The current landscape of the world reveals quite clearly the struggle for power and domination. It has been deep-seated in the history of our country, and it seems to be part of the DNA of the history of the world. There has always been a constant need for power and control over people and things - in politics, in society, in business, in religion, in media and in personal relationships.
The Scriptural readings for this feast of Christ the King always point to suffering and death, and what looks to be total human failure. But in reality, they describe what true power really is.
Some use power to dominate and manipulate. Others use power to teach and to heal. Jesus is a king whose strength was one of salvation, not power. And salvation is about Jesus setting us free. It is an exodus experience. It is a pilgrimage. It is a movement from being imprisoned to being set free, from being bound to being released from bondage, from darkness into light, from fear to trust, from arrogance to insight and understanding.
This is the kingdom we inherit: Emmanuel - God with us. God above us. God under us. God around us. God within us. We are carriers of a new vision. We are dreamers of His dream that all may be one, all loved and accepted as persons of immeasurable value. We are the bearers of life, nurturing it in all of its myriad manifestations. We are the reminders that truth, goodness and beauty are to be pursued and enjoyed. We are called to be servants of the Word, open and vulnerable to its transforming power. We are a community of disciples who live simply, love tenderly and act justly.
And so, we gather on this feast to contemplate once again the mystery of Jesus' Kingship. It is a Kingship like no other. Just as it is important to proclaim Jesus as our king, it is equally important to know where our king is to be found. Jesus is not found in the places that kings are usually expected to be. He is not found in a royal palace, or in the halls of power where our politicians sit. Jesus is found on the cross. The fact that the king of the universe was found on a cross was certainly good news to the thief in today’s gospel.
It was his faith that brought him salvation, and it is that same faith that will bring us ours.
The challenge for us today on this Feast of Christ the King is to imitate Christ’s redemptive love. To love people not because we like them, not because they deserve it, but to love others because that is what Christ asks us to do.
To stand at the foot of the Cross with our King is to share intimately in His kingship. To stand there is to feel the drops of His blood, to see Him ascending and to yearn for his return. To stand beneath the feet of Christ is to live in the paradox of the martyred king, the dying God. To stand beneath the Cross is to reign through serving. And in this lay our true power, our truth, our freedom and liberty.
