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2022-11-20 Feast of Jesus Christ the King
● 2 Samuel 5:1-3 ● ● Psalm 122 ●● Colossians 1:12-20 ● ● + Luke 22:35-43 ● ●
Title: “Christ's Kingdom Will Have No End”
[__01__] This
Sunday is the feast of Jesus Christ, the King, a feast day starting in 1925 in
the year 1925, in the years after World War One, when there was – in the world
– lots of pain, but not much gain, as we say at the weightlifting gym. The
world was not at peace. In the year 1925, the Church was also celebrating the
anniversary of the Nicene Creed, which comes from the Council of Nicaea in 325.
And as part of this anniversary, Pope Pius XI
emphasized that while other kingdoms and governments had been unstable
or had even been overthrown, Jesus's Kingdom has no end. And Jesus has a plan
for our justice and for salvation. And in a few moments, we will pray those words
from the Creed: His kingdom will have no end. Jesus has a plan for our
salvation and also for true peace and justice.
[__02__] What is justice? On the one hand, this Gospel is is about
“criminal justice”. While St. Luke the
Evangelist knew nothing of the successful TV show Law & Order but he is explicitly referring to what happens –
“in legal and judicial fashion” to 3 men sentenced to die on Calvary. One is
Jesus, 2 are thieves, 1 of whom begs “Jesus, remember me”. Is that justice?
This is the “voice over” on TV:
In the criminal justice
system, the people are represented by 2 separate yet equally important groups.
The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the
offenders. These are their stories.
In this ancient Gospel, there was – we would
imagine – some “law and order” evidence that that was collected by “detectives”
and there was a prosecution, trial.
At the end of Law & Order, the
“perpetrator” or we say in the NYPD –
“the perp“ is caught … and nearly always, the perpetrator is really bad, and you
are not supposed to have any sympathy for.
[__03__]
Could or should there be any sympathy or mercy for wrongdoers? For a criminal,
for a sinner? In the mind of the public then and now, absolutely not! This is
not the first time Jesus has opposed the public sentiment/rejection of a
“perp”.
In Luke’s Gospel (a few Sundays ago) a
“thief” was identified -- Zacchaeus the tax collector who ent up in the tree,
was despised & disdained because he stole money for himself as part of “tax
collection”. Z was a “perp”
But, the good news for Zacchaeus –
criminal that he was known to be -- was that Z converted before he was
“convicted”. He paid back stolen cash.
In this Gospel / Law & Order
“episode”, things are playing out differently for the 2 thieves on the cross.
They are already convicted. They cannot pay back or make restitution.
What does the 2nd thief say
to the 1st thief who is mocking Jesus?
The 2nd thief: “we have
been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes”
In
other words, while he is suffering greatly, he sees the logic in the
punishment. And, the à “the district attorneys prosecute the
offenders. These are their stories.”
[__04__] But, that’s not really the end of the story.
Jesus as our Savior – is in the theology of Christian atonement – for our sins
–is “representing” us.
He is representing us in 2 ways,
analogous to the courtroom. He is representing us by being our “advocate or
defender” . But, even more, he is representing us by being willing to take the
fall and be punished.
When you and I use the word
“atonement”, we often mean in terms of some finite or definite harm that was
done. For example, if I am supposed to be on time to see you for something
important and then I do not show up or show up really late, it is expected that
I would take responsibility.
You would expect, at least, some
“responsibility” and maybe even some “retribution” on my part to you.
When neither of these things happens,
it can feel “toxic”. For it is not just
“toxic” when a criminal is on the loose but also when we have toxic
indifference” to sin / sinfulness if we do not – in charity – also call others
to conversion while acknowledging sinfulness in ourselves. Here is an example…
[__05__] Many years ago, in 1 of my first jobs after
college, I went out to lunch with several of my co-workers. We went to a pretty
expensive restaurant as a celebration at the conclusion of a project.
Due to my own desire to “take charge”
or appear important, I offered to pay the entire restaurant bill which was
several hundred dollars and said that I could justify this as a business
expense. My co-workers said it was not necessary but I insisted. So, I put the
whole bill on my credit card and submitted it as an expense.
What happened next was …I never was
reimbursed for that expense – but I often think back that the 500 or so dollars
lost on that lunch was a very worthwhile investment. My boss simply refused,
telling me that this was not a legitimate. My boss did not call me a “thief”,
never said I was stealing ..and I think regarded me as a basically honest
person. But, my boss would not allow my actions to go any further.
Perhaps, my boss could have just
approved the expense. Our “big corporation” would probably never have noticed
it. And, I probably would have for the
next few days “liked” my boss a bit more.
But, that type of permissiveness – I argue would have been a form of toxic
indifference. My boss did not care about the psychology that led to me trying
to get reimbursed. It was simply wrong.
This was just an example. I needed to learn a lesson.
[__06__] To repent of sinfulness does not mean that
we cannot explain ourselves. But the explanation is not an excuse. Also, just
because I am “sorry” does not mean I
will never suffer inconvenience or
experience being disliked or rejected.
In their earthly punishment, the
thieves
on the cross experienced this. “These
are their stories.”
But, this is not the end of the story.
Jesus gives all of us – the thieves included – the opportunity to convert, to
change, to turn back to him… even at the 11th hour, or the 59th
minute of a 60 minute episode, or on our deathbed …or even when we think no one
cares anymore.
The sacrament of penance and
reconciliation exists not just for the sins everyone knows about, but it also
exists for the sins that only God knows about, and that we know about.
The main qualities of a good
confession are that it be humble, sincere, contrite, I.e., that we are sorry.
And, even the first few words can
communicate a great deal…
“Bless me Father for I have sinned…it
has been 5 days, 5 years, 35 years “ since my last confession.
In that statement alone, you are
turning the page, acknowledging that no matter how much time has passed you can
be reconciled to God.
It is in confession that we are also
praying, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
So, no matter what others “remember”
about your, your crimes, your sins, Jesus knows who you are and loves you. He
died for you. And, his kingdom will
have no end. [_end_]
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