The Gentle King

Listening to the Spirit

O Lord our God, You alone are the Most Holy King and Ruler of all nations.
We pray to You, Lord, in the great expectation of receiving from You, O Divine King, mercy, peace, justice and all good things.
Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth.
Guard us we pray Most Faithful One.
Protect us from our enemies and from Your Just Judgment.
Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against you.
Jesus, You are a King of Mercy.
We have deserved Your Just Judgment
have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us.
We trust in Your Great Mercy.
O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray;
may Your Reign, Your Kingdom, be recognized on earth.

Amen.

Listening to the Word

Luke 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God!” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine, they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself!” Above him, there was an inscription that read, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Reflection

As we close the liturgical year today, we can utter this phrase: “For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.” We give thanks to the Lord for the moments of encounter where we find and serve him. And we are hopeful and looking forward to the coming Liturgical Year (next week) so that we may be more trusting in the plans of God. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. This solemnity reminds us that in the end, Christ will still reign, and will still win regardless of what has happened and what has been done.

This reflection answers two questions. First, what kind of King is Jesus? Second, is Jesus reigning in our lives?

Compared to the kings of the world, gentleness is Jesus’ weapon for conquering the world. He was born in the manger. He lived in a simple village. He was a carpenter. He was dependent on the providence of God. With his gentleness, he has won the hearts of many particularly the second thief in the gospel of today. Jesus showed his strength by being gentle, and by not listening to the challenge of the soldiers and of the first thief. St. John Bosco once said: “Gentleness is the favorite virtue of Jesus Christ”. For many being gentle is a sign of weakness and failure. The gentle king on the cross shows us that there is a power in gentleness. It is a power that touches hearts, a power that changes people from within the depths of their souls. That happened to the second thief. “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

But the big question for us today is, is Christ really your king? If our answer is yes, then why we are like the first thief? We recognize only Jesus as our king if our prayers are granted, and if not, Jesus is a fake. The challenge for us is always to be the second thief. The second thief recognized and considered Jesus as his King even if the desired prayer is not fulfilled. Jesus is still the King regardless of what is going to happen.

As we end the liturgical year, we are reminded that Jesus, the real king of the Universe has chosen gentleness as his weapon for conquering the world; and the real power is not in the strength of the arm but in the size of the heart.