One of the attractions of such book as Harry Potter is that
here is a seemingly very ordinary person who all of a sudden discovers that he
is really quite special. All that was
needed was for someone to uncover it.
Did you, like me, at least once in your life dream that maybe, just
maybe you were at the obscure tail end of a line of royalty? (My Mother assured me that we were Slovenian
hillbillies that that I shouldn’t hope for a European castle, rule, or treasure.)
Well guess what, Mom was wrong. (And that is something I rarely get to
say.) When you were baptized, holy oil
(Chrism) was taken and a cross was traced on your head as has been done to
Kings and prophets since deep in the Old Testament. One of the offices in which you were anointed
was KING. (This is the same if you are
male or female. It is the ancient right
of office not the sex into which you were anointed. That is why we all have the status of sons
with the Father. We are equal. It is the status into which you enter.)
Now, it may seem to kind of spoil it if you are a king among
a nation of kings. When everyone is a
king, is anyone a king? That is like the
dilemma we are on the verge of entering into with marriage – because it won’t
stop with same sex marriage between two people.
And once marriage can mean anything, does it mean anything at all?
But as far as you royal status goes it still does! It does my fellow kings! It may not play well in Cucamonga, but it
will in the Heavenly Kingdom! It will
mean everything. And this life we train
ourselves for the office. (What better
way to train properly for the office than to do it without many perks? It’s like starting out in the mailroom before
become the CEO of a major company. It
sets your head on straight.)
So how do we train? By
doing all in our power to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven now. The Kingdom exists in this life wherever we
live it. Where it does not seem to
exists at all, we live it, it is there.
It is like what St. John of the Cross said about Christ. Jesus saw where there was lack of love in the
world and He became that love. The
crucifixion was not a place of love but He became love there and transformed
the world! “Father forgive them.” “This day you will be with me . . .” “Mother behold your son . . .” “Into Your hands Lord . . .”
How much time can you tithe for your office as king? Long enough to send an Email Letter to the
Editor when you read something misleading about the faith? Long enough to post something positive about
your parish on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter account? Long enough to challenge someone (lovingly)
on a misperception that they have about the faith? Long enough to stop some injustice in your
neighborhood? Long enough to vote like a
Christian? Long enough to consecrate
your home? Long enough to say grace at
work, school, or restaurant? Long enough
to say a prayer for the Coptic Christians who were beheaded or those who are in
similar danger?
We are flush with royalty!
What if only a small percentage truly acted in their role a little bit
each day? The world would be
transformed. If only, when you looked in
the mirror, you could see your dignity and your high office (even if nobody
else can!) Just wait until it is
revealed for all to see! How much more joy
you will have for having been true to it even when it was difficult to
understand and comprehend!
1 comment:
Thank you for this, Father, on this terribly bitter day!
Sometimes we forget what you have pointed out, and think we do not matter. Sometimes, just passing someone on the street and smiling at someone makes a lot of difference to another soul.
BTW, there are worse fates than being a Slovenian hillbilly! Keep warm!
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