25.11.2007 - Jesus Christ King of
the Universe - Year C
First Reading: II Sam 5,1-3; Psalm 122;
Second Reading: Col 1,12-20; Gospel Reading; Luke 23,35-43
From the book of Tobit we are given some more advice: make the deeds of God known to all people, as it is right and do not forget to thank him! To thank God is right and dutiful. All that is good comes from him and he knows how to transform all trials and suffering into instruments for our salvation, for our human and spiritual evolution. He transforms every mishap into a moment of grace and that very mishap turns into a gift and preparation for coming events. Thanksgiving should never be far from our hearts or our lips. Let us thank God and men and women. In thanking others we become more loving and the quality of love brings us closer to God. Jesus kept the words thank you in his heart and used them in difficult moments: for example when he had a hungry crowd before him, in front of the deaf and dumb man, before the tomb of his friend Lazarus (John 11,41). To say thank you to God is like saying; I am glad that you are! When a mother hears thank you from her child, she is certainly much happier than if he or she continues to visit her to ask her for money or to receive a present. I imagine that in the same way God is also happy when I say thank you! I am happy that you are! And God will pour out his joy and his Spirit upon me! Enriched by this same Spirit of God I will continue along the path which is illumined by his holiness and when it becomes difficult, steep or long, I will continue to say thank you, thank you for being with me! Amen, hallelujah!
Today the readings emphasize the word "kingdom". First the kingdom
of David and then the kingdom of Christ and of God. David is crowned before
the Lord. He must always remember that as king he must serve God for the people:
he will not, therefore, be able to make laws that favour himself or the rich
or sinners. The king who serves God will always keep in mind his commandments,
otherwise the people will be confused, disorder and ruin will reign. Man's reign
should be an expression of God's reign. God is the only one that we may and
should obey. David begins with these good intentions and the men who proclaim
him king dream the same things. But David is a man and men are subject to temptation;
will he be able to withstand it? The only one able to withstand temptation is
God's son, the bearer of the divine promise, he whose kingdom will last forever.
Yes, Jesus withstands temptation first in the solitude of the desert and then
finally on the cross. The soldiers derided him and said "if you are the
king of the Jews, save yourself!" Save yourself everybody repeats; the
leaders, the soldiers and the others who have been condemned. This is the attitude
of all people in their egoism; to save themselves! To save themselves men and
women are ready to make others suffer and even to obey Satan. This is the idea
that people have of a king: someone who will save himself. And in fact we can
all see how those who are put in positions of power try above all to favour
themselves.
Jesus from the cross hears these suggestions and other blasphemies. He was put
on the cross in order to save the others, to save us from egoism and the fruits
of egoism. For this reason we call him King and obey him with joy and with love.
We join with the thief who, although he had never seen his miracles, began to
love him in that moment when he withstood the temptation to save himself. So
we too can say; " Jesus remember me when you enter your kingdom".
We do not doubt his royalty: he represents the authority of God for us, for
he reaches us all with the love of the Father. On the cross we do not see human
glory and temporariness of earthly kingdoms, but on his face we can see that
love that we have never received and that we have always dreamt of. He remembers
us overcome by temptation like the thief, who was not able to say to Jesus:
remember me because I followed you, I listened to you or I obeyed you. He could
only say: remember me because I am in need, I was never able to truly love,
I always tried to save myself even if this meant making others suffer. Remember
me although I have no gift to bring with me to heaven where no-one is waiting
for me. Remember me although I come empty handed and in my heart I have only
bad memories.
And Jesus? Jesus listens like a true king. Like a king he promises the most
beautiful things. Jesus takes on the beauty of his promise: "In truth I
tell you, today you shall be with me in paradise"! Jesus does not save
himself, but saves us, giving us hope beyond what we can imagine. In this moment
no-one is as loving as Jesus, no-one more kingly.