Living for the King
Yesterday was the solemnity of Christ the
King, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, and the perfect occasion to
reflect on what it means to call Christ my king.
Our culture doesn’t like mixing politics and
religion. Every year we witness numerous efforts to push religion from the
public square. A relativistic, pluralist society simply cannot tolerate the
absolute claims of religion, specifically those of Christianity. But, to call
Christ King is as much a political as it is a religious statement. When Paul
claimed “Jesus is Lord” it was a direct challenge to Caesar’s claim to be
Lord. In fact, it was the rise of
modernism and secularism that motivated Pope Pius XI to institute this feast in
1925, when he stated: “Nor is there any difference in this matter between the
individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or
individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the
individual, in him is the salvation of society.” (Quas Primas, #18)
Of course before Christ can reign over
society he must reign over us individually. Before Jesus can be Lord over our
culture he must be Lord of our hearts, minds, and wills. Pius XI recognized
this and presented the Church with the following challenges.
“If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God." (Quas Primas #33)
Minds
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
Allowing Christ to be King of our minds
requires that we learn how to think like Jesus and submit our own thoughts and
ideas to him. It is so easy to be shaped by our culture. It is tempting to let
our politics flavor our faith. But, minds submitted to Christ allow him to work
through us to shape the culture, our church, and our society. This requires
that we be attentive and active, engaging our minds to critically think about
all of the outside influences trying to sway us. It means recognizing that we
are called to give our assent to the teaching of the Church and trust the
wisdom of God in using the Church to reveal and interpret the truth about faith
and morals.
Wills
“For I do not do the good I want to do, but
the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:9)
It’s not enough to simply think the right things;
we must submit our actions to the service of Christ the King as well. As the
Gospel story from Sunday—the sheep and the goats—illustrates, it’s what we do
or do not do that will be judged. Learning to practice the beatitudes or virtues
is much more difficult than merely memorizing what they are. As St. Paul
testified, sinning comes naturally to us, that’s our fallen nature at work. We
must struggle with our flesh to make the practice of virtue as natural as the
practice of sin. By grace, through prayer, fasting and almsgiving we can
re-train our nature to seek and do what is right.
Hearts
“For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
It’s all a matter of priorities. I know for
myself, when I am committed to taking time for prayer or fasting I can tell the
difference it makes. But it is so hard to make Jesus the King of my calendar.
There are so many distractions, so many meetings and demands for my time. Work,
friends, and family all compete for the same 24 hours each day and yet before
any of them I know I should be setting time aside to be with my King. Like the
story of Martha and Mary. I am too often consumed with doing many things (even
though they may be good things) that rob time from just sitting at his feet.
This is the challenge we all face in making Christ the King of our hearts; to
make him the most important, most central person, place or thing in our lives
every day.
Our
Bodies
Well this one pretty much hits close to home
as well. Have I submitted my body to the King? Do I honor God with the way I
care for myself? God is deeply interested in our wellbeing and that includes
the care and upkeep of these fragile temples of the Holy Spirit. Submitting our
bodies to the reign of the King means making sure we care for the physical
abode of his presence, his Spirit in us. Exercise, sleep, food and drink may
all seem inconsequential and even out of place when discussing our relationship
with Christ, the King of the Universe, but they are not. We are embodied souls,
and if St. John Paul II’s theology of the body should teach us anything it is
that what we do with our bodies matter. We can use our bodies (and not just in
a sexual context) to worship and honor God.
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