Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. That is some title for the Feast Day which we celebrate on this last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. But was Christ all about kingship and ruling and thrones and laws? Or was it really something else? Is this really what the Franciscans had in mind, in the early 20th century, when they asked Rome for a Feast day to honor the Cosmic Christ? So what is this Feast Day all about? And what does the Gospel tell us about how we will be judged? More importantly what direction does it give us to live a better life? Click and check it out

1. 23 November 2014 Christ the King Princeton, NJ
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. That is some title for the Feast Day which we
celebrate on this last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. And to some degree I think the title and
some of the art depicting Christ sitting on a throne wearing a gold crown has given this feast
a connotation that misses the mark of its original purpose and design. So what is this Feast
Day all about and more importantly what direction does it give us to live a better life?
For those answers let’s take a look at: the historical background…then today’s Gospel…and
then end with a story which brings some reality to this Feast Day.
It all began back in 1920 with the Franciscans. It was the end of World War I, the roaring
20’s were in full swing and much ado was being made about the kings and royalty of the
world. Being Franciscans, they saw the need for all of us to be rerooted in our faith – to be
connected to our God and to each other. And they felt that our lives should be focused and
centered around one thing (which is the literal translation of ‘universe’) and that should be
Christ. So they urged Rome for a new feast day to celebrate the Cosmic Christ.
For the Franciscan theology teaches us that at the beginning of time – what some call the
Big Bang, which took place about 14.6 billon years ago - God desired to materialize so that
the invisible was made visible. God said let there be Light! God created and said it was good.
And if we read the prologue to John, or some of Paul’s letters or the first letter of John – it is
clear that Christ in God has existed for all eternity, not just since the birth of Jesus.
Remember, Christ is not Jesus’ last name – rather Jesus, who was born and was crucified
2,000 year ago became the human incarnation of Christ – again God making visible what
was invisible.
And Jesus the Christ knew that his human presence would end and so he promised to send
us an advocate – the Holy Spirit, who would be with us always, so that we could continue his
works. As St. Teresa of Avila wrote: “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands
but yours. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands
with which he is to bless all people now.” And as we heard last week - we are called to use
the gifts and talents given to us so that through the Spirit we can be Christ to others.
But how? And is this really all that important? Well…that takes us to the Gospel – which is
one of my favorites because it is the only description of the Last Judgment in any of the four
gospels. It is Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ last discourse before the events of his Passion
begin to unfold. And it is this Gospel that tells us how and where we need to focus. For did
you ever notice, nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus say to worship him, much less as a king
– he simply said to follow him and to do as he does.
1 Deacon Jim Knipper

2. Actually this is the root of what Pope Francis has been preaching and teaching and living.
And it is interesting to hear how some say he is confusing others. Nothing confusing about
being Christ-like – it is just hard work, especially if you are not used to it.
And how important is this? Well Matthew tells us that we will not be judged necessarily how
often we were right or wrong, or on how closely we followed the laws or whether we said the
right words or even how well we followed all the canon laws…. Rather we will be judged on
how well we were able to shed our egos in order to follow him in feeding the hungry,
welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the ill, and visiting those in prison – or
in other words – to follow Christ in how he forgave…loved…and cared for others.
This is the change - the transformation – and the human connectedness that this cosmic
Christ calls out to us in the today’s gospel… This, my brothers and sisters is where the
rubber meets the road…this is what Christ did and it is what the gospel calls us to…and the
easy part is that we do not have to look far for the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, or the ill for
it is you and me…our brother and our sister, mother and father, neighbor and co-worker. It is
the face you see in the mirror…it is the faces of Christ disguised in our daily lives.
You see - the paradox of the title of today’s Feast’s is that Christ was not all about kingship –
but rather kinship. So let me leave you with a story from my Jesuit friend Fr. Greg Boyle. For
25 years, he has run Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry
program in the world. And as he says in his own words: “It’s a tough sell, but a good bet. I
suppose if we were a decaying Hollywood sign, instead of a sign of hope to gang members,
Los Angeles wouldn’t let us crumble. If we were a center for abandoned puppies, instead of a
place of second chances, we’d never worry about closing. Homeboy Industries is a tough
sell, but a good bet.”
Author of the bestselling book, Tattoos of the Heart, Greg actually wrote this week’s homily in
my book, Naked, And You Clothed Me…and in it he shares this story:
Martha has had a tough life. Abandoned, tortured and abused as a child, she, predictably,
transmitted her pain, long before she got around to transforming it. Gangs, drugs and prison
filled nearly two decades of her life. And, she carries in her addiction that particularly
heartbreaking pain of giving birth, and having the child taken away and raised by strangers.
She works for me and is solid in her recovery now. But the shame and disgrace, which is the
principle suffering of the poor, still weighs heavily.
We talk in my office one day, about, well, stuff and she just begins to sob. She folds her arms
on the front of my desk and rests her weary, weeping head there. I touch her shoulder and
2 Deacon Jim Knipper

3. ask, “Why are you crying?” She looks up and blurts, “I wish you were God.” This makes me
chuckle, “Why?” When Martha can form the words through her sobbing, she says, “I think…
you’d let me into heaven.” Now it’s my turn to cry. I reach across the expanse of my desk,
and I grab both her hands and pull her in close. “Kiddo…I swear to you…IF I get to heaven
and you’re not there…I’m not stayin’.”
Martha has changed my life forever. Knowing her has altered the course of my days, re-shaped
my heart and returned me to myself. Both of us…are diamonds…covered in dust.
She has taught me that I am not somebody, but that I am everybody. And so is she.
Exquisite mutuality. Kinship. It is what’s left, when the margins get erased.
Kingship makes Jesus yawn. Now, kinship…that’s another story.
According to this Gospel there really is no story more important than that. For we are called
to have lives centered around kinship…reaching out to others so that others can reach us.
Thereby allowing us to mutually erase our margins…communally making Christ visible…and
equally sharing in God’s love.
Nothing confusing…nothing needing a golden crown...just answering the call to go forth to
live the Gospel of the Lord.
3 Deacon Jim Knipper