What does it mean to have a shared fate or even a common destiny? A shared fate seems to imply something to which we all will have to undergo as fellow creatures. Arguably, it is said that the 2 things that we cannot escape is that we all must die and we all must pay taxes (note I said “arguably”). To have a common destiny alludes to a more positive or hopeful sounding solidarity. This could be the life-giving potentialities that lie before each of us, which can be realized, given circumstances, development, nurturing, and a whole host of other communal elements.
Today marks the closing Feast in the Church’s calendar year – the Celebration of Christ the King of the Universe. The scriptures selected for Christ the King offer some very different images of “king” or “ruler.”
In the first reading (2 Sm 5:1-3 ), we hear how the Israelites make David their king. They approach David with these words…
““Here we are, your bone and your flesh. …And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel….’”
This is an expression of a shared experience in life. “…we are, your bone and flesh…and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people. ‘ ” This is the image of a “king” that “rules” from the ground of shared experience with others. And it is this common “ground” that affords the compassionate care that marks this type of “rule.” This is the Shepherd King who leads by love, trust and commitment. Paul’s letter to the Colossians (Col 1:12-20) provides a cosmic and timeless all-embracing image of the “Kingship” of Christ:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible…
…He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.. …For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him,”
Here we have the universal all-embracing cosmic image of a “king of the universe” (14 billion years and counting) that is not an impersonal and random ruler, but one, who similar to the “shepherd” image of David in the first reading “holds” things all together in such a way that everyone and everything is reconciled in fullness – a fullness in which we dwell. This is a way of saying, it seems, that nothing is lost. More than just not being lost, there is a “fullness” granted in this holding. This mighty “King of the Universe” is one who “rules” by “holding” everything together, not grasping or groping, but intentionally touching in a way that heals all. What seems lost is transformed into something more than could possibly even be imagined. It’s the image of God in Genesis looking at all of creation and saying, “It is good.” This is the affirmation and appreciation that gives that extra spice to life in all of its forms.
And finally, we have the striking Gospel image of “Christ the King” (Lk 23:35-43). This is the image of the “King of the Universe” nailed to a cross as a criminal. The opening line contrasts this image in a striking manner: “The rulers sneered at Jesus..” Here we have the “rulers” of the world looking upon the “Ruler” of the universe in disdain and distaste. And then as the Gospel continues, we hear the conversation that Jesus is having with the other two criminals who have been crucified.
One of the criminals say to Jesus: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.”
The other criminal says:
“Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Although we may be tempted to simply note that the first criminal was requesting to be saved out of a purely selfish motive, whereas the other criminal had more of an understanding of the “innocence” of Jesus, I believe we need both of these criminals’ words to begin to understand this “King of the Universe.”
The second criminal goes on to ask Jesus: “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus replies to him by saying, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
I don’t think Jesus was speaking to only the second criminal when he says this. In fact, I think he was answering also the request of the first criminal, who pleaded to be “saved.”
What is this “kingdom?” I believe that the five words in Jesus’ response gives us a hint… YOU WILL BE WITH ME! I would suggest that Jesus is basically saying that there is no kingdom without YOU. And this “you” is for both criminals, and includes the rulers jeering at His failed life in their eyes. This Kingdom is not a lonely place. It is a “be with” place. That includes, you and you and you and me and you and…
It may be odd, and to some perhaps heretical, to think that Christ “needs” us. But I think that this may be a way of understanding the Kingdom of God in a different way. I’m not convinced that the Kingdom is this grandiose palace wallpapered with moral achievements that requires earned entry. It seems to me to be more about the offering of hope in the most destitute of situations. Three criminals hung on a cross. One of them is saying to the other two, “THIS is about all three of us! “ It is the trinity of Hope, the common fate, and shared destiny. The offering is Hope, not despite Brokenness, but precisely within Brokenness. The God of the Universe is hanging on a cross and holding us together as we are crucified as well. And then, as Paul says to the Colossians, there is this Fullness…this Healing that captures everything and transforms it into something that could never be imagined – a new Dwelling place.
This “being with” is hard work, because we have to let go of being “saved” by ourselves. We have to go along with each other as companions, get along with each other as fellow sojourners, bring each other along, so that no one is left behind. The Kingdom is full of criminals, whose ultimate crime is being Loved! It’s up to us to repeat that “offense” to each other, by holding each other together. Is this not our life sentence – to be repeat offenders of the Mercy of Christ the King?
Peace
Thomas
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the earth.” – RUMI