SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING
Luke 23:35-43
November 24, 2013
GOSPEL READING: The
Crucifixion
The people stood by
and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others,
let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.” Even the
soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
“If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”Above him there was an inscription
that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Now one of the criminals hanging there
reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The
other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you
are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned
justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man
has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said, “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say
to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
REFLECTION: The
People Stood there Watching
The People Stood there Watching…
Does that sound like a headline for news?
Well, maybe it is. Did the people know what they were watching? Did
the leaders know what they were
jeering at or the soldiers know what
they made fun of? An inscription over
His head announced: This is the King of
the Jews. (Everyone knows that the Jews have had no king for
centuries.) Even one of the dying
criminals taunted this ‘king of the Jews’: “Save yourself and us.” How many of
us today realize that this is Divine Love in all its fullness, omnipotence? What
is my own reaction to this Gospel scene?
Do I feel repulsed at the horror of Jesus stripped of His clothing, made
helpless and left to die in His own blood?
Can I as a Christian, acknowledge this as a necessary expression of Divine Love? Theologians tell us that one drop of this
Man’s blood would be more than sufficient to redeem all souls of all time.
Should I prefer Jesus surrounded
with little children or as a Good Shepherd with lost souls carried on His
shoulders? Why such a horrible, bloody death?
Is it easy for me to comprehend this expression of Omnipotent Love? Perhaps, our ‘key word’ should be comprehension? This kind of Love comes from the very Heart
of God! What human intellect can
comprehend the foolish Love of God madly thrown down from heaven to people?
The spectacle of horror and hatred must somehow “balance” with the weight of the furnace and fire of Divine Love; even a shocking and reckless waste of God’s LOVE
for people. The only human intellect
that could comprehend this scene is that of a God-Man, of the Christ.Today, we
are celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe; this universe
which was created only for people, people made in the image and likeness of
God. These people, with intellect and
will, took centuries to ‘intuit’ and contemplate and come to a sort of comprehension of: Christ the
King of Love, Christ the very Heart of God, Christ the King of the Universe! And the people stood there watching. You and I are among the ‘people watching.
I will now propose for our contemplation an insightful quotation by Dostoevsky
in his book “Brothers Karamazov”:
“Have no fear of men’s sin. Love a man even in his sin, for that is the semblance
of Divine Love, and the highest Love on earth.
Love all God’s creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf and every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love
everything. If you love everything, you
will perceive the Divine Mystery in things.
Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day.
And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing
love.” Amen.
ABOUT THE SHARER:
The
sharer is a DOMINICAN NUN of the Queen of Angels Monastery in Bocaue, Bulacan.
KEYWORDS:
Solemnity, Cycle C, OP Nuns, Comprehension, Crucifixion, Love, Suffering
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