SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING A
SHEPHERD-KING
The modern image of a
king resonates well with the millenial slang words we use today like
lodi or werpa. Lodi is idol spelled or read
backwards. Werpa is a play on the word “power” (spelled in
the tagalog “pawer” and pronounced in reverse). Yes, a
king is the lodi of his followers. And a king wields werpa
from where he sits with authority. The gospel today (Mt 25) shows us
Christ the King exercising his role as judge of the actions of his
people. For good deeds, he promises rewards; for evil ones, he issues
condemnations.
However it might mislead
people to think that Christ is king because of his popularity, the
idol-quality his followers attribute to him. Or we might be tempted
to perceive of Christ as king because of his power to control, to
reward and punish, and to impose his will. Certainly these are
attributes of earthly kings that Jesus never dreamed for himself.
What is Jesus like as
king? The first reading (Ezek 34) provides an answer. Jesus is king
in the manner of the shepherd. As king, Jesus tends the sheep. He
rescues them from danger. He leads them to pasture. He seeks them
out. He heals the sick ones and trains the strong ones to obey. This
is a king who does not bask in the scent of aromatic perfumes nor
dwells comfortably in a palace. Jesus' kingship is not experienced in
the seat of power but in the company of the sheepfold. Our king is a
shepherd who smells like the sheep. Our king is a shepherd who stoop
down to mingle with the sheep.
How many people who enjoy
being the lodi of the crowd, or who are invested with werpa
over others act as true shepherds of their families, their offices,
their communities, their organizations? Great are the temptations to
be considered above and apart from the simple masses and to play with
the lives and the future of others.
Let
us pray to the Lord to teach us how to become shepherds when we are
given the task to be kings.
