I love what the authors of Living Liturgy say about the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King: Christ’s Kingdom is not a special place but an interior identity defined by our relationship to Christ the King…whose Kingdom is not territory but virtue, not power but service, not wealth but grace…It exists wherever people embody Jesus’ manner of acting and relating, wherever the Spirit of Jesus is the rule of life.
This reflection has made me think of my experience this past week with a group of priests from different parts of the country during a three-day meeting in Philadelphia. As we sat together to plan a celebration of our giftedness as priests, I was amazed by the talents, commitment, and dedication of everyone in the group. In the midst of crises of priestly vocation and priestly life, this meeting allowed me to see clearly the hand of God working in us, his grace living in us. I saw hope that never diminished, convictions that never died, and dreams that never shattered. God is good and is alive in us! His Kingdom continues to rule our life, the Church, and the world.
In the book, A Celebration of Priestly life, Walter Cardinal Kasper gives the word “crisis” a positive meaning. He says that he prefers to understand this word in the original meaning of the Greek krisis, which does not designate a collapse or catastrophe but a situation of upheaval in which decisions must be taken. Crisis must be understood as a challenge or a God-given kairos in which we are summoned to understand our situation as a task to be shouldered. In the light of this understanding, I see crisis in the Church and in the world (even the recession) as an opportunity and a grace to work together in bringing hope and life to the world. Indeed the worst thing that can happen to the human race is not financial recession but a recession of hope. When we no longer dream or hope, then we will completely live in despair!
This is how we should understand this celebration of Christ the King. It’s a celebration of hope, of a King that would never condemn us to desperation. We have a King who has used many of us to be his instruments in bringing love, help, and hope to other people. We have a King who has given some of us unbelievable talents and skills. Indeed, we have a King that has never given up on us, the human race.
The Kingdom of God is not a place but a work and an experience of love, justice, and peace. This kingdom is deeply entrenched in many of us, in our longings, our tasks at hand, our projects, our commitments, and all our plans. The Kingdom of God is written in the smiles of our children, the embrace of our loved
