Homily, Christ the King C 2022

In the past few months here in the UK we have witnessed the end of the reign of one monarch and the beginning of another. We now are getting used to having a King instead of a Queen, a new experience for those who were born during the 70 years of the late Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

The power of a king or queen in a modern democracy is very limited and they no longer wield political or military might as their forbears did. When in 1925 the Church instituted today’s feast of Christ the King, it did so when Benito Mussolini was claiming earthly supremacy in Italy. Pope Pius XI created the feast to remind Christians of their allegiance to their spiritual ruler in heaven and not to the likes of Mussolini and other ultra-nationalist leaders around the world.

Although this feast gives Jesus the title of King, he never gave himself such a title. He may have spoken of establishing the ‘kingdom’ and ‘reign’ of God on earth but he rejected the title ‘King’ and spurned attempts to ‘crown’ him.

Nevertheless, this did not stop his opponents from charging him with claiming to be a king. Indeed, the official description of the crime for which he was condemned, and which hung over his cross, came from Pilate, the Roman Governor: ‘‘Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum” meaning ‘This is the king of the Jews’. (This is abbreviated to INRI on crucifixes.) As we have just heard from St Luke, this mocking inscription over the cross led the Roman soldiers and one of the criminals being crucified with Jesus to taunt him for his powerlessness.

The other criminal crucified with Jesus defended him and addressed him with a simple plea: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” In saying this, the Good Thief, as he is known, was acknowledging that the ‘kingship’ of Jesus was not an earthly one but one that extended to the other side of death. This is what we are invited to acknowledge and celebrate in our feast. We are one with the Good Thief is asking Jesus to ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom’. And Our Lord’s reply to the Thief, so simple and direct, is what we hope and pray for when our time on earth is ending: ‘today you will be with me in paradise’.

Holy Name, Jesmond
20 November 2022
Michael Campion