November 21, 2010
Christ the King
Luke 23:35-43
Gospel Summary
After his arrest, Jesus has been accused before Pilate, the
Roman governor, of being opposed to Caesar and of claiming to be the
Messiah of God, a king. Now, having been condemned to death under Roman
law, Jesus is being crucified along with two criminals. The rulers and
the soldiers taunt Jesus and call out that if he is the Messiah and king
of the Jews, he should be able to save himself. One of the criminals
also reviles Jesus saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and
us." The other criminal, however, recognizing his own crimes and the
goodness of Jesus, says, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom." Jesus responds, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with
me in Paradise."
Life Implications
The rulers, soldiers, and the criminal who taunted Jesus had a
definite notion of what it would mean if Jesus had been anointed by God
as king. In their minds it would mean that Jesus would be a ruler of an
empire--certainly more powerful than Caesar, and most certainly not a
helpless victim of Caesar's power. We too may fall into the trap of
projecting our own notions of what it means to honor Jesus as our king.
Instead of projecting our own expectations, we must reflect on how Jesus
reveals the meaning of authority in the kingdom he came to establish on
earth.
Pope Pius XI, in his 1925 encyclical Quas Primas establishing
the feast of Christ the King, reminds us of key texts for us to reflect
upon today. In response to his disciples who were coveting positions of
power, Jesus said that those who are rulers over the Gentiles make their
authority over them felt. In his kingdom, however, whoever wishes to be
great must be a servant, for he tells them that he himself "did not come
to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for all" (Mk
10:35-45). To Jesus, the king anointed by God, all power in heaven and
on earth was given; yet he issued no imperial decree to be enforced by
the power of the sword. Rather he said to all who would listen, "Come
to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of
heart" (Mt 11:28-29). This is a king?
It is on the cross that Jesus ultimately reveals what it means
to be king. The supreme power and glory of God that Jesus reveals is
love. And in a world under Satan's reign of evil violence, it must be
crucified love. Even though he challenges us to become engaged in the
struggle to establish Christ's kingdom of justice and peace on earth,
Pius XI calls us to a choice even more fundamental. In his encyclical,,
the Pope connects the feast of Christ the King to the feast of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. As king, Jesus gave his heart to us. "Lifted
high on the cross, Christ gave his life for us, so much did he love us"
(Preface for the feast of the Sacred Heart). He did so asking that we
give our hearts to him.
At our Eucharist today we pray that each of us may truly believe
that Jesus "the Son of God has loved me and given himself up for me"
(Gal 2:20). And we ask for the grace to respond to this supreme love by
giving ourselves and entrusting our lives to his reign. Perhaps for
many of us, we may only be able to repeat the words of the criminal
dying on his own cross: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom."
Campion P. Gavaler, OSB
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