The Feast of Christ the King
The feast of Christ the King is a relatively recent feast. It was instituted in the 1925 by Pius X1. It is often remarked today that this feast is now at odds with our political and social reality: at a time when monarchies have disappeared throughout the world, and especially throughout Europe, the Church institutes the Feast of Christ the King.
However, the Popes reason for introducing this feast were concerned with leadership and the various models of leadership then vying with one another in Europe. As you know, in the 1920s Europe was just beginning to rise from the ashes of the Great War, as they then called it. The human race had witnessed destruction and barbarity on an entirely new and frightening scale. Over ten million human beings died as a direct consequence of combat. The 1914-1918 war was billed as 'the war to end all wars'. This earth shattering event, combined with the Russian Revolution of 1917, generated fear, fatigue and great pessimism among the peoples of Western Europe.
Yet by 1925, a mere seven years after the ending of this major calamity, a new and more lethal polarisation was emerging. In the confused and humiliating aftermath of defeat, a new and very dangerous set of demagogues were already emerging as potential leaders in many parts of Europe. And the impulse, the driving force behind such an unprincipled quest for power was simply the love of power. That then is the immediate background to the institution of this Feast of Christ the King. But if we come to this scripture passage through the modern image of absolute monarch, we will miss the point. The Book of Samuel laid down the limitations for the Jewish King. There they were given a jobs description emphasizing their obligations to the helpless in the realm.
For instance, three groups of people could knock on the palace door day or night and be granted an audience with the king: widows, orphans and resident aliens. In each case, these individuals had no one to defend their rights. The king was expected to fill that role.
Many kings, of course, never worried about any of those biblical expectations. That's why Ezekiel, planning for Israel's return from exile, reminds his audience that some monarchs scattered instead of shepherded their people.
The situation was so bad that the prophet expects the Lord himself to now step in and take the place of such tyrants. "I myself," Yahweh promises, "will look after and tend my sheep....The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal,...shepherding them rightly."
Jesus employs a parallel image in Sunday's well-known Gospel (Mt 25: 31-46). Incidentally, this was never intended as a descriptive account of the Last Judgment. Jesus' description of end-time judgment is intended not as a detailed scenario of what will happen but as instruction on how to live our lives now. Often used to frighten people. The "king" in the story rewards those who, like good Jewish kings, care for the helpless.
The irony of this passage is that the king not only champions the cause of those with no clout, but also actually identifies with them. Not only does God step into our world to help and shepherd us, as both Ezekiel and Paul proclaim, but Matthew believes that we have a God who, through Jesus, actually becomes one with us. "When I was hungry, thirsty and a stranger..." Nevertheless, the scene is forced. Matthew can't make up his mind whether he is dealing with a great King or a shepherd. However, Matthew's criteria for judgement have a stronger affinity with the shepherd's stall than the royal palace: How did you respond to the very basic needs of your brothers and sisters? How did you serve your brothers and sisters in their need? In establishing this feast Pius X1 was making a point. He was proposing a new model for leadership, a model based ultimately on the beatitudes: the only power worth having, or worth fighting for, is the privilege of serving our brothers and sisters. Power that hasn't service as its anchor is ultimately destructive. Jesus hinted at this during his trial before Pilate. When asked by Pilate, 'Are you a king then?' Jesus replied, 'Yes, but my kingdom is not of this world'. This is the attitude that must inform those who follow in his footsteps. Mark's gospel is the most explicit of all on this matter:
Jesus instructs his disciples on the topic of leadership in the following manner: "You know that among the Gentiles, their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. But this must not happen among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45, NAB).
We are asked to serve our brothers and sisters, not to rule over them. On this matter alone will we be judged.