Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today our liturgical year concludes and we celebrate the great feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Ruler of the Universe. In today’s Gospel we find our King on an unlikely throne, the cross at Calvary. While it seems unlikely to our human thinking, it is a most fitting throne for the King who defied every convention of kingship, and redefined what power and authority is, where we can find it, and how we are to use it. Our King found authority in love and compassion and power in submission and perseverance. He submitted Himself to the will of the Father, persevered through the unimaginable suffering of His Passion, and poured out His very life in an act of compassionate love for the world He rules. This ultimately gave him power over death, and the authority to share this resurrection with all who follow Him.
This Gospel also features one of my favorite Gospel characters, the Good Thief, St. Dismas. It is remarkable to consider that a person, suffering beside Jesus, had the insight to see His kingly nature, and to ask for admittance to His Kingdom. Dismas is an inspiration to us to stay open to grace and enlightenment at any moment in our lives. I am sure when he was awaiting execution Dismas did not imagine he would hang next to the one person who could offer him eternal life. But when he recognized Jesus’ power, he did not hesitate to profess his faith and boldly ask for this gift.
Today we take pride in our identity as followers of a crucified King. Our King’s life exemplified mercy, compassion, and dedication. His death exemplified courage and perseverance. In His Resurrection we learn that true power comes not from dominance or oppression as the world would have us believe, but rather from love and forgiveness. We will never change the world through condemnation or bullying. Only by following our King’s example of loving mercy in every interaction and relationship, beginning with our relationship with ourselves, can we harness His power to build His Kingdom here on earth and share in the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven.
I wish you and your loved ones blessings for good health, great hope, and deep pride in our glorious King,
Fr. Paul
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