Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
24 November 2024
Readings: Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37
If you’re a republican like me, the imagery of Christ as king does not do a lot for you. Afterall the feast of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI back in 1925 when monarchies were still seen to be necessary correctives to the revolutionary aspects of emerging democratic republics. As we watch events unfold in the USA, we know that every democratic republic needs its own checks and balances, but the age of monarchs exercising authority is passing, at least in our cultural milieu.
Listen to the full homily on SoundCloud.
In his encyclical Quas Primas, Pius XI recalled ‘the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring’.[1] Pius thought that the ‘manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics’. Pius was convinced that ‘as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Saviour, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ’. Pius was concerned from the outset of his pontificate that the ‘distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated’ with the result ‘that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation’. Pius thought he had found the cure. He proclaimed: ‘When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord’s regal office invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious significance; it ennobles the citizen’s duty of obedience.’
None of this makes too much sense to us in twenty first century Australia. Though there is a kernel of truth to it all, a kernel that we should rescue and enact in our personal and political arrangements. We citizens do have a duty of obedience. Those who govern us carry not only heavy responsibilities but also a sacred duty. For us Christians, real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony are fruits of the Kingdom.
Though no great fan of most members of the present royal family in the United Kingdom, I have found some fruit in the considered utterances of Charles since he became king, and yes, for the moment, he is our king as well as the king of those amongst whom he lives on the other side of the world. The resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury this past week was a reminder to us that he was the one before whom Charles took his oath as King. Justin Welby was the one who asked Charles, before the world and before his God: ‘Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?’[2] Charles answered, ‘I will.’
After professing the oath, Charles prayed aloud:
‘God of compassion and mercy whose Son was sent not to be served but to serve, give grace that I may find in thy service perfect freedom and in that freedom knowledge of thy truth. Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’
As a republican, I was consoled to hear him pray that prayer.
This past week, the COP 29 conference in Azerbaijan has concluded, achieving next to nothing. We can take heart from King Charles’s words to our Parliament when he was here last month:[3]
‘Australia has all the natural ingredients to create a more sustainable, regenerative way of living. By harnessing the power with which Nature has endowed the nation – whether it be wind or its famous sunshine – Australia is tracking the path towards a better and safer future. It is in all our interests to be good stewards of the world, and good ancestors to those who come after us, because we are all connected – both as a global community, and with all that sustains life. That is the timeless wisdom of Indigenous people throughout the world, from which each of us can benefit.
‘With the Covid-19 pandemic barely behind us, the impacts of climate change deepening, and the horrors of war, death and needless destruction all too visible, this moment in our history requires both ancient and new thinking. It requires more of our minds, our hearts and our hands. It also requires us to come together with courage, care and compassion. The challenges we now face call us to show not only constancy and valour, but also humanity, empathy and generosity of spirit.’
If we are to have a king, we are fortunate to have one like this who calls us back to the loftiest ideals, with a practical edge, but without a partisan flavour. Charles held before us a vision of the future and a challenge in the here and now. I readily concede that others like Lydia Thorpe see it all very differently. Whatever our differences, we are all called to face the truth of our past and the challenge of our future with ‘humanity, empathy and generosity of spirit’.
Christ as our king does this for us in every aspect of our lives. Jesus tells Pilate: ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over … But as it is, my kingdom is not here.’ Scripture scholar Frank Moloney tells us: ‘The kingdom is a “place” where God reigns, a community, and those who are of God, of the truth, respond to the voice of Jesus and “see” and “enter into” that kingdom.’ [4] That kingdom of justice and peace, love and forgiveness, can break, in here and now. As a community of truth, we can respond to Jesus, seeing about us signs of that kingdom to come and discerning the path to that kingdom.
We pray:
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendour robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
[1] See https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_11121925_quas-primas.html
[2] See https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2023-05-06/the-coronation-service-order-of-service
[3] See https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2024-10-21/the-kings-speech-to-parliament-house-canberra
[4] Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, Sacra Pagina Series (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998), 494.
