SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING C
Survival of the weakest
There is no doubt, Manny Pacquiao is the king of boxing. The whole world has just seen Filipino sports power at its best in the latest Pacquiao – Margarito match. Manny brought home his 8th title and an enormous amount of esteem, pride and honor to his country.
What makes a person king of the ring, king of the road, king of rock and roll, king of anything?
We have a principle in life called “survival of the fittest”. You survive when you prove to be the strongest, eliminating or dominating the weakest. You ensure your success by the blow of defeat you bestow on others. This is what happens to Manny and his opponents; to SM malls and the smaller stores, to multinational corporations and cottage industries. The stronger one tramples on the other, destroying, swallowing up, asphyxiating the other.
Today we are before another King, unlike any other king. He comes to set the standard for a new kind of kingship, a new kind of victory, a new king of relationship in the world.
Jesus, as he was hanging on the cross, heard his enemies shout: save yourself if you are the Christ, save yourself and us, cried the thief on his left. Save yourself – and prove to your enemies your power over them.
But Jesus now shows us what kingship is all about in the kingdom of God he preaches. It is not about saving oneself, imposing oneself, showcasing ones power. It is about saving another, the other who is weakest. It is about forgetting oneself so that the other may live. This is the test of true kingship and victory in the eyes of God.
In other religions, there are people who kill others for the glory of God. Jesus calls his followers to offer their lives so that God may be glorified, so that God may be known in the power of love, service and sacrifice.
We celebrate not just to worship the King. We are here to share in the kingship of Christ. How do we experience becoming kings like Jesus?
Spouses, you become like Christ the King when you continually accept and forgive one another; when respect, not domination marks your relationships. Young people, you become like Christ the King when you control your desire for immediate pleasure and become more sensitive to the voices that guide you. We become like our King when we learn to let go of self so that others may live.
The world tells us: survival of the fittest, elimination of the unfit. Jesus the King says to us: survival of the other, sacrifice to oneself. This is hard saying, but this is always true. Do we still desire to be our own king or are we on the side of the true King?
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