Gospel paradox Ez 34:11-12, 15-17; Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28; Mt 25:31-46 A few days ago, we as a nation thanked God for all the blessings we have received. The day was also a time celebrate with our families. Seated around the Thanksgiving dinner table of many families were three or even four generations of relatives and in-laws. To keep the dinner conversation cheerful and light — especially as political campaigns are revving up — some folks try to avoid talking about politics and religion, but politics and religion intersect. They always have. The feast of Christ the King is a case in point. This feast came into the church’s calendar in 1925 at the initiative of Pius XI. He was disturbed about the rise of militantly anti-religious governments in Mexico and the Soviet Union. His fears were well founded. Less than 10 years later, even greater threats to civilization based on religious faith arose in both Italy and Germany. At the head of each of these states was a “strongman,” who asserted that he alone was able to bring peace and prosperity to his nation. He knew what was best for his people and how to bring it about, he said. The price the people had to pay for such assurances was total allegiance to the state and its leader. Pius XI reminded Catholics that their total allegiance must be reserved for Christ and Gospel. These must never be surrendered to the state and its leaders. In today’s second reading, we hear St. Paul affirming that Christ is above “every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:24). Today’s feast is as relevant in our time as it was nearly 100 years ago. In some places, democracy is under threat by strongman rule. The cult of the strongman is based on lies, threats and intimidation. The lies are told so often that they become the truth for those who want to believe in the promises that the strongman makes. Those who oppose the strongman’s rule are labeled as enemies of the people and are subjected to threats and intimidation. The lies and threats of those who would undermine democracy obscure the issues that should be at the center of the people’s consciousness. These issues are moral and not simply political. They include affordable health care, the integrity of creation, immigration reform, minority voting rights, education, the rights and dignity of every person. This, of course, is not an exclusive list. There is a lot to be done to ensure that democracy survives. The church, as the guardian of Gospel values, has the responsibility to lead people to Christ and the Gospel. Commitment to Christ expresses itself most clearly when the ideals we espouse and choices we make are those that are exemplified in todays’ Gospel. Jesus’ description of the day of judgment makes it clear that we secure the future not through self-interest but through seeking the welfare of those in need. The strongman plays on people’s fears and anxieties, asserting that outsiders and those on the margins of society are dangers. The Gospel, however, elicits a response of love and generosity toward such people. Christians will find their truest happiness by seeking the happiness of others. That is the paradox of the Gospel. Those who embrace this paradox will be able to assert that “only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come” (Ps 23:6). Religion and politics do intersect. Pius XI presented Christ as the one who must guide that intersection. The tragedy of the 20th century is that too many people chose to offer their allegiance to a strongman whose promises prove to be illusory and destructive. Today’s feast drives home the message that the future of civilization and democracy based on religious values is a by-product of society’s actions toward those on the margins. The good news is that seeking the good of others is the path to finding our truest self and happiness.
About the Author Father Leslie Hoppe, OFM, is professor emeritus of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union, 5416 S. Cornell Ave., Chicago.