Message from Pastor

My dear brothers and sisters:

 

Power is not just for the powerful. The ability to influence the lives of others belongs to ordinary people as well. Therefore, any of us can fall into the trap of being seduced by power. When we seek personal prestige and view others through the lens of our own interests, we embark on a path that makes us self-sufficient and distrustful. The desire for power breeds anger when things don’t go our way, causes hurt when we feel undervalued despite our supposed worth, and leads us into a spiral of envy, suspicion, and distrust of others. For this reason, power, even in small doses, corrupts the heart and makes us cold and insensitive.

 

On this Sunday, which each year marks the end of the liturgical year, we remember Jesus as "Christ the King of the Universe." And to celebrate this title, so resounding to our contemporary ears, the Gospel invites us to contemplate Jesus in his agony on the cross.

 

For the King of the Universe dies crucified, abandoned and betrayed by his own. He does not die absorbed in his suffering, but rather listening to the one who begs for his help and offering, until his last breath, forgiveness and hope to that repentant thief. This is the power of God manifested in weakness. Therefore, only by looking at the crucified Christ can we understand the true power of compassion, forgiveness, and peace.

 

The kingdom of God belongs to the humble, to those who do not seek themselves, but think of others. It is the kingdom of service, of generosity, of not seeking positions of honor or privilege, of owing nothing to anyone but love. Contemplating the King of the Universe die on a cross teaches us that, for a disciple of Jesus, the greater the power and influence one can wield in one’s own life, the deeper and more steadfast the simplicity and purity of heart with which one lives must be.

 

"It shall not be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant." This is the kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus, and to which we must bear witness with our lives.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

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