Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Nov. 26, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 25:31-46. Theme: Viva Cristo Rey! Christ the King Lives!
At 10 a.m. on Nov. 23, 1927, a 36-year old Jesuit priest was taken from his death-row cell and marched across the prison yard. He was among the most wanted men in Mexico. As he walked he held a crucifix in one hand and a rosary in the other. One of the guards approached him and with tears in his eyes begged forgiveness for what was about to happen.
Upon arrival at the place of execution, the priest asked permission to pray and knelt before a wall that was stained with blood and riddled with bullet holes. Then he stood up, extended his arms in the form of a cross, and facing the firing squad he exclaimed in a loud steady voice: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” “Christ the King Lives!” Shots rang out and the priest fell to the ground. To the frustration and dismay of the government authorities - and despite great danger to themselves - 60,000 Catholics lined the streets of Mexico City for his funeral procession, repeatedly chanting his dying words: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” “Christ the King Lives!”
That priest was Father Miguel Pro, whom we now honor as a martyr and whose feast day is appropriately celebrated every year close to Christ the King Sunday which we are observing today. He ministered during the bloody persecution of Catholics in Mexico in the 1920’s, but for a short time he sought refuge not too far from here down in Los Gatos. In order to evade the police he became a master of disguises, continually avoiding capture and persistently bringing the Gospel and the Sacraments to the Catholics of Mexico City. And he had a great sense of humor and daring when carrying out these escapades. For example, one time he dressed in a fancy suit, lit up a cigarette and then walked hand-in-hand with a female parishioner right in front of police headquarters. The officers thought they were seeing just another young couple out for an evening walk, having no clue that they were greeting one of Mexicos’ most wanted and that hidden safely in the women’s purse were consecrated hosts of the Blessed Sacrament being brought to the sick and dying.
Blessed Miquel became a government target precisely because he stood up for the truth, bravely defying the anti-freedom laws which forbid the display of faith in public. He ignored these illegal policies, firm in the conviction that no earthly government has the authority to deny religious freedom or eject God from civic life. He protested the idea that the practice of religion was to be confined behind the walls of a church, or kept politely within the parameters of one’s personal life as a simply private matter. He knew that a truly free and just society was one built upon public faith in God.
And you know, we are actually in a similar situation today.
In our own nation, people of faith are told to keep God and His Word to themselves when it comes to our schools, our workplaces and in our politics. Our present-day attacks on religious freedom may not be bloody but they are nonetheless very real and carried out by means of discriminatory government directives and echoed by the public voice of a very anti Judeo-Christian biased media. We need to have within us the very same spirit as Fr. Pro and make his cry our own: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” “Christ the King Lives!”
Pope Piux XI established Christ the King Sunday just 2 years before the martyrdom of Fr. Pro as a way to highlight the importance of faith and support religious freedom. Humanity had just come out of the never-before-seen horrors of the First World War. The godless tyrannies of Communism in Russia, Facism in Italy and Nazism in Germany were rising and demanding absolute loyalty while canceling human rights. But those who kept faith amidst persecution made a huge difference. People with faith had much more inner strength to endure and survive. It was faith that led them to put their own lives on the line to serve and protect their suffering brothers and sisters. And so, Pope Piux XI hoped that Christ the King Sunday would inspire Christians to recommit to Christ and live according to the values of the Gospel so that it would be possible to build a civilization of love, rooted in peace and justice, and characterized by compassion and mercy.
The message of today’s celebration is that it means very little if we simply say that Christ is King but do not make him Lord of our lives. To do so, we must dethrone ourselves and give this pride of place to Jesus. It means we must put and keep Christ first in our lives as King of kings and Lord of Lords. In return, He will bless us and transform us into Kingdom-people whose hearts become healed, restored, changed and forgiven by obedience to His Word and the grace of His Sacraments. And then he will send us out as ambassadors of the Kingdom, as missionary disciples who share with others what Jesus has done for us and what He can do for them. In this way we enable the grace and Good News of the Kingdom to touch and influence our families and our friends, our neighborhoods and our workplaces, our government and our politics. And this is really what today’s celebration of Christ the King Sunday is all about.
I would like to end by leading you in a prayer based on that which Pope Pius XI asked to be recited every year on Christ the King Sunday:
Christ Jesus, I acknowledge You as King of the universe
And I enthrone You as Lord of my life.
I here and now renew the promises of my Baptism
asking You to live and reign within me.
Open my mind to be taught by your Holy Word.
Open my heart to be fed by Your Holy Sacrament.
Open my mouth to share Your Good News to others
so that Your Kingdom may come to every human heart.
Amen.
The Mexican government took photos of Fr. Pro's execution thinking that they would serve as a scare-tactic warning to protestors. Their plan failed and actually had the opposite effect of increasing faith and uniting the people against their unjust government.
Blessed Miquel Pro kneeling before execution.
Fr. Pro at the moment of his martyrdom.
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