Posted by The WORD in other words (2023) by Fr Magdaleno Fabiosa SVD – Holy Name University, Tagbilaran City
Solemnity of Christ the King – A
One thing striking in Matthew’s gospel is how he underlines the fact that the values in Jesus’ teachings are diametrically opposed to that of the world. A cursory reading of the “Sermon on the Mount” will bear this out. The other instance where this diametrical opposition happens is in the Gospel we just read for today’s feast of Christ the King.
The definition of being King in Jesus’ understanding is clearly manifested in the behavioral pattern of his day-to-day life. Biblical experts of the gospel of John say that the Last Supper event was Jesus’ commentary about his whole life; what went before this Last Supper event, and what would happen the following days that led to his death on the cross.
His whole life was an act of service for the whole of humanity. “He came that we may have life and have it to the full.” He concretely explained this act of service when he washed the feet of his disciples. The tools he left his disciples to carry out this mission of service were a TOWEL and a BASIN. Tools determine and define one’s trade.
If Christ’s followers were left the tools of a servant, then they can only do the work of a servant. Certainly, a towel and basin are used to carry out a work no master would do. They are commissioned to make contact with the soiled, sometimes the unattractive dimensions of humanity and to carry out this ministry with loving attention.
Such ministry can be fulfilled only by people who are not self-preoccupied, who can take their minds off themselves to focus on their ministry to the poor and the needy of the world in all their suffering and anguish. When washing another’s feet, the servant takes on a subordinate position while positioning the one whose feet are being washed in the place of a master.
This is the legacy Jesus left to those whom he has chosen to continue his ministry. They were to serve, not to rule and be served. This, for him, is what it means to be King.
In the fascinating scenario of the Last Judgment, perhaps the most surprising are the criteria by which the good and wise and the evil and foolish are judged and then rewarded or punished. These involved simple and common actions available to anyone. Traditionally called the corporal works of mercy, they included feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, and visiting the imprisoned.
Those who perform such actions usually do not receive much publicity or become rich and famous. What holds these actions together is their other-centeredness. They pull us out of our self-centeredness and self-absorption and direct us toward the humble service of others. This is at the heart of what it means to be King in the teachings of Jesus.
In doing so, we become like Jesus the King; besides, they guarantee us an entrance ticket into the Kingdom of a King who came to serve. There, we who served others will hear these words of Jesus: Come, enter the Father’s kingdom because the service you did to your neighbor, “you did for me!”
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