This homily was given at Masses on the first weekend at my new parish of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Kansas City, Kansas.
Today’s homily is kind of part three in the series of the last two weekends considering our baptismal call to be priests and prophets. Today we consider our commission to share in the kingly office of Jesus. Perhaps we think of a king as a tyrant, a dictator. Especially in America, we tend to have a negative image of kings. However, the real call of a king is to bring about the best ordering of his kingdom for the good of all his subjects. A good king is a servant of the public good.
Jesus is the king of kings, so maybe we shouldn’t have such a negative image of kings. Rather than trying to take and get more for himself, Jesus humbled himself completely. That’s the kind of kings he calls us to be. When he sent his disciples out on mission in today’s gospel he actually tells them to leave a bunch of “stuff” behind. Despite having no possessions or money with them, at the end of their mission the disciples come back rejoicing!
We all want to rejoice. The message in the gospel is that joy comes not from having a bunch of stuff but from fulfilling the mission and purpose of our life. If we know we are sent by Jesus then we go and preach the gospel and don’t even care if a town accepts or rejects the message. There is still joy. But, if we don’t know our mission then we will just waste time chasing after more of what the world offers. Worldly pleasures and possessions will never satisfy and will not lead to lasting joy.
You’re called to be a king, to go out and bring heaven to earth. Are you going out and conquering the culture or are you a victim of the culture? Do you shape the culture or does it shape you? If you’re trying to play the world’s game and are left feeling disappointed, then it’s time to start fighting and go out on mission. It’s time to claim your kingly character.