When I say “King,” what comes to mind? Is it a romantic legend like King Arthur and his knights of the round table? King David? Burger King!? What comes to your mind is important, for it influences your reaction to today’s feast. What does Christ the King say to you? Frankly, I do not know, so let me complicate this with a reflection on what Christ the King really means for me.
Christ the King
Well, if Christ is the King, then there must be a Kingdom. But . . . this Kingdom is not found in some castle. WE are the Kingdom.
If the Kingship of Christ is His rule over our hearts, then the Kingdom of God is within us. Jesus Christ is a King of hearts which means he will never force himself on us. He will only draw us with cords of love. And so . . . the Kingdom is a people . . . responding passionately to the love of their King.
How do we respond to our King?
We should respond by following the way he lived. He was not a proud king, but a humble one. That is really the type of people we are called to be. Humble
What does humble mean? The word “humble” is from the Latin word “humus” which means “earth.” The great philosopher, Aristotle believed in four elements: earth, air, fire, and water, which he also called the “simple bodies.” Of these four elements, earth is the only one that makes no noise; the only one that is quiet.
That is what it means to be humble and to follow our King. It means to, daily, quiet ourselves before God in order to extend His Kingdom of truth, of love, of justice, and of hope to our own spot in God’s world.
Is it a mission of the impossible? Only if that kind of Kingdom is not within us, is not part of us. Then, we won’t be able to follow our king. We won’t be able to stretch out our arms like he did. We will merely say the word, “peace” and not mean it. We will merely talk about helping others and not really do it.
Is this kingdom we belong to really a mission impossible? Or is there something deep in our hearts that calls us to accept and to build this Kingdom here on earth? This, my brothers and sisters, is the feast day we celebrate today. This is our mission . . . if we choose to accept it.