At The Service of Which King?

Simone Riva - On the liturgical feast of Christ the King, everyone is called to examine to which King he has become a servant. Christ reigns, a transformed humanity documents it.

The liturgical year closes with the strange feast of Christ, the King of the Universe. We already have all the necessary antibodies to limit the risk of misunderstanding the title “King” attributed to Jesus, but occasionally, it appears that his kingship is too tame. In fact, Christ has a claim to power.

Today's Gospel shows this in the intense dialogue between Jesus and Pilate: “Pilate said to him, 'So you are king? Jesus replied, 'You say so: I am King. For this, I was born, and for this, I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. He who is of the truth hears my voice” (Jn 18:37). Many people were fascinated by the kingship of Christ: the sick were healed, the dead were resurrected, the dead were revived, the desperate found hope, the exhausted were revived, the ignored were favored… an original, unearthly power flowed from his person and could be captured.

What kind of power was it? Benedict XVI described it in 2009: “But what is the royal 'power' of Jesus? It is not that of the kings and great men of this world; it is the divine power to give eternal life, to deliver from evil, to defeat the dominion of death. It is the power of love that can bring good out of evil, soften a hardened heart, bring peace in the midst of bitter conflict, ignite hope in the midst of darkness. This kingdom of grace never imposes itself and always respects our freedom.

Christ came to 'bear witness to the truth': those who accept his witness place themselves under his 'banner', according to the image dear to St. Ignatius of Loyola. Worldly power always demands a kind of “accommodation”: to be defended by it, one must decide to depend on it. The power of the Son of God has a different connotation: it exalts itself in our walk, “never imposes itself and respects our freedom”.

This is what it means to be “king” for Jesus, and we can all experience his kingship in the world when we realize that “there is no lack of God, there is a lack of self, a self like the one documented in the Psalms, which has in it all the longing, the thirst for a complete answer.

That is why Jesus says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst” (Mt 5:6). Blessed! For only a reawakened, thirsty self can recognize Him, moved… The struggle against power is at this level: a self that is present to itself is a victory over power, over power's attempt to reduce it in the momentum of its desire, to flatten it.

For a self that is hungry and thirsty, the offers of power are crumbs because it knows that no handout is enough, no place in the sun is enough to satisfy its needs; this self knows where to find rest, a rest that does justice to its constitutive needs (Julián Carrón, Disarming Beauty). The fact that Christ reigns is documented by the presence of men and women who live life according to their desires, totally present to themselves.

“You are different from others,” a friend said to a colleague who was happy to confide in him. “You have an enviable way of being with your children,” a neighbor said to another friend who wanted to let them play on the beach last summer. Countless simple events like these become true turning points in history, contrasting with the fleeting pursuits of those chasing worldly power. There is no more effective feast than today's to lead us into the great season of Advent, in which each person will be able to verify once again whose King he has become a servant.

Text and translation not revised by the author.

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Simone Riva is a prominent figure in Monza, Italy, known for his role as a priest and his contributions to local media. Fr. Simone Riva serves as the vicar parish priest at Sant'Ambrogio in Monza. He is the author of a popular column called "Fuori dal coro" (Outside the Chorus) in the Giornale di Monza.This column has been running for over a year and has gained a significant following among readers.