Christ the King

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Today is the Feast of Christ the King

The word Christ is the Greek translation of the word Messiah: the Anointed One, the King. Jesus is so intrinsically King that the title “king” has actually become his name: Jesus Christ, Jesus King. And by calling ourselves Christians, we label ourselves as followers of the King, as people who recognize Jesus as their King.

But if we are to appreciate this feast we must trace its origin to the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel the Israelites came to the Prophet Samuel saying, “We want a King to govern us like all the other nations.” Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel: “They have rejected me from the start, no matter what I have done for them. Therefore, give them what they want – give them a king. But first warn them what an earthly king will be like.”

'These will be the rights of the king who is to reign over you. He will take your sons and assign them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run in front of his chariot. He will use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his farmland and harvest his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots. He will also take your daughters as slaves. He will take the best of your fields, of your vineyards and olive groves and give them to his officials…and you yourselves will become his slaves…The people refused to listen to the words of Samuel. They said, 'No! We want a king!”

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God did not intend Israel to have a King or Kingdom.

The Truth expressed in the 10 Commandments was to be Israel’s King, and through the Truth, God himself. But Israel was jealous of the neighboring peoples with their powerful kings. So, they rebelled against God and his Prophets and demanded an earthly King.

This was not God’s will for them, but God respects our freedom and lets us make really stupid choices.

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Now we come to the Gospel for the Feast of Christ the King

Some ordinary guy, Dismas, made some really stupid choices, so stupid and wrong he has been sentenced to death by crucifixion. And when we meet him in this moment, he is dying on a cross. This was the result of a long series of really bad choices.

But as he hangs there, he turns to his left and sees another man crucified next to him. That man has an inscription over his head that reads: “This is the King of the Jews.” This is beyond imagination. The King of the Universe – God himself came all the way from heaven and descended right into Dismas’ dismal situation to be crucified with him.

And the King of the Universe turns to his right and says to him, “Dismas, don’t be afraid, do not despair, I am with you, I can work this out, trust me.” And Dismas cries out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingly power.” “Today” Jesus replied, “you will be with me in paradise.”

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This is what our Jesus our King does! He writes straight with our crooked lines.

He descends into all the bad choices, all the missteps and mistakes and all that is out of our control and not our fault.

And if we place our trust in him and surrender to him, he will work it all, and I mean all, for our greatest good.

For God works all things for good for those who love him.

Pope Benedict writes: If we look closely, we shall discover that this is, in fact, the usual form of the divine activity in relation to mankind. God does not have a fixed plan that he must carry out; on the contrary, he has many different ways of finding man and even of turning his wrong ways into right ways. We can see that, for instance, in the case of Adam, whose fault became a happy fault, and we see it again in all the twisted ways of history. This, then, is God’s kingship—a love that is impregnable and an inventiveness that finds man by ways that are always new. For us, consequently, God’s kingship means that we must have an unshakeable confidence. For this is still true and is applicable to every single life: no one has reason to fear or to capitulate. God can always be found. The Feast of Christ the King is not, therefore, the feast of those who are under a yoke but of those who are grateful to find themselves in the hands of him who writes straight on crooked lines. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Co-Workers of the Truth

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Since Jesus is our King, then we too should make this the pattern of our lives: to write no one off; to try to reach them again and again with the inventiveness of an open heart.

I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if everyone had written off Dismas. But not our King Jesus. He went in search of him and it was messy, and it cost him something dearly, his life. Oh, and by the way, Dismas was responsible for the death of Jesus, just as all of us sinners are.

So, is there a spouse or child or sibling that we have written off because they have hurt us, or time and time again they’ve made stupid or sinful choices and refuse to learn? Are they far from God? Have they rejected your initiatives to help them to Jesus?

Just as God has forgiven us and been merciful to us we must do so for them.

Have we forgiven them? Do we pray and offer sacrifice for them? Do we seek them out in friendship to spend time with them as a bridge to their return to God.

Jesus went in search of Dismas, and it was messy, and it cost him something. How about you?