Christ the King

Prayer: In the preparatory prayer I will beg God our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions, and operations may be directed purely to the praise and service of his Divine Majesty.

Composition of place: The mental representation of the place. Here it will be to see with the eyes of the imagination the synagogues, towns, and villages through which Christ our Lord went preaching.

Prayer of petition: I will ask for the grace I desire. Here it will be to ask of our Lord that I may not be deaf to his call, but prompt and diligent to accomplish his most Holy Will.

The Human King

I can place before my mind a human king chosen by God our Lord Himself, to whom all Christian princes and people pay homage and obedience. (Once a seminarian, for this meditation and in order to help the community asked to watch the movie, Henry the Fifth…) Anyway, we probably need a movie in order to understand what it means to be a very good king.

In our modern world it is difficult to find holy human leaders to whom obedience and homage could be given. It is also very difficult to find princes or princesses.

Anyway, imagine that you are in the Age of Joan of Arc, and this human leader appears and says, “my will is to reconquer, to win back what we lost: our holy lands that now are in the hands of unfaithful people. They took our sacred places, destroyed our altars and sanctuaries, and killed children, men and women. They make theses places, spots of idolatry and prostitution, and they said, ‘where is your God, who doesn’t come to fight for you. Come, if you like to show me who is your God’.” And now, they promised to wipe out a Christian town.

Then this holy leader continues, “I will go to fight, and I will recapture the place. I will kill these blasphemous people, and I will restore the holy places. Whoever wishes to join me in this enterprise must be content with the same food, drink and clothing as mine. He must work with me by day, and watch with me by night…

So, as he suffered with me, afterwards, he may share in the victory with me.”  

Now, try to hear the answer of those who are besides this leader. Try to see the two different reactions:

First of all, the cowardice of some, of those who try to hide themselves from the presence of this holy man. Try to hear the weak arguments that they set. “I am too young or I am too old…” “I don’t know if I can endure an enterprise of so many days…” “many people need me here…” “I never left the country, how I can go to a place that I don’t know…”

Try to see their faces, try to see if they are happy or they are sad. Try to hear the commentaries of others about them: “what ignoble men… are they princes?”

Later, you can see the second group. People with light in their eyes, and with blood en their veins, people with judgment and reason. Real princes, who want to fight for the Glory of God, and the salvation of many others.

They have a prince’s spirit. This spirit guides the soul to great acts… to worry about big things… and carry out great works in all virtue.

They are noble people. And what is it to be noble? It is a man of heart. It is a man that has something for himself and for others. They are born to lead… They are those that have put style in their behavior… They are those that set laws and fulfill them… They are those that feel honor like life. They can give themselves because they possess themselves. They are those that know in each instant the things for which one must die. They are the able ones that give things that nobody demands and abstain from things that nobody prohibits. They are those that always consider themselves as beginners, and consequently never stop.

These noble princes, hearing the words of the holy leaders, cannot say any other words than these: “I will go…”

Christ, The King

Saint Ignatius says, apply the example of the earthly king to Christ our Lord.

1) Christ is King

Pilate said to Jesus, are you a king then? Jesus answered, ‘you say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world…’” (John 18: 33-38)

He was proclaimed king before his birth, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Lk 1, 31-33)

He was proclaimed king when he was born, “Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (Mt. 1: 1-2)

He proclaimed this kingdom during his life, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.’” (Mk 1: 15)

He was proclaimed king before his death, When Jesus entered into Jerusalem “those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mk 11: 9-10)

He was proclaimed king at his death, “There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’” (Lk. 23: 38) and the good thief words, “‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” (Lk. 23: 42-43)

2) Christ, the King, speaks to us

It is my will to conquer the whole world and all my enemies, and then to enter into the glory of my Father.

His will is to conquer the whole world and our lives are part of this world. And each aspect of our lives has to be conquered.

Therefore, whoever wishes to join me in this enterprise must be willing to labor with me, that by following me in suffering, he may follow me in glory.

To follow him means imitation

It is not an invitation to go behind. It is an invitation to the imitation of Him, strictly speaking: to live as he lives.

Only God can call a person “to follow him” without reserve or limitation.

This call is already present in the Old Testament, “The Lord, your God, you will follow . . . his commandment you will observe . . . you will serve him and hold fast to him alone” (Dt 13:5).

In the Old Testament, this “to follow him” means “to fulfill his commandments”, but here, in the New Testament we have a new element that is new and surprising: Jesus calls us to follow him personally. This call is at the very heart of the Gospel, and this is a call to follow him by imitation.

To follow him means renunciations, the rich young man understood this point perfectly, and “on hearing the invitation of Jesus, he went away sad for he had many possessions” (Mt 19:22; cf. Mk 10:22).

To follow him means sacrifice and sometimes the supreme sacrifice. Because of this he says to his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it . . .”

(Mt 16:24-25).

Our Answer

Saint Ignatius says, those who wish to give greater proof of their love, and to distinguish themselves in whatever concerns the service of the eternal King, will not only offer themselves entirely for the work, but will act against their sensuality and worldly love, and make offerings of greater value and of more importance.

What does it mean, “to act against our sensuality”?

If you are in a battlefield and bullets are all around. If you are on front line, and the enemy is very near. If you hear at that moment the voice of your captain, “go forward…” Probably, the first reaction will be, no… It is the reaction of sensibility… It is the flesh that works against our spirit. The flesh says, “I can’t… I can’t endure this.” “It is too much…”

And if you hear again “go forward…” your sensuality tries to be deaf.  Sensuality is an inordinate love of this world or the things of this world. In the very moment of decisions worldly things cry: “You cannot live without us” “You don’t know how to live without us…”

The main problem is that “this – go forward…” means to die, and you are sure of this. But you came to this battlefield to give up your life, because you love the cause, and you think that is worth dying for.

Then, only those who have heart will go forward with this prayer in their lips:

Eternal Lord of all things, in the presence of your infinite goodness, and of your glorious Mother, and of all the saints of your heavenly court, this is the offering of myself, which I make with your favor and help.

I confess that it is my most profound desire and my deliberate choice, to imitate you, to suffer all shame and scorns, all poverty –spiritual and actual-, in order to follow you in such a state and way of life.

There is no greater proof. This is the evangelical proof of love, “No man has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15: 13)

Looking at the cross of our King and Lord, we are encouraged to renounce ourselves, to take up our cross daily and walk behind him.