Homilies

Homily For Mass For Solemnity Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King Of The Universe (Year B)

25 Nov 2018
  

HOMILY FOR MASS FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE (YEAR B)
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney

In early 1818, the English romantic poets Percy Shelley and Horace Smith took up a friendly competition to each write a sonnet on the same theme. Out of this friendly challenge came Shelley’s most famous poem, known simply as Ozymandias – which has nothing to do with any particular Aussie man!

The poem records the tale of a ‘traveller from an antique land’, who reports seeing in the Egyptian desert ruins of a great statue, with an inscription nearby, which reads:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

 

The irony of the poem, however, in exposed in Shelley’s next lines:

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay,

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The verses, then, serve as a reminder of the impermanence of worldly power. Critiquing the long reign of George III, whose empire had lost North America but gained Australia, Shelley insists – contrary to the fantasy of the coronation anthems – that no king lives forever, and every king’s works eventually turn to dust. Indeed, the other ‘Ozymandias’, written by his friend Horace Smith, goes one step further, imagining a future in which a hunter chances upon the ruins of London: our cities and projects, too, will one day join those of long-forgotten Ozymandias…

Our first reading and psalm today might be thought to reflect just the kind of ancient near eastern fantasy that Shelley was criticising. Another king who subdues all peoples under his feet and the prophet imagines his sovereignty “shall never pass away, nor will his empire be destroyed” (Dan 7:13-14; Ps 92:1-5). But look again and it’s not so much like those ancient kings after all. First, this is no earthly ruler at all, but one who lives in the clouds of heaven, establishes the earth, and holds both heaven and earth in being forever. He is “the son of man” made king by “the ancient of Days”, God the Father. And his glory is not in his conquests but in his trustworthy authority and holiness – so much so that people of every nation choose to come to serve him. This king is not looking for dread in his subjects, or for stone monuments to his power. His Works are not demonstrations of muscle, but of justice and mercy. At least, that seems to be hinted at here…

Now fast-forward a couple of centuries. “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate asks (Jn 18:33-37), half curious, half incredulous. He’s close to the mark, far closer than he realizes. But he can’t see the king, for to recognize him would be too disruptive. He can’t see the king, because any king of kings worth his salt would look like Ozymandias, king of despair, and Tiberius Caesar his emperor. “My kingdom isn’t like that”, Jesus tells him, tells us.

So what kind of kingdom, then, what kind of king is ours? Pilate, ever curious if ever sceptical, presses him further. And Jesus, who rewards everyone who genuinely seeks an answer, gives Pilate the key to understanding: “Yes, I am a king, who came to bear witness to the truth, and all on the side of truth listen to my voice”. To which Pilate famously answers: “Truth? What is that?”

At last we see what kind of king never loses his power, what kind of kingdom never crumbles to dust. The king we celebrate today is king not because He wields mighty armies, though He has his angel host; nor is He king because He inspires awe, though there is none more awesome; He’s not even king because of His great works, though He has created the greatest work of all, the universe itself. No, this son of man is king because He is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, and has bestowed on us the virtues of the faith, hope, and love by which to attain those perfections.

This Wednesday night the cathedral will be shrouded in red light -as the façade of Westminster Abbey, representing the Christians and others martyred every year, every day, for their faith in many countries around our world. There will be a Mass at 5:30pm in this cathedral and an interfaith gathering thereafter in the crypt. All are welcome to join us. For here as elsewhere, I trust, Christian faith gives witness to a new kind of authority: one that preaches Beatitudes that delight the heart, rather than issue decrees that cause people to shudder; one that communes with the wretched rather than privileging the powerful; one that seeks to persuade and inspire, rather than threaten and force, to win hearts rather than conquer territories, to lift burdens rather than taxes, to brings hope and life rather than terror and death. And the model of that authority stands before the bar of Pilate and of this world today, and declares: “my kingdom is not of this world; no, I came to bear witness to the Truth, and those who listen to my voice side with the Truth and so enter into my kingdom.”

As Jesus stands before that court today we are the jurors. Do we listen to his voice, side with Truth and Goodness and Beauty, and so become citizens of His republic? As Advent approaches Jesus stirs us up with His penetrating gaze and His breathtaking claims. But he does not just ask us to choose: he asks us to act. As our second reading highlighted, Jesus is not king of kings for his own benefit. He is already the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the One who has come and is still to come. He doesn’t need monuments or crowns. No, Jesus is made king so He can found a royal line. “He has made us a line of kings, priests to serve His God and Father” says the Apocalypse (Rev 1:5-8). He has endowed us with His authority, so that it is now our responsibility under grace to build His kingdom in our hearts and lives, in our families and friendships, in our cities and countries.

We all have different ways and places to contribute to building up God’s kingdom. Committed lay people must extend God’s Kingdom into the worlds of work, money, politics, art, science; study, sport, leisure, friendships and devotions. Some do so amidst sickness, disability, imprisonment, loneliness or loss; others from positions of greater comfort. But it is only with such diverse contributions that the Church can be like yeast pervading the dough of our world, raising it up to God. And two boys from our cathedral choir raise their hands for this today.

Sponsors, teachers, fellow choristers and parishioners, family and friends of our candidates: continue to support them in their new task of building up the kingdom of Truth, and not falling for the allure of Ozymandian might. Help them apply the gifts of the Holy Spirit in lives of Christian faith and practice, of virtue and holiness, of the worship of God and love for all.

Candidates for Confirmation: when I anoint you with the Spirit of Truth, you can be sure that God will give you all the gifts you need to be true citizens of His Kingdom. Resolve now to stand up for the truth in all you say and do; to participate in the Sacred Liturgy not just with your beautiful voices but with your hearts and minds also; to pray and confess and do good things for others.

And so all of us, as we end one liturgical cycle today and begin a new year next Sunday, we should ask ourselves which king are following, whose kingdom we’re building? Are we proudly building for mighty Ozymandias, works that will become desert sand? Or are we building for the eternal kingdom, the reign of Christ extending into all eternity?

 

INTRODUCTION TO MASS FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE (YEAR B)
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney

 Welcome to the Solemn Mass for the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the liturgical year 2018. Next week we will begin the season of Advent, in preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas, at the end of time, and at the end of our lives. Two of our young choir boys [one chorister and one scholar] will be confirmed on this great feast and I acknowledge them, their sponsors, families and friends. To everyone else present on this special Feast day, including visitors and regulars, a very warm welcome!