Homily for the Feast of Christ the King, Year A
The rulers sneered at Jesus and said,
“He saved others, let him save himself
if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”
Even the soldiers jeered at him.
As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
“If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”
Above him there was an inscription that read,
“This is the King of the Jews.”Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
“Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
“Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”-Luke 23:35-43
“Indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we have received corresponds to our crimes.”
Our Savior was crucified for being the Son of the Living God and the Davidic King of the Jews: that is the reason for his hanging from the holy cross, and we see this sentence written by Pilate on practically every crucifix (Eastern rite crucifixes and very early Latin ones have “the King of Glory, ” but that is surely the equivalent expression, albeit a grander and more concise one!).
In Our Lord’s case, the punishment did not fit the motivation of his executioners, whether legal or popular, since he had committed no crime nor had he done anything wrong, as the prophet foretold. The authorities and the crowd had simply rejected the truth, and so they called his truth-telling treason, and killed him unjustly.
Yet his fellow condemned had a different judgment about themselves: “We have been condemned justly,” they said, and they even asserted that the horrible crucifixion they were undergoing was a fitting punishment for their misdeeds. And this was true, since they had committed terrible crimes, for which even if they had escaped earthly punishment (as many violent and cruel men do even now) they would still face the judgment of God and an eternal condemnation in the hell of the damned: a fate much worse than capital punishment!
But this Gospel is about the reign of Christ on the great feast of his kingship: his is a reign not only of justice and peace, but also of mercy and love. The good thief, whom the Church venerates as a saint, admitted his crime and so was pardoned by the Lord. He confessed not only that he was a sinner deserving of punishment; he also confessed the Holy Name of Jesus (the better manuscripts followed in the lectionary version show this) and his kingdom. Thus he received an immediate reward and a triumphant share in Christ’s kingship: the first to be given eternal bliss. Some icons show him with the keys to hell, standing outside while all the other just souls still wait within!
In the days of Catholic states, the condemned was absolved on the scaffold, if not before, and care was taken that his last action was to kiss or look upon the cross held before him. There were even confraternities of laymen whose work of mercy was to assure a happy death to those condemned to death by the state.
Thus, whatever the defects of these states in matters concerning human dignity, they had the great perfection of acting as though the salvation of souls were a primary concern. This is to recognize human dignity at its deepest level, to desire the eternal bliss of one’s own mortal enemy, and to work to obtain it. In this they imitated the judgments of Christ our King. There is a collect of the Roman Mass that says the God shows his “almighty power most of all by sparing and having mercy.”
A truly strong state must be a state that is strong enough to show mercy, even as it judges justly the crimes that deserve punishment. And a just society is not made up of revolutionaries who deny that they have done anything deserving of punishment.
The executioner of old, who represented the state at that final hour, was directed to ask pardon of the one he was about to kill. Pardon for what? For taking a life. The Catholic executioner asked for mercy from the criminal! What an amazing religion we have!
In speaking of kingship and capital punishment, we would be remiss in omitting to mention St. Thomas More, unjustly condemned like Christ and the apostles and martyrs, and yet praying for long life and happiness for his earthly king, a great example of mercy and meekness. In his Utopia, the saint and witness to the true faith discusses in dialogue the question of executions. His example and his writing would be good for us to consider as we hail our glorious King whose reign lasts forevermore.