Father Carroll's Homily for Christ the King 2014

Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King 2014

“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”  Is Christ our King?  As we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King that is the basic question we must all ask ourselves.  Our readings for this Sunday highlight a simple way in which we can tell if Christ our true King is guiding our lives. 

Starting with the first reading from the prophet Ezekiel and the Gospel of Matthew highlights the theme of service.  “Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep.”  This quote taken from the first reading reveals that the Lord God will tend His sheep.  It goes on to say “The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal.”  If Christ is really in our hearts we would be oriented towards serving others.  Over time we have heard it said repeatedly when we serve others we are ultimately serving God.  We are reminded of that when we hear the Lord answer the question in today’s Gospel, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

If Christ is truly our king, then we would be oriented to living Christian lives of service.  The biggest obstacle to this is we ourselves!  Individuals whose lives are not centered on the Lord tend to be self-centered.  Those individuals are looking towards their need and wants.  If we are looking at our own needs and wants all the time without any consideration for the needs of others then Jesus Christ is not the King and center of our lives.  What are some of the excuses people use for not coming to Mass?  There isn't enough time…we have a sports practice, we were away at camp, and after going about all our many things, we just don’t feel like it.  Well I am sure our Lord didn't feel like being nailed to a cross, but He did, because He loved us. 

          Brothers and sisters, next week, we have a perfect opportunity for another shot to make Christ the center of our lives…we have the beginning of a new liturgical year with the beginning of advent next week.  Together let’s continue to look for ways in which we can refocus our lives on the Lord.