Christ the King Homily

In the Eastern Rites in the Marriage ceremony both the Groom and Bride receive a crown on their heads. They become through marriage the King and Queen of their own little Kingdom, the family.
A kingdom built upon divine love, meaning that each sees the good in the other, each commits to supporting the other in bringing forth that goodness; each commits to building up their family with this value.

During an Engaged Encounter weekend couples preparing for the sacrament of Matrimony make a journey to be even more open to the wonder of what they will commit to. One part of that journey is for them to begin to think how they will form their family.   The family begins, not when those kids arrive, but when each says “I do”. Yet the groundwork begins way before that, with each saying this good is what is important to me and both agreeing what “good” will be valued and become an active part of the family: generosity, mercy, compassion.

In the beginning, the book of Genesis writes Man and Woman walked with God in paradise. They listened to God, they worked with God in the garden and God enjoyed all of Creation with them. Then they listened to another wisdom, a wisdom that says “Think of yourself. Do it for yourself. Forget about God.” Paradise was lost.

Consider the mocking in the Gospel for today: “Save yourself!” Three times they say this to Jesus. “If you are the anointed one, you can save yourself” In other words “prove yourself to us by our own set of conditions”  Ironic in that Jesus cured, healed, forgave; Jesus showed compassion, mercy, love, kindness...these acts of love, these acts that truly reflect the reality of God, these acts they rejected.  

Ironic too, Jesus didn’t need saved. He was totally free. He was in Paradise because he never left God’s side. He always walked with God, building up the kingdom with his acts of compassion, love, generosity.  He lived always as God’s Child. He lives on as God’s child.


Each day we choose.

We choose between Divine Wisdom, freedom, love, of giving of ourselves for others, we choose to build up the kingdom of Heaven…Life

Or

We choose to have to prove ourselves to others.  We choose the lie that we have to make ourselves good.  We choose the lie that power is control over others.  Death



How much Joy do we experience? How much harmony do we experience?  How much peace and wholeness?  How much anger, frustration, fear, grief, how much do we mock?

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