Before
he was martyred in 1927 in Mexico because he was a priest who
administered the sacraments to the people of God against the will of
the anti-religious government, the last words of Blessed Miguel Pro
were, “Viva Cristo Rey! Long
Live Christ the King!” This phrase was made more popular by
the establishment of today's solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King
of the Universe. Pope Pius XI established it to remind the faithful
that, despite the growing nationalism that demanded supreme authority
and faithfulness to the state, it was indeed God alone who deserved
our full service. It is a reminder that we obey God, and not man,
even if, like Blessed Miguel Pro, we must suffer for it. (Miguel, by
the way, held out his arms in the sign of the cross before the firing
squad to remind us that his suffering was one with Christ's
crucifixion).
We
give total obedience to God alone because He alone is the one that
will save us. It won't be educational systems, it won't be
government programs, it won't be Woodstock, and it won't be saving
the environment. The person on the cross alone saves us, so don't
put your trust in anyone or anything else. Not only can He save us,
He will. He already does, if we are open to the life of the Spirit.
No,
in the end, Christ the King will reign over the entire universe. The
power struggle that we all know so well will be no more. My
Kingdom is not of this world means that it is not governed as
this world governs. Herod, the tetrarch during Christ's birth had
three of his own children put to death, whereas Pontius Pilate would
not bat an eye to administer mass crucifixions in order to stop
potential uprisings in the territory. This constant fight for
domination will no longer be the state of affairs. God alone will
rule, and his reign is of service and peace. This is why He
distances himself from Pilate's questions.
When
we say Thy Kingdom come, the fact is it will come, no matter
what. We pray to conform our hearts to it now so that, when it
comes, it is a joy for us and not a suffering. For that kingdom
means freedom from selfishness, freedom from sin, freedom from the
pain that sin brings upon us all; it means fullness of peace in our
hearts and in our communities, fullness of joy, fulness of communion
with God and with others. If we don't let go of our sins, our
selfishness, the passing things of this world that never satisfy our
deepest longings, then we will not be glad when the Lord returns and
establishes his reign.
“Thy
Kingdom Come!” means more than “please return and fix all
this,” but also is a promise that we will do our part (and a plea
for help in doing it). Baptism in the threefold office of Christ.
Under the office of king, we order our world under the kingship of
Christ. Bringing this about requires religious freedom: which means
not freedom from
religion in the public sphere, but freedom for
its genuine and full expression. The saints show us clearly, time
and again, that religion is not against society, but indeed promotes
it. What caused the creation of the hospital system, the various
outreaches begun by St. Vincent de Paul, St. Marianne Cope, St.
Katherine Drexel, St. Elizabeth Anne Seton, and so many others? It
was clearly their deep conviction in their religious beliefs that God
demands justice and love for every human being, no matter how small,
weak, or different. Indeed, the saints show us that when Christ is
King in our hearts and in our world, then we truly begin to
experience the love and peace that He promises us.
Let
us pray “Thy Kingdom Come!” every day in everything we do. With
every breath may our lives exclaim “Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live
Christ the King!” And as we prepare for his future kingdom, we
make a throne in our souls for the Lord Jesus to reign this day, when
we receive Him in Holy Communion.
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