NOVEMBER 22, 1998 |
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FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING LUKE 23:35-43 |
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| Background: Our king, hanging on the cross in this selection from Luke's account of the crucifixion, is certainly the antithesis of what we ordinarily associate with a king. Instead of cheers, our king gets jeers and is mocked. His words to the penitent thief are a promise to us that we, too, will be with him in the future. To us his words are a challenge to live as people of that promise. We don't need the trappings of an earthly kingdom if we live as heirs of the Kingdom of God |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time, many years ago a family with two teenage boys moved into a new parish. Pat was 15, going on 16. Jimmy was a year and a few months younger. Pat cased out the area and discovered the snack shop where all the cool guys and girls hung out. A cute and personable teenager (at least in the eyes of other teenagers), he soon was hanging out like one of the guys. He was not pleased when Jimmy started to tag along. He made it obvious to his new friends that he didn't want anything to do with little brother. The group got the message and pretty much ignored Jimmy when he came into the snack shop. He'd sit up at the counter by himself, drinking a coke, while Pat and the guys and girls crowded into the booths, laughing and talking and having a grand teenager time. Eventually one of the guys, Don, a younger brother himself, sensed what was going on and decided to reach out to Jimmy. Once that happened, the rest of the group, somewhat reluctantly let Jimmy join their circle. As time went on, Pat dropped out of high school and joined the Navy; came home after four years, got married and became somewhat of a recluse. Jimmy and Don were drafted on the same day and went to the same Army camp. They both decided to go to college when they finished their stint in the service. As the members of the group married and had families, they moved to different areas of the city and saw each other infrequently. When Jimmy and his wife celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, he decided to invite the old gang to the celebration. Now, less burdened with the demands of children, they resolved at that party to get together more often and began having dinners four times a year. When Jimmy died after a long struggle with cancer, four of the guys were pallbearers. All had visited him while he was ill. Don was with him the day he died. After a celebrative funeral liturgy attended by over 1000 people, one of the group said to Jimmy's wife, "I've had seven kids and I was always proud of everything they did. Still, I don't think I ever felt as proud as I did walking out of the church with my hand on the casket." |
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