THROUGH UNTRUE
Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P.
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. What does it mean for us to believe that Jesus is our King?
If I believe that Jesus is my King, then I must be firmly convinced that nothing happens without His consent. When I complain about the events happening in the world, or when I insist that things must go my way, I will listen to His words which are both a reminder and a warning: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). He reminds me to stop behaving as though everything depends on me because He is God, not me. He also warns me that my desire for control will only set me up for greater disappointment because life will not always go according to my plan.
If I believe that Jesus is the King of the present, then I shall not waste my precious hours watching Netflix, television, or in compulsive texting and social networking. I shall not be a slave of obsessive surfing, chatting, posting selfies, and the virtual peeping into the lives of others. The cellphone and computer are heartless gadgets that measure everything in terms of speed. But life is not about speed. It is about depth. Worshipping Jesus as my King gives depth to my life. Without Him, life becomes a series of encounters with no personal engagements, dialogues without real conversations, contacts without presence.
If I believe that Jesus is the King of the past, then I shall acknowledge my misdeeds and sins, and beg for forgiveness. I shall not cover them up by rationalization. Nor will I pass the blame to others. I will take consolation from the fact that many saints sinned and one of His disciples even betrayed Him. I shall bravely confess my sins, resolve to improve myself, and offer restitution when needed. I am sure I will be tempted again to turn away from Him. In moments of weakness and moral failure, I shall repeat those words from the theme song of the movie “The Cardinal:”
“Though I grope and I blunder, though I’m weak and I’m wrong
Though the roads buckle under where I walk, walk alone
Till I find to my wonder, every path leads to thee
All that I can do is pray, “Stay with me, stay with me.”
If I believe that Jesus is the King of the future, then when age creeps in, and life becomes more difficult because of the onset of physical and mental disabilities, I will try to get one foot in front of the next. I will not be dismayed by long periods of darkness and confusion. I shall bear in mind that what counts most is not where I started but where I am going.If I believe that Jesus is the King who loves me as I am, then I will refuse to take myself too seriously. I shall humbly admit that I have imperfections and weaknesses. Many angels became devils because pride made them take their perfection too seriously. I shall remind myself that it does not pay to be heavy, it pays to be light. A stone cannot fly because its weight pulls it down. Humility lifts us up.
If I believe that Jesus is my King, I will love Him with all my heart. By doing so, I am certain that when He comes at the end of time, He will have no problem recognizing me. He will see Himself in me because, as St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: "We become what we love."