(Homily
for November 26, 2017).
“When the Son of man comes in his
glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before
him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:31-32.
This last week happens to be a very
historic week for the African Continent; it was the week that saw the
resignation of one of its longest serving President; Robert Mugabe. The exit of
Mugabe if for nothing teaches us a lesson; that nothing earthly lasts forever –
there is no earthly kingdom or power that is reigning today that will not
eventually collapse.
Today, we celebrate a different kind
of kingdom; a kingdom so different that Christ himself described it to Pilate
saying: “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world,
my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship
is not from the world.” John 18:36.
This kingdom is so different from all
other kingdoms because it needs no soldiers, no atomic bombs, no nuclear
weapons, not even a police man for its security. It is rather a kingdom that determines
the security of all other kingdoms; a kingdom that thrives not on physical
structures but on souls; a kingdom whose basic currency is not hate but love; a
kingdom that can never come to an end.
Today we are going to go around town
to sing, dance and rejoice before our king; we will humiliate ourselves in
public; we would bow, genuflect and kneel openly before this king with every
atom of pride. As we do so, we are not only letting the world know that Jesus
Christ is our king, we are also letting the world know who we are; that we
belong to another kingdom which operates on very different standards.
If I partake of today’s procession,
why should I continue to compete with the world? If I partake of today’s
exercise why should I be moved when the world becomes hostile to me? Tell me,
how would you feel if you see some persons parading themselves openly in public
as members of Boko Haram? That is probably how the world feels it sees genuine
Christians. Jesus said:
“If the world hates you, know that it
has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would
love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the
world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19. We will be called names,
many will stare at us, some may even laugh at us or try to make us feel ashamed
of what we are doing. Let us not allow anyone intimidate us; let us boldly acknowledge
Christ and honour him with all the honour he truly deserves.
It will be shame that after going out
today to match in acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is our king; we still
return to our sinful ways of living that betray even our very knowledge of
Jesus. Imagine a politician appearing on stage at APC Rally and then flying the
flag of PDP in that same election. What do we say about such persons? That is
exactly what we should call ourselves if our very lives do not reflect that of people
who know that Jesus Christ is their king.
Indeed, our singing and dancing today
may end up being an exercise of fun catching if our lives afterwards does not announce
the kingship of Christ to the world. I can categorically say that since Christ
himself said his kingdom is not like any earthly kingdom, Christ does not need
our singing, dancing and match-past. Those are things that earthly kings
cherish.
What Christ cherishes are those
things he told us in our Gospel passage: “We must feed the hungry, give clothes
to the naked; water to the thirsty; shelter to the homeless and support to the
sick and imprisoned.”
We proclaim Christ as king when we
love our neighbours as ourselves; when we allow his rules guide our lives. We proclaim
Christ’s kingship when we free ourselves from worry and fear knowing that as
the Psalmist sings: “The Lord is our Shepherd.” We proclaim Christ as King when
we trust him as sheep trust their shepherd knowing that He will Never abandon
us or forsake us as Ezekiel prophesies in our First reading.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, may I be found worthy of your eternal dwelling. Amen.
Happy
Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless
you. (Solemnity of Christ the King. Year A. Bible Study: Ezekiel 34:11-17, 1 Corinthians
15:20-28 and Matthew 25:31-46).
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