Joyful Challenge

Joyful Challenge

 

 "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom"

Gospel for The Feast of Christ The King:  Luke23.35-43

 As Catholic educators, we spend our days sharing our life in Christ. This is the "great commission" as disciples. In sharing the Good News, we know it to be a joyful challenge, because much of what we say and do is contradictory to the "logic" of the world around us.

Take our liturgical year. It doesn't line up with the regular calendar, and it can be confusing to our students and the uninitiated. Today, we end our Church year and begin a new cycle of worship and prayer. 

Why?

Well, ending our Church year at this time allows us to prepare our minds and hearts for the coming of the Lord.

And to remind us of who it is we prepare for, we end with the Feast of Christ the King. It is a fitting celebration, when we consider the Gospel readings of the past for or five weeks. They all were about the kingdom, and how to live and love as Kingdom people.

As we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we celebrate an entirely different King than the world has known.

A King whose throne is a cross.

A King whose glory is in an inglorious death

A King whose power is in the emptying of Himself.

The religious leaders, and even one of the criminals, mocked Him. "Let him save himself if he is the Christ." 

You can imagine them thinking: Where is his God? He has no supernatural power!

Those in power (represented by the soldiers) also

 insulted Him: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" 

You can imagine them thinking: Where are his followers? He has no political power!

 And in those final moments, when the criminal on his right asks, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom," Jesus does what he always does:
Invites. Welcomes. Loves.

The joyful challenge of discipleship is to invite, welcome and love others into the life of Christ. It is a challenge because our world is no more receptive to this King and his Kingdom than 2000 years ago. 

And life in Christ is not easy.

But it is joyful. Many people misunderstand joy, thinking that it is the same as happiness. Joy is really about hope. We live hopeful lives because of a King that emptied himself so we might share in his Divine Life.

For this week...

If you teach in a Catholic school... reflect with your students on what it means to be a "good king". How is Jesus like that? What makes Jesus different.

For all of us...  As part of your prayer time, use the words of the "good thief": Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom...

And accept the joyful challenge of discipleship.