Pope John XXIII
Nov. 25, 1881–June 3, 1963
King-on-the-hill
according to Jesus and John
November 21, 2010 -- Solemnity of Christ the King
II Samuel 5:1-3 Colossians 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43
Gospel
Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord.
The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer Him wine, they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”Above him an inscription read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other criminal, however, rebuked him, saying, "Have you no fear of God? We are all under the same sentence. We indeed have been justly condemned; we’re getting what we deserve, but He has done no wrong.” Then the good criminal turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
----------------
Introduction
The end of the church year
Introduction
The end of the church year
After having celebrated all the feasts of Our Lord and his saints through fifty-two weeks, today we finish off the church year with a feast in honor of Christ the King. Then next Sunday we will celebrate New Year’s Day in the Church with the first Sunday of Advent -- that season which keeps us so busy preparing for Christmas that there is little time to prepare for the birthday of the Lord.
A recent feast
The feast of Christ the King was instituted as recently as 1925 by Pope Pius XI.[1] At that time, the Pope was battling various kings of this world. He was fighting anticlericalism in Mexico and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. In his own backyard, he was fighting the Kingdom of Italy which had confiscated papal territories. With the newly instituted feast the Pope was saying, “We have a King who is greater than all you kings. He is Jesus of Nazareth – `the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.’” (Rev 19:26)
This late November feast might be a bit superfluous; already in early spring, the Church celebrates Christ as King as she cries out on Palm Sunday, “God bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!” (Lk 19:38) Holy Week is a better context for proclaiming the kingship of Christ. It sets Jesus upon a donkey and not upon a throne. It places a palm branch in his hand and not a scepter. It plants a wreath of thorns upon his head and not a tiara. On Palm Sunday Jesus sets matters straight for all those who are busy building kingdoms and mega-churches in this world for Him; He tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Jn 18:36)
This late November feast might be a bit superfluous; already in early spring, the Church celebrates Christ as King as she cries out on Palm Sunday, “God bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!” (Lk 19:38) Holy Week is a better context for proclaiming the kingship of Christ. It sets Jesus upon a donkey and not upon a throne. It places a palm branch in his hand and not a scepter. It plants a wreath of thorns upon his head and not a tiara. On Palm Sunday Jesus sets matters straight for all those who are busy building kingdoms and mega-churches in this world for Him; He tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Jn 18:36)
A scriptural feast
However we sons and daughters of the American Revolution might feel about kings, Scripture is clear: Jesus is a king as He comes into the world and as He leaves it. At his conception, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that the Lord God would give her Son the throne of His ancestor King David, and that His kingdom would have no end. (Lk 1:32-33) At his trial, Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you a king?”He answers, “Yes, for this I was born, and for this I came into the world.”(Jn 18:37) Accordingly, a gang of Roman soldiers wove a crown of thorns and pressed it down on Jesus’ head. (Mt 27:29) Then they forced Him to climb the hill of Calvary and nailed Him to a cross, on which Pilate hung a notice written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. (Jn 19:19)
Christians play King-on-the-hill.
In the old days when kids didn’t have money to buy hi-tech toys, they used to play `Hop-scotch,’ `Kick-the-can’ or `King-on-the-hill.’ Those games didn’t cost a penny. `King-on-the-hill’ required only a hill on which to stand and knock someone down.
Not only kids but also adults play King-on-the-hill. St. Cyprian (d.258), a Church Father of the third century, is famous for his dictum that “Outside the Church there is no salvation.” In the course of time, Cyprian’s dictum deteriorated into a mumbled and half-examined belief that only Christians (or worse yet, only Catholics) made it to the top of the hill in the Kingdom of Heaven. If there were others besides Christians (or Catholics) in heaven that was because they had snuck in through a `backdoor’ called `the baptism of desire’ or `the baptism of blood.’
On August 6, 2000, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI), as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, reinvigorated St. Cyprian’s dictum that made Catholics King-on-the-hill. In a document entitled Dominus Iesus, the Pope warned Catholics to not water down the extraordinary uniqueness of Jesus, when dealing with Buddhism and Hinduism. He also warned them to not water down the extraordinary uniqueness of the Catholic Church when dialoguing with non-Catholic Christian churches, The document, heavy with ponderous theology, was disheartening for ecumenists who for thirty years were working hard to build bridges. On July 10, 2007, Pope Benedict approved a document which restated the key sections of Dominus Iesus.
The Rev. Sara MacVane of the Anglican Center in Rome said that there was nothing new in the new document, and that she didn’t know what motivated the Pope to write it in the first place. She pointed out, however, that there is the official position of the Church which likes to play `lonely King-on-the-hill,’ and that there is also an unofficial position which is infused with the great good will of Pope John XXIII.
What does Jesus do whenever Christians try to play King-on-the-hill in His name? After the multiplication of the loaves and fishes when the fervent crowds wanted to make Him king, Scripture says, “He fled from them and hid Himself up in the mountains.” (Jn 6: 15)
Not only kids but also adults play King-on-the-hill. St. Cyprian (d.258), a Church Father of the third century, is famous for his dictum that “Outside the Church there is no salvation.” In the course of time, Cyprian’s dictum deteriorated into a mumbled and half-examined belief that only Christians (or worse yet, only Catholics) made it to the top of the hill in the Kingdom of Heaven. If there were others besides Christians (or Catholics) in heaven that was because they had snuck in through a `backdoor’ called `the baptism of desire’ or `the baptism of blood.’
On August 6, 2000, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI), as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, reinvigorated St. Cyprian’s dictum that made Catholics King-on-the-hill. In a document entitled Dominus Iesus, the Pope warned Catholics to not water down the extraordinary uniqueness of Jesus, when dealing with Buddhism and Hinduism. He also warned them to not water down the extraordinary uniqueness of the Catholic Church when dialoguing with non-Catholic Christian churches, The document, heavy with ponderous theology, was disheartening for ecumenists who for thirty years were working hard to build bridges. On July 10, 2007, Pope Benedict approved a document which restated the key sections of Dominus Iesus.
The Rev. Sara MacVane of the Anglican Center in Rome said that there was nothing new in the new document, and that she didn’t know what motivated the Pope to write it in the first place. She pointed out, however, that there is the official position of the Church which likes to play `lonely King-on-the-hill,’ and that there is also an unofficial position which is infused with the great good will of Pope John XXIII.
What does Jesus do whenever Christians try to play King-on-the-hill in His name? After the multiplication of the loaves and fishes when the fervent crowds wanted to make Him king, Scripture says, “He fled from them and hid Himself up in the mountains.” (Jn 6: 15)
Muslims play King-on-the-hill.
Not only Christians but Muslims also like to play King-on-the-hill.
The world’s most wanted Islamic terrorist, Osama bin Laden, who believes that only Shari'a[2] (Islamic religious law) can set things right in this world, inspired, master-minded and plotted the apocalyptic day of September 11, 2001. On that unspeakable day, two 747s brought down two signature towers in Lower Manhattan, and three thousand innocent “infidels.”
One year ago on November 5, 2009, another Islamic terrorist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding 29 infidels, as he cried out, “Allahu Akbar!” “God is great!” Both unspeakable events were, at heart, more religious than political. At the end of the day, both events were stout proclamations that “Outside the Mosque there is no salvation.”
What does Allah do when Islamic extremists try to play King-on-the-hill in His name? He flees from them, and with Jesus hides Himself up in the mountains.
The world’s most wanted Islamic terrorist, Osama bin Laden, who believes that only Shari'a[2] (Islamic religious law) can set things right in this world, inspired, master-minded and plotted the apocalyptic day of September 11, 2001. On that unspeakable day, two 747s brought down two signature towers in Lower Manhattan, and three thousand innocent “infidels.”
One year ago on November 5, 2009, another Islamic terrorist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding 29 infidels, as he cried out, “Allahu Akbar!” “God is great!” Both unspeakable events were, at heart, more religious than political. At the end of the day, both events were stout proclamations that “Outside the Mosque there is no salvation.”
What does Allah do when Islamic extremists try to play King-on-the-hill in His name? He flees from them, and with Jesus hides Himself up in the mountains.
Judaism does not play King-on-the-hill.
In his book What Went Wrong (with Islam) Bernard Lewis [3] speaks of a `triumphalist approach’ to religion. That’s the approach of Christianity and Islam, which claims that outside the Church or Mosque there is no salvation. Lewis says the `triumphalist approach’ has Christianity and Islam shouting at each other: “I’m right, you’re wrong, go to hell!” Such triumphalism, however, is increasingly under attack in Christianity and is rejected now by many preachers and theologians. There is very little sign, however, that triumphalism is being rejected in Islam.
On the other hand, Lewis speaks of a `relativist approach’ to religion, which says, “I have my faith, you have your faith, and others have their faith.” He says that’s the approach of Judaism. To its great credit, Judaism does not boast that “Outside the Synagogue there is no salvation.” In the Babylonian Talmud Judaism teaches that Gentiles can receive a share in "the world to come.”
On the other hand, Lewis speaks of a `relativist approach’ to religion, which says, “I have my faith, you have your faith, and others have their faith.” He says that’s the approach of Judaism. To its great credit, Judaism does not boast that “Outside the Synagogue there is no salvation.” In the Babylonian Talmud Judaism teaches that Gentiles can receive a share in "the world to come.”
This coming Thursday, November 25, is a doubleheader: besides being Thanksgiving it’s also the birthday of a very beloved man. Many of us were fortunate enough to be his contemporaries, and remember him with deep affection. Like Jesus he was born poor, on November 25, 1881. His name was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli. Born in a little Italian village called Bergamo Sotto il Monte (Bergamo at the Foot of the Hill), he managed to make it to the top of the hill. On October 28, 1958, Cardinal Roncalli was elected pope and took the name of John XXIII. On November 4, the day of his `coronation,’ a crown was placed upon his head. In his homily that day, the new Pope said that he had in mind the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be waited upon as kings are, but to serve.
The day after his `coronation,’ John sped off through elaborate Vatican gates to put his money where his mouth was. He visited aging brother priests in nursing homes. He visited inmates in the nearby Regina Coeli Prison along the Tiber. “I come to you,” he told them, “because you couldn’t come to me.” When he celebrated his first Holy Thursday as pope, he revived an ancient custom of the Church: like Jesus John girded himself with a towel and bent down to wash the feet of 13 young priests. John had revived the rite of foot-washing fallen into disuse for centuries – a disuse which was symptomatic of a prevailing institutional attitude.
The day after his `coronation,’ John sped off through elaborate Vatican gates to put his money where his mouth was. He visited aging brother priests in nursing homes. He visited inmates in the nearby Regina Coeli Prison along the Tiber. “I come to you,” he told them, “because you couldn’t come to me.” When he celebrated his first Holy Thursday as pope, he revived an ancient custom of the Church: like Jesus John girded himself with a towel and bent down to wash the feet of 13 young priests. John had revived the rite of foot-washing fallen into disuse for centuries – a disuse which was symptomatic of a prevailing institutional attitude.
An example for Morris West
John’s wonderful example emanating from the lofty height of the Petrine throne drew the whole Church and world. It drew Morris West, an Australian writer (1916-1999) famous especially for his books The Devil’s Advocate and The Shoes of the Fisherman. In A View from the Ridge he writes,
I believe I can say with certainty that I remained in communion with the Church even when the Church itself excluded me,[4] and I remain there still, principally because of the presence of John XXIII, the Good Pastor, whom I never met, though I did meet his predecessor (Pius XII) and his successor (John Paul II). Goodness went out from this man to me. I acknowledged it then. I acknowledge it again.
I believe I can say with certainty that I remained in communion with the Church even when the Church itself excluded me,[4] and I remain there still, principally because of the presence of John XXIII, the Good Pastor, whom I never met, though I did meet his predecessor (Pius XII) and his successor (John Paul II). Goodness went out from this man to me. I acknowledged it then. I acknowledge it again.
Conclusion
King-on-the-hill according to Jesus and John
When Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, born in Bergamo at the Foot of the Mountain, made it to the top of the hill as John XXIII, he, like Jesus, played a completely new game of King-on-the-hill. In the old game, when you got to the top, you drove everyone down. In the new game when Jesus got to the top -- when He was lifted up on the Hill of Calvary -- He drew everyone up to Himself. (Jn 12:32) Like Jesus, when John got to the top of the hill he, too, played the game in an entirely new way. From the lofty height of the Petrine throne he showed the Church and all of us how much more blessed, how much more effective, and yes, how much more fun it is to draw people than to drive them.
[1] In his encyclical Quas Primas (December 11, 1925)
[2] Shari'a literally means "the path to a watering hole."
[3] British-American historian, Orientalist and political commentator
[4] Though West was and always remained a Catholic, his various writings contain a good deal of criticism about the Church, and the Church was not always pleased with him.
