DAILY REFLECTION

Today we celebrate the feast of Jesus Christ the King. There could be nothing more timely for our consideration. In short what Jesus was teaching Pontius Pilate and all who have come since that leader is that power by domination and his respect for human dignity are so far from the kingdom of God. For Americans the notion of king is so foreign to us. In today's Gospel Jesus Christ makes clear that his kingdom is not of this world. The power of his kingdom can be witnessed in compassion, humility, forgiveness, nonviolence and justice. In the minds of many who seek raw power these characteristics are seen weaknesses. In the kingdom of Jesus Christ leadership is not about domination but empowerment of the people. In the kingdom of God there is a gold standard against which we measure success: it is a standard of one who laid down his life for the freedom and dignity of all humanity. In our world today we might keep this question in mind: do we belong to the way the truth and the life of Jesus Christ or to the domination of our world?