26/11/2006 - CHRIST the KING - Year
B
First Reading Daniel 7: 13-14 Psalm 92
Second Reading Revelation 1: 5-8 Gospel John 18: 33-37
Jesus does not reject the title of king. He knows the language used by the
prophets and the psalms, the promises which God made to David and his sons.
He knew that all of the people awaited the Son of David, the king of Israel.
Therefore, He cannot, nor does He wish to, ignore this title, which God Himself
refers to, in many of the Scriptures. Yet, when He finds Himself before Pilate,
for which the Scriptures are taboo, Jesus is compelled to explain. The king,
of whom the Scriptures speak, is not a sovereign king, He is not someone who
is seeking his own interests, but He is someone who represents God before man.
He is really the king who "is to come", and comes "riding a donkey":
He is meek and humble, and has no intention of throwing out the reigns of the
world. He does not make use of violence, He will not lead armies, nor will He
play the trumpets of war. His sovereignty is not one that competes with those
who bring fear and terrorize men. He is king, because God wants Him to be: He
will be the king who reveals the true God.
The sovereignty He lives is one of "witness to the truth". We, too,
ask Him what is meant by truth, and we do this so that He can answer, not as
He answered Pilate, who was afraid of speaking with a man who was demeaned and
accused by others. He had just said to His disciples: "I am the truth",
and He had explained this assertion by saying that He will reveal the Father
to us. He will reveal Him in all His wealth of love and of mercy. "Whoever
has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). That is why, then, His sovereignty
is very different from the one that men fear, that of dominance and violence.
If anyone wants to please God, he will recognize Him and obey Him, he will listen
to His voice and fulfill His Word. Pilate does not understand, or does not want
to understand, so that he doesn't have to change. We want to welcome Jesus as
the true king. I will welcome Him as my king; you will welcome Him as your king.
It is not possible to do otherwise. Let us not wait for Him to forces us, because
He does not want slaves as subjects, only sons and brothers. He also wants us
to be like Him, full of love, so that all of His kingdom can display to face
of the Father; all of His kingdom must bring the news of His love to the world.
Today's celebration makes us aware of the identity of Jesus, but He also wants
to guide us in any authority we hold, or that we could be called upon to exercise.
A disciple of Jesus, to whom a position of authority might be given, must try
to live that authority in the spirit in which Jesus lives His sovereignty. That
is why, in the Christian world, authority is lived (or should be lived) as service,
as an act of love, as a place where God's fatherhood is displayed! We realize
that this cannot be easy because the temptation to dominate is ever present,
everywhere, especially where there is the power to control! Each one of us,
though, can be committed to his/her place in life: in the family; at work; in
the office; among friends; while driving; even in such places, where one is
alone for a few minutes; or a few hours, in the midst of others. We can commit
to being servants of the fatherhood of God, so that His "truth" may
shine and bear the fruit of love, of harmony and of peace.
Today's Readings: Daniel and Revelations, speak to us of Jesus, our King, using
particularly solemn terms. These should not neither frighten us, nor make us
feel uneasy. In fact, He frees us from all uneasiness, because He is the one
who was pierced, and for whom, all people and all nations will become His servants"!
The fact that Jesus is, for us, the KING OF THE UNIVERSE also provides serenity,
for us, in front of the kingdoms and the dominators of the world. There are,
still, and there always will be, kingdoms and governments that bring us suffering
and discouragement, who impede in the serenity of the poor and the believers,
and who seem to find enjoyment in promoting and tolerating injustices. Like
Pilate, there are still men who continue to hold positions of authority; men
who aim to dominate, rather than serve. We should not be surprised. We serve
our true King; we continue to learn from Him; we give obedience to Him. All
that we do, we do for Him. We will have peace and serenity in our heart; we
will enjoy being of service to many; and the Lord, Himself, will give us our
just; better still, our abundant recompense.