Empire or Kingdom?
Pentecost and Politics
We could debate the precise year of the downfall of the Roman Empire. Some historians favor 395 A.D., when Emperor Theodosius I died and the East and West were definitively separated. Others push for the year 410, when the Visigoths, led by King Alaric, sacked Rome. Traditionally, we refer to the year 476, when the German chieftain Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustus. Whenever the Empire actually disintegrated, Pope Leo the Great played a key role in the year 452.
The Visigoth Sack of Rome in the year 410 was simply the first of many barbarian incursions into the West. The Roman defense system was powerless to repel invaders. In the middle of the 5th century, one invader from the distant Eurasian steppes seemed poised to take over the Empire. Attila the Hun brought death and destruction everywhere he went. As he approached the city of Rome unopposed, Pope Leo rode out to meet him. One of the saddest bits of history is that we have no record of their conversation, since it evidently led to the total withdrawal of Attila’s troops and the preservation of Rome from what seemed like inevitable devastation.
As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the Church’s birthday, and we can reflect on her nature. Is the Church an empire or a kingdom? Earthly empires ultimately preserve themselves through coercion and domination. The logic of empire tends toward domination, centralization, and self-preservation.
This is a far cry from the way Jesus presents the Kingdom of God, which the Church is called to emulate in this world. Rather than speaking of violent overthrow, Jesus speaks of the seeds of the Kingdom of God. He recounts the parable of the sower. He denounces the desire of earthly kings to lord over their subjects. His kingdom is ruled by the Beatitudes, which form the spiritual constitution of his kingdom. They demand self-denial, not power-grabbing. The Holy Spirit sustains the communion of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus breathes on the disciples and gives them his Spirit. As we look down through the centuries, we can look at the history of the Church as a vacillation between a desire for empire and a desire to be the Kingdom of God. A cry for Christian triumphalism is a desire for empire and seems opposed to the message of the Gospel, embodied in this feast of Pentecost. We will triumph, but we will triumph under the banner of the cross. Our desire is not to conquer foreign lands and peoples, but to introduce them into the peace and consolation that the Holy Spirit brings.
Some folks would lament the loss of the Papal States in 1870. However, many Church historians view this as a lightening of the temporal load that the Roman Pontiff must carry. We see clearly that the weakening of imperial authority forced Pope Leo the Great into roles that were increasingly political and diplomatic. The Church would inevitably assume political responsibilities throughout the ensuing millennium. However, we see an immense growth of moral authority in the wake of the loss of that temporal power.
There is always a temptation to Empire and power. We see it in literature and movies, such as Star Wars. We find it in history, most notably the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. We perhaps perceive it too in our own times, with the rise of superpowers and declarations of spheres of influence, treating smaller nations as pieces on a geopolitical chessboard.
The Church is called to be a voice of conscience in a world where lust for power seems to be the norm. Aware of political pressure, he chooses to be nonetheless a prophet and missionary of Jesus Christ in the world. Politicians and world leaders often interpret the Pope as merely another player in their geopolitical struggles. In this sense, Pope Leo XIV has consistently resisted interpreting the Church through the lens of worldly power. On the plane to Algeria, he told reporters clearly, “I am not a politician. I speak of the Gospel.”
Are you living for the Empire or for the kingdom? We live for the Empire when we interpret the world and our own lives through the lens of power and domination. On the other hand, we live for the kingdom when we put Christ first in our lives and seek to be missionaries of his peace and communion. Pentecost reveals that the Church does not conquer through domination, but through holiness. The Apostles went forth without armies, without wealth, without political control, and yet the world was changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Each day, when you get up, ask the Holy Spirit, “What do you want me to do today?”