ wants us to remain part of Him, reigning in heaven, just as we would like to retain all of our body. Only those parts of the body that are dead need to be cut off, so Christ does all He can to nurse back to health ailing parts of the body. So we should never be afraid of running to Christ for mercy when we have sinned.
But at some point, both individually and collectively, our opportunity for mercy will come to an end, and our decisions about which kingdom we are loyal to–the kingdom of darkness, as St. Paul says, or the kingdom of light–will be a final decision, with no chance of turning back. For many, that comes after death, when our loyalty or disloyalty to God will be locked in for all eternity. Or it could come when Christ returns in glory at the end of time. But we don’t know when that will be, in either scenario. And that calls us to prepare.
As we enter into November, we can spend especially the next month (and every day of our life) we call to mind the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. We shouldn’t be neurotic about it, and so concentrated on death that we lose the joy of life and the blessings Christ our King gives to us. But, as we are faced with temptations, when we consider that we are choosing our loyalty to heaven or hell with each choice, it helps us to make better choices and become more and more each day a part of the Kingdom of Christ.
Yesterday, before the game at noon, no one knew who would win: Michigan or Michigan State. People had their loyalties based on their own reasoning. But when it comes to the Kingdom of Christ, our Lord has already won; there is no competition or challenge left from the enemy. But while our Lord has won, we are still in the last seconds of the contest of eternal salvation, and these last seconds will decide, not who wins, but whether or not we’re on the winning team. Choose your loyalty carefully. Be sure you know which kingdom you’re trending towards. Long live Christ the King! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
