Following is a blog written by my friend of many years, Arlene Muller. Arlene is a Secular Franciscan, and is involved in the music ministry of her parish in Queens, New York. Welcome, Arlene.
Of Shepherds & Kings
Reflection on the Feast of Christ the King
This weekend’s liturgical celebration of the feast of Christ the King focuses on two images that in the eyes of the world and human experience are usually antithetical: the shepherd and the king. In human, worldly experience the shepherd historically has usually been at the “low end of the totem pole”, living a sparse and simple existence, usually economically poor, and sometimes even an outcast. In contrast, the king is at the “top”, wearing gold, silver and precious stones and royal robes trimmed with ermine, dining sumptuously while many of his subjects go hungry, surrounded with pomp, and wielding power and authority over his people whom he could destroy at whim with a mere snap of his fingers.
Interestingly the first recorded visitors to the LORD JESUS in the infancy narratives in the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew were the shepherds and the kings, and one of my favorite Christmas songs that we used to sing at the Christmas Eve Vigil Folk Mass was the song entitled SHEPHERDS AND KINGS by Gregory Norbet.
As an American I must confess that the image of a king as presented from a worldly perspective is anathema to me, since over 200 years ago in US history we declared our independence from a worldly king named King George III of England who yielded great power, who was ruthless, egotistical, greedy, demanding and liberated ourselves from the silly pomp, fancy garb, and ruthless tyranny and we declared—at least in principle, even though we have often fallen far short of that principle--that all people are created equal, are endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that the purpose of government was not to have a tyrant ruling over us but to ensure the protection of the God-given inalienable rights of every human being. So to associate our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST with the title of King would seem to contradict not only the ideals upon which the USA was founded but also the very Gospel we claim to espouse and proclaim.
However, as our LORD JESUS pointed out to Pontius Pilate in response to the query of whether He is a king, according to the passage in the Gospel of John that is sometimes proclaimed for the feast of Christ the King, His kingdom is not of this world. What human beings and this world have done throughout human history to the concept of reigning as king is 180 degrees from what God intended. The role of king in the Kingdom of God is akin to the role of shepherd. In fact, the king of Israel who was chosen to be the earthly ancestor of King JESUS and who was called a man after God’s own heart was, first and foremost, a shepherd who was almost overlooked because he was busy tending the sheep and even risking his life for them—David, the sweet psalmist of Israel. JESUS, our King, described Himself as “the Good Shepherd” who lays down His life for His sheep, and that is what JESUS literally did. He told His baffled followers that anyone aspiring to greatness should be the servant of all, and in the Church one of the titles of the pope as Vicar of Christ on earth is “the servant of the servants of God”.
The first reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel describes how God, Who is King of the Universe, behaves as a good shepherd, and this prophecy is incarnated in our LORD JESUS CHRIST. JESUS, our King and Good Shepherd, focuses on seeking and saving the lost, running after those who have strayed, carrying them home, healing them and binding up their wounds. He spurns worldly power and spurns riches and the trappings of a worldly kingdom and maintains a lifestyle of simplicity, associating primarily with the poor and lowly of this world. The only crown upon His head is the crown of thorns and He is lifted up only on a cross. While earthly kings impose their authority from the outside and wield their power, lording their power over all of their subjects, Our LORD JESUS seeks first to reign in the heart of every human being, and His Kingdom is initiated from within. While earthly kings seek to dominate in an atmosphere of fear and oppression, JESUS seeks to rule through people freely responding to Him in love. While earthly kings burden their subjects with countless rules and regulations, everything that JESUS requires flows from two great commandments: to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. While earthly kings demand that their people bow down in obeisance to the rich, JESUS calls us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, welcome the stranger, visit the stranger, and show loving mercy to others as our way of expressing our love for Him. This has been very much the focus of the papacy of our beloved Pope Francis as he seeks to reach out to lost and wounded souls, reaches out to prisoners, people who are poor, people with disabilities, and to lost, alienated sinners, and encourages us to do the same.
The best thing we can do as we contemplate and celebrate this feast of JESUS CHRIST, King of the Universe and honor Him as our King, is to recognize that we are all His sheep, that sometimes we get lost and afraid when it is cloudy and dark, that without His leading we are prone to go astray, and that we need His healing of our woundedness. Because Christ our King is first and foremost our Savior and our Good Shepherd, we do not need to fear of allowing Him to reign over us, because His banner over us is love.
© Copyright 2014 by Arlene B. Muller (Arlene Clare Muller, OSF) joysong100@msn.com
