Today, we celebrate the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King. We see in the Gospel of Luke 23:35-43, the passage of Jesus before Pilate. Pilate ask Jesus: “are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus reminds Pilate and us “that my kingdom does not belong of this world.” I can only imagine when Pilate heard that line, he probably said “REALLY!!!” Jesus was certainly not the kind of king Pilate feared. If his kingdom were of this world, then there would be people fighting to save him. Jesus established his kingdom and invites all of us to make a choice to be a part of it. Jesus is more powerful than any earthly ruler because His kingdom is one of everlasting Love.
Spoiler alert regarding the movie, “Braveheart”. William Wallace is condemned to public torture and beheading for high treason. Even while hanged, drawn and quartered, Wallace refuses to submit to the king. As cries for mercy come from watching the crowd deeply moved by the Scotsman’s valor, the magistrate offers him one final choice, asking him only to utter the word, “Mercy”, and be granted a quick death. Wallace instead shouts, “Freedom!”, and the judge orders his death. William Wallace made a choice. Either submit to the King or follow his heart.
We can make a choice in our life to follow our hearts. Christ the King will rule with mercy, wisdom and justice. Remember, his kingdom will have no end. We don’t have to look to the movie screens for our heroes. We only have to look at the stained glass windows for our Saints.
We can choose to walk in the life of Margaret Sanger who said, “It’s better to kill the unborn that are physically or mentally defective”, or we can choose to walk in the life of St. Mother Theresa, who gave dignity to the homeless, sick and dying on the street of Calcutta. We can choose to walk in the life of Catholic politicians, who vote for abortion to save their seats in congress, or we can choose to walk in the life of St. Thomas Moore, who lost his head to save his soul. We can choose to walk in the life of King Herod the Great, who slaughtered the innocent to save his throne; or we can choose to walk in the life of Jesus Christ, Christ the King; who came off his heavenly throne to save the Innocent.
Christ the King, Pray for us.
Many years ago I was reading a novel called "Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield about the famous stand taken by the 300 Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae. At one point King Leonidas gives a speech. As I read it I COULD NOT HELP but immediately think of Christ the King. Here it is: "I will tell His Majesty what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men’s loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them. He serves them, not they him."
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