2 Sm 5:1-3
Ps 121:1-5
Col 1:12-20
Lk 23:35-43
The Feast of Christ the King was added to the Church calendar in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. Given that Church history spans two millennia, a mere one hundred years makes it a very new feast.
Originally set for the last Sunday in October, it was moved to the 34th Sunday of ordinary time, the final Sunday of the Church year, in 1969. Next Sunday marks the beginning of Advent and thus a new liturgical year. It is significant that this feast was moved to such a high profile position where it serves as a liturgical New Year's Eve as we begin a new cycle of readings, .
While today’s first and second readings highlight images of kings the Gospel requires some thought as far as kingly images go.
The first reading described how the tribes of Israel anointed David as their king. He was named king because he was able to rally the Israelites to conquer their enemies. Thus we heard, "it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back."
The kingly images in the psalm are more subtle. However we hear of the strength of Jerusalem, the royal city, where stood the thrones of judgment
of the house of David.
The second reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians appears in the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a song of praise and gratitude to God for placing us in the Kingdom of his beloved Son, who, through his obedience to the will of the Father, redeemed us from sin and death. Then comes Luke’s Gospel
What kind of King is Luke describing? Who is this king who is mocked by the criminals crucified next to him? Who is this King of the Jews about whom Pilate inscribed INRI: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum on a sign he hung on the cross:
What kind of king is hung naked in front of a crowd?
What kind of King is subjected to crucifixion, the most shameful form of execution possible?
The King we are called to follow;
if we choose to follow Him,
if we have the courage to follow Him.
The choice to follow Jesus the Eternal King is both conscious and deliberate. It is a choice we must make and renew on a regular basis. We either choose to follow Jesus or we don't. There is no alternative. There is no partial commitment. No one can split loyalties between Jesus and something else. Two meditations in St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises focus on the image of king and our choice whether to follow Him or not.
In the first meditation Ignatius instructs us to consider the characteristics of a good earthly king. That good king isn't lounging on his throne surrounded by hangers-on and yes-men. He is down in the dirt and dust with the rest of the people. He is sharing in their struggles, shoveling mud after a disaster rather than standing around in a starched shirt and white construction helmet, posing for photo ops.
After considering a good earthly king, Ignatius directs us to contemplate Jesus, the Eternal King. The King who is fully human and fully divine who walked in the dust and the mud, who was soaked by rain and buffeted by wind, who sweated, shivered, and learned carpentry. The King who was--and still is—both loved and hated, who lived just as we do and who died just as we will. This King is Jesus who tells each of us, “Whoever wishes to join me must be willing to labor with me.” At times that labor is neither pleasant nor easy. While it is said “His yoke is easy and His burden is light” it doesn't always seem that way.
In the second of the meditations, known as the meditation on the two standards, Ignatius instructs us to meditate on the choice that confronts all who call, or wish to call, themselves followers of Christ. Under which of two standards, banners, or flags, are we going to live and die; the standard of Christ or the standard of Satan? Do we choose Satan and the world or do we choose Christ and the Kingdom of God? Do we choose the banner of the evil king or the banner of the Eternal King of the Universe? The choice is yes or no, black and white. No one can have a foot in each camp. One’s loyalties cannot be split. It is not a matter of following Jesus when it is convenient, safe, or socially acceptable only to follow Satan, the evil king, when it is more expedient or important to get ahead.
St. Ignatius did not create anything unusual with these two meditations. Throughout the coming liturgical year Jesus will present us with the same choices many times over, in different ways.
Do we follow Jesus the Eternal King,or do we not?
Just as we make resolutions at the end of the old calendar year today, on the Feast of Christ the King, the final Sunday of the Church year and the cusp of a new one, we have the opportunity to choose. to either live and perish under the false values of this world of materialism, sensuality, and a culture of death or we can choose to live and die under the banner of Jesus. The King who suffered and died to redeem us from sin and despair.
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The photos are from the closest thing I shot of a castle. Loyola, Spain the basilica of St. Ignatius. From before covid when I was in Spain to present a paper. Last time I left the country.
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| A line of trees |
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| Something drew me to this weathered scene. Would be impossible to artificially create this kind of aged look. |
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| The color of the stained glass in the smaller Jesuit community chapel was exquisite. Non-figurative but glorious colors. |
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| The main altar at the Mass closing the conference. The statue of Ignatius is wayyyy up there. |
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| The hills surrounding the castle of Loyola | . |
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