by Rev. Deacon Lawrence A. St. Onge

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. The prophet Daniel, in the 1^st reading, spoke about the Son of Man who would be coming upon the clouds of heaven, who would receive everlasting dominion, glory and kingship. Jesus referred to himself a number of times in the gospels as the Son of Man; as the Son of Man who became a human person; as the Son of Man who would suffer for the salvation of sinners; and as the Son of Man who would return on the clouds of heaven as judge at the end of time. This is what we celebrate today; the Son who became man, the Son who is Savior, and the Son who is judge; this is the feast of Christ the King.

We call Jesus, Christ the King and Lord, but what does it mean for us to accept the sovereignty and dominion of his kingship? It means a daily, deliberate and lifelong willingness to be transformed by him. This involves a transformation by his words, which are truthful; by his mind, which is fully intent on God and goodness; by his will, which is conformed to God’s will; by his heart, which is warm with welcome for all, full of forgiveness and mercy, and always compelled by compassion.

In today’s gospel we listened to a one-on-one dialogue between Jesus and Pilate. Jesus says to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world. But yes, I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

In this dialogue Jesus offers Pilate an opportunity to be transformed by him, but Pilate allowed the opportunity to pass him by. He forfeited the gracious gift of transformation; because he did not recognize Jesus’ kingship or dominion. Yes, he heard Jesus’ voice, but he did not listen to him. He saw, but did not accept or understand.

But the truth of the matter is, sometimes we are like Pilate in our one-on-one experience with the Lord, be it in the sacraments, his sacred word in the scriptures, in the silence of our hearts, or in one another. When we are given these opportunities to be transformed by God’s truth, do we accept them or reject them like Pilate?

For people of faith transformation just doesn’t happen; it is God’s gift to those who are willing. It is the gift that each of us needs to pray for – to be changed, to be transformed by Jesus, by his person and his truth, by his dying and rising.

To truly accept the sovereignty and dominion of Christ’s kingship in our lives means that we need to be transformed by Jesus, so that we can accept what the world around us considers powerlessness and defeat. It means the Way of the Cross.

Today’s gospel passage comes from the account leading to Jesus’ passion and death. It is on Mt. Calvary that Jesus becomes the "King of love." On his throne of the cross, gold is replaced by woods, jewels by thorns, fine wine by vinegar, and rich clothes by nakedness. Christ is jeered and mocked, tortured and humiliated. Yet this is what Jesus understands by being a king; this is what he came into the world to accomplish. This is where he reigns, washing away our sins with his blood. This is how he shows the depth’s of God’s love for us. To see strength and meaning in the cross is to comprehend and understand the secret of God’s kingdom. Those things which signify vulnerability, suffering and death, are, paradoxically, also the means of glory, healing and life. In actuality, sometimes the only way certain things will ever be resolved in our life is to bring them to the foot of the cross.