Homily originally presented on Sunday, November 20, 2016

When I was growing up, my family would have fun playing board games ... mostly on Sunday ... and mostly on cold Chicago winter days. Two of the Board games we played a lot were Checkers and Chess. Perhaps you remember playing them too ... both are games of strategy ... with Chess requiring a higher level of skill and concentration. In Chess there are 16 white pieces moving against 16 black pieces ... With each player trying to capture the opposing color pieces. There are 6 different types of Chessmen that each make different types of moves. There are Pawns and Rooks, Knights and Bishops, and a King and a Queen. As the game unfolds, each player has the opportunity to capture different pieces ... but the eventual winner is determined by ... the one who is able to capture the other player’s King! If you capture the King, you win!

In this way, the Game of Chess models what happens in the real world. When the United States invaded Iraq 13 years ago, Our goal was to capture one guy ... the King ... Saddam Hussein. We thought that if we got to him, that would assure victory for us and the people. While it did to a certain degree ... the underlying civil war there between the Sunni and Shiite religious factions has greatly delayed victory for the people. When the United States landed in Normandy, France in 1944
our goal was to capture one guy in Berlin, Germany ... the King ... Adolph Hitler. We thought that if we got to him, that would assure victory for us and the people. We did get to Berlin, but no one ever found Hitler. We believe that he committed suicide and his body was burned to prevent the Allied Forces from getting it. But in both cases ... victory went to the ones ... who got to the King.

That same thought & strategy must have gone through the minds of the Jews during the time of Jesus. If they could just capture one guy ... Jesus, things would be OK. You see, the Jews felt threatened by the way He was gathering disciples to follow Him and so, they plotted to capture Him and put Him to death ... hoping that that would do away with his reign as leader of the people. You see, the Jews were looking for a King ... a King like they had a thousand years earlier in mighty King David. Recall in our First Reading today from 2nd Samuel how the Chosen People ... sought out David ... and anointed him .. and made him King of Israel. King David was special!
He was big and strong and handsome and successful in battle ... and he reigned for 40 years over a united Kingdom of Israel, and so ...
the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for the Savior King to be just like him.

But Jesus wasn’t another David, so they completely missed recognizing ... the King that God the Father sent to them ... Jesus ... The Lamb of God. a man of supernatural wisdom and power, but meek and lowly in appearance. So they missed identifying Jesus as their new King ... captured Him and condemned Him to death.
As Jesus hung on the Cross, the Jewish Rulers even taunted Him about this saying as we heard in our Gospel today, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” Jesus didn’t respond to their taunts ... but He did respond to the Good Thief hanging on the Cross next to Him ... who acknowledged Him as a King, saying:
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” To which Jesus replied, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” In answering this way, Jesus equated His Kingdom with Paradise ... a place not of this world of space and time ... a place entered into after dying to this world.

In all of this, it’s important to see that the Kingship of Jesus ... was very different from that of earthly Kings. When Saddam Hussein and Adolph Hitler died, they lost and left their Kingdom. But, when Jesus died, He won and entered His Kingdom. Jesus, the God-Man didn’t lose His power in death ... He retained His power at the right hand of the Father in the Kingdom of Heaven!

The capture and death of Saddam and Hitler meant an end to their Kingdom. But not so for Jesus ... He reigns over a Kingdom that will never end. We affirm this in our Creed when we say, “and his kingdom will have no end.” We really believe this ... even though we can’t see His Kingdom right now. Just as we can’t see oxygen and gravity and electricity with our eyes ... we experience the effects of them and therefore believe they are there. In the same way, we can’t see the Kingdom of Heaven right now with our eyes ... but we experience the effects of God’s care and therefore believe He is there.

St. Paul refers to this unseen reality in our Second Reading from Colossians saying, “In Him all things were created in heaven & on earth, the visible and the invisible.” Jesus’ Kingdom isn’t visible to us on this earth. Recall how Jesus responded when Pilate said, “So you are a King.” Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” And indeed it is not ... but it awaits those, who like the Good Thief ... acknowledge Jesus as King ... and ask for entrance. It’s important to realize that Paradise will never be found here on earth ... but only in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In our Second Reading today, Paul guides us, “Give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light (by delivering) us from the power of darkness and (transferring) us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” In other words ... transferring us from the darkness of this world to the light of the Heavenly Kingdom. Our future inheritance ... is to share in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. We implore God for this each time we pray the Lord’s Prayer and say, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done.” The Romans got it right when they put the Sign “INRI” over Jesus on the Cross. It means “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”. Jesus is indeed the King of the Jews. And, He is also the King of the Gentiles (the non-Jews) too!

How did that happen? It happened because the Apostles ... acting as messengers to their King ... went out to Gentile lands proclaiming the Good News ...
that the Kingdom of Heaven is available to all who claim Jesus as their King. Today some 2 Billion people around the world, claim Jesus as their King. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the King of Heaven and Earth ... Jesus is the King of the Universe ... Jesus is the King of Kings! But is He your King? He reigns over Heaven and Earth ... but does He reign in your heart? Do you realize how blessed you are to be related to the King? It reminds me of a story about a man driving through the beautiful countryside over in Europe who stops at one estate and sees a little girl about 10 ... just skipping and singing in the field and having a joyful good time. So he asked her, “Who are you young lady?” And she replied, “Oh, I’m nobody ... but my Father’s the King!”

Wow! That simple response said it all. Without even saying her name ... her relationship to her father ... the King ... gave her great dignity. Do you realize the dignity that you have? Do you realize that our Brother is the King? Not the King of the land ... but ... The King of the Universe! Who are you? Oh, I’m nobody ... but my Brother’s the King! Yes, as members of God’s Family, we’ve got connections at a very high level! Those connections should make us want to skip and sing and be filled with joy. Let’s cherish and sustain those connections.

The number one goal of our life should be the same as in the game of Chess ... to get to the King! Our every thought, word and deed should be governed by the strategy of what moves can we make ... that will get us closer to the King.  You know, in that other board Game we learned called Checkers ... one of the goals you had was to make it safely across the board ... so that your game piece was “crowned” to be a King. This gave you added power ... to then move in any direction you wanted! When we got our checker safely across the board we’d often say, “OK, King me!”

That should be another goal in the game of life ... to make it across the span of our years and get to the other side where Jesus will crown us with the crown of glory. Let’s take a lesson from these two Board Games ... where the most important piece ... is the King! And recognize that in the game of Life ... the most important person is Jesus, the King of Kings ... and whoever captures Him ... wins! So, let’s seek Him and hold onto Him every day ... For Jesus is the King ... now and forever ... and if you get the King ... you win!