November 20, 2022 (Solemnity of Christ the King)
/“Footwashing Kings and Queens”
by Fr. Dominic DeLay, O.P. and Sr. Gloria Marie Jones, O.P.
[This is the text composed by the homilists prior to delivering the homily.]
Fr. Dominic:
Welcome to the last Sunday of the Church year. We’ve spent this past year walking with Jesus from his birth to his ministry, death, and resurrection. Also, Jesus’ ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit. Since the end of the spring, we’ve walked more slowly through Luke’s account of Jesus’ life, journeying with him in his ministry of preaching, forgiving, and healing in order to deepen our commitment to be Christ bearers today. And today we gather to celebrate the end of this year-long journey.
But of all the possible moments in Jesus’ life, all he said and did, as we gather to celebrate Christ our King, we find ourselves gazing upon Jesus on the cross, taunted, sneered at, seemingly powerless in the face of evil. Jesus is crucified, a humiliating form of execution deemed unfit for a Roman citizen. This is Christ our King, a pretty shocking contrast to our usual image of a king or queen.
Gloria, why would you say we’re ending our church year by celebrating Christ the crucified King? What relevance does this feast have for us on our journey of faith together, our synodal journey?
Sr. Gloria:
Hmm… A hard question!….My reflection these past few days led me to the conviction that we NEED this feast of Christ the King more than ever this year! Christ the crucified King reminds us the cross, sign of suffering and death, is part of the journey to life for each of us, just as it was for Jesus. Christ meets us, we meet Christ in the reality of the crosses we each are carrying in so many forms, sometimes limping along the way – declining health, a sense of inadequacy, broken relationships, uncertainty, loss of a loved one, failure, rejection, poverty, unemployment, fear of the present – of the future.
We need this feast of power to keep us on our feet and to guide us along the path together. We need this feast to give our journey direction, purpose and meaning.
These scriptures, this feast, boldly proclaim the truth that Jesus spent his human life, and literally gave up his life, to teach us: The Kingdom of God is not about power and control. It is not about military might and conquests. It is not about the priority of success and accumulation of wealth and possessions. It’s not even about being right and achieving perfection. None of that is why you and I have been entrusted with this sacred gift of human life, of being part of the human family. In truth, Jesus never called himself King…. He named himself shepherd, Bread of Life, Servant, Friend… That is who we celebrate today. Each one of us holds the profound call, the vocation to embody Christ’s life and love, God’s Spirit in our own unique way, in the way that no one else in the world can replicate or replace! Claiming Christ as our King, allowing his Spirit to claim us and shape us IS the source of meaning, of fulfillment, of peace in your life, in my life.. It is how to win the real mega jackpot! I can guarantee you, that is true!
But, Dominic, what does that look like, what does that mean in your life? How do you feel called to make real Christ’s presence, Christ’s love?
Fr. Dominic:
Maybe we can look at Jesus’ last night with his disciples, his friends, his companions on the journey. What did this king, who was going to be enthroned on a cross the next day, do during that last meal? Here, at what seems to be the end of their journey together, he washed his disciples’ dusty and tired feet and asked them to do the same for others. He invites us to be footwashers with him, meeting the needs of others, serving one another.
Footwashing these days might be joining in efforts to house the unhoused, listening to someone caught in distress, being willing to give our time to help however we’re needed, forgiving those who have hurt us. Footwashing is the Gospel of John’s way of expressing what Luke and the others express at the last supper, Jesus giving himself to us as food and drink, pouring himself out for us. Footwashing, service, pouring out our lives for others, is our ticket to that real mega jackpot of meaning and happiness.
Sr. Gloria:
Oh yes…. What significant ways to make real God’s Life, God’s Love and Mercy! And we can be footwashers together, not alone.
As I find myself driving through various parts of the Bay Area my soul is troubled by the pandemic of homelessness and the desperate efforts of so many to create a safe space for survival, be it in an RV or van or wherever they can manage to put up a cardboard shelter or tent. What does this say about the state of Christ’s Kingdom here in our own community? What does it say about our economic disparity and failed social service systems, about the demons of addiction and mental illness? What would Christ do if he walked our streets? What can, what should we do? How do we galvanize our efforts to address this crisis….not simply to eliminate it from our neighborhoods? How can we capitalize on the wisdom, experience, resources of our Catholic Community at Stanford? Can we generate enough political will to make a difference?
I find myself praying for the grace, the freedom, to see with Jesus’ eyes, to love with Jesus’ heart. My vision can be so limited by my judgments about what is right or what should be that I miss the God experience right in front of me. My response to another person or another idea can be so impacted by my agenda, by what I believe is important, or is the priority in the moment, that I miss the person needing a compassionate word, longing to be recognized, heard or included. I miss the God moment – the kingdom moment – right in front of me!
Fr. Dominic:
And as you said, we do this together, not alone. Our synodal journey is about growing as a community, nurturing a community that is shaped by these commitments, that proclaims and shares these truths through the witness of our individual lives, our communal prayer, our engaging together as sisters and brothers. Our synodal journey is about our shared commitment to serve, to support those in need among us and in our wider community.
As we end this church year, let’s pause to remember what it means to claim Christ as our King, to be claimed by him, anointed and called to walk in his footsteps, to be baptized as footwashing queens and kings. What difference does that make in how we live, in what is important in our lives? How does that truth shape the choices we make in our day, how we spend our time?
Let’s take some time in silence now to listen to how the Spirit might be calling us individually and as a community to be footwashers in the image of Christ our King and to recommit ourselves to carrying out this call together.
