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Today we celebrate
\nthe Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe,
\nthe last Sunday of our Church year.
\nToday all of the themes of Jesus\u2019 life and ministry
\ncome together in this one culminating feast
\nhere at the end of the year.<\/p>\n
Each liturgical year has its own particular character
\nbecause of the fact that we read from one particular gospel.
\nThis year it\u2019s been the Gospel according to Luke,
\nand it\u2019s good for us to look back over the year
\nand try to see the entirety of what Luke has shared with us about Jesus.<\/p>\n
After all the events of Advent and Christmas last year,
\nas January was coming to an end,
\nthe weeks of Ordinary Time were beginning,
\nand the Gospel of Luke turned to the beginning of Jesus\u2019 public ministry.
\nJesus returned to Nazareth where he grew up,
\nand Luke tells us that his first public act
\nwas to enter the synagogue on the Sabbath,
\nunroll the scroll and read these lines from the prophet Isaiah:<\/p>\n
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,<\/em> And when he had rolled up the scroll he said these key words: These are Jesus\u2019 first words in his public ministry in the Gospel of Luke. Glad tidings to the poor. We came here Sunday after Sunday this year As we came here weekend after weekend, We saw Jesus approach fishermen who couldn\u2019t fill their nets, We heard Jesus teach, We heard Jesus say \u201cLove your enemies, We saw Jesus appoint the seventy-two and send them As the year continued, Summer became fall, We heard him be very clear with his disciples And through the beautiful parable of the prodigal son, And again Jesus reminded his disciples to serve God O how God loves the poor!<\/p>\n We saw Jesus talk about the power of faith, There were several weeks We also saw the Sadducees try to trap Jesus with their trick question And so we come now to this day, This moment of crucifixion The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,<\/em> What are those glad tidings to the poor? You don\u2019t have to be rich, He came to proclaim liberty to those held captive by sin; He came to give sight to the blind. Who sees with the eyes of faith in today\u2019s gospel? One person sees with the eyes of faith At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus said, The message is the same to all those who believe:
\nbecause he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.<\/em>
\nHe has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives<\/em>
\nand recovery of sight to the blind,<\/em>
\nto let the oppressed go free,<\/em>
\nand to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u201cToday this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\nAnd the entire rest of this past year
\nhas been Luke\u2019s gospel unpacking that scripture passage
\nand demonstrating how it is fulfilled in Jesus\u2019 life.<\/p>\n
\nLiberty to captives.
\nSight to the blind.<\/p>\n
\nhearing Luke\u2019s gospel inviting us
\ninto the life of Christ,
\ninviting us to see Christ freeing captives
\ngiving sight to the blind,
\nproclaiming good tidings to the poor.<\/p>\n
\nwe saw opposition to Jesus early in his ministry;
\nwe saw people who wanted to throw him off a cliff.<\/p>\n
\nand how he called them to be fishers of men.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBlessed are the poor, blessed are the hungry,
\nblessed are they who weep.\u201d
\nGlad tidings to the poor.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nbless those who curse you, stop judging, forgive others.
\nRemove the log from your own eye
\nbefore removing the splinter from your brother\u2019s eye.\u201d
\nRecovery of sight to the blind.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nto cure diseases and expel demons.
\nAnd in the beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan,
\nwe heard his answer to the question,
\n\u201cWho is my neighbor?\u201d
\nLetting the oppressed go free.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nspring turned to summer,
\nand we made our way further into Luke\u2019s gospel.
\nWe saw crowds begin to gather around Jesus
\nin order to learn from him,
\nhow they asked him to teach them to pray,
\nand how he told them,
\n\u201cask and you will receive,
\nseek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.”
\nWe heard Jesus remind his followers to store up heavenly riches,
\nrather than earthly riches,
\nand to be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man.
\nWe heard his challenging words
\nwhen he said he had come to set the earth on fire,
\nand how some who are first would be last,
\nand some who are last would be first.<\/p>\n
\nAnd we heard Jesus say
\n\u201cDon\u2019t take the place of honor at a table;
\nand when you have a banquet,
\ninvite the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame,
\nwho cannot pay you back.\u201d
\nMore glad tidings to the poor.<\/p>\n
\nabout what it means to follow him,
\nand that to be his disciple
\nwe must each carry our own cross.<\/p>\n
\nwe heard of Jesus\u2019 care and concern
\nfor those who have lost their way,
\nslaves of sin,
\nand how he loves them so much
\nhe would leave the ninety-nine to go in search of the one.
\nLiberty to captives.<\/p>\n
\nand not the things of this world.
\nAnd he told them the parable of the rich man in eternal torment,
\nand poor Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham,
\nseparated eternally.
\nAnd yet more glad tidings to the poor<\/p>\n
\neven if it was as small as a mustard seed.
\nWe saw Jesus cure ten lepers,
\nbut then we saw only one return to give him thanks.<\/p>\n
\nwhere we heard Jesus teach his disciples about prayer:
\npersistence in prayer,
\npraying always without becoming weary,
\nand the difference between the self-righteous prayer of the Pharisee,
\nand the authentic prayer of the tax collector, who prayed
\n\u201cO God, be merciful to me, a sinner.\u201d
\nAnd more recently we saw the chief tax collector Zaccheus
\nclimb a sycamore tree to get the attention of Jesus,
\nand we saw his conversion of heart,
\nand salvation come to his house.
\nLiberty to captives.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nabout resurrection and the woman with many husbands.
\nAnd last week, we heard Jesus talk about the temple being torn down,
\nand the end of all things,
\nand the importance of perseverance.<\/p>\n
\nthe Solemnity of Christ the King.
\nAnd of all the scripture readings the Church could put before us
\nthat would synthesize the message and meaning of Jesus\u2019 life,
\nwhat image brings together all that Jesus came to do
\nand all that Jesus came to say?
\nThe cross.
\nNot a throne; not a scepter;
\nnot a crown, but a crown of thorns.
\nToday, on this Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe,
\nwe are presented with the image of Christ crucified.<\/p>\n
\ntake us back to Jesus\u2019 first public words
\nin that synagogue in Nazareth:<\/p>\n
\nbecause he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nGod loves you.
\nGod cares for you so much
\nthat he would send his son to surrender himself up to death on a cross
\nso that you could have eternal life.<\/p>\n
\nyou don\u2019t have to be educated,
\nyou don\u2019t have to be perfect.
\nYou can be a broken, humiliated, crucified thief,
\nand still God loves you.
\nGod loves you so much
\nthat he gave himself up on the cross for you.
\nThose are glad tidings to the poor.<\/p>\n
\nto those trapped in social structures that keep them beaten down.
\nto those oppressed by prejudice.
\nHe came to proclaim freedom,
\nthe freedom of mercy,
\nthe freedom of love.<\/p>\n
\nto help us see with the eyes of faith,
\nwith divine eyes, rather than earthly eyes.<\/p>\n
\nThe rulers who sneer at Jesus?
\nThe soldiers who jeer at him?
\nThe thief who reviles him?<\/p>\n
\nand recognizes Jesus as King of the Universe.
\nHe is the thief who hangs there crucified with Jesus,
\nand who asks him,
\n\u201cRemember me when you come into your kingdom.\u201d
\nHe knows Jesus is king.
\nHe has recovered his sight.
\nHe is the poor,
\nhe is the captive,
\nhe is the oppressed.
\nIt is to him,
\nand others like him,
\nthat Jesus has come to bring glad tidings,
\nto proclaim liberty,
\nto give sight,
\nto set free.
\nWe are the poor, we are the captive, we are the oppressed.
\nWe are on the cross next to Jesus.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cToday<\/em> this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.\u201d
\nAt the end of his earthly life Jesus says to the thief,
\n\u201cToday<\/em> you will be with me in paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nToday<\/em> our King has conquered death,
\ntoday<\/em> our King has brought us glad tidings, liberty, sight, freedom.
\nToday<\/em> and always, our King loves us.<\/p>\n