Today, we acclaim Jesus as our King. But just what kind of King is Jesus, anyway? Was Jesus born in a palace – or a stable? Did Jesus grow up in a big city, as part of a rich and powerful family? Or as the son of a humble carpenter, in an obscure village in the back of beyond? Did Jesus go around dressed in fine robes and wearing a jeweled crown? Or did he dress simply, no-frills, no extras? And the only crown he ever wore was the one in today’s Gospel: not of gold, but of thorns.

So when we call Jesus a King, it is very important to define what we mean by that. In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Harry learns from Professor Dumbledore the reason he carries a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. It is the visual reminder of how his mother laid down her own life, protecting him from the Dark Lord Voldemort (“The One who must not be named”):

“Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, not a visible sign … to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us protection forever. It is in your very skin.”

Like Harry Potter, we too have been sealed by love. We have been protected against the power of evil by someone who laid down his life, out of love so that we might live. This is why we hail Jesus as our leader – as our best friend – as our model – as our King.

When we were baptized, when the priest or deacon plunged us into the water and anointed us with the holy oil, we also were marked by God, sealed with love. Christ came to live inside of us, inviting us to share in his identity and his calling: to be “priest, prophet, and king”, like him. In baptism, Jesus shares his royalty with us. He is the High King; we are all part of his royal family!

Of course, if Jesus is our King, we need to decide how we are going to follow him. In life, we all have to make choices. What kind of person am I? Who do I want to become? Where do I belong? How do I want to live my life? In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola describes this as a choice between two standards. The standard in this image is the “flag” used to lead the troops in battle. Either you were on one side, or the other. You couldn’t fight for both sides. You had to choose.

One is the standard of riches, pride, honours, success, and power: the way the “kings and rulers” of this world – like Pilate or Caesar, in today’s Gospel, tend to live. They use their power to dominate others, to exploit them, to keep them down. The other is the standard of Christ. His way is poverty, simplicity, suffering, and compassion. Jesus is not a powerful king, reigning from a palace; Jesus is the servant-king, poor and humble among the poor and humble of this world – an image that Pope Francis returns to again and again when he addresses bishops and priests. (And as we anoint Fr Jaison for service to this parish community as pastor this weekend, it is the image that will inspire his service and his leadership.)

So we must choose: which king will we follow? What kind of leaders will we be ourselves? Will we choose to do good … or evil? Follow Christ … or the Enemy? The battle is real, and it continues to be played out today. As we look at popular culture, even as we look on the church, there are so many negative images of leadership. In a world of moral ambiguity, of anti-heroes and cynicism, we are called to strengthen our commitment to Christ, who embodies truth, goodness, and sacrificial love, who came that we might have “life in abundance”. This is the way of Christ the King.

The liturgical feast commemorating Christ as King of the Universe is one of the most recent. It was introduced into the Church calendar only in 1925. (I know that’s nearly 100 years now, but by Catholic standards, that’s practically last week!) Why did Pope Pius XI do this? Because he saw the rapid advance of a particular kind of state-sponsored secularism, marked by anti-clericalism and religious indifference, and rejecting any role for the Church or even religious values in public education or civil society. (Sounds familiar, doesn’t it!?) So he instituted this liturgical feast to remind all who govern that their authority ultimately comes not from their own selves, but from God through Christ, and that leaders are accountable to God for the way in which they lead the nations they guide and serve.

In celebrating the “kingship” of Christ, the Gospels present us with a very different image of royalty. Jesus is a king crowned not with gold, but thorns. His throne is not of marble encrusted with precious stones, but the “old rugged cross”. His kingship is “not of this world.” And yet, from the Cross, in his Resurrection – Jesus reigns triumphant. Hanging on the instrument of his own torture and death, he holds the keys of eternal life. To the repentant thief who implores, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” he responds: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

In baptism, we all share in the “priestly, prophetic, and royal” vocation of Christ.” Nice words, but what do they really mean? Not long ago, I read a book called “Everyone Leads: How to Revitalize the Catholic Church”, by a business leader named James Lowney. Drawing on key insights from both the corporate world and Ignatian spirituality, he invites the Church to embrace what he calls an EASTER strategy, that is:

Entrepreneurial – creative and innovative, willing to take risks;

Accountable – good stewards of the talents and resources God has given us, monitoring and measuring how well we are using those gifts;

All this in order that we might better:

Serve – the poor, the marginalized, all those who need Christ’s saving love;

Transform – the hearts, souls and lives of our members, so that we can

Engage and

Reach out – to those around us, to the whole wide world!

So how can we connect EASTER with Christ the King?! Change and renewal – in us personally, in our parish, in the church as a whole - becomes possible when each of us embraces our vocation to live and lead as missionary disciples. This means placing our faith in Christ not at the edge, but at the very center of our lives. It means that having personally experienced the saving love of Jesus in our own lives, then we are ready to fulfil Jesus’ Great Commission: to “go and make disciples”, by sharing with others the freedom and purpose that comes when we dedicate our lives to following him. If this is to happen, there may be other things we need to let go of, things we need to stop or at least re-evaluate so that this truly becomes our priority, our main focus.

During the pandemic, it has been very tempting for parishes to slip into survival mode, into just keeping our heads above water. Yet Jesus invites us to cast out into deeper water! We say that we want change. That we want our communities to become more vibrant, diverse, faith-filled, a place of welcome for our children and grandchildren, for all those who have either drifted away from the practice of the faith, or who have not yet had any meaningful experience of God, or faith, or community. So we need to ask ourselves: what are we willing to sacrifice, what will we let go of, what will we innovate, in order to make this happen?

How can we work together – parishes of different languages and cultures, religious communities and lay movements, ecumenical and interfaith partners, people of good will in secular society – so that our Church continues to be a vibrant and life-changing presence in every neighbourhood of our metropolis – including right here in NDG? As parishes, we have tended to work alone. It feels easier and more familiar, even though we may be just on a treadmill running over the same ground.

By working together, it may be more difficult at first, we may be called to stretch, but we will go farther. “Tout seul on va plus vite. Ensemble on va plus loin!” It is better to not be alone on the journey! (And as you accompany Fr Jaison and work with him as a team in this ministry of leadership and service, I am confident that this parish will go far indeed!)

This only happens when we embrace new models of leadership. Not just one leader, but all of us called to develop our gifts and put them at the service of the community, taking leadership in those fields of ministry in which we are involved. To lead in this sense is not to control or dominate or manipulate, but to serve and to empower others in their giftedness. There are many different models of leadership in the Church: some more faithful to the life and example of Jesus, some less. Like kings or political leaders, priests and other religious leaders can use their gifts and position to really help people and bring them closer to God – or to hurt people and make them feel more distant from God. Servant-leadership is a privilege – and a responsibility. Just like being a parent is a privilege – and a responsibility. We need God’s help to live those responsibilities well, by growing in love and service.

Yes, Jesus is our King. But His kingdom is not “of this world.” When we were baptized, we promised to become followers of Christ the King, to share his Good News with those around us. These words were spoken to us when the priest anointed our foreheads with holy chrism. They were renewed and ratified at confirmation so we could receive the fullness of God’s spirit and thereby share in his mission:

“God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his Body, sharing everlasting life.”

The way we lead has to be inspired and shaped by the way Jesus leads. Jesus bears witness to peace, integrity, forgiveness, justice and freedom – and so must we, both in our dealings with the world and with one another. It can be tempting to put Jesus up on a glorious throne and worship him from afar. It’s a lot harder to face Jesus as a King hanging from a Cross – and then hear him say, “where I have gone, you too must follow.” But there is no other way. Jesus’ kingship reveals to us that the path to glory necessarily passes through suffering, that there is no Resurrection without the Passion. Jesus models for us a new form of leadership: it is not about domination and control, but about life-giving, foot-washing, humble service.

May we be inspired by his example today, as we embrace, in communion with Fr Jaison, and with those who lead and serve with him, our own “priestly, prophetic, and royal” vocation. May we live as God’s own people: as children of one Father, as followers of Christ Our King, indwelled by the Holy Spirit who empowers us to offer our lives in witness, service and love.

 

Amen! Alleluia!