From the Heart of the Shepherd
- Church of St. Mark
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
From the bulletin for The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (2025 November 23)
Nov 23 - Christ the King
Some speak of “separation of church and state.” The Bible, in contrast, speaks of an intermingling of “wheat and tares” both within the Church (see 1 Jn 2:19) and in the world (see Acts 18:10). There, the relevant separation is between those who gather with Christ and those who scatter (Mt 12:30); those who are “of the truth” (Jn 18:37) and those who believe the lie (2 Thess 2:11); in a word, those who walk in darkness, and those who come to the Light.
The world panorama revealed in Scriptures is remarkably grim. In the desert Satan shows Our Lord “all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant” and tells Him rather smugly that “all this power and their glory has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish” (cf. Lk 4:5-6). The Apostle John, writing long after the Resurrection, makes the sober observation that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19). Elsewhere he identifies “the huge dragon, the ancient serpent,” as the Devil and Satan, “who deceived the whole world” (Rev 12:9) and who, in the end, induces the nations to array themselves for battle against the saints and the city of God (Rev 20:7-9).
True, “all authority is from God” (cf. Rom 13:1), and “all power in Heaven and on earth” has been given to Christ (Mt 28:18). And yes, Christ’s light has shone and continues to shine in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Nevertheless “men have preferred darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn 3:19). And insofar as the rulers of this world have not allowed themselves to be drawn to Christ on the Cross, “the prince of this world” has not yet been cast out of the nations under their power (Jn 12:31-32).
It is not hard for us to generate a list of ways that “the whole world has been led astray” by the spirit who denies that Jesus is the Christ (cf. 1 Jn 2:22). Rampant secularism; the more egregious ideological errors of our time, which have led so many to deny obvious truths about human nature; the ongoing efforts to relativize or obscure the person of Jesus Christ, etc. But reflecting on how much of “the world” has been a part of the upbringing and worldview of so many Catholics today (my own included), perhaps we should ask ourselves, “to what extent am I still under ‘the lie’ and the deception of ‘the dragon’? What basic assumptions that are operative in my heart and mind are of darkness and not of the Light?” In a world saturated with commercial news and “taught” by AI-powered search engines, in which ideology and historical narrative are so intertwined and in which powerful and ubiquitous forces are constantly at work to shape our ways of thinking, speaking, and shopping, we would be foolish to assume that no tares ever adulterate the wheat in the field of our souls. “But who can discern his errors?” (Ps 19:12) “Let the light of Thy face shine upon us, O Lord!” (Ps 4:6).
With reason, then, Our Lord tells His disciples, “In the world you will have trouble.” No kidding! Yes, in such a world, those who seek to follow the truth shall have trouble. And insofar as that world seeps into our hearts, they shall always have reason to be troubled. “But take courage,” says our King, “I have conquered the world!” (Jn 16:33). In today’s preface, the Church rejoices to proclaim “an eternal and universal kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.” Free of all illusions and mindful that that Kingdom “is not of this world” (Jn 19:36), let us “not love the world or the things in the world” (1 Jn 2:15), but rather that King who reigns from the Cross, who cast out the devil and conquers the world and imparts the Spirit of truth to all who obey Him.