YOUR KINGDOM COME…!
November 22
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Jesus is King. He is the King of Kings. In 1925, during the Jubilee year, Pope Pius XI instituted this Solemn Feast of Christ the King. Though this is relatively a new feast, the Church always honored the Kingship of Jesus. The Three Kings from the East paid homage to Jesus at his birth. People tried to make him King on Palm Sunday. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Jews.” This was the title Pilate inscribed on the top of His cross. The thief begged Jesus: “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” The disciples had no doubt about his Kingship. James and John said’ “Give us a place on your right and left when you establish your Kingdom.”
Jesus himself claimed his Kingship when he said to Pilate, “I am King.” In fact Jesus began his ministry announcing the coming of the Kingdom. He said: “The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent.” On this Feast Day, therefore, it is important to consider two things: What is the Kingdom God and how is Jesus the King?
The Kingdom of God is not a place or a territory or an organization. It is a situation or a disposition where one is simply accepting the reign of God in one’s life. Those who accept God’s supremacy in their lives come under His Kingdom. Jesus completely surrendered to the will of God even to the point of his death. Kingdom of God became a reality in his life. Jesus himself asserted it when he said: “Those who see me, see my Father. I am the way, the Truth and the Life.” God confirmed this truth about Jesus at his Baptism and Transfiguration. At the transfiguration of Jesus, God said,”This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” The disciples had no doubt about this so Peter said, “Between heaven and earth no name is given for our salvation other than the name of Jesus.” Jesus is the King.
Dimensions of Jesus’ Kingdom
Jesus began his teaching about the Kingdom with the following statement. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” He ended his teaching with similar words: “Enter the Kingdom of God because you fed me when I was hungry……” This set the tone of his Kingdom. It is a new method of functioning, and a new paradigm for thinking. Jesus, the King, is different from all other kings in 6 different ways.
· In his Kingdom accepting God as our Father and doing His will is the ultimate goal and purpose of human existence. God is the ultimate reference point.
· Jesus accommodated differences. The composition of his core group of disciples itself is clear evidence for this. He envisioned a Global Family, so He broke down the “man made walls” that separate us. He integrated differences and made them something to be celebrated as well. On the other hand, the problem we face today is intolerance. An ethnocentric attitude, making my culture as the criteria for evaluating others and the world, only widen the split and creates conflict which is very much a part of our world today.
· In His Kingdom, the role of the leader is to defend and promote the life of the people. In his kingdom the model of leadership is that of a shepherd. Unlike the other kings and leaders, Jesus, the Leader, laid down his life for his people.
· Jesus emphasized the centrality of the human person. He placed the human person, neither the economy nor the religious rituals as the center and the object of development. He preferred human culture to consumer culture that values human dignity and equality. In his kingdom we are the care takers of our brothers and sisters.
· In his Kingdom, the power and strength come from love and service. The role of the King is to serve the people. By serving the poor, Jesus became poor. By serving the poor, our leaders are becoming Billionaires.
· And finally, His Kingdom aims at communion through dialogue and reconciliation.
Kingdom on Earth
A lot of people argue that Jesus’ Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom or an otherworldly Kingdom. People who hold these views consider religion as a private matter and keep silent in the face of growing secularism. They do not voice when they see God, worship or anything related to the Kingdom of God is removed from the public place. We already started seeing the consequences of this! For Jesus, God’s Kingdom is not a private thing. It is not something to practice in secret places. Remember his words: “If any one denies me in public, I will deny him in front of God, my Father.” The Kingdom of God is a new way of thinking, feeling and acting. It is something that we need to live here on earth. So he taught us to pray:’ Your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
To establish a society envisioned by Jesus, requires a structural transformation and a personal conversion. A structural change may not be within our personal reach. We may not experience any drastic change from our world leaders. But we can initiate a personal conversion in our own lives. We all are Kings in our own little world. We can bring changes there. If we can do whatever possible in our way to establish the Kingdom, we are declaring Jesus as our King. On this Feast Day of Christ the King, let us proclaim “Jesus is our King and if God does not watch over the city, in vain watchmen keep the vigil.”
November 22
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Jesus is King. He is the King of Kings. In 1925, during the Jubilee year, Pope Pius XI instituted this Solemn Feast of Christ the King. Though this is relatively a new feast, the Church always honored the Kingship of Jesus. The Three Kings from the East paid homage to Jesus at his birth. People tried to make him King on Palm Sunday. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Jews.” This was the title Pilate inscribed on the top of His cross. The thief begged Jesus: “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” The disciples had no doubt about his Kingship. James and John said’ “Give us a place on your right and left when you establish your Kingdom.”
Jesus himself claimed his Kingship when he said to Pilate, “I am King.” In fact Jesus began his ministry announcing the coming of the Kingdom. He said: “The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent.” On this Feast Day, therefore, it is important to consider two things: What is the Kingdom God and how is Jesus the King?
The Kingdom of God is not a place or a territory or an organization. It is a situation or a disposition where one is simply accepting the reign of God in one’s life. Those who accept God’s supremacy in their lives come under His Kingdom. Jesus completely surrendered to the will of God even to the point of his death. Kingdom of God became a reality in his life. Jesus himself asserted it when he said: “Those who see me, see my Father. I am the way, the Truth and the Life.” God confirmed this truth about Jesus at his Baptism and Transfiguration. At the transfiguration of Jesus, God said,”This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” The disciples had no doubt about this so Peter said, “Between heaven and earth no name is given for our salvation other than the name of Jesus.” Jesus is the King.
Dimensions of Jesus’ Kingdom
Jesus began his teaching about the Kingdom with the following statement. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” He ended his teaching with similar words: “Enter the Kingdom of God because you fed me when I was hungry……” This set the tone of his Kingdom. It is a new method of functioning, and a new paradigm for thinking. Jesus, the King, is different from all other kings in 6 different ways.
· In his Kingdom accepting God as our Father and doing His will is the ultimate goal and purpose of human existence. God is the ultimate reference point.
· Jesus accommodated differences. The composition of his core group of disciples itself is clear evidence for this. He envisioned a Global Family, so He broke down the “man made walls” that separate us. He integrated differences and made them something to be celebrated as well. On the other hand, the problem we face today is intolerance. An ethnocentric attitude, making my culture as the criteria for evaluating others and the world, only widen the split and creates conflict which is very much a part of our world today.
· In His Kingdom, the role of the leader is to defend and promote the life of the people. In his kingdom the model of leadership is that of a shepherd. Unlike the other kings and leaders, Jesus, the Leader, laid down his life for his people.
· Jesus emphasized the centrality of the human person. He placed the human person, neither the economy nor the religious rituals as the center and the object of development. He preferred human culture to consumer culture that values human dignity and equality. In his kingdom we are the care takers of our brothers and sisters.
· In his Kingdom, the power and strength come from love and service. The role of the King is to serve the people. By serving the poor, Jesus became poor. By serving the poor, our leaders are becoming Billionaires.
· And finally, His Kingdom aims at communion through dialogue and reconciliation.
Kingdom on Earth
A lot of people argue that Jesus’ Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom or an otherworldly Kingdom. People who hold these views consider religion as a private matter and keep silent in the face of growing secularism. They do not voice when they see God, worship or anything related to the Kingdom of God is removed from the public place. We already started seeing the consequences of this! For Jesus, God’s Kingdom is not a private thing. It is not something to practice in secret places. Remember his words: “If any one denies me in public, I will deny him in front of God, my Father.” The Kingdom of God is a new way of thinking, feeling and acting. It is something that we need to live here on earth. So he taught us to pray:’ Your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
To establish a society envisioned by Jesus, requires a structural transformation and a personal conversion. A structural change may not be within our personal reach. We may not experience any drastic change from our world leaders. But we can initiate a personal conversion in our own lives. We all are Kings in our own little world. We can bring changes there. If we can do whatever possible in our way to establish the Kingdom, we are declaring Jesus as our King. On this Feast Day of Christ the King, let us proclaim “Jesus is our King and if God does not watch over the city, in vain watchmen keep the vigil.”
No comments:
Post a Comment