Bible
Study: 2nd Samuel 5, 1 to 3. Colossians 1, 12 to 20 and Luke 23, 35 to 43.
Today’s feast does two things for us; one, it reminds us that the God we
serve is a KING and, two, it reminds us that we are princes and princesses, and
members of that kingdom. The unique thing about today’s
celebration is that it does not end! Christ is not only a king today while we
sing and dance on procession, Christ is King every day, every time and on every
occasion we acknowledge him as King.
If Christ
is your king, then you would not mock him by your sinful actions like the
soldiers and the criminal in today’s Gospel passage. If Christ is truly your
king, then you would not only sing and dance today, your very life and everyday
actions would continue to exult Christ as your King wherever you go.
What we are
doing today is exactly what the people did for Jesus on Palm Sunday; they threw
off their clothes and spread it on the floor for Jesus to pass. But what
happened? That same week, the same people who threw their clothes on the floor
and spread palm branches made a jest of Jesus Christ. Hmmmmm!
How many
of us are going to make of jest of Jesus this very week? How many of us are
going to demand for miracle as a proof that Jesus is truly a king this week?
The soldiers laughed at Jesus because he stood still and received their
beating, they couldn’t understand how a king would not do anything to fight and
defend himself in a situation like this.
How often
do we make jest of God when our prayers are not answered? How often do we
create funny jokes about prayer or about men of God when we do not see
immediate answers as the soldiers expected to see at the cross? Dear friends,
if we examine our consciences very well, we would see how much we mock rather
than exult Christ.
It is not
all about the singing, dancing and beating of drums today. The real Christ the
King celebration happens when we find ourselves faced with tough times, and yet
we still believe in our hearts that Jesus is the real king of the Universe. The
real music Christ would be pleased to hear is when the people of the world
threaten us and we smile back knowing that we have the King of the World on our
side. The real dance for Christ is when the chips are down and we are not sad,
depressed and discouraged but continue to hold our heads high.
Of course,
Christ did not jump down from the cross neither did he call down a mighty army
from heaven to fight for him. Christ knew fully well he was a king but then, he
also knew that his kingdom was so different and so superior to that of any
earthly kingdom. The superiority of Christ’s kingdom is seen in the fact that
it is a kingdom that does not require any physical power for protection; a
kingdom that can never be threatened; a kingdom that does not need soldiers
with Ak47 guns or weapons of mass destruction for protection and sustenance; a
kingdom that does not print money or deal on gold; a kingdom that is invisible
to the earthly minded. Yet it is a kingdom that lasts for eternity.
Earthly
Kingdoms come and go but the kingdom of Christ remains forever. Check out the
history of the world and tell me if there is any kingdom that considered itself
a world-power which did not eventually fall? Our first reading today brings our
mind to that of David, the greatest king ever to rule Israel. But we all know
how his reign ended. Indeed, as great as David was, his kingdom was only a
foretaste (or preparation) of God’s kingdom that was to come in the person of
Christ. Earthly kingdoms come and go, empires are raised and empires fall but
the reign of Christ is forever.
Earthly
kingdoms are sustained by war but the kingdom of Christ is sustained by love,
forgiveness and mercy. Earthly kingdoms thrives by oppressing or threatening
others but Christ’s kingdom thrives by being of service to others. Earthly
kingdoms thrive on worldly wealth, material things, gold and silver and because
these things perish, all earthly kingdoms have a life span. They are there
today but would one day crash out of existence. But the Kingdom of Christ remains
forever.
Instead of
a royal palace decorated with gold, Christ’s kingdom was made known to the
world on the wood of the Cross. It is indeed an irony that that which the world
counts as nothing is exactly what God used to make his mark. It is even a
greater irony that it was from the lips of one of the thieves that we come to
know that Jesus is a king when he said: “Remember me when you come into your
kingly power.”
Dear
friends as we go out today to show the world our faith and believe in Christ as
our true king, let the prayer of this thief be in our hearts. All of us have
sinned by mocking Jesus in the past, we have failed to act as princes and
princesses of God’s kingdom, we are truly suffering today the consequences of
our past faults and offences. So, let us pray that Jesus the king of the
Universe would remember us, forgive us and say to us: Today, you will be with
me in Paradise.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, you are my king, help me to serve you better
always. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. Happy Sunday.
Fr. Abu
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