Ordinary 34 – Christ the King

The Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

_{Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; Psalm 23; 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28; Matthew 25:3-46}

Watching the coronation of Charles III, it was clear to me that monarchy is passing away. Instead of looking regal, strong and powerful, Charles looked ineffectual and unimpressive. He appeared like a child out of his element dwarfed by the larger than life Coronation Chair and the fantastical garments.

In contrast, we observe around the world and within our own country the election of the ‘strong man’ into office. Men who though they claim to be populist are authoritarian, demanding, radical, egotistical, and even murderous.

Monarchy and leadership have always been a tenuous project throughout human history. Saul was a disastrous first king for Israel. David was a rogue. Solomon known for his wisdom repeatedly broke the Covenant with God. Ahaz, Jeroboam, Jehoiakim, the list of Israelite kings is not impressive. However, neither is the list of contemporary leaders people are electing today throughout the world. In our fear and anxiety in these tumultuous times, what qualities are we seeking in our leaders? Moreover, what kind of people and qualities are we settling for?

Over the years for this feast, which to me seems as obsolete as Charles III does, the scriptures offer us images of leadership that are not populist, demanding or authoritarian but rather perplexing. We are asked to consider the image of shepherd; an accused, interrogated and executed criminal; and a leader who personally identifies with humanity in our most basic needs: thirst, hunger, and relationship.

The prophet Ezekiel opens new images for us to consider. Listen to his words.

I myself will look after and care for my sheep. I will rescue them when it is cloudy and dark. I myself will give them rest. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal.

What do his prophecy conjure up in your mind? A shepherd surely, but in our culture shepherds are as unfamiliar to us as are kings. Have you ever encountered a shepherd beyond your crèche scene? Our nation is built on ridding ourselves of monarchy.

So what images of God rose up within you on hearing Ezekiel’s words?

I myself will look after and care for my sheep. A mother filled with tenderness and care rocking her son to sleep?

I will rescue them when it is cloudy and dark. The lost I will seek out. A father anxiously seeking out a lost daughter in a shopping mall, along the Rio Grande or in a war zone?

The injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal. A school nurse gently binding a playground wound or parents staying up all night sitting by the bed of their sick child.

With these reflections, I find myself coming back to the images Pope Francis has given us.

The Church as a “field hospital”.  Our English word ‘hospital’ is rooted in the Latin, hospes, meaning stranger or foreigner, hence a guest. In the French, hospital is Hôtel–Dieu, ‘hostel, refuge, shelter of God’. Images not only to reflect on but also to live out. This is in contrast to the imagery of some Catholics who are resorting to the military language of battle, defense, armaments and spiritual war. Haven’t we had enough of religious and spiritual violence in our tradition?

Francis repeatedly teaches, The Eucharist is meant to nourish those who are tired and hungry along the journey. The Eucharist is not the reward of saints, but the bread of sinners. The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.

A hospital and medicine.

Who goes to a hospital? Is it not the sick, the homeless, the tired, the infirm, the weak? Whatever you did for one of the least sisters or brothers of mine, you did it for me. The best physicians and nurses, identify with their patients.

At a time when our world seems to be falling apart, where institutions and leaders are not trusted, where the earth itself seems to be rebelling against us, and where there are wars and rumours of wars, do we not find ourselves anxious, depressed, angry, fearful, and impatient? Are these not symptoms of a sickness of the soul?

What then is the God that we need today? Is it a king or a healer; a wounded–healer as we encounter in the risen Christ who eternally bears the wounds, not of his crucifixion, but of our broken lives?

Being in need of a God who binds up wounds, seeks the lost, forgives sin and saves; might a more compelling feast to celebrate be, The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Healer and Binder of the Wounds of the Universe?