CHRIST THE KING (B) 2021

INTRO:

Well, here we are… onto THANKSGIVING and next week the Advent Season! LOVE IT!

BUT today we celebrate CHRIST THE KING!

I got to tell you I never liked this SOLEMNITY! AS much as I love music and grandeur, I just have a challenging time celebrating JESUS CHRIST that way as I know him to be “soft” “gentle” “committed to all people” not KINGLY/AUTHORITARIAN/ or MAJESTIC!

I really would like to change the Solemnity to CHRIST THE SERVANT, because that is the kind of KING He is! And as a KING he “leads” us in that image: to be “servant-folk to others!

Taken together, these readings are striking in the way they depict the glory of the King of Kings, who will be sentenced to death on a cross.
– The psalmist celebrates the splendor and the permanence of the reign of God and of his precepts.
– The prophet Daniel tells of a king whose dominion shall never be overcome.
– The Book of Revelation presents Jesus in triumph.

– But in the gospel, Jesus prepares for his crucifixion. This is where HE IS SERVANT

Here, the Scriptures reveal the great mystery of Jesus showing his power by suffering. At a superficial level, it seems that Pilate is the one in power. And Jesus is the failed leader, whose supporters were not with him.

But, with sacred wisdom, we see the reverse. The powerful Roman governor is in fact cowering before the mobs, allowing a death he knows is unjustified and only keeping the pretense of order.

By contrast, Jesus heads triumphantly to face death, preparing to defeat it.

HE IS ALL LOVE and wants our salvation! He “serves” us in His PASSION, DEATH, and RESURRECTION!

This is His mission, and no earthly authority can prevent Christ from carrying it out. He is going to serve us SALVATION!

CONCLUSION

So, in these days
-if you have ever felt the abandonment of a relationship gone bad
-if you have ever felt that NO ONE is around
-if you have wondered fearfully for our worlds’ future….

……. look to CHRIST THE SERVANT who IS WITH YOU ALWAYS bringing you “out of the depths” into His own wonderful light.

Nourish yourselves with HIM today in the HOLY EUCHARIST. TAKE INTO YOURSELVES His real presence and be led by this servant king who loves you and desires the best for you and has brought you salvation!

CAN’T BEAT THAT!