Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live Christ the King! For a long time this rallying cry has lifted the spirits of Christians in our journey through history, especially at times of persecution.
We need to try to understand the Gospel text in the beginning of St. Luke’s version, of what it called Jesus’ 'Eschatological Discourse.'
'Eschatological' means having to do with the 'End Times' - it is the discourse of the End Times.
Days after His Triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, before His Passion and Death, Jesus is teaching in the Temple at the same time that the Jewish authorities are trying to entrap Him.
After His parables on the End Times, Jesus begins to speak more directly to the crowd with predictions.
He starts by predicting the Destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem - a prophesy that was fulfilled 35 years later because the people had not recognized Him!
In Luke’s Gospel Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem 3 times.
But because His listeners thought He was speaking about the Final Judgement, He speaks about the bigger picture of history. This happens a couple of times in the discourse. He then talks of calamities – particularly wars, famines and pandemics.
Note that he mentions pandemics – as they will occur repeatedly throughout the world in the many centuries to follow, all because of Original Sin.
Until finally The End Time is to come at an unknown moment, apparently accompanied by great cosmic upheavals that Jesus calls 'signs.'
He is NOT saying these things to scare us! Quite the opposite.
Jesus wants us to believe in Him and trust in Him.
We are not to follow false prophets and false teaching. We are to be prepared for the persecution of Christians throughout history.
Today, celebrating Saint Andrew and the Vietnamese Martyrs, we remember perhaps the most brutal persecution of Christians in history.
Christians today are being persecuted in many places.
Two days before His passion, death and resurrection, before giving His life for us - to conquer death and then to rise again - Jesus tells us that He will come again in Glory!
Until then, we are to understand what is going on, we are to be steadfast and courageous - believing, trusting, praying, and loving one another.
We are to see His face in the faces of those in need, so that He will say to us, “Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you."
Viva Cristo Rey.
Long live Christ the King!
- Father Jim's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
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