Christ the King

Christ the King
November 21, 2004
"Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom... today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23: 35-43) "He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son." (Col 112-20)
This passage from St. Paul is a powerful statement about the cosmic dimensions of the kingdom into which we have been initiated by the death and resurrection of Christ. The invisible God has included us in a "kingdom" greater and more expansive than the entire physical universe where we share the divine light and life directly. This is exactly what Jesus was referring to when he promises the repentant thief that they will be together in paradise that very day. As St. Paul says, we have a great deal to be thankful for, far beyond the traditional material things we remember at this time of year.
This past week I participated in a symposium for ALS patients and their caregivers, including medical experts there to report on the status of research and advancements in management of the disease. One thing I recommended was "live in the present, plan and hope for the future". The kingdom of God is found in both experiences. I was struck with how these people could bring something positive and life giving out of the cross of a debilitating illness. Sometimes it was difficult to know who was helping whom in the circle of care. Some of us, still able to get out to a function like this were physically there, and some of us, like the person hanging next to Christ, preparing very soon to enter the kingdom in its fullness, were there in another way. I was acutely aware of the latter especially, and came away grateful for our companions on the way. Here was, along with profound loss and darkness, heroism of the finest order, an experience of the kingdom of light.
I am reminded by this experience of how close we are to this kingdom, especially when we feel very far away from it. We all hang on our own crosses next to Christ, already in the kingdom of the God. It also made me think about how many other little communities of light there are clustered around other kinds of crosses: soldiers in battle on both sides, innocent victims of war, victims of physical and mental diseases (especially the rare ones we never hear about), medical professionals (especially the underpaid and underappreciated who do most of the grunt work), those who attend to the needs of the suffering and dying, addicts supporting each other in recovery, victims of abuse of all kinds struggling to live a normal life. I am thankful this week for all of them, and for all of you, companions on the way in the kingdom of light.