The King of Service - Feast of Christ the King Year A

In Shakespeare's play Henry V, the entire court is shocked at the ascension of young Henry to the throne after the death of his father. Henry was known as one not attune to courtly manners and attention to serious duty. He frequently visited taverns and cavorted with the lower classes in his various escapades. No one thought Henry would make a suitable king for the great realm of England. What people failed to notice, however, is that Henry was not merely having revel, but rather he was meeting the people of his realm, getting to know them, understanding their lives and problems - for these would be the people who would fight his wars and pay his taxes. Henry learned to serve them and love them, and in so doing he learned the true greatness of leadership. Today's feast of Christ the King reminds us that service, not power and prestige - is the hallmark of Christian leadership.

The first reading from the prophet Ezekiel provides us with the paradigm of leadership in ancient Israel - the shepherd. All the great leaders of Israel were shepherds: Abel, Abraham, Moses, David. A shepherd cannot lead and protect his flock in a sheltered bunker apart from them. He must be in the midst of his flock, getting to know them and love them. This intimacy enables the shepherd to seek out the lost and stray sheep, and to face any danger in protecting his flock from harm. Shepherding is not pleasant work: you get dirty and smelly in caring for sheep, and you are exposed to the elements in being with them in the field. This model, however, is the model Jesus adopts for his leadership, one that is passed on to the shepherds of the Church who take up the shepherd's staff of leading their flock.

In order to live the life of service, the follower of Jesus must place oneself in an inferior position in relation to others. This idea of submission is the point Paul makes in the second reading. Jesus the Lord submitted to the will of the Father, and in so doing he destroyed sin and death. In the same way, we can overcome sin and death in our lives through submission to God. This submission then puts us in the spirit of service to others that is the hallmark of Christian living and leadership. By this submission we lose ourselves in the identity of Christ and participate more fully in the solidarity called for by Christian service.

The obligation of the Christian Gospel, however, is not restricted to those who profess the name Christian. In the Gospel reading we see all peoples coming for judgment. Our judgment is not based on our knowledge of the catechism or any system of theology. We are judged solely on whether we have served the least of Jesus' brethren. It is significant that both the sheep and the goats do not recognize the Lord Jesus in the least ones, for they ask, "When did we see you hungry, or naked, or in prison?" Human beings are fundamentally constituted to being Christian, and the baptized faithful recognize our fundamental human vocation to be followers of Jesus. It is our task to make that vocation known to others in both word and deed. By fulfilling our Christian and human vocation to serve others we most effectively proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the one who calls us and provides us with the example to follow.

The call to ministry and discipleship has been given to each and every person. This mission requires great humility, a generous heart, and great fortitude in enduring many things. Most importantly, it is a call that demands that we be in the midst of the world, getting dirty and exposing ourselves to great dangers as we serve each and every human person without exception. Such a calling cannot be done from an ivory tower or some protected enclave. It requires us to immerse ourselves in the messiness of this world and to love all unconditionally.

Henry V famously encouraged his men to battle with these words:

"For he today that sheds his blood with me/Shall be my brother, be he ne'er so vile,/This day shall gentle his condition;/And gentlemen in England now abed/Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,/And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks/That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day." (Act IV, scene 3)

The Lord Jesus asks us to shed our blood - to be his brother - in his army of peace and service to all. We pray together for the grace to follow his lead: "Let us pray that the kingdom of Christ may live in our hearts and come to our world. Father all powerful, God of love, you have raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death to life, respelendent in glory as King of creation. Open our hearts, free all the world to rejoice in his peace, to glory in his justice, to live in his love. Bring all mankind together in Jesus Christ your Son, whose kingdom is with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."

Be Not Afraid - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

When I was a teacher I coached the JV boys basketball team for the high school. The varsity team was preparing for the district playoffs, being seeded sixth and set to play the second ranked team. The morning of the game the athletic director informed me I would be coaching the game, as the varsity coach was at the hospital with his young daughter who had a serious accident that day. Fear was palpable in me and in the players, but we rallied behind one truth: courage is not the absence of fear. It is the willingness to step up and do what is right and what is necessary in spite of your fears. Managing our fear enabled us to pull off an upset win that night, and it is also the key to understanding the readings for this Sunday's liturgy.

In the first reading from the book of Proverbs we encounter the ideal wife, a symbol for wisdom in Old Testament literature. A wife in ancient times had many fears: fear her husband may die and she become a vulnerable widow: fear of famine; fear for the future of her family. Yet wisdom knows how to care for the home, how to provide for the needs of her family, how to care for the poor, and how to be courageous and confident in doing what God has called her to do. Very often it is women who exhibit courage far better than men, as we see in the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Seeking wisdom is the key to dealing with the ordinary - and extraordinary - events of life.

One of the extraordinary events that become an obsession for people is the end of the world and final judgment. Paul addresses the needless preoccupation with this event in the second reading. No one knows the final day of the Lord's coming, but wisdom enables us to know that we should not be complacent in our Christian life. The Christian has the witness of hope and joy in trusting all to God's providence. The desire to know the final day is a vain pursuit that distracts us from the duties of our present life. It is born of fear that consumes us and drives out the love that we should be present in the life of a follower of Jesus. Love provides us with the courage we need to live confidently as a child of God.

In the Gospel passage we have yet another vision of the final judgment, this time represented in the giving of talents to servants and the return of the master to account for the use of those talents. Wisdom knows that all is a gift from God and that gifts are meant to be shared with others. Fear should not lead us to squander that gift, as happens to the third servant. God has called us all to a great work, entrusted us with the gifts of ministry to build up the kingdom of God on earth. None of the servants knew when the master would return, but they knew he would return one day. The difference was in how each saw their relationship to the master and what inspired them to act. Love propelled the first two servants to accomplish great things, while fear led the third servant to fail in his obligation to use his talents wisely.

God has called each one of us to ministry in his Church, each in their particular vocation and circumstance of life. No doubt there are forces in the world that make us fearful: the culture of death seems to grow more prevalent each day; violent persecution of Christians is growing in more parts of the world; and basic moral sense has given way to self-interest, greed, and exploitation. In our own diocese we may be afraid to move forward in building up the kingdom of God as we face many difficulties and problems of a public nature. Today, however, God once again says to us: be not afraid. God continues to call us to ministry and we must want to do great things for God: great deeds of justice and charity for every single person on earth, born and unborn, friend and foe, rich and poor.

As we seek for the courage to carry out our baptismal call, let us pray together for this help we need from almighty God. "Let us pray with hearts that long for peace: Father in heaven, ever-living source of all that is good, from the beginning of time you promised men salvation through the future coming your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to drink of this truth and expand our hearts with the joy of his promises, so that we may serve you in faith and in love and know forever the joy of your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."