Feast of Christ the Universal King ,Year C Lk 23,35-43

“There are kings who are more than just kings. They are shepherds of their people. They not only rule, but also love, even to the point of sacrificing their own lives…”

On August 31, 1993, the body of the late King of Belgium was found on the terrace of his summer residence. He died on the terrace where, as king, he often stood before the Greatest King—the King of the Universe. On the terrace, where he often prayed, read, and observed the stars. Once, while praying, he wrote this prayer: “God, when I admire the stars, make me more faithful and humble…” This was his request to the King, to whom he felt himself a subject and whom he longed to follow in his reign. He was said to be the king of human hearts. He gave priority to the insignificant, the poor, and the forgotten. When, in 1989, the Belgian parliament passed a constitutional law legalizing abortion, as a deeply devout Catholic, he decided not to sign it. Therefore, after 44 hours, he resigned. The secret of this king’s life was God. He believed that one day he, the King of Belgium, would stand before Christ, the King of the Universe, who would judge whether his royal heart was like the Heart of Jesus, the King of the Universe.

Today, at the end of the liturgical year, we think of an extraordinary King. In one song, we sing: “You walk through the ages, marking the hard path of suffering and pain with your blood. You carry a heavy cross, soothing pain and fear. O Jesus Christ, our King.”

Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world. It is different from the kingdoms and kings we know from history. In Christ’s Kingdom, power does not bind the hands of innocent people just because they think differently. In Christ’s Kingdom, power does not torture or whip. And the King himself binds wounds and accepts the leper, from whom others flee. But he goes to that person to heal him, to cleanse him, and to tell him that he loves him. So that the lost and wounded person may leave the encounter with the King better and holier, this King does not mock or despise people, but understands each one as if they were the only one in the world. When King Herod wanted to entertain himself with Him, He said nothing to him. He did not speak to the worldly ruler, but talked to lepers and beggars. When he was dying, the earth shook and the sun was hidden. And when His friend Lazarus died, He, the King, wept over his grave. That is the kind of King He is.

Saint Brother Albert Chmielowski painted an extraordinary picture. He called it “Ecce Homo” – “Behold the Man.” It depicts the moment when Jesus, after his conversation with Pilate, which we heard in today’s Gospel, is whipped. In contrast, the soldiers, for fun and amusement, placed a crown of thorns on his head and dressed him in a scarlet cloak. And the painting depicts Jesus as humiliated, spat upon, and despised. He is tortured, but despite His extreme humiliation, beauty can be seen in His face. The face of the Lord Jesus, though battered, is still beautiful. Moreover, great goodness can be seen in it. This is something of the mystery of the King of the Universe. Beauty and goodness remained with him despite his humiliation. Evil destroyed his body, but it could not touch or destroy the goodness and beauty of his Heart.

We are subjects of this extraordinary King. There are situations in our lives that humble us. How important it is that God remain in our lives in such situations. So that when someone tramples on us, humiliates us, or mocks us, we may preserve the beauty and dignity that Jesus preserved. In a moment, Christ, the King of the Universe, who knows the taste of humiliation and humiliation, will come into our hearts in the Most Holy Sacrament. Let us ask Him, whatever life brings us, to remember that the beauty and greatness of man lies in the goodness and beauty of a heart likened to the Heart of Jesus, King of the Universe.