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Sts. Joseph & Paul Catholic Church |
Homily Archives | |
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Christ the King
I can remember
playing a game as a kid that we called “King of the Mountain.” The goal of
the game was to see who could get to the top of the mountain first. The
mountain could be a dump-load of dirt that made a huge mound, or a stack
of hay bales, or the big hill on granddad’s farm. Several kids stood at
the base of whatever we deemed to be the “mountain.” We all counted to
three, and then ran and climbed as fast as we could to the top of the
“mountain.” Whoever made it to the top first, would throw their hands in
the air and yell, at the top of his lungs, “I am King of the Mountain!”
How proud we were to reach that point of victory and win our kingdom. That little piece of territory was all the kingdom that we kids wanted. But playing “King of the Mountain” and gaining control of territory has not only been a kid’s game. It has also been a very serious, adult method to gain more territory. Throughout our world’s history, kings and queens and people of power, have engaged in battles and acts of aggression to expand their territory to include larger areas of land. Within our human nature resides a deep hunger for more land, and power, and the ability to raise one’s flag on new soil and claim victory. This Sunday brings us to the end of our Liturgical Year. You could say that, together we have made it to the top of the mountain. But on this mount of victory, we are not crying out – instead, Jesus is crying out that he is “the King of the Mountain.” We must be careful and not become confused like Pilate, who thought that Jesus was like every other king, desiring to expand His earthly kingdom with more land. Pilate wanted to keep the power and the victory. He did this by claiming an allegiance to a power from below rather than to a power from above. He had to keep the people of his kingdom happy, and that meant condemning an innocent man. Pilate was corrupt from within, and he avoided the truth. Jesus did want victory, but the kingdom that Jesus desired was a kingdom of truth, not a kingdom of land. And the truth was and is that His kingdom does not belong to this world. It was not about keeping people happy, but bringing people salvation. In the end he would not win His victory with an act of aggression and raise a flag, but a cross. Jesus gained victory with an act of complete and selfless love, and he gave his life over to us by dying on the cross. How easy it is to be like Pilate. Jesus was right before him, and he could not see the truth. Daily, Jesus is before us, and still, because of our human nature, we act with aggression; we desire more power, more wealth, more prestige, more honor. We are climbers, and we want to be at the top of the mountain. To do this, we may cut people off, or even tear them down. We do this because we are human, and still we desire the kingdom. The key to gaining this kingdom is to remember that Jesus is right before us and in us, offering his love, compassion, forgiveness and hope. We only have to accept him. In accepting the truth of Jesus, we will gain the strength and the ability to climb that mountain, and at the top, shout out, “I, too, am “king or queen of the mountain.”
sdrose@bellsouth.net
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