From The Pastor:
The Solemnity of Christ the King is as it were a synthesis of the entire salvific mystery. The feast brings the liturgical year to a close. Over the past months we have celebrated the mysteries of the life of the Lord. Now we contemplate Christ in his glorified state as King of all Creation and of our souls. The Church places this special feast as a remembrance for modern man to begin to sense his supernatural destiny.
The first reading emphasizes the love of Christ the King for his sheep. He did not come to establish his kingdom by force. His weapons are goodness and solicitude: “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” The Lord tends to his lost sheep, to those men and women who have gone astray through sin. He wants to heal their wounds.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear of the Son of Man coming in his glory. He will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Sometime we can fear being placed with the goats. This imagery of separation could produce a servile fear of God.
Servile fear can be when one thinks, “I’m afraid of God because I don’t want to be thrown in hell.” We crawl along when we have servile fear. We fear God because we afraid that we’ll be punished. Now, it is certainly possible for servile fear to lead us to adoration. Servile fear puts us more at the level of being afraid of God. This fear can cause us to turn completely inward and then it’s bad. God, however, can use servile fear to teach us to adore. It’s much better though to desire to love God more and avoid wasting time. Chaste loving fear wants to know him better and seeks his mercy. Then in turn we see our remaining time is best used in loving God and helping our neighbor.
“When you did not do for one of these little ones, you did not do it for me.” This call of Christ asks us to let go of our selfishness and help others. Christ’s final judgment takes account of our goods deeds. We should make efforts to reach others, even if we think they don’t deserve it or are trying to con us. Even in our own parish there are many widows and elderly who need help. Our hearts must be open to helping others which in turn can lessen our fear and assure us that we are following the Good Shepherd.
As we celebrate Christ the King, let us go forth this week living of this gospel message. There are certainly ways to help others here in Pendleton. We could put Christ message into action by serving meals at Salvation Army. May we prepare for the Son of Man to come in glory through adoration and helping our neighbors.
