The King of Love

By Fr. Mike Boutin

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."   (John 18:33-37)

 

YouTube is the best!  Watch and pray through this inspiring YouTube segment featuring "The King of Love My Shepherd Is."

When someone says "king" to me, I think: King Henry VIII or Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, or Elvis the King (still reigning supreme for some deluded fans in the U.S., I think!). I think of King Louis XIV's elaborate palace... I think of despotic rulers, Machiavellian in their hunger for land and power....if I'm hungry, I might even think of Burger King...

But in the U.S. today, how do we begin to appreciate what it means to say that Jesus Christ is King?  What does this idea of kingship have to say to us today?

Jesus shows us what it means to be "in control," to be a leader.  His crown is one of thorns....His majestic robe thrown over Him by His persecutors before they stripped Him and nailed Him to the tree...His scepter a lance thrust into His side until water and blood flowed out...His subjects were tax collectors, prostitutes, widows, orphans, and the poor and hungry...the anawim scattered and forgotten....the lowest of the low...and of course, you and me....

Jesus Christ, King of heaven and earth, the Word made flesh and splendor of the Father, who was before all else, never uses His power to satisfy His own needs or show His strength...He doesn't turn Caesar into a pillar of salt....He doesn't command His angels to take Him down from the cross....He doesn't demand that His death be without pain or suffering.... "If this be your will, Father, let it be done."

Instead, He forsakes His power and His authority and "takes on the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of human beings" (Philippians 2:7)...The King becomes a slave, so that we slaves might become the Queens and Kings of Heaven....

And in that perfect gesture of self-giving, He shows us how to serve....how to love...and how to give....

Lord Jesus, be the King of my heart....

Now, pray....

 

Father Mike Boutin is the co-pastor of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Walpole, MA, and travels widely, leading pilgrimages throughout the world to various Catholic religious sites. He is a frequent speaker on liturgy, music, spirituality, and pastoral ministry.