Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR B
CHRIST THE KING - 26.11.06
Dan 7,13-14; Rev 1,5-8; Jn 18,33b-37
Kings, under Christ the King?
A
Kingdom not of this world.
The symbol of Christianity is a cross, gruesome reminder of Jesus’ unjust,
cruel, horrendous agony & death, nailed as he was on a shameful cross. To
all Christians however, the cross carries the deepest insight into who God is
& what he has done for us: he did not spare his son, who willingly gave his
life to die on a cross, so we may have eternal life.
On the cross above Jesus’ head, Pilate had an inscription posted: it
read I.N.R.J. which means ‘Jesus of
Nazareth, king of the Jews’. By it, Pilate declared his utter spitefulness for
those who dared to challenge ‘Pax Romana (The Peace of Rome)’. As
Procurator, Pilate had already been charged of using brutal force to repress any
dissent against Rome. Mind you, the Jewish Senhedrin could have disposed of
Jesus by accusing him of blasphemy & have him stoned to death, but they
preferred to hand him over to Pilate as a political agitator, & one who
claimed to be King, against the rule of Rome. This make sure that Jesus was
executed by the shameful crucifixion. In today’s Gospel, Pilate is a highly
civilized Roman Governor, who senses that Jesus has been set up into a plot
against the ‘Pax Romana’, & in fact he is not guilty of any misdemeanor,
indeed he is a great philosopher, who teaches about a kingdom which has nothing
to do with political power of any kind. Pilate ends with the important question: what is truth? In the end,
Pilate issued a verdict of crucifixion out of fear of a political revolt, which
in turn would require brutal force in repressing any dissent. amazingly, the
charge of using brutal force stuck on him & only a few years later Pilate
was deposed, in total disgrace.
The
‘truth’ about God’s Kingdom. In the trial of Jesus, Pilate found it difficult to sift through the
words ‘King, Kingdom, Kingship’ etc.. For him the Latin words ‘Rex, Regere
Regula, Regnum, Regnare’ had the earthly, political sense of ‘Ruler - to Rule - a Ruling
- the Reign - to Reign’,
& had to do with the authority of Rome over the Roman Empire. For Pilate -as
for us- a King is a figure of wonder. In his Kingdom, he is Ruler & all others are ruled
under him; he is above all rules
& a rule unto himself; he
disposes at will, of any ‘ruled’-people
under him. Pilate as Procurator (as all Judges & Magistrates) can only apply
the Rulings (or Laws) set by the
ruling Emperor... But, when Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, he presents a
different Kingdom: it’s not of this world - God himself is Ruler
- & we are all ruled under him.
Yes, we are slaves of no one but God. God himself has written his rulings
in the heart of all humans in all cultures, at all times - through what now we
call ‘Natural Law’. In God’s kingdom we are called to order, rule &
manage our life according to Christ’s foremost ruling: love one another as I
have loved you. Sadly in the past, Kings & Popes have used the trappings of
authority in a possessive oppressive manner. It took the wisdom of Vatican II
Council to convince Pope Paul IV to get rid of the ‘Tri-Regnum” (the
3-tiered crown, warn by Popes for centuries, to signify their ruling over the 3
Kingdoms: in hell, heaven & earth) & wear a Bishop’s “mitre”. For
us, Jesus is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Ruler of Rulers. This means that
-with Christ- we are Kings, empowered to live by Christ’s rule
of love. In his kingdom,
we are called to bring inner balance & order, harmony & control to us
& others in the chaos of life; & to
be good kings, rulers & managers for the good of all & God is all in
all. A good way of living this conviction is found in the Byzantine Rite of
‘Crowning the Bride & Groom’: a prayer of empowering the couple to live
as king & queen under Christ’s law
of love.
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