REFLECTION FOR THE FEAST OF CHRIST OUR KING ;
“ I know that this life, missing its ripeness in love , is not altogether lost
I know that flowers that fade in the dawn, the streams that strayed in the desert, are not altogether lost
I know that whatever lags behind in this life laden with slowness, is not altogether lost.
I know that my dreams that are still unfilled and my melodies still unsung are clinging to your lute strings, and they are not altogether lost”.
(Rabin Tagore)
The Liturgical Year of 2020 , with the celebration of the beautiful Feast of Christ Our King comes to an end. This is such a special moment in our year as it gives us an opportunity to gather out thoughts and examine our lives and be grateful for our fulfilled dreams or sorry for lost opportunities as we stand before our Crucified Lord , Our Saviour and Our King of the Universe.
It has been a year like no other in living memory and now into our second Lockdown in darker days, maybe we are only just about able to hang on with our finger tips getting up each morning grateful that no one in our household has been stricken down with Covid 19, There is no escaping the world view of things at this time as our living rooms are constantly besieged by statistics from the media. In whatever way Covid restricts us and our families let us put aside some quiet moments to give Christ our King a window into our souls.
Reflect that while on earth Jesus was seen as a threat to the establishment , because He healed on the Sabbath Day; because He fed the hungry; because He stood with the outcast and the forgotten; because He talked to a woman who had committed adultery ; because He let a woman of ill repute wash His feet. For all this and more He was executed as a common criminal.
If Christ ,Our King physically walked around our locality today He would be seen with those who never make it to the high ranks of our society; He would be with those who depend on Universal Credit to put bread on the table for their children or He would be with the rough sleepers up at London Bridge Station turning their mouldy sandwich into the Bread of Life.
Today as we celebrate this Great Feast we look ourselves in the eye and ask whose side are we on and who has claim on us?. Hopefully as individuals struggling to live a morally upright life we stand with Jesus and those who feel safe in His presence . Do others know where to find us when they too are struggling to be acknowledged as human beings and not referred to as illegal immigrants waiting to cross the channel in hope of a better life in a world created by God for all to share and enjoy. I do not know if you are like me and feel tired of the empty promises of our political leaders struggling for power. In our own set up we are grateful that our campaign for free dinners for needy children during holidays or lockdown achieved a U turn .
It shows that People Power can still achieve justice for the needy . This should give us courage to keep up the struggle for the reign of God’s Kingdom. Every life is precious. Each news bulletin leaves us in no doubt about the numbers of people who suffer each day from Covid and of the numbers who have died . We never hear about the abortion of an innocent baby every minute. Recently I wrote to my MP about a motion to be debated to increase the weeks when abortion could be carried out legally in this country. He replied that he would support a woman’s right to choose and that was always his stance. He had nothing to say about the baby’s right . Come the next election I will not be on his side . Christ , our King said “EVERYONE WHO BELONGS TO THE TRUTH LISTENS TO MY VOICE”
This is the reason why we were born and our place in this world is to testify to the truth. We do this by listening to and obeying the teaching and example of Christ Our King. We stand with Him and live in solidarity with those He stood close to and does so to this day.
However bleak the outlook we must never lose heart .We can only live in the present moment as that is all we have , but that should not fill us with fear when Christ Our King is the centre of that moment .
Let us virtually link arms with each other and embrace each other in the presence of Christ Our King and live in hope for our next gathering here to pray ,to chat and to drink a good cup of tea. Everything passes and “ALL SHALL BE WELL AND ALL MANNER OF THIBGS SHALL BE WELL”
Sr Assumpta
14th November 2020