Divine Kingship

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 11/21/02)

The old man needed a break from the death watch. His unconscious wife would have certainly excused him for a few minutes to be refreshed with a cup of coffee in the hospital cafeteria. As the conversation unfolded, he revealed that he was a member of the Dutch resistance in World War II. He said that when the Nazis launched their V-1 rockets to terrorize English cities, the rockets would soar over the Netherlands. He said one day, a rocket prematurely dropped from the sky and came crashing down on a nearby orphanage, destroying it. The home was empty by the grace of God so there were no casualties. The only structure left standing was a statue of Christ, arms extended. With a twinkle in his eye, the old man exclaimed, "Christ rules!"

It's a nice story. But if Christ rules, where was he when the Nazis deported the Jews from Holland? Where was he when the gas chambers exterminated millions? Where was he when whole cities and their populations were deliberately targeted and destroyed? Where is Christ when countless babies are being slaughtered in the wombs of their mothers? Where was Christ when this man's beloved wife of 50 years at length died? Where is Christ when we need him the most? He saved so many in the Gospels, why couldn't he save more in our time?

Human suffering has always been a stumbling block to belief in the divine rule of Christ. The chief priests framed the question in a slightly different way. At the foot of the Cross, they mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." The Cross seems to be a cruel indictment of failure, not a crown of regal glory.

Yet Catholics revere the Cross. A crucifix graces every church sanctuary. Catholics are trained to gaze upon the crucifix in meditation. Crucifixes hang on the walls in Catholic homes. Catholics reverence the Cross of Christ during the solemn Good Friday service. To believers, the rule of Christ from the Cross is a profound fact. But to men of the world, the power of the Cross and the spiritual value of suffering is a pious mirage.

Pontius Pilate was a man of the world. He knew something about suffering. He was a soldier and a governor. When the native Jews were getting restless, there was nothing like a public execution to tame the uprising. His sarcasm and, ultimately, his fascination with Christ led him to stumble upon a truth.

In response to Pilate's taunting question, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus reveals the nature of his kingship: "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight...." Christ was prepared for suffering and death because his kingship was heavenly. But is a heavenly ruler detached from the world? On the contrary. In his dialog with Pilate, Jesus establishes the heavenly link to the world.

Christ is certainly a king. "For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."

Earlier in the Gospels, Christ reveals this foundational truth of the Christian faith: "Greater love than this no man hath that a man lay down his life for his friends." This, then, is sacrificial love. In the sufferings of Christ, man discovers a kind of "divine empathy." He understands. When we suffer, Christ suffers with us; when we grieve, Christ grieves with us. Christ loves us and understands our sufferings because he created us, and sustains us and endured the humiliation of the Cross for our salvation. And, in truth, he has overcome the horror of sin, suffering and death itself with his mighty Resurrection. All suffering has been transformed in Christ for man's redemption and salvation.

Hence, we can see Christ in those who are hungry or thirsty, in those who are strangers in need of welcome, in those who are need of clothing and basic human needs, in those who are desperately ill and in need of comfort. Where ever there is human suffering, with the eyes of faith, we can see the person of Christ on the Cross. Christ rules from the Cross and he teaches us how to love in the midst of suffering.

In the Cross, we can rejoice with St. Paul, "Death, where is thy victory? Death, where is thy sting?" Suffering cannot separate us from the love of Christ. The Cross is no longer a symbol of shame and hopelessness. It is a sign of the kingship of Christ. Christ rules.

Fr. Pokorsky is administrator of St. Peter’s Mission in Washington, Va. 

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