The Divine Right of Kings

 

Feast of Christ the King

Cycle A

Nancy and I have been binge watching monarchies lately, particularly those in Great Britain and France around the reigns of Henry VIII and Louis IV. We love period pieces, and the stories are so well written and made real because they are based on actual events. This was the time of the Divine Right of Kings, the belief that the sovereign derived his mandate and power directly from God, before he was even born, and that the king was accountable to no one but God. To love the king was to love God. To oppose the king was actually a sin against God. That reasoning removed all restraints on the king’s power, and each monarch seemed to draw more and more to himself as each fell deeper and deeper into tyranny. And tyranny, as it always does, was eventually overthrown by violent revolution.

 

What keeps striking us is how the people of those times reacted to the tyranny they experienced. The people seemed to love their king no matter what he did. They rarely attributed the evil he did to him but to his counsellors. No matter what horrible things were done to them they would not blame the king because the king was acting by the will of God. God had chosen him, so he was above blame.

 

The people looked to the king to be the instrument of God’s mercy and God’s punishment. They saw him as a benevolent father figure who gave and took away like the God of the Old Testament had. They expected the king to provide for the common good. It was his responsibility to see that they were fed, housed, and had the basic necessities of life. If they did not have these things it was the king’s fault. If they did it was because of the king’s bounty. Their own personal responsibility was taken away. It was not theirs to be their brother’s keeper, but the king’s. The king was the final judge and arbiter, and oftentimes that judgement seemed completely arbitrary. Loyalty to the king was the most important thing to them. Any hint of disloyalty was met with cruel retribution.

 

And the absolute monarchs were isolated from their people. They stayed within their own courts and never really had contact with the common people. They dismissed the suffering of their people because they never saw it firsthand nor experienced any want or need themselves. They never saw the hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, sick or prisoners. They had no compassion for them outside of their need to believe they were loved by their people. They lived in manufactured bubbles. I think very much like many of our secular and religious leaders today.

 

Each year we have different readings for the Feast of Christ the King, and this year we hear the famous passage from St. Matthew’s gospel about the final judgement. Matthew 25 is one of my favorite passages. We hear of how the king will judge everyone at the end of the age. Judgement is reserved to the king, and this king is truly the absolute monarch, but his judgement is different from the absolute monarchs of Western civilization. Whereas the kings of the Middle Ages judged arbitrarily according to loyalty to the crown, our king puts judgement squarely our interactions with other people. The kings of old were seen as the providers of good to the people. Our king sees us as having that responsibility also.

 

The differences between our king, Jesus Christ, and the kings of old are many. Our king did not live in a bubble, surrounded by courtiers and sycophants and removed from the people. Rather, he lived and moved amongst them, living as they did, simply and poorly. His courtiers were not aristocrats and wealthy noblemen but simple people, tax collectors and prostitutes. He experienced hunger and thirst, sickness and nakedness. He was a prisoner himself. The image we have of our king is the good shepherd, not the autocrat, and our king truly did smell like his sheep.

 

And whenever he encountered someone who was suffering, he first healed them, then redeemed them. He took care of their physical needs first; then he showed them the way to eternal life. By lifting them up out of their misery he freed them to be able to accept him as their Lord and savior. He never imposed his will upon them, even though he had the power and authority to do so, he simply called them to discipleship. To our king, absolute power manifests itself in compassion and mercy. That is the example he left us, and it is by that example we will ultimately be judged.

 

It’s easy for us to make excuses for our responsibility to our fellow human beings. It is easy to delegate it to the state, or to someone else but ourselves. We too often live in our own bubbles, concerned mostly about ourselves, or our immediate families and group of friends. What has always bothered me about this gospel passage is that the people whom the king judges harshly are not bad people. They are not going out and oppressing people to cause their hunger or thirst, nakedness or imprisonment. And it doesn’t even matter that they are unaware of their neglect. In fact, that makes it worse. It is the sins of omission that are judged the most harshly. Ignorance is not an excuse. Apathy is the worst sin. To our king and judge in this passage, your intent and motivation is not important. Did you help others or not?

 

In these days of pandemic we are becoming even more and more isolated from one another. We are living in artificial bubbles, some of our own creation and some imposed upon us. At times like these it is easy and natural to focus on our own situations and not upon those of others. If we don’t see it on the news or on the internet or social media it isn’t real to us. We jump from crisis to crisis and so are unaware or ignore the fact that so many people are hurting and need our compassion, prayers, and assistance. And so many times it is we ourselves who require that. Yes, we are all hurting, but we must not allow that to be an excuse or reason to not reach out to others. Jesus didn’t give any exemptions to loving our neighbor as ourselves, he just said to do it.

 

The monarchs of the Middle Ages claimed the Divine Right of Kings from God, and their absolute power led to horrible suffering for their people. Jesus actually is the Divine King, and his absolute power has freed us from sin and eternal death. He has absolute power and authority, yet he submitted his will to that of his Father. He asks us to do the same. He asks us to show compassion and mercy to everyone we meet, just as he does. He holds us up to the same standard that he held himself to. And just as his submission to the will of God led to his glorification, so will our submission lead to ours.

 

 

 

Balancing Act

 

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

It is serendipitous that this gospel reading falls during an election year, and especially these past couple of weeks, when the question of faith vs. the law has been foremost in the news. How are people of faith to live as faithful citizens? Are we to separate our religion from our citizenship? Can there be a true separation between church and state for us? What does that really mean? Can we truly put our faith in one box here and our interactions with the world in a box over there?

Is it acceptable to pay the census tax? The Pharisees were really asking Jesus if it were acceptable for the Jews to submit to Roman authority. The two great symbols of Roman oppression were the Roman army and Roman taxes, both of which were overwhelming and ever present. A sign of allegiance to the Roman empire was the payment of taxes. To resist paying was treason. That is one reason why tax collectors were so hated. Not just because oftentimes they cheated and got wealthy off their neighbors, but because they were seen as Roman sympathizers, traitors to their people. And so, the Pharisees were asking Jesus if it were ok to commit an act of civil disobedience, rebellion actually. If he said yes they could turn him over to the authorities. If he said no the people would turn against him.

He said to repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. Was Jesus telling them to practice separation of church and state, to offer dual allegiance both to the emperor and to their God? Was it ok to serve two masters? Was he telling them that it was ok to support the emperor, but only on the outside? Sort of like, throw the coins in the basket, but cross your fingers behind your back?

Jesus was practical about it. The Roman occupation was a reality, and he understood that earthly authority had its place, but God’s people were to ultimately submit to a higher authority. The kingdom his followers were to be subjects of was not of this world. It was in the world but not of it. Yes, we have to submit to earthly authority, if for no other reason than it allows societies to organize themselves safely, but we are not to offer our ultimate allegiance to it. That is reserved for our true king and creator. I think Jesus was preaching a rebellion of the spirit and of the soul. His message from the moment he began his public ministry was “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand”. In that message and mission he refocused our allegiance where it truly belonged. To Him.

This is a tough duality and is often really hard to balance. Do you choose your faith based upon your politics, or are your politics determined by your faith? If there is a political position or law that is contrary to the gospel, what are we to do? If a law is immoral, are we called to observe it anyway or are we called to change it? Are we called to resist it or even overthrow it? The questions are even more basic than that. Where does law come from? There is God’s law and there is human law. Where does morality come from? Is it a human construct or does it come from the creator? These questions were actually the basis of the Declaration of Independence, and they are the questions of conscience we all must face.

Why would faith in God be contrary to human law in the first place? Flip that around. Why would human laws be contrary to God’s law if they are just? If morality comes from God, then justice also comes from God. Therefore, laws that are just must conform to the law of God if they are to be moral and good. This may be hard for some people to grasp, but it's important. Catholics don't hold their positions on moral questions because of "deeply held religious convictions." Rather, they are held because of the conclusions of right reason applied to the understanding of the Natural Law. To be a good citizen means to live in the world but to order our lives around the moral and the good, and we do that best through the eyes of our faith.

In Gaudium et spes, the great Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World from Vatican II, the fathers stated, “The Council exhorts all Christians, as citizens of both cities, to perform their duties faithfully, in the spirit of the gospel. It is a mistake to think that, because we have here no lasting city, but seek the city which is to come, we are entitled to evade our earthly responsibilities…But it is no less mistaken to think that we may immerse ourselves in earthly activities as if these latter were foreign to religion…”

Jesus gave us the great commission to go and make disciples of all nations, and to do that we must teach them everything he has commanded us. We are to be active in the world and actually convert it. We are to spread Jesus’ commandments of loving God and our neighbor. We cannot just compartmentalize our faith and our interactions with the world. Our faith must be our interaction with the world. We have a responsibility to society and to one another. We cannot simply remove ourselves. We are our brother’s keeper. Jesus is the truth. We are to testify to the truth.

Two opposing positions cannot both be true. Either one is right and the other wrong or they are both wrong. To what truth do we adhere? I know plenty of people who have left the Catholic Church because they do not agree with this or that teaching. They go and find a church that agrees with them rather than take the time to really understand what the church is telling them. Because it is easier to do that than to admit that me might have to change our views and change our lives. It is oftentimes easier to render unto Caesar.

We are approaching one of our greatest privileges and responsibilities as citizens in a few weeks – voting. We exercise this privilege as citizens of the world. How we vote should be exercised as citizens of the Kingdom of God. As mature Christians we must vote our conscience, but that conscience must be properly formed. Again, do you choose your politics based upon your faith? Everyone has a conscience, but if you do not knowingly and willfully form that conscience society will do it for you. And we Catholics should turn to our church to help us form ours.

St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Jesus Christ established his church on earth upon his apostles and said that the Holy Spirt would always be active in and through it, until the end of time. He gave his apostles authority both in heaven and on earth. “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven.” He declared that he and his church are one in the same. He said, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects Him who sent me.” And the one who sent him is our king. And so, the Church has the moral authority to help us form our consciences.

So, whether you have made up your mind on how to vote or not, take some time to check your conscience. The US bishops put out a good guide for voting called Faithful Citizenship that you can find on the USCCB website. It is very balanced and does not endorse any political party. It does, however, state some truths of our faith as they apply to the public square that we should all consider and adhere to. Give to Caesar by voting. Give to God by voting with a properly informed conscience.

How would the world be if we truly lived as subjects of our true king? How would your lives and the lives of those around you be changed if you and I truly lived according to the two greatest commandments? The world fears the rule of God because it threatens earthly power and licentiousness. We do not.

What is Caesar’s are material things. What belongs to God is our souls.

We submit to authority but understand who the ultimate authority is.

We must work for justice in the world because we know who the ultimate judge is.

God himself is intimately involved in the world, so we are intimately involved.

The rule of Caesar is flawed and temporary. The rule of God is perfect and eternal.

 

 

It's Not Fair!

 

26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

Ez 18:25-28

Phil 2:1-11

Mt 21:28-32

 

It’s not fair! And thank God it’s not.

Today’s readings tie in nicely with last week’s, where we heard the parable of the vineyard workers where the workers who were hired for only a short time received the same wage as those who had worked all day under the sun. The ones who had worked all day felt cheated because the vineyard owner was generous with his money. We hear from the prophet Ezekial today that the Israelites felt they were not being treated fairly by God because there were consequences to their actions. Ezekial sets them straight just as the vineyard owner last week did with the workers who had felt cheated.

It is so good that God does not treat us as we treat each other. It is so good for us that God’s ways are not our ways. What we think is fair may not be what God thinks is fair. We think that getting our fair share means someone else misses out. God gives everyone the same based upon our actions. Our idea of justice is really around punishment. God’s idea of justice is all about mercy. We are all given as many chances as we like to repent and return to God, up until the very moment of our death. And it doesn’t matter what other people do. It’s our choice and we will each have to suffer the consequences of our choices.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes us, just as long as we make the right choice.

Both sons in the vineyard story today had a change of heart, but the only decision that mattered was the one that ultimately conformed to their father’s will. We aren’t given any reasons for their decisions. We don’t know why they ultimately changed their minds. Perhaps the first son who initially agreed to go into the vineyard was attacked and vilified for it. Maybe his friends lured him away to go have some fun instead.  Perhaps the second son was hard-headed and proud, but came to obey his father out of love for him. Or maybe his friends guilted him into it. Their situations didn’t matter, only their decisions did.

We are all called to work in the vineyard of the Lord and be faithful to his commandments. And his commandment is to love one another as he has loved us. To love someone else as God loves them is to humbly serve them.

I spend too much time on social media, I admit it. It seems that every day someone posts a meme or a comment about how important it is to focus on yourself, to rid yourself of people who do not bring out the best in you, or don’t reciprocate your affection or attention. Be strong and be alone. Don’t rely on others. Such an American way of thinking, isn’t it? But that is not how God thinks. St. Paul says today that not only should we be of one mind and heart, we should actually live for one another, to empty ourselves just as Jesus did.

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.

To be truly human is to serve others. Jesus said that he did not come to be served but to serve. God didn’t have to become man. He didn’t have to redeem us. He didn’t have to suffer our ignorance. He didn’t have to suffer and die on that cross. He chose to. He humbled himself and became one of us, because he loved us so. He not only became human, Paul says he took on the form of a slave, the lowest form of human. He became obedient and humbled himself. Are we greater that that? Are we called to anything other than that?

Jesus always turns things on their head. We think that success will come from being self-reliant, smart, and focused on ourselves. Jesus says the greatest person is the one who is the servant of all. We think that those that work harder should get more. Jesus says that everyone is subject to his mercy, no matter what. We think that appearances matter. Jesus says that we will be judged not by our words and our promises but by our actions. Those who do nothing will receive nothing, but even the reluctant workers will get the rewards.

And we are given every chance throughout our lives to make decisions to act, even to the very end of our lives. The workers in last week’s parable thought it was not fair that those who had worked in the vineyard only one hour should get the same pay as those who worked all day. And we may think that it’s not fair that someone who had lived a wicked life but at the end repents will gain the same reward as the person who was faithful their entire life. But what if you were that person, would you care if it were fair, or would you rejoice in your good fortune? We should not consider it a slight to ourselves if God is merciful to others. We should rejoice with them.

I find it a great comfort to know that I can choose God even in the last moment of my life, and he will be merciful. I also know that I can not choose God, and there will be consequences to that. I know that I am called to work every day of my life for others if I am to be a true disciple. And discipleship will bring me happiness and will greatly benefit those around me, and will ultimately lead to eternal life with God. It’s really hard to think of myself last, and I rarely do it well, but I am still called to try, even if I fail.

Think not as human beings do but as God does. We never seem to understand that, do we? It seems to be so difficult for us to live not for ourselves but for others. We don’t understand that the best way to be happy in ourselves is to deny ourselves and live for others. The path to happiness and fulfillment in life is through selflessness. That is the way God thinks. Jesus proved that.

We are not to worry about what others are doing. Worry about yourself. Only an empty cup can be filled. Empty yourself and you will be filled. By humbling himself Jesus was exalted. It will be the same with us.

It’s really not fair. Isn’t that wonderful?