GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS KING / QUEEN
How often are these, or similar words sung out, loudly and clearly, during the year, by one and all, throughout the world? “God save our gracious king, send him (her) victorious and glorious.” We hope in God they are victorious and glorious … and ultimately ‘saved’.
Yet, though kings and queens do come and go, life for their subjects remains the same. Important things do not change; sickness, ailments remain, the poor are always with us, those who suffer injustice still cry out. Why? Because those, to whom we give this ‘honour’, are human beings just like us, they are not infallible. They themselves depend on ‘someone’ else who is above human nature.
Was it not that Jewish Rabbi who lived over 2000 years in Palestine, who gave the really ‘good news’ to the all who wanted to follow Him? He called ‘blessed’ the poor, those who mourn, the humble, those who suffer injustice, those who love and work for peace. He gave them the true solution… yet!
He also gave us His assurance on what He had promised, because He did in fact give ‘proof’ that He had meant business. The wonderful thing about Him is that His promises, offers, are still ‘valid’ today, for those who want to follow Him. He never published any programme, no political manifesto full of lies and gimmicks simply to impress people to make them follow Him. He certainly gave us ample, solid proof of His love, of His sincerity.
As a true ‘leader’ he gave up his life for His subjects; for those who followed Him, and for those who did not; even for His enemies. He gave up His life as a Sacrifice on the high altar of Golgotha. Love was sacrificed, and its ashes were blown away with the winds to the four corners of the world. But, where they settled, abundant, luscious fruit abounded.
How stupid, how ’naïve’ we must be to believe all those who offer us wealth, health, stability, jobs for all; be they, any world leaders; politicians, presidents, senators especially those who say they represent the ‘people’. Have we ever read in the annals of History of any world leader who gave up his life for his subjects? A far cry.
It has happened, only once in History; by a humble, lowly carpenter from a remote part of Israel, Nazareth to be exact, an outcast of the Roman occupation. He changed World History. Though he was of royal lineage, from the House of David, yet He never called Himself king.
What in fact constitutes a ‘king’? What are the terms of reference? In any dictionary we read the definition of ‘king’: ‘ a person invested with supreme authority over a nation’. Yes, by popular acclaim which, by time, was inherited by the children. BUT, Christ is not the ‘King of kings’. Certainly not of this class of kings. He is THE King of the universe. I consider ‘King of kings’ as an offence, a grievous offence.
For why should we relegate Christ’s kingship to the human level, by popular consent? Christ IS KING, because He was invested as such by the supreme authority of God, from eternity … and certainly not by popular acclaim. That oft-used phrase, King of kings, should be eliminated once and for all. Christ is our King because He is our loving, merciful Creator, our Redeemer.
Let us offer a gift to Christ the King, in appreciation of His redeeming us, especially on the Feast Day of Christ the King. What better gift could there be than offering ourselves, our actions, our words and thoughts, our strength, our ‘all’? That, in other words is the meaning of ‘full participation in the Sacrifice of the Eucharist’, the Mass. That means we have to live Mass every single second of our life.
How often are these, or similar words sung out, loudly and clearly, during the year, by one and all, throughout the world? “God save our gracious king, send him (her) victorious and glorious.” We hope in God they are victorious and glorious … and ultimately ‘saved’.
Yet, though kings and queens do come and go, life for their subjects remains the same. Important things do not change; sickness, ailments remain, the poor are always with us, those who suffer injustice still cry out. Why? Because those, to whom we give this ‘honour’, are human beings just like us, they are not infallible. They themselves depend on ‘someone’ else who is above human nature.
Was it not that Jewish Rabbi who lived over 2000 years in Palestine, who gave the really ‘good news’ to the all who wanted to follow Him? He called ‘blessed’ the poor, those who mourn, the humble, those who suffer injustice, those who love and work for peace. He gave them the true solution… yet!
He also gave us His assurance on what He had promised, because He did in fact give ‘proof’ that He had meant business. The wonderful thing about Him is that His promises, offers, are still ‘valid’ today, for those who want to follow Him. He never published any programme, no political manifesto full of lies and gimmicks simply to impress people to make them follow Him. He certainly gave us ample, solid proof of His love, of His sincerity.
As a true ‘leader’ he gave up his life for His subjects; for those who followed Him, and for those who did not; even for His enemies. He gave up His life as a Sacrifice on the high altar of Golgotha. Love was sacrificed, and its ashes were blown away with the winds to the four corners of the world. But, where they settled, abundant, luscious fruit abounded.
How stupid, how ’naïve’ we must be to believe all those who offer us wealth, health, stability, jobs for all; be they, any world leaders; politicians, presidents, senators especially those who say they represent the ‘people’. Have we ever read in the annals of History of any world leader who gave up his life for his subjects? A far cry.
It has happened, only once in History; by a humble, lowly carpenter from a remote part of Israel, Nazareth to be exact, an outcast of the Roman occupation. He changed World History. Though he was of royal lineage, from the House of David, yet He never called Himself king.
What in fact constitutes a ‘king’? What are the terms of reference? In any dictionary we read the definition of ‘king’: ‘ a person invested with supreme authority over a nation’. Yes, by popular acclaim which, by time, was inherited by the children. BUT, Christ is not the ‘King of kings’. Certainly not of this class of kings. He is THE King of the universe. I consider ‘King of kings’ as an offence, a grievous offence.
For why should we relegate Christ’s kingship to the human level, by popular consent? Christ IS KING, because He was invested as such by the supreme authority of God, from eternity … and certainly not by popular acclaim. That oft-used phrase, King of kings, should be eliminated once and for all. Christ is our King because He is our loving, merciful Creator, our Redeemer.
Let us offer a gift to Christ the King, in appreciation of His redeeming us, especially on the Feast Day of Christ the King. What better gift could there be than offering ourselves, our actions, our words and thoughts, our strength, our ‘all’? That, in other words is the meaning of ‘full participation in the Sacrifice of the Eucharist’, the Mass. That means we have to live Mass every single second of our life.
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