When you see [St. Peter’s Square], it’s not hard to think of all the important things that go on in the Vatican every day: the decisions taken by the Holy Father that effect Catholics worldwide, the work of so many various dicasteries and offices that help people in need around the world, meetings with heads of state, the canonization of saints, and on and on. As a result, it’s sometimes hard to remember that the center of faith is not the church.
But it’s not. The center of our faith is a person.
[At the Jesuit Generalate in Rome,] perched on a cliff that overlooks a large garden is a ten-foot statue of that person: Jesus Christ. He stands with his arms outstretched on a concrete base inscribed with the words “Salus Tua Ego Sum,” or “I am your salvation.”
I’m a big fan of the Pope. But he is not my king. He is not even a king. And he would be the first to agree. Our king, whom we celebrate today on the Solemnity of Christ the King, is Jesus.
Our Gospel reading shows what kind of king he is: not one wrapped in worldly power, not one that dominates, and certainly not one that oppresses anyone. Rather, he is a king who is willing to suffer. It’s always moves me that the Gospel passage chosen for today's feast is not any of the Resurrection stories, as you might imagine, or some dramatic miracle, but Jesus dying on the Cross. Our king comes to us ready to take on all that we are, and willing to bear all that we bring to him. He is “The Crucified God,” to take the title of a book from the German theologian Jürgen Moltmann.
It's important to remember that when we think of the Pope, cardinals, bishops and the beautiful church buildings that we all love. I’ve dedicated my life to the church, but I also know that the church did not die on the Cross and rise from the dead: Jesus did. He is my salvation. He is yours too.
--Fr. James Martin,
Outreach, Nov 19, 2022
Outreach, Nov 19, 2022
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