Fr. Marsel sx
I AM A MEMBER OF CHRIST'S ROYAL FAMILY
We close the liturgical calendar (year C) with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is Interesting to notice that the Gospel reading for this celebration (Sunday year C) is about the crucifixion of Jesus; to be more specific, about the conversation between Jesus and the two criminals, who were hung side by side with him. Credit should be given to one of the criminals, who was able to seize the very last second and opportunity to steal the most precious treasure from Jesus, salvation: “Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise”. We may ask: what is then the relevance of this story with the solemnity of Christ the King of Universe? Moreover what is the significance of this celebration to our lives? At first, I was thinking that the appropriate gospel reading for this solemnity should be taken from Luke 19:37-49, the passage about Jesus entering Jerusalem, when he was welcomed as a King with shouts of joy: “Blessed is he who is coming as King in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!”
Yes, this is the right passage, since at the crucifixion the opponents of Jesus called him King as a mockery, jeering at him. The inscription of Pilate “This is the king of the Jews” on his cross is a paradox of Christ’s kingship. All of this comes to a head when one of the criminals crucified with Jesus joins the mockery, and the one hanging on Jesus’ other side defends Jesus' innocence and then addresses him directly, “Jesus, remember me when you enter upon your kingdom. Here is the point, the kingship of Jesus is truly manifested on the cross by the acknowledgment of a criminal, not in the shouting of a crowd of people. Jesus is truly King, his crown is the thorns, his throne is the wood of cross and his palace is the heart of believers, those who truly accept him in Faith as the author of their lives. Jesus is the sole king who saves fallen humanity from hopelessness. In this respect he is truly original, truly exceptional, the divine challenge to a world which imagines kingship to be enslavement of others. Thus, Christ’s kingship is an abomination for any earthly royal aspiration. It is an assault upon the desires of every tribe or nation that ever craved ascendancy. St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians professes Christ’s cosmic centrality, paradoxically revealed in the shame of a cross. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creatures. In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, things visible and invisible. … In him everything continues in being. … He is the beginning, the first-born of the dead, so that primacy may be his in everything. It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person, everything, I say, both on earth and in the heavens, making peace through the blood of his cross. Celebration of the solemnity of Christ the King reminds and confirms our identity as subjects of God’s Kingdom, members of Chris’s royal family. Our faith in Jesus’ kingship gives a sure hope and assurance that Jesus will remember us when he enters upon his Kingdom. And yet this privilege of being members of Christ’s royal family challenges us to live our Christian lives accordingly. Meaning to say, our lives, our attitude should be a testimony of our identity as members of Christ’s royal family. @Marsel Rt-20 Nov 19
I AM A MEMBER OF CHRIST'S ROYAL FAMILY
We close the liturgical calendar (year C) with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is Interesting to notice that the Gospel reading for this celebration (Sunday year C) is about the crucifixion of Jesus; to be more specific, about the conversation between Jesus and the two criminals, who were hung side by side with him. Credit should be given to one of the criminals, who was able to seize the very last second and opportunity to steal the most precious treasure from Jesus, salvation: “Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise”. We may ask: what is then the relevance of this story with the solemnity of Christ the King of Universe? Moreover what is the significance of this celebration to our lives? At first, I was thinking that the appropriate gospel reading for this solemnity should be taken from Luke 19:37-49, the passage about Jesus entering Jerusalem, when he was welcomed as a King with shouts of joy: “Blessed is he who is coming as King in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!”
Yes, this is the right passage, since at the crucifixion the opponents of Jesus called him King as a mockery, jeering at him. The inscription of Pilate “This is the king of the Jews” on his cross is a paradox of Christ’s kingship. All of this comes to a head when one of the criminals crucified with Jesus joins the mockery, and the one hanging on Jesus’ other side defends Jesus' innocence and then addresses him directly, “Jesus, remember me when you enter upon your kingdom. Here is the point, the kingship of Jesus is truly manifested on the cross by the acknowledgment of a criminal, not in the shouting of a crowd of people. Jesus is truly King, his crown is the thorns, his throne is the wood of cross and his palace is the heart of believers, those who truly accept him in Faith as the author of their lives. Jesus is the sole king who saves fallen humanity from hopelessness. In this respect he is truly original, truly exceptional, the divine challenge to a world which imagines kingship to be enslavement of others. Thus, Christ’s kingship is an abomination for any earthly royal aspiration. It is an assault upon the desires of every tribe or nation that ever craved ascendancy. St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians professes Christ’s cosmic centrality, paradoxically revealed in the shame of a cross. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creatures. In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, things visible and invisible. … In him everything continues in being. … He is the beginning, the first-born of the dead, so that primacy may be his in everything. It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person, everything, I say, both on earth and in the heavens, making peace through the blood of his cross. Celebration of the solemnity of Christ the King reminds and confirms our identity as subjects of God’s Kingdom, members of Chris’s royal family. Our faith in Jesus’ kingship gives a sure hope and assurance that Jesus will remember us when he enters upon his Kingdom. And yet this privilege of being members of Christ’s royal family challenges us to live our Christian lives accordingly. Meaning to say, our lives, our attitude should be a testimony of our identity as members of Christ’s royal family. @Marsel Rt-20 Nov 19