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Where
We Find Our King
Fr.
George Smiga
November
25, 2007
Luke
23:35 - 43
Today
we proclaim Jesus as savior of the world, as our king. But
just as it is important to proclaim Jesus as our king, it
is equally important to know where our king is to be found.
Jesus is not found in the places that kings are usually expected
to be. He is not found in a royal palace, or in the halls
of power where our politicians sit. Jesus is found on the
cross. That is good news for all of us who struggle with evil
in our world.
The
fact that the king of the universe is found on a cross is
good news to the thief in today's gospel. Now we know almost
nothing about this thief. We do not know how old he was or
if he was married. We do not even know the crime for which
he was crucified. But we know that as he hung on the cross
next to Jesus, his life was coming to a violent and a cruel
end. We know that as he hung in agony, his mind must have
gone back to earlier times in his life when he missed certain
opportunities, when he made decisions which he wished he could
have made differently. He certainly thought of past choices
which might have brought him to a different outcome other
than this brutal execution. Now that he was crucified, his
death was certain and his hope was gone. There were no more
choices that he could make. There was no way to find salvation
at this last moment. Where could be possibly find reason to
hope on that bloody hill of Calvary?
The
joy of today's gospel is that the thief at the last moment
found salvation. He recognized that the King of the Jews was
hanging on the cross next to him. He recognized that the king
of the universe was suffering with him. If that was the case,
then salvation was near. In a remarkable mixture of surprise
and faith the thief posed the ultimate request, “Jesus, remember
me when you enter into your kingdom.” And the king replied,
“Truly I tell you, this day I tell you will be with me in
paradise.”
In
his darkest hour the thief was able to find salvation because
the king of the world was with him on the cross. That experience
of the thief is good news for us, because every time you or
I need to face a crisis in our lives, every time we must endure
trouble or suffer pain, we know that our king is with us.
Jesus is not aloof or unconcerned. In our troubles Christ
is with us. He walks with us through the valley of death.
Now
this truth that the king of the universe is with us does not
eliminate evil from our lives. It does not allow our pain
to evaporate. We believe one day Christ will return and establish
the kingdom, and at that time every evil will be destroyed
and every tear will be dried. But that time is not yet. For
the present, evil is real and continues to touch our lives.
The innocent suffer, cancer kills, our hearts are broken by
rejection by loss. The victory of Christ has not yet destroyed
the evil which surrounds us. But until that day when it does,
Christ the king is with amidst the evil. This presence of
Christ can make a fundamental difference in our lives.
Although
evil continues, if Christ is with us in that evil, then we
can find the strength to fight it. We cannot avoid suffering
or pain. But if Christ is with us, we need not suffer alone.
Death is inevitable. But if Christ is with us, then we like
the good thief can hear the promise of life eternal. Christ
is our king and we know where to find him. We find him in
the midst of the struggles of our lives. So as we look forward
and anticipate the fears, the troubles, the pains of this
upcoming week, let us remember that we are not alone. As we
cope with issues in our family, in our work, in our world,
let us remember that strength is close at hand. As we deal
with doubt and discouragement, with rejection and pain, let
us recall that our king is near. Christ is with us. Christ
not only recognizes our need. He stands with us in the midst
of the evil in our world. We must know what the good thief
knew. Our king is near us. Our king and our salvation is hanging
on the cross next to us.
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