Why is the King on the Cross? (Christ the King homily)

 Since today is the Feast of Christ the King, 

we might wonder why these readings are chosen for this feast.

Or, to put it more plainly:

Why is our King on a Cross?

He’s not on the throne, dispensing wisdom and justice.

He’s not being received with joy as he enters his city.

He was, on Palm Sunday, several days before.

But now he’s on the Cross. Why?

There are a lot of reasons, but one is, 

because the people who ought to have welcomed him did not. 

Instead, they beat him and nailed him to the Cross.

There’s a very simple, but very important point from this.

Lots of people don’t like Jesus Christ.

We have these debates: 

oh, if only the Church would say this, 

or stop talking about that. 

Everything would be so wonderful.

Or you’ll hear, it was so wonderful when John XXIII was pope.

Or when Father Friendly was pastor.

But notice: it isn’t lazy bishops, or mean priests, 

or the Church’s teaching on contraception 

or anything or anyone else that was nailed to the Cross;

But Jesus Christ himself. 

Which is what Jesus told us:

This world does not want him as King.

“If they hate me,” he said, “they will hate you.”

This is a valuable lesson to learn when we’re kids:

Sooner or later, if you and I take a stand,

Someone’s going to hit back and try to silence us.

It happened to Jesus; it will happen to you and me.

When Christ speaks of “the world” that hates him,

He doesn’t mean the beautiful world 

that he himself created, and all that’s good about it.

He means the sinful way this world operates.

The values of our world: we sometimes call it the kingdom of this world.

This may shock you, but: if Jesus had come in our time,

The outcome would have been the same.

The world that rejects Jesus is driven by 

greed, by lust, by wrath, by pride, and by grasping for power.

A few years ago, I saw a powerful movie called, “Twelve Years a Slave.” 

It tells the story about Solomon Northup, a real person, 

a free black man who lived in New York State in the 1840s, 

who was kidnapped and taken to Louisiana to be a slave.

After 12 years, friends found him and set him free.

Now the shocking thing, to me, 

wasn’t the violence or cruelty, 

but the thought of so many people who took part;

and even more, who shrugged and looked away.

And they were almost all Christians.

It reminds me of what Dr. Martin Luther King said, 

a century later, when the issue was segregation:

“History will have to record 

that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition 

was not the strident clamor of the bad people, 

but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Now, our response is to say, oh, that was then; we’re different.

Sometimes, but not always. 

Things have certainly changed 

in so many ways for the better--

thanks to Dr. King and others 

who didn’t remain silent or indifferent.

But there are other injustices crying out to heaven.

And still, good people remain silent.

The injustice of destroying unborn children goes on.

Many people don’t realize how this connects to medical research.

We’re turning human life into a mere commodity.

And so many good people remain silent.

The truth is, I could cite many examples. 

My point isn’t to say how terrible the world is.

This is a good world, but it needs to be converted.

It needs Jesus.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving.

But if we’re not careful, 

it becomes more about gluttony than prayer.

Soon it will be Christmas: 

will it be about the Savior? Or the stuff?

I asked earlier, why is our King on the Cross, and not on the throne.

Well, the first throne we can offer him is our own hearts:

Is he on that throne?

Our King is on the Cross 

because that’s where this sinful world puts him.

Our task--his invitation to us--is to join him 

in confronting the injustices that govern so much of our world.

First, king in our hearts. Our families. Our Church.

Together we invite the world.