As I pen my letter, it the final Sunday of the liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King. This great feast is a magnificent reminder to not only recognize Jesus Christ as King of the Universe, but also king of our hearts, our lives and our families. How wonderful this feast! In today’s world God is ignored, overlooked and belittled. We need to reclaim and proclaim His sovereignty over us! In 1979, Pope John Paul II, a prophet for our times, wrote in Familiaris Consortio,
“May Christ the Lord, the Universal King, the King of Families, be present in every Christian home as He was at Cana, bestowing light, joy, serenity and strength. On the solemn day dedicated to His Kingship I beg of Him that every family may generously make its own contribution to the coming of His Kingdom in the World – “a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace,” towards which history is journeying.” (FC, 86)
The liturgy is a great teacher, for not only is this great solemnity the end of the liturgical year, but it also provides a fitting transition into the new liturgical year. The liturgies of Advent help us prepare for the birth of the King. I have been thinking about those days more than 2,000 years ago when Christ was born in Bethlehem. Have you ever thought about how many events were coalescing and how God was bringing about the fullness of time?
God foresaw and used the Roman census to realize His plan; Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem and the Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled. The Light of the Nations was born in a stable.
The pilgrimage of the Magi is another. “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold the magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)
Even as an infant, perhaps even before He was born, the Divine Light of Jesus was guiding, drawing others to Himself. The Magi were inspired to follow the star of the newborn King, to honor and pay homage to Him. To cite the wisdom of Pope Benedict XVI, “The Wise Men from the East mark a ‘new beginning’ … the journeying of humanity toward Christ.” This journey is one that must never end in this life.
The Magi risked everything following this star into foreign lands! Despite dangers and their critics, they had the conviction to follow the star. We will never know what inspired them to do so, yet the fact remains that at great risk to themselves, they did. They set out to follow that star…that light…and they were persistent throughout their journey. Even when the star disappeared, they did not abandon their purpose, requesting a meeting with Herod who, surely, would know the location of the newborn King of the Jews. King Herod, though, did not share the hopes or the natural faith of the Magi.
“When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all of Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. “They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for this it has been written…” (Matthew 2:3-5)
King Herod’s role in these events also needs to be examined, as he is the first to persecute families because of the birth of the Christ Child. Perhaps this is where the attack on the Christian family first began and this attack has continued ever since. Herod’s malevolent atrocities in his attack on the innocent have carried forward from generation to generation.
“Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.’ After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2: 7-11)
Advent is the perfect check point for us on our journey, a perfect time to reflect on these things, a perfect time to think about Herod, the Magi, and Pope Benedict XVI’s observation that this historical event marked the beginning of mankind’s journey toward Christ. Are we truly proclaiming Christ as our King in our lives or are we to be counted among those about whom God spoke to Samuel, that is, those who reject God as king?
“Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the Lord, however, who said in an answer. “Grant the people’s every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king. As they have treated me constantly from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this day, deserting me and worshiping strange gods, so do they treat you too.” (1 Samuel 8:6-8)
My hope this Advent is that we all strive to be like the Magi, perhaps best echoed by Pope Francis when he said:
“We do well to repeat the question asked by the Magi: ‘Where is the child who has been born the King of Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage’ (Matthew 2:2). We are impelled, especially in an age like our own, to seek the signs which God offers us, realizing that great effort is needed to interpret them and thus to understand his will. We are challenged to go to Bethlehem, to find the Child and his Mother. Let us follow the light which God offers us – that tiny light. … The light which streams from the face of Christ, full of mercy and fidelity. And once we have found him, let us worship him with all our heart, and present him with our gifts: our freedom, our understanding and our love. True wisdom lies concealed in the face of this Child. It is here, in the simplicity of Bethlehem, that the life of the Church is summed up. For here is the wellspring of the light which draws to itself every individual in the world and guides the journey of the peoples along the path of peace.” (Homily of Pope Francis on the Epiphany of the Lord)
Christ is the Light of the World; as Christians, we too are to bring light to the world. Be the light in your homes, be the light in your families, be the light in your work place, be the light in your school, be the light in your cities, be the light in our country, be the light in the world. Everyone you meet is longing for God, desires to love Him and be loved by Him. May your light introduce them to Him anew.
May His star shine in our hearts and herald the way of truth, love and peace. O come let us adore him