{"id":4298,"date":"2016-11-20T12:40:14","date_gmt":"2016-11-20T20:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/?p=4298"},"modified":"2016-11-20T06:52:00","modified_gmt":"2016-11-20T14:52:00","slug":"famous-last-words-homily-for-the-solemnity-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-king-of-the-universe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/famous-last-words-homily-for-the-solemnity-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-king-of-the-universe","title":{"rendered":"Famous Last Words: Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Christ

Christ and the Good Thief<\/em> by Titian, circa 1566<\/p><\/div>\n

A while back a friend shared a website with me
\nthat was a collection of the last words of famous people,
\nand it was very interesting.<\/p>\n

Some of their final words were humble.
\nFor example, Leonard DaVinci said,
\n\u201cI have offended God and mankind
\nbecause my work did not reach the quality it should have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some tried to be prophetic.
\nNostradamus, for instance said, \u201cTomorrow I will not be here.\u201d
\nHe was right.<\/p>\n

And there were some who didn\u2019t realize
\nthey were speaking their final words.
\nThe last words of the poet Dylan Thomas were, unsurprisingly,
\n\u201cI’ve had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that’s the record\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

But there were many who knew it was the end,
\nand were very deliberate about what they said.<\/p>\n

Harriet Tubman sang, \u201cSwing Low, Sweet Chariot\u201d with her family.
\nPresident James Polk told his wife Sarah,
\n\u201cFor all eternity, I love you.\u201d
\nVince Lombardi turned to his wife and said,
\n\u201cHappy anniversary. I love you.\u201d
\nFinal words mean something.<\/p>\n

Today, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
\nis the final Sunday of the church year,
\nand the last day of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.
\nThe church year is about to pass away.
\nIt\u2019s on its death bed, so to speak,
\nand it beckons us closer
\nwhispering final words to us.
\nSo the readings today are especially significant.
\nThey are the last words of the church year.<\/p>\n

And the last words we\u2019re given
\npaint a picture,
\nan image.
\nAn image of the invisible God,
\nas St. Paul says;
\nan image of Jesus.<\/p>\n

What is this final image
\non the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe?
\nAn image of Jesus the mighty ruler
\ndominating the Pharisees,
\noverthrowing the Romans,
\nconquering everyone?<\/p>\n

No.
\nThe image of kingship we\u2019re given today is Jesus on the cross.
\nA battered and broken Jesus
\nwho is sneered at by earthly rulers,
\nwho is jeered at by Roman soldiers.
\nA king who wears a crown of thorns.<\/p>\n

These are the last words of the church year that is passing away.
\nThey\u2019re deliberately chosen
\nto tell us three important things
\nabout the kind of king we have in Jesus.<\/p>\n

First, Jesus is King of the Universe
\nbecause he obeys the will of the Father.<\/p>\n

In the first reading we see David anointed king
\nand given the task of shepherding the people.
\nHe was followed by Solomon, Solomon\u2019s sons,
\nand all the succeeding kings who led the chosen people
\nafter the kingdom was divided into north and south.<\/p>\n

Some were good kings and some were not so good.
\nThe prophets of the Old Testament
\nalways pointed out who the good kings were.
\nThey weren\u2019t the kings who won military victories,
\nthey weren\u2019t the kings who brought wealth to the people.
\nThey were the kings who tried to follow the will of God.
\nAny military victories or prosperity they achieved
\nwere due to their faithfulness to the covenant.<\/p>\n

Our Lord Jesus, King of the Universe
\nis the fulfillment of the covenant.
\nHe completely and utterly follows the will of his father.<\/p>\n

We see this clearly in the image of Jesus on the cross,
\nthe servant king,
\nwilling to follow the will of the Father to the ultimate end,
\nto death for us.<\/p>\n

And now the dying church year takes another labored breath
\nand beckons us closer to tell us more about Christ our king,
\nthe image of the invisible God.<\/p>\n

We look once more at the scene from the gospel,
\nand the second thing we see about our king
\nis that he is a king who sacrifices,
\nwho gives all of himself for us,
\neven to the point of death.
\nThis is our king.<\/p>\n

Not a king interested in accumulating wealth,
\nnot a king interested in accumulating power.<\/p>\n

Jesus doesn\u2019t accumulate anything.
\nHe empties himself.
\nHe, the living God of the universe,
\ncome to us in the flesh,
\nempties himself,
\npours his life out
\nfor us.
\nFor you, and for me.<\/p>\n

Our king is a sacrificial king.
\nHe offers his body and blood for us
\nso that we can live eternally.<\/p>\n

And finally, the church year takes one more deep breath
\nbefore leaving us with the last of the last word,
\nthe final message before passing on.<\/p>\n

Next to Jesus on the cross is a thief.
\nA criminal.
\nUnlike Jesus, he deserves to be there according to the law.
\nBut this thief recognizes Jesus as King of the Universe.
\nHe says,
\n\u201cRemember me when you come into your kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus does more than remember him.
\nHe shows him mercy.
\nMercy is the last word.
\nMercy, mercy, mercy\u2014it\u2019s all through the gospels.
\nIt\u2019s all through scripture.<\/p>\n

A year ago when Pope Francis announced the Year of Mercy,
\nhe began by saying,
\n\u201cJesus is the face of mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n

On this Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe,
\nwe look at that face upon the cross.
\nWe see him turn to the thief,
\nand we hear him say words of mercy.
\n\u201cToday you will be with me in paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus, from his heart of mercy that will shortly be pierced
\nassures the criminal of eternal life with him.
\nHis word of mercy reaches out to us over the centuries
\nand reassures of God\u2019s love,
\nwhich comes to us through his Son and Servant King Jesus.<\/p>\n

Do we recognize ourselves in the thief next to Jesus?
\nDo we, like the thief, turn to Jesus
\nacknowledging our sins,
\nplacing ourselves at his mercy?
\nHe waits there for us, arms outstretched.<\/p>\n

His mercy is so great,
\nthat through our baptism into Christ,
\nwe are incorporated into his kingship.
\nWe were anointed at our baptism, each one of us,
\npriest, prophet, and king.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
\nreminds us to live our call to kingship.
\nNot as earthly kings seeking wealth or power,
\nnot as kings who try to dominate or coerce,
\nbut as kings who do the will of the father,
\nkings who sacrifice for others,
\nkings who give mercy.<\/p>\n

And with that last word, mercy, still on its lips,
\nthe church year passes away.
\nBut our faith tells us that death is only a beginning.
\nAs this Year of Mercy closes its eyes and breathes its last,
\nits life is changed, not ended.
\nIt is raised to new life in us.<\/p>\n

For next week a new year begins,
\nand the final words of this church year ask us
\nto once again acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and King,
\nand to begin anew
\nto embrace our baptismal call to be kings
\nwho do the will of the Father,
\nwho give of ourselves in sacrificial love,
\nand who bring a hurting and divided world the gift of mercy.<\/p>\n