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Dear Parishioners, It’s my pleasure to write to you
this Thanksgiving weekend. I hope that it has held moments of laughter and
refreshment with friends and family.
The readings for this Sunday, the Feast of Christ the
King, present kingship in a most unusual light. In the first reading, we
hear of the leaders of the tribes of Israel anointing David king of Israel
with all the honor and privileges that kingship includes. In Luke’s gospel,
the soldiers call out to Jesus mockingly, “If you are King of the Jews, save
yourself.” Jesus is called king and strangely “reigns” from the cross. The
good thief, whom we’ve come to call Dimas, recognizes who Jesus is, asking
to be remembered – he dares not ask to be admitted – when Jesus enters his
kingdom. And Jesus promises Dimas that he will be there, too! We witness
rulers and their inordinate power: one word from the president of Pakistan
and his main rival is under house arrest. The people of Gaza have
independently certified “free and fair” elections, but they choose someone
we don’t approve of, so our country, Israel, and the European Union
immediately try to undermine the party and its leader. We witness power used
and misused all around us. We need only to look at the
name of our king to sense how different he is. Jesus in Luke’s gospel is
called Christ the Lord, in other words, the Messiah, the Anointed One. He is
the savior the people have awaited for generations. He does not rule through
threat and intimidation. His power is in the influence of his life –
forgiveness, acceptance, treating each person whether prostitute, leper,
Pharisee, or tax collector with dignity. We can imagine people of his time
asking, “Is this guy for real? How can anyone be so compassionate?” We are
presented with a choice. Which kind of power are we striving for? The power
of force, of domination over others or the power of love which, though it
may sound like weakness to some, urges people to do the most amazing
actions! If you’ve ever been a manager or “over” others, you know well which
kind of power most people respond to. The second reading
is really a poem reminding us that we have been – past tense – “made fit to
share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.” God has chosen us and
“transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” So the decision is
really whether to respond to God’s goodness to us and live according to the
gospel. Can we accept a God who leaves us so free that his Son can die
because of the decision of those whose power was threatened because of the
types of people – lepers, prostitutes, sinners – with whom Jesus ate? Can we
accept a God whose generosity is so beyond ours that everyone is welcome in
his kingdom?
Peace, S. Sheral |
