Fr. Jerome Pistoni sx
SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST UNIVERSAL KING YEAR C:
The feast of Christ the Universal King is the solemnity that concludes the Liturgical Year.
After spending one year, listening every Sunday to the word of God, this feast represents the final goal of this long journey. We now wonder: is Christ the ruler of my life or do I prefer to be ruled by other “kings” such as power, money and reputation? Do the teachings of Christ, that I have treasured during this liturgical Year, influence and direct my daily behaviour? Do they influence my mind when I take important decisions?
This is the dividing line between a “Christ-king” and a “Christ-show”.
There is a sentence of the book of the Apocalypse, that we have heard in the Mass on Tuesday of the past week, that says: “Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him”. (Apocalypse 3:20)
The kings of the past were not so humble and polite, they were not begging people to obey them, rather they imposed their will with the help of the army.
This is the reason why the Jews were not attracted by the God of Jesus.
They wanted a warrior not a beggar. The style of Christ king is well depicted in the painting of Holman Hunt, called “Christ the light of the world”.
It shows Jesus standing at the door of one house, he wears a crown and holds in his hand a lamp. He is knocking on the door of that house. The peculiar characteristic of this painting is that the door has no handle outside, it can be opened only from inside. This is the style of Christ-King. He does not impose nor use violence. He asks permission to enter into our life.
Also the gospel of today's feast shows the correct idea of Christ King.
Jesus is shown on the cross on mount Calvary, two bandits are at his side, and above him, an inscription with the words: This is the king of the Jews.
He does not rule from a golden throne; he is nailed to a cross. He does not have servants who pay him homage, but people who insult him and laugh at him; there are soldiers who are eager to torment him rather than to protect and care for him. He does not wear expensive clothes but is completely naked.
He does not threaten anyone, but speaks words of love and forgiveness for all. He has no ministers, no army generals at his side but two criminals.
This kind of kingship is the opposite of what the Jews and many other people are accustomed to see.
The mighty God of the Jews is incompatible with the one revealed to us by Jesus on the cross: a God who loves everyone, even those who fight against him, a God who always forgives, saves and lets himself be defeated out of love.
God is not almighty because by his immense power he can do what he wants, but because he loves too much, he offers himself without limitations or conditions at the service of all. His is not a power of domination but of service and love. We see it in Jesus who stoops down to wash the disciples’ feet: that is the authentic face of the almighty God, the King of the universe.
SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST UNIVERSAL KING YEAR C:
The feast of Christ the Universal King is the solemnity that concludes the Liturgical Year.
After spending one year, listening every Sunday to the word of God, this feast represents the final goal of this long journey. We now wonder: is Christ the ruler of my life or do I prefer to be ruled by other “kings” such as power, money and reputation? Do the teachings of Christ, that I have treasured during this liturgical Year, influence and direct my daily behaviour? Do they influence my mind when I take important decisions?
This is the dividing line between a “Christ-king” and a “Christ-show”.
There is a sentence of the book of the Apocalypse, that we have heard in the Mass on Tuesday of the past week, that says: “Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him”. (Apocalypse 3:20)
The kings of the past were not so humble and polite, they were not begging people to obey them, rather they imposed their will with the help of the army.
This is the reason why the Jews were not attracted by the God of Jesus.
They wanted a warrior not a beggar. The style of Christ king is well depicted in the painting of Holman Hunt, called “Christ the light of the world”.
It shows Jesus standing at the door of one house, he wears a crown and holds in his hand a lamp. He is knocking on the door of that house. The peculiar characteristic of this painting is that the door has no handle outside, it can be opened only from inside. This is the style of Christ-King. He does not impose nor use violence. He asks permission to enter into our life.
Also the gospel of today's feast shows the correct idea of Christ King.
Jesus is shown on the cross on mount Calvary, two bandits are at his side, and above him, an inscription with the words: This is the king of the Jews.
He does not rule from a golden throne; he is nailed to a cross. He does not have servants who pay him homage, but people who insult him and laugh at him; there are soldiers who are eager to torment him rather than to protect and care for him. He does not wear expensive clothes but is completely naked.
He does not threaten anyone, but speaks words of love and forgiveness for all. He has no ministers, no army generals at his side but two criminals.
This kind of kingship is the opposite of what the Jews and many other people are accustomed to see.
The mighty God of the Jews is incompatible with the one revealed to us by Jesus on the cross: a God who loves everyone, even those who fight against him, a God who always forgives, saves and lets himself be defeated out of love.
God is not almighty because by his immense power he can do what he wants, but because he loves too much, he offers himself without limitations or conditions at the service of all. His is not a power of domination but of service and love. We see it in Jesus who stoops down to wash the disciples’ feet: that is the authentic face of the almighty God, the King of the universe.