21.11.2004 34th Sunday Ordinary Season - Year C
First Reading: II Samuel 5,1-3 Psalm 121
Second Reading: Colossians 1,12-20 Gospel Reading: Luke 23,35-43
-"He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us
to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son"! To this beloved Son we turn today with
gratitude, love and desire. All joy and consolation, every sincere and deep
communion with other men and women, all peace of heart comes to us thanks to
him, as fruit of his obedience which lead him to the cross and to suffer for
the love of us, sinners. St Paul encourages us to love him with this consideration:
Jesus is "the image of the invisible God". The invisible God is no
longer hidden from sight, He is no longer a "mystery", we do not have
to try and imagine what He is like with the help of our reasoning: He is manifest
in the person and life of Jesus. We welcome him and try to take on his feelings
and his spirit in order to be pleasing to God!
"He is also the head of the body, that is, of the Church" Jesus is
not far, he is not distant from us. He is always with his own, with those who
have been baptised in his name and who form the people of God. Of these people
He is the King, the first, the head: he on whom everybody depends, for he gives
us the strength to remain united and to serve each other with love. Being the
first, it is he who gives movement and meaning to all the members of the body,
he is the "beginning of all things" and all things are at the service
of those who love with his love!
"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell", there is
no emptiness in him, no void of love or wisdom. The divinity, God Himself lives
in him!
Looking at Jesus we see and have a taste of God, He who loves us and is waiting
for us.
Unfortunately, our way of seeing Jesus is often ruined by egoism and sin. We
are tempted to look at him as those who stood at the foot of the cross and saw
only a man condemned by other men and who was suffering so terribly that he
seemed to have been condemned by God Himself. Let us reflect on this page of
the gospel: "the people stood by watching": the people said nothing.
They had known Jesus as someone who had helped everybody and they had listened
to him, recognising him as wiser than the wise, but now they were filled with
doubt, he had been denied by the leaders, by those who knew better.
"The rulers scoffed at him": they knew that Jesus "had saved
others". They remembered his miracles, the signs with which he had shown
that he was not only pleasing to God, but was also the Messiah. They remembered
, but without gratitude and without recognising any significance. They had seen
his disinterested love and they were envious: they wanted to see him thinking
of himself, being the same as they were, able only to think of themselves. Save
yourself! But Jesus, because he was the chosen one of God did not think of himself,
but trusted in the wisdom of that God who had foreseen the cross for His Son
and had foretold of his suffering by means of the prophets!
"The soldiers also mocked him" treating him as simple-minded and using
the title given him by Pilate:
King of the Jews! This title which Jesus recognised from the Scriptures, did
not exclude, but rather foresaw his death as an offering, as a sacrifice for
the love of all. Just as the rulers did, they tried to tempt Jesus with the
words: save yourself. To save oneself is what all men tend to do, but it is
the source of the fear, arrogance and violence that bloodies the world and makes
all men enemies of each other. Jesus wishes to save the world from evil, not
to save himself from death!
One of the criminals adds to "save yourself", "and us".
It was for that reason that Jesus suffered and died, to save us. The other criminal
understands and very simply, but full of faith, turns to the Lord with the words,
which we can make ours: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom".
Jesus' kingdom is the kingdom that was given him by his Father: the kingdom
where he is king, the first who desires to serve all! Jesus' royalty is the
most beautiful and perfect, for it gives life and joy to those who obey him
and recognise him as king of their lives! He is the king who fulfils the prophecies,
the king who guides, defends and feeds his people like the good shepherd and
his sheep!