JESUS, COSMIC KING, KING OF HEARTS
The Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of The Universe, 26th November 2023, at Holy Ghost Pastoral Area, Gudaba. Homily by Archbishop I. A. Kaigama
Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46
JESUS, COSMIC KING, KING OF HEARTS
My dear parishioners of Holy Ghost Pastoral Area, Gudaba, I have come to pray with you, to confer the sacrament of confirmation on some of you, and to solemnize some marriages. Your church has made good progress and keeps growing. Please keep up the good work. Your pastoral area, like the 59 others created recently, must have its own challenges and needs. Do not let these dampen your enthusiasm and zeal. Keep cooperating with your priest, Fr. Henry Obi, to see to the growth and development of the Church in Gudaba.
Those who love eating goat meat may not be too comfortable with the gospel analogy of today which presents a scene of the final judgement where the “sheep” are referred to as the good people and the “goats” as the bad people. Jesus, as King, will separate people into two groups, like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. To the righteous, Jesus says, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…” (Mt. 25:34). He explains that they are blessed because they have shown compassion and kindness to others. They have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, welcomed strangers, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and visited those in prison. So, the righteous are surprised and ask when they did these things for Jesus. Jesus responds, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of brethren, you did it to me” (v. 40).
On the other hand, Jesus pronounces judgment upon the unrighteous saying, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). He clarifies that they did not assist those in need or show compassion. They disregarded the naked, ill, hungry, thirsty, strangers, and prisoners. The unrighteous are perplexed and wonder where and when they were unable to assist Jesus. He replies, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (v. 45).
On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Church celebrates Christ as King of the universe, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He can free us from the bondage of sin and guarantee us eternal life. My message during this pastoral visit is to remind us to look towards the future with great hope and to let Christ reign in our hearts, in our minds, in our wills and bodies so that we can partake in His great kingdom.
We must use the period of our earthly stay to do good and to prepare for the eternal union with the Father. There is no taking a short cut to His Kingdom as we are used to taking short cuts to get what we want in Nigeria, where for advertised government jobs, merit is not the consideration, because most of the spaces would have already been allocated to influential persons or even sold. I have listened to the complaints of many young people who go through the demanding process of interviews while their colleagues who have connections and who never showed up are the ones given the jobs. We seem to have created a “ministry” of corruption without knowing it. From home, primary school children are made to believe that the money or influence of their parents can do everything including buying results or securing lucrative jobs. To get into any choice institution, one must go through someone; to be recruited into any parastatal or security agency, you must have someone, know someone. Corruption in the public or civil service has become legendary. The same corruption has invaded religious circles, permeated those sectors of government that should be considered sacrosanct, such as security bodies, the three arms of government, etc. The scandalous amounts spent on campaigns and elections and the huge funds spent contesting the elections in court are enough to provide a lot of infrastructure, food and housing for millions of Nigerians.
The feast of Christ the King instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in the face of rising secularism and dangerous dictatorships around the world was an invitation to see Christ in others, especially those considered least important in the society, and to treat them with the love, compassion and tender care of Christ Himself.
The first reading was a promise made to the exiled Jews in Babylon and fulfilled in Jesus the Shepherd who spent a considerable time looking after strayed sheep and bringing them back as prophesied by Prophet Isaiah (cf. Is. 53:6). The second reading helps us to understand the divine nature of Christ’s kingship. Men and women are elected or appointed leaders and monarchs but the kingship of Christ neither depends on voter choices or king makers. St. Paul presents a powerful picture of Christ as Lord and King and assures us that all those who die in Christ will be brought to life in Him (cf. 1 Cor. 15:22) to “a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.”
Many of our leaders are driven by selfish interests and ambitions. Christ’s leadership was one of service and selfless giving (cf. Mt. 20:28). He showed this by washing the feet of His apostles (cf. Jn. 13:4-17). Christ the King had no attendants, special advisers, security guards and other paraphernalia that go with earthly leadership. He led, fed, healed, and protected His sheep; going after the lost ones and bringing them back to the fold. Our society continues to suffer many setbacks partly on account of unexemplary leadership, the abuse of authority and betrayal of the public trust by leaders and their failure to address fundamental issues of poverty, hunger, insecurity, etc. While Christ washed the feet of His disciples, our leaders want the citizens to wash the leaders’ feet and to sacrifice themselves for the comfort of leaders; leaders refuse to stand up for the marginalized and oppressed, the weak, the lost and straying citizens (including those who “japa”), seeking them out and bringing them back to the fold.
Today, let us recommit ourselves to Christ, acknowledging Him as our true King and surrender our lives to His loving rule. May we allow His grace to transform us from within, so that we may radiate His love and mercy to all those we encounter.
