At the service of Christ the King

The story is told about a husband who was boasting to his friends: “You know, in my house I am the king, and whenever my wife and I have a quarrel, my wife does the kneeling!” Upon overhearing this, the wife said: “You know why I kneel down? I kneel down to look for him under our bed where he is hiding!”

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Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. Jesus reminds us that He, and He alone, is our King. Those of us who consider ourselves as kings, or act as wannabe kings would do well to remember that on judgment day, all of us will be judged not so much by our power, wealth, or stature, but by the good deeds we have done to one another.

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Ever so often we encounter people who are loud and proud. They are a vexation to the spirit, and they turn us off. The best we can do is to try to understand that maybe they have an axe to grind, or have something to prove to others, or have some hidden need in their lives. What is sad about such people is that they cannot go beyond their personal agenda toward the bigger agenda, which is, love of neighbor and love of God.

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We have seen it before, and we see it again: No one stays at the top forever. How futile are all our human efforts to hold on to power and influence, and hold on to life itself! Those who think of themselves or make of themselves kings or queens will sooner or later find out that earthly glory is passing and worldly power is fleeting. Save yourself and your family the trouble. The sooner you stop playing God, the better.

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The Koreans have a beautiful custom of not harvesting all the fruits of a tree in autumn so that the birds will have something to eat in the forthcoming cold winter. This surely is an example worth emulating. They consider the needs of the helpless and the little ones. How much more should we, so-called Christians! We must be considerate, thoughtful, sensitive to the needs of the people around us, and respond generously. As subjects of Christ, the King of the universe, we must be on the lookout for ways and means to carry out His marching orders to serve people, and to preserve Mother Nature.

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Christmas is just around the corner. As we busy ourselves to make Christmas happen in our own homes, please set aside something to make Christmas happen in the lives of other people. Remember the words of the Lord in today’s Gospel: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for Me.”

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Please don’t forget that  Diakonia (service) is one of the main ingredients of true Christian life, the other two being Koinonia (prayer), and Kerygma (proclamation). All these three must be integrated in our day-to-day life. The best way to evaluate our Christian life is to kneel before Christ our King, and in humility ask Him how we are, and how we are doing.

May we learn to be open, obedient and docile to our King. Otherwise, what can happen is that we think we are, but we are not really serving Him.

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When I think of humble and dedicated service, I can’t help but associate it with the late Bishop Artemio Rillera, SVD, DD, who passed away at the age of 69 in the morning of Nov. 13, 2011 due to acute asthma attack. He occupied high positions as provincial superior of the SVD Northern Province, as bishop of Abra and as bishop of La Union, and he remained humble and poor through it all. He was a superior who was never too administrative, proud, or condescending. He was such a simple, self-effacing, soft-spoken person, very personable and very approachable and accommodating. He had so much zeal and diligence, especially for the poor, the troubled, and the marginalized. I will not be surprised if “Manong” (as we fondly called him) who usually took public transport in his travels, was given the express train to heaven.

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I remember one incident at our Mission House in Ubbog, Bangued, Abra. When I arrived, Manong in his usual white T-shirt was sweeping the floor. After greeting him, I told my driver to bring my bags up the second floor. Thinking that Manong was the janitor of the place, my driver, who did not know who he was, called him and ordered him to help carry the bags, which Manong dutifully did! Imagine the surprise and embarrassment of my driver when he found out during supper that Manong was the provincial superior of the SVD Northern Province! Thank you Manong for your fine example of selfless, humble, dedicated and joyful service. I can almost hear the Lord saying to him now: “Come, you blessed by My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, my King, help me to serve you truly, fully, humbly and joyfully while I am living. Amen.