My friends, in most Catholic and Christian churches today, except for ours,  you would hear that we are celebrating the feast of, “Christ the King.”  Here, we name this feast, Jesus, the Christ, our Brother and Friend, and we do that for a definitive reason – Jesus never claimed to be a “king” and never wanted that title.  This Church feast is, in fact, just 100 years old this year! 

   Pope Pius XI, in 1925, established this feast as he felt that Catholics were forgetting about Jesus and that this feast would re-establish his place in our lives.  It is too bad that the emphasis was in “Jesus’ power over us” rather than uplifting his life and encouraging us humans to “walk in his footsteps.” 

   So, as always, let’s look at the Scriptures.  Each selection today speaks in one way or another about what the people, in the times of the book of Samuel in the Old Testament, Paul in the New Testament, and in the gospel of Luke would expect from a would-be king or leader. 

   In the 1^st reading from Samuel, the people come to David, their would-be king and ruler and tell him that he will “shepherd” them – an interesting take and connection to David’s earlier occupation of “shepherd to the sheep” – now he will “shepherd” people.  The peoples’ response is “Here we are” [!]

   As an aside, in the early days of Roman Catholic Women Priests ordinations, many of us, me included, placed the words, “Here we are,” on banners, and added, “We are ready” as our statement of faith in what God was doing within us. 

   These words, “Here we are” seem appropriate today, indicating that in response to our baptisms, not only are “we here,” but that, “we are ready” to do our part.

   As we think about David and his call, “to shepherd” his people, we realize another of the reasons for using the right, perhaps more correct names for our leaders.  There is the human tendency to, “take power,” if we are given it, and “run with it,” forgetting “why” this power was entrusted to us in the 1^st place.  If we recall the story of David, we remember that he forgot “to shepherd,” for a time, and opted for “reigning,” as in “king,” instead, until he once again found his way. 

   It is interesting in this light, to consider the term, “reverend,” a term that many priests, both male and female use as a title.  “Reverend” comes from the Latin, reverendus, meaning [one who is] to be revered/must be respected.  For me, it seems that, just because “one is ordained,” doesn’t mean they should automatically, “be respected,”  but rather, by their actions. 

   And for that reason, I use the title, “pastor,” as it continuallly reminds me, to try “to pastor” folks, not “rule them.”  A small example to this point is of a newly ordained male back a few years ago who told me that he “demanded” that his parishioners call him, “Father” – it always struck me that his stance of “demanding,” was all wrong. 

   The second reading from Paul to the Colossians shows us his relationship to Jesus, as, “the Christ” – as this was the only way Paul knew Jesus, as they had never met as humans, one to the other.  If we reflect on “the Christ” as theologians and Franciscans, Sister Ilia Delio and Father Richard Rohr speak of Jesus, we realize, “this” Christ is a “big enough” God for all believers, “a Cosmic Christ,” yet Paul’s understanding is more narrow –Paul’s “Christ” is one who came “to save us from our sins” “through Jesus’ death on the cross,” as he speaks of it in today’s 2^nd reading, as if that was the only reason for Jesus becoming human.  We know today from modern exegesis that in one sense, Jesus did “come to save us,” but, in a larger sense, “from ourselves,” by showing us, “the way” to live and to love. 

   In Luke’s gospel selection for today, it is clear that the soldiers ridiculing Jesus as he dies, didn’t understand either why he came.  Interestingly though, one of the men dying alongside him did! “This one has done nothing wrong” [as he spoke of Jesus’ earthly life of justice, mercy, compassion and love for us humans.

   The fact is, though, what he said about Jesus is not entirely true—that “Jesus had done nothing wrong.”  In the eyes of the powers-that-were in Jesus’ time—he had done plenty wrong! Jesus was advocating that the leaders deal out justice for all, especially the least among them, and criticizing them for not being the “servants” that true kings and leaders should be.  The only way to silence such a one, or so they thought, was the punishment that Jesus was suffering. 

   So, my friends, if we are to be true followers of our brother Jesus, then we cannot get caught up in the theology “that God sent Jesus to die for our sins.”  If we stay there, then Jesus “does” it all—there is nothing for us to do, but live, without ever questioning, never looking at ourselves, never taking the responsibility for our own actions and doing our part. 

   Jesus came to show us how to live our human experience in the best way.  Sometimes that may get us into trouble, as it did Jesus, but we are expected as his followers to get out into our world, in the midst of the sometimes mess we find there, as in our present time, and to do our part to make things better.  Jesuit and social activist in the 1980s, Dan Berrigan, was known to have said,  “If you want to follow Jesus, you better look good on wood!” 

   In conclusion then, let’s home in on Jesus’ true mission for each of us—anything that isn’t ultimately about attempting to be our best through kindness, mercy, and justice for all, including ourselves—basically about love, should not be wasting our time.  And you will notice that I included, “ourselves,” as we can’t be there for others if we forget ourselves. It’s a balance.

   So, also as we said last week in concluding another, Year of Grace, this “being a Christian” isn’t easy – it will at times call us to some hard decisions, most likely, not “crucifixion,” but sometimes standing alone, even among family and friends.  But we must remember that we have strong shoulders to stand on in our brother and friend, Jesus, the Christ!” Amen? Amen!

My friends, I don’t know about you, but I have always appreciated having a new start.  I love the change of seasons that we experience here in Minnesota – the new life that spring affords us – I never quite get over the mystery and miracle of how each year, new, little, green buds pop out of ground just very recently frozen.  Then the continued growth of flowers and vegetables to labor over, and to enjoy – the harvest, and then the shutting down of all growing things, and a much-needed rest, of which we are upon now.  

   The Church Year follows a somewhat same journey through time which I likewise appreciate and am grateful for.  With today, the last Sunday in Ordinary Time, and next week, a feast to celebrate Jesus, the Christ, our brother, friend, and model, hopefully, that we pattern our own lives after, we will end another Church Year of grace. 

   The holy season of Advent begins then on November 30^th, and we are into a new Church Year.  But I am getting ahead of myself…Let’s look then at today’s readings.  There seems to be an urgency in all of them, to, simply put, as I always say, “be our best.”  We are encouraged to basically, “take a look,” to see how we are doing.  We might ask, “could we be accused and convicted, for being a Christian? – would there be enough evidence?  Not to be too dramatic though, we  are encouraged to look  into our lives to see where possible change may be needed. Perhaps we may not be doing “anything wrong,” but again, would others be able to know, looking at our actions, that we are Jesus’ followers? Not an easy task, and in our present day world, so much injustice to address.

   A very good friend to Robert and I over the years since I was ordained started out as my religion instructor in my freshman year at Cotter High School, Jim Fitzpatrick, who was then an active diocesan priest.  After ten years in ministry, he became aware of the sexual abuse of minors that was happening among some of his brother priests.  He took his knowledge to the bishop, who basically did nothing.  Jim, being the moral person that he was, left active ministry over this issue and through the rest of his life, along with his wife, Karen, was “active” in new and different ways, being true to his call to follow his brother Jesus.  I think he and she could be accused and convicted of being Christians. 

   Sometimes, many times, our faith calls us to being, “more than,” “just good.”  Sometimes, we must be about “good trouble,” as John Lewis said. 

   When I think of Jim Fitzpatrick, who stood not much more than 5 feet in height, I marvel at the attention he was able to get in our lowly group of beginning high schoolers.  When we didn’t seem to produce the answers quick enough or with enough interest, he used to exclaim, “C’mon, catch fire!” 

   Our national group of bishops “caught fire” this past week in their quite strong statement against the treatment of immigrants by the powers-that-be in our country. Now, if they just continue the “good words” with sustained action demanding change, that will be good!  The past couple of days, I was with a group of my sister and brother Cojourners at Assisi Heights in Rochester, home of the Franciscan Sisters there. Cojourners are lay folks who attempt in their lives to live Franciscan values alongside the sisters. We spent many good hours trying to understand, and decide, how we may continue to not only exist, but be vibrant in our world, once the sisters have all gone home to God.

   So, my friends, these readings today, as we are winding down another Church Year, are instructing us as Paul did the Thessalonians in today’s 2^nd reading, “to be concerned about giving good example.”  Paul puts it rather bluntly today, “If you do not work, you should not eat.” Now there are those in power today who would agree with that,but that is because they and Paul are applying a black and white solution to an often very gray problem.  If someone is lazy, well then fine, but if someone is incapable of work, that is another thing. I would probably soften Paul’s words to say, rather, “get your heart in the right place!”  None of us can do all, but all of us can do something to make our world better. 

   Our brother Jesus gives us some pointers in today’s gospel from Luke at what “our walk in his footsteps” will be like –words good to heed, I think:  “Take care not to be misled,” you will suffer for my name.”  In speaking with many of you, I know you suffer the estrangement of family members ands friends, because your morals don’t allow you to accept the rhetoric and tone of many in our country today – if your heart won’t allow you to agree and those who may have supported you in the past, no longer do, our brother Jesus understands that from personal experience in his world,  and he encourages, “patient endurance” or we might say, “keep on keeping on.”

   When our friend Jim Fitzpatrick died, many, including us attended his Celebration of Life, now 6 years ago.  Another of his students, a religious sister who gave the homily, spoke of Jim’s favorite Scripture passage – that of the Transfiguration wherein Jesus takes his apostles, Peter, James and John up a mountain and he shows himself to them in a different way as he appeared alongside Moses and Elijah. 

   What Jim loved about this passage were Peter’s impetuous and spontaneous words, to what he was seeing, “It is good for us to be here!”  Evidently, the only time in Scripture that we hear these words about “it being good that we, each of us, is here!   Jim Fitzpatrick took these words, “the goodness of his being here” to heart, knowing that Jesus was calling him to make a difference. 

   At the beginning of November, the Church celebrated, “All Saints Day,” a day we remember so many who have gone on before us, who made a difference.  Perhaps you have a favorite saint or two.  I always take great joy in thinking of my patron saint, Catherine of Siena, who took issue not only with bishops, but with the pope too for not being their best. An aside, if you don’t know how to find your patron saint, and perhaps there is more than one, as in my case, with Catherine, you would take the one closest to your birthday.  If there is only one saint with your name, then it is easy.  I also like to add, every day, ordinary people, like many in our own personal lives, are saints too, uncanonized, but saints just the same. 

   So, my friends, tying this all together, being a follower of our brother Jesus, is far from an easy task if we are truly “walking” with him, but the hope is always, with each passing day, each passing Church Year, we can begin again, making a difference.

   And when it comes right down to it – it really is, “all about love!”  Most Monday evenings since March of this year, I have stood on the corner of Main and Broadway along with approximately 100 or more others advocating for a better world. Robert is on my left, and two older, sweet ladies are on my right somewhat comfortably seated, doing the same.  This past week, one of them said, “being here maybe doesn’t make much of a difference, but I get hope that I am doing something,”  especially when cars go by honking approval. I told them, “Ladies, we are walking the talk!”  We don’t always know what seeds we are planting…

   Teilhard de Chardin said it better and even though I have shared these words before, I think they are a fitting way to end today:   “Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love.  Then, for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire.”  And again, Jim Fitzpatrick would say, “C’mon, catch fire!”  Amen? Amen!