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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2008 /  Through Jesus we are to act nobly

by Fr. Richard C. Macey special to The Michigan Catholic
Published November 14, 2008

The Feast of Christ the King was instituted by Pius XI in 1925 to counter the growing secularism and atheism in society. Originally the feast was the end of October. Paul VI moved the feast to the end of Ordinary Time. The feast is related to the theme of the Ascension of Christ, who is exalted at the right hand of the Father.

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

Ezekiel was a priest as well as a prophet. He probably began his career in Jerusalem, before the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people to Babylon in the sixth century B.C. The major part of his work was in exile, while the people were “scattered.”

The shepherd was a model for the civil and religious leaders of Israel. God was the principal shepherd, who cared for His people. He was with them, even when their land was taken away and they were unable to offer worship in the Temple. The weakness of the people, both politically and spiritually, is expressed in the four terms used to describe them: lost, strayed, injured, sick.

The judgment of God may refer to the present condition of the people as well as the future judgment upon all creation. Judgment, just like the act of creation, required a sorting out, a re-ordering. God restored balance to creation and in the relationship of all people. This brought about justice. The last line of the passage addresses the entire flock, “one sheep and another.” It concludes by speaking about the leaders, the “rams and (male) goats” (see Jeremiah 50:8).

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

The fifteenth chapter from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians is the clearest statement of bodily resurrection. Paul asserts the assurance in the belief of individual resurrection of the body by appealing to the revelation of the resurrection of Christ.

The “first fruits” are offered to God (Exodus 23:19). They are a thanksgiving for the harvest which is to follow. They are also related to what is to follow. A successful harvest preserves the life of the people and is an indication of God’s care for them. At creation, God did not just prepare dry land for the people whom He would create later to dwell on it. He created a fruitful land (Genesis 1:11-12). God promised His people that they would have “a land flowing with milk and honey,” the sustenance of an agrarian culture (Exodus 3:8) to preserve their lives. Paul recalls the first human being and declares that “in Christ … all be brought to life.” He recalls the divine act of the creation of mankind.

There is a cosmic finality, which concludes this passage: “all … everything … everything … all in all.” In this scene of final judgment by God, “death,” the opposite of and the enemy of life, is overcome by the power of the resurrection, which reverses the effects of mortality. This is the fulfillment of the mission of Christ to humankind.

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

The parable of the sheep and the goats foretells the Last Judgment. Jesus promises that there will be no surprise, since the judgment is ongoing. It is the summation of the decisions and actions we do for others each day. In fact, it is in the common tasks and responsibilities of life in which we build up our judgment. Conversely, we also build up our own chains that bind us, as did Jacob Marley in “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.

This parable is the last story before the beginning of the Passion Narrative in the Gospel. It is the end of the fifth discourse of Jesus. The next line begins: “When Jesus finished all these words. ….” After words, Jesus uses His own example in accepting the cross to illustrate what He has taught in the preceding chapters.

There is no emphasis on a specific time. The focus is on the consequence. Everyone will be judged in a final, cosmic act. There will be no “backroom” deals! The judgment is signaled by the coming of one who is called “Son of Man” and “king.” The image of a shepherd was a common imagery for the civil and religious leadership of the people.

The “right” was considered good, and the “left” was considered bad. The word, “sinister,” is the Latin word for “left.”Both those on the right and those on the left address the king as Lord, thus indicating that simply recognizing the presence of God and calling upon Him does not bring salvation or avoid the consequences of individual responses to the needs of others. God is encountered and judgment is rendered in the response or lack of response to the needy and afflicted, who present themselves to us. However, the judgment is not the reward contingent upon the deed. The deed simply demonstrates the quality of the person who is judged. Taking care of those in need was an important factor in the prophetic writings in the Old Testament. Here, the king identifies Himself with “the least” in both judgments.

Six needs are named four times: hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, imprisoned. Each affliction requires a positive response to alleviate it in another. Four is often a sign of universal effect or application. Six may be a sign of something incomplete or ongoing. The reference to “all the nations” applies to more than just a select group. The judgment of the king, a title used for God in the Old Testament, indicates the order God intended from the beginning. The final judgment was awaited by both Jews and Christians as an act of the Creator God to re-establish justice. This parable challenges everyone to prepare each day for that judgment which is to come.

The following Passion Narrative will give a further example of the call Jesus gives to His disciples. We are called to follow Christ and imitate His concern for the needy, which Jesus demonstrated in the earlier chapters of the Gospel and the final act which He will accomplish on the Cross. We are to imitate that example.

When I was in the seminary, there was another student who claimed to be related to a former emperor. He didn’t put on airs of royalty and majesty, but he pointed out certain physical traits in him, which he inherited from that royal house. Indeed, when I looked at pictures and read a little about the background of that emperor, I could recognize the similarities in him.

We are related to the King of Kings, whose feast we celebrate today, through our dying and rising from the waters of baptism. We have been given the same Holy Spirit, the spirit of life. Look for that resemblance in you as we reflect the love of Christ to others.

Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.