One page synopsis of Christ the King Homily on Luke 23: 35-43 Introduction: It was Pope Pius XI who introduced this feast in the liturgy in 1925 to bring back Christ, his rule and Christian values into lives of Christians, into society and politics. It was also a reminder to the totalitarian governments of Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin that Jesus Christ is the only sovereign king. Although emperors and kings now exist mostly in history books, we still honor Christ as the King of the Universe by enthroning him in our hearts and allowing him to take control of our lives. This feast challenges us to see Christ the King in every one and treat him or her with love, mercy and compassion as Jesus did, especially those whom our society considers the least important.
Scriptural basis: Since the New Testament identifies Christ the King as the Son of David, the first reading recalls the story of David's anointing as king of Israel. In the second reading, St. Paul asserts that, as the image of the invisible God, Christ the King is superior to the prominent groups of angels like "thrones, dominations, principalities or powers.” Describing the crucifixion scene, today’s gospel teaches that Christ became the king of our hearts and lives by his suffering, death and resurrection. In most of the messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, Christ the Messiah is represented as a king. The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the long awaited king of the Jews. In the Annunciation, recorded in Lk.1: 32-33, we read: “The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever and his kingdom will never end.” When Pilate asked the question: (Jn.18: 33) “Are you the king of the Jews”? Jesus made this answer, “You say I am a King. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice” (Jn 18: 37)
Life messages: 1) We need to surrender our lives to Christ’s rule: Since Christ our king lives as His Holy Spirit in our hearts, as his grace in our souls, we have to learn to live in his holy presence, doing his will by sharing his forgiving love with others around us. Being aware of his presence in the Bible, in the sacraments and in the worshipping community we have to listen and talk to him.
2) Be servers: Since Christ was a serving king we are invited to be his loyal citizens by rendering humble service to others by sharing Christ’s mercy and forgiveness with others.
3) We need to use our authority to support the rule of Jesus. This feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority in the government, public offices, educational institutions and the family to use it for Jesus by witnessing to him. We must use our authority to witness to Christ in our business and professional life by following his teachings in our social and political life. Parents are expected to use their God-given authority to train their children in Christian ideals and in the ways of committed Christian living.
OT 34 (Nov 21) CHRIST THE KING: II Sam 5: 1-3; Col 1: 12-20; Lk 23: 35-43
Anecdote: 1) Long live Christ the King! In the 1920s a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution on November 23, 1927. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey" “Long live Christ the King!” At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture. (Fr. Phil Bloom)
2) On His Majesty’s Service: Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was arrested and brought before the Roman authorities. He was told if he cursed Christ, he would be released. He replied, "Eighty-six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my king Jesus Christ who saved me?" The Roman officer replied, "Unless you change your mind, I will have you burnt." But Polycarp said, "You threaten a fire that burns for an hour, and after a while is quenched; for you are ignorant of the judgment to come and of everlasting punishment reserved for the ungodly. Do what you wish."
3) Desperate deaths of autocratic kings & dictators: The death of Josef Stalin (1879-1953), the Communist dictator was described by his daughter as difficult and terrible. Silenced by a stroke shortly before he died, Stalin’s “last words” were more visual than audible. Newsweek magazine quoted Svetlana Stalin who said, “At what seemed the very last moment, he cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane, angry and full of fear of death. With one final menacing gesture, he lifted his left hand as if he were bringing down a curse on us all.” Philip III of Spain (1578-1621), who proved an unfit king, indifferent to the plight of his people, breathed his last, wishing, “Would to God that I had never reigned. What does all my glory profit, but that I have so much the more torment in my death?” Charles IX, who in 1572 had ordered the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of the Huguenots throughout France met death with despair, “What blood! What murders! I am lost forever. I know it.” When she lay dying, Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) was said to have offered, “All my possessions for a moment of time.” Today’s gospel challenges us to compare to these deaths Christ the King’s death on the cross, offering his life to God his Father in all serenity and elegance. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez)
4) “Honey, take a long, long look”: As the body of Abraham Lincoln’s body lay in state for a few hours in Cleveland, Ohio for mourners to pay their tribute, a black woman in the long queue lifted up her little son and said in a hushed voice: “Honey, take a long, long look. He died for us, to give us freedom from slavery.” Today’s gospel gives us the same advice, presenting the crucifixion scene of Christ our king who redeemed us from Satan’s slavery by his death on the cross.
Introduction: The Franciscan Order was instrumental in establishing this feast and extending its celebration to the universal Church, following the lead of its great thirteenth century theologians, St. Bonaventure and Blessed Duns Scotus. It was Pope Pius XI who introduced this feast into the liturgy in 1925 because the people of the day had “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives” and “these had no place in public affairs or in politics.” Although emperors and kings now exist mostly in history books, we still honor Christ as the King of the Universe by enthroning him in our hearts and allowing him to take control of our lives. When we accept Jesus as the king of our lives, then everyone else takes on proper proportion. We are also challenged to find Christ the King in every one around us. As loyal subjects of Christ the King, we are invited to treat others with justice and compassion as Jesus did, especially those whom we consider the least important.
First reading: II Sam 5: 1-13: recalls the story of David's anointing as king of Israel. David was seen in the Old Testament as a type, a representation, of the future messianic king (2 Sm. 7: 16, Is. 9: 6-7, Jer. 23: 5), and Jesus is often identified as the Son of David, the Messiah and the Shepherd of God’s people. David’s successful 40-year reign became the model for the hoped-for Messiah (that is, anointed one), in later Judaism. Saul, the first king of Israel, was told by the prophet Samuel that the kingship would not remain in his family because he had disobeyed the laws of God. David was chosen by God to replace him and was anointed secretly by Samuel in Bethlehem. Having had to flee from Saul, David settled in Hebron. Accepted by the tribe of Judah, he reigned there as king of Judah for seven years. The first reading tells us how, on the death of Saul, the northern tribes came to David in Hebron and anointed him king over all of Israel. David's reign lasted a mere forty years, but Christ's reign is eternal. David was a mere man, sinful but repentant. Christ was the God-Man, sinless and all-perfect, who died on the cross to free all from their sins.
Second reading: Col 1: 12-20: Among the early Christians at Colossae, there were people promoting a detailed belief in angels and their mediating role in our relationship with God. Paul, neither affirming nor denying the existence of these "thrones, dominations, principalities or powers," simply states that Christ is superior to the whole lot. St. Paul tells the Colossians how grateful they should be to God for having made them Christians and citizens of Christ’s kingdom. The Apostle then describes who and what their new sovereign is: true God and true man, the true image of the invisible God and at the same time the perfect exemplar of true humanity. As God’s beloved son, our king has direct and immediate access to God. As image of the invisible God, Jesus, our king, is the symbol of divine sovereignty. As the firstborn of creation, he is the promise of all the good things that will follow. As risen Lord, he is the head of the church and the promise of our own resurrection. This portion of St. Paul's epistle is aptly chosen for this great feast of the Kingship of Christ to remind us how blessed, how fortunate, we are to be Christians, citizens of his kingdom on earth with a promise of perpetual citizenship in his heavenly kingdom if we remain faithful to Him, because “in him all things hold together.”
Gospel: Today’s gospel presents Christ the King as reigning, not from a throne, but from the gibbet of the cross. Like the “suffering servant,” of Isaiah (53:3), he is despised and rejected, as the bystanders ridicule the crucified king, challenging him to prove his kingship by coming down from the cross. The Gospel also tells of the criminal crucified beside Jesus who recognized Him as savior king and asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus entered his kingdom. Jesus promised the “good thief” that he would be with Him that day in Paradise. Tradition acknowledges the criminal on Jesus’ right side as “the good thief” who repented of his sins at the last moment, although Matthew calls him a “revolutionary.” Although the Romans intended the inscription on the cross, “This is the King of the Jews” to be ironic, it reflected the popular Jewish speculations about Jesus’ possible identity as the Messiah of Israel. For Luke and other early Christians, that title was correct, since the kingship of Jesus was made manifest most perfectly in his suffering and death on the cross.
Exegesis: Kingship of Jesus, the Messiah, in the Bible. In most of the messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, Christ the Messiah is represented as a king. Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Prophet Micah announced His coming as king. "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrata, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days" (5:1). Daniel presents "one coming like a human being ... to him was given dominion and glory and kingship that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed" (7: 14).

The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the long awaited king of the Jews. In the Annunciation, recorded in Lk.1: 32-33, we read: “The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever and his kingdom will never end.” The Magi from the Far East came to Jerusalem and asked the question: (Mt. 2:2) “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star… and we have come to worship him.” During the royal reception given to Jesus on Palm Sunday, the Jews shouted: (Lk.19: 38) “God bless the king, who comes in the name of the Lord.” When Pilate asked the question: (Jn.18: 33) “Are you the king of the Jews”? Jesus responded “You say I am a King. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice” (Jn 18: 37)
Today’s gospel tells us that the board Pilate had them hang over Jesus’ head on the cross read: “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews,” and that Jesus promised paradise to the repentant thief on the cross who made the request: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Before his ascension in to heaven, Jesus declared: (Mt. 28:18) “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”

A unique king with a unique kingdom, Jesus Christ still lives as king, in thousands of human hearts all over the world. The cross is his throne and the Sermon on the Mount is his rule of law. His citizens need obey only one law: “Love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 13: 34). His love is selfless, sacrificial, kind, compassionate, forgiving and unconditional. That is why the preface in today’s Mass describes Jesus’ kingdom as a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. He is a king with a saving and liberating mission: to free mankind from all types of bondage so that we may live peacefully and happily, though not without suffering, on earth and inherit eternal life in heaven. His rule consists in seeking the lost, offering salvation to those who call out to him and making friends of enemies.

The Kingdom of God is the central teaching of Jesus throughout the Gospels. The word kingdom appears more than any other word throughout the four Gospels. Jesus begins His public ministry by preaching the kingdom. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel (Mk 1:14). In Christ's kingdom, “we are all a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Pt 2: 9). According to the teachings of the New Testament, the “kingdom of God” is a three-dimensional reality: the life of grace within every individual who does the will of God, the Church here on earth, and eternal life in Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Church is the kingdom of Christ already present in mystery. It is the mission of the Church to proclaim and establish the kingdom of Christ in human souls. This mission takes place between the first coming and the second coming of Christ. The Church helps us to establish Christ’s kingdom in our hearts, thus allowing us to participate in God's inner life. We are elevated and transformed through sanctifying grace. This supernatural life of grace comes to fulfillment in the eternal life of Heaven.

Life messages: 1) We need to surrender our lives to Christ’s rule: Since Christ our king lives as His Holy Spirit in our hearts, as his grace in our souls, we have to learn to live in his holy presence, doing his will by sharing his forgiving love with others around us. We have to be constantly aware of his presence in the Bible, in the sacraments and in the worshipping community.

2) We need to fight against the enemies of Christ’s kingdom: Terrorism has affected the entire world including Christ’s kingdom on earth. These “terrorists” are people who slaughter the unborn; engage in a frontal attack on the modern family through provocative television shows, movies, music and pornography; eradicate any recognition of God from public display and public schools; and those priests and religious who abuse children. Hence Jesus the King needs convinced apostles, prepared and ready to fight against these enemies. The battlefield is the home, the school, the place of employment, the neighborhood, and the parish. These provide new and exciting challenges, new opportunities to stand up for what is right and to defend the truth of Jesus Christ our King. To ensure that Jesus is always the king of our hearts requires great commitment, sacrifice, conviction, hard work and a lot of prayer.

2) We need to use our authority to support Jesus’ message. This feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority in the government, public office, educational institutions and family to use it for Jesus. Are we using our God-given authority so as to serve others? Are we using it to build a more just society, rather than to boost our own egos? Are we who are parents using our God-given authority to train our children in Christian ideals and the ways of committed Christian living?

The Solemnity of Christ the King is not just the conclusion of the Church year. It is also a summary of our lives as Christians. On this great feast day, let us resolve to give Christ the central place in our lives, and to obey his commandment of love by sharing our blessings with all his needy children. Let us conclude the Church year by asking the Lord to help us to serve the King of Kings as he presents himself in those reaching out to us. "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” Amen. Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat! Christ conquers! Christ rules! Christ reigns!
JOKE OF THE WEEK
# 1: Christ is in charge: Susan C. Kimber, in a book called Christian Woman, shares a funny piece of advice she received from her little son: "Tired of struggling with my strong-willed little son, Thomas, I looked him in the eye and asked a question I felt sure would bring him in line: 'Thomas, who is in charge here?' Not missing a beat, he replied, ‘Jesus is, and not you mom.’ "
# 2: Sleep-inducing sermon on Christ the King: "I hope you didn't take it personally, Father," an embarrassed woman said to her pastor after the Holy Mass, "when my husband walked out during your sermon on Christ the King.""I did find it rather disconcerting," the pastor replied. "It's not a reflection on you, Father," she insisted. "Ralph has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child."
# 2: Co-pilot Christ the king: Many people love bumper sticker theology. Bumper stickers may not always have the soundest theological statements, but they generally at least have the ability to make us think. One such, “God is my Co-pilot," has also been found on church signs, where the theology is just as much fun and sometimes sounder. In this case, the Church sign says, "If Christ the King is your Co-Pilot, change seats."


(“Scriptural Homilies” no 359 by Fr. Tony: akadavil@mobis.com (L/10)
Eleven additional homilies are appended to the attached homily
(Fr. Anthony Kadavil, St. Mary’s Church, 106 Providence Street, Mobile, AL 36604)
Additional anecdotes for OT 34 - Christ the King Sunday
1) "Regem habemus" About three centuries ago, Spaniards besieged a small French town, St. Quentin. The city walls were in ruins; fever and famine plagued the people. One day the Spaniards shot over the walls a shower of arrows to which were attached little slips of parchment promising that if they surrendered, their lives and property would be spared. The mayor of the town was a devout Huguenot. For answer, he tied a piece of parchment to a javelin and hurled it back to the Spaniards. On the parchment was the message: "Regem habemus" -- "We have a king!" Christians also can say, "We have a King." Jesus is our King. We belong to his Kingdom.
2) Mother Teresa & Leo Tolstoy who recognized the king in disguise: The story is told of Mother Teresa of Calcutta observing a novice using tweezers to pluck maggots from the leg of a dying leper. The young woman stood at arm's length to perform the odious task. Gently but firmly, Mother Teresa corrected her charge. Taking the tweezers and putting her face quite near the wound, she said, "You don't understand, my dear. This is the leg of Christ our Lord. For what you do to this man, you do to him." Or again, Leo Tolstoy's story "Martin the Cobbler" tells of a lonely shoemaker who is promised a visit by our Lord that very day. Eagerly all day, he awaits his arrival. But all that comes is a man in need of shoes, a young mother in need of food and shelter, a child in need of a friend. Martin the cobbler ends the day thinking "perhaps tomorrow he will come," only to hear a voice reply, "I did come to you today, Martin; not once, but three times." Christ is a king who goes about in disguise as the poor, the sick, the cripples, the tortured, the marginalized.
3) INRI: A Jewish boy was lazy in his studies and misbehaved in the public school. So his parents enrolled him in a Catholic school to see if he would improve. His parents were surprised to observe that the boy stopped his excessive watching of TV, limited his time on computer games and spent most of his time in studies. At the end of the year, he was the best student in class. His baffled parents asked him what had happened. "The first day I went to school," he explained, "and saw that man hanging on a plus sign at the main entrance of the school building, I knew you couldn't fool around here and get away with it.” Today’s gospel reminds us that the man on the cross is not an object to frighten naughty kids, but our king and savior who died for us promising us eternal life, and who will come in glory to judge the world on the day of the Last Judgment.
4) Jesse Owens challenging Adolf Hitler: The black man standing in the arena was an affront to Der Fuehrer's authority. The scene was the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. The black man was Jesse Owens of The Ohio State University representing the U.S.A. He was aptly called "the fastest human alive." Der Fuehrer was Chancellor Adolf Hitler who had recently risen to power championing an arrogant theory that his "Aryan race" of "supermen" would conquer the world. In implementing his theory he began systematically to stamp out the Jews in a bitter expression of prejudice and discrimination. Hitler also publicly denounced Blacks, Negroes as they were called then, as an inferior race. Jesse Owens, in his estimation, should not even be present at the Games. Jesse Owens was not only present, but he went on to win four gold medals in the 100-meter-dash, the 200-meter-dash, the broad jump and the 400-meter relay race. He demolished Hitler's claim that the Aryan race was superior to all others. Furthermore, this soft-spoken black athlete embarrassed Hitler and undermined his pompous authority in the heart of the Fatherland. We may not be in danger of being seduced by an evil power such as Hitler, but we may not be clear on the authority to whom we give allegiance. We owe our allegiance to Christ the King who redeemed us by shedding his blood.
5) "Super Savior"-- A church in Ohio did it with a large icon--a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus with upraised arms, installed in a cornfield just north of Monroe, Ohio on Interstate 75. The statue--dubbed "Super Savior"-- was erected by the Solid Rock Church, in Middletown. Here is what is interesting. Traffic fatalities on this notorious stretch of road have dropped dramatically since the Super Savior statue was raised. Is that pure coincidence or has the Styrofoam and fiberglass Christ really aided road safety? Nobody knows. (Dr. John Bardsley, National Catholic Reporter, 10-28-2005, p. 3). Certainly a giant statue of Christ does no harm, and if it improves traffic, that's fine. But do not be confused. This is not the best way to express our allegiance to Christ. The best way to express our allegiance to Christ is to make our lives worthy of the name Christian.
6) Feast of Christ the King: In 1925 Pope Pius XI wanted people to know that this is Christ's world, not the property of the emerging dictators of that day. Mussolini had been in power for three years. Adolf Hitler had been out of jail only a year, and was finding great popular support for his fledgling Nazi party. The pope had the courage of his convictions to declare, despite dictators, that Christ was King, reminding Christians where their ultimate loyalty lay! (From a sermon by Don Friesen, Ottawa Mennonite Church).
7) Unfinished work: A newspaper story, some time back, recorded the grim incident of a police officer shot and killed in the line of duty. His great desire before he was killed was to see his family's back yard completely landscaped, a desire he never saw fulfilled because of the bullet that ended his life. Some of his fellow officers, who had grown to love their fallen comrade, donated their time and money to complete the work. Because it was the policeman's desire to finish the project it became his friends' desire. (Allen Hadidian, Discipleship, Chicago: Moody Press, 1987). To those of us who love Jesus Christ and accept him as the king of our lives, the application is clear. What He loved and desired, we should love and desire and work to complete. His work is to see lost men saved and built up. His work is to see this world redeemed. His work is to see this unfinished world be brought to completion. We who love Him are called to complete the task.
8) King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Listed in any history book among the greatest leaders that the world has ever known would be the name, Augustus Caesar. It was Augustus Caesar who fixed the limits of the Roman Empire. It was during his reign that the PAX ROMANA, the peace of Rome that lasted for over 200 years was initiated. It was he who ordered the building of roads linking the great empire and allowing rapid access to subordinate governments. It was he who gave Rome its constitution, creating the office of emperor and investing in that office unlimited power, though he never used the title emperor himself. The age of Augustus was a bright spot in literature and the arts. It was the era that gave the world Virgil and the great historians. Augustus was truly a great ruler. Is it not ironic, then, that 2000 years after the reign of Augustus Caesar, he is mainly remembered because every year at Christmas time, we read these timeless words: "In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed." Among those to be taxed, of course, were Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. Augustus Caesar would truly be shocked to realize that during his reign was born the One who was far greater than he. He was the one who had been anointed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It was a minor official in the Roman empire, Pontius Pilate, who first asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus obviously convinced him that he was. We often see engraved on crosses the letters INRI. They stand for IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th century Carmelite reformer always referred to Jesus as "His Majesty," and so He is. After 2000 years, His stature has not diminished.
9) The forgiving King: Rev. Tony Campolo says that in his teenage years he was terrified by a visiting pastor's depiction of Judgment Day. This pastor claimed that one day God would show us a movie of every single sinful thought, word, or action we ever committed. And he ended his lurid description with the announcement, "And your mother will be there!" But Tony claims that Judgment Day will more closely mirror what happened during the trials over the Watergate scandal. The prosecutor brought in a tape of a conversation between Nixon and his aides. Just at the most crucial part of the tape, the section that revealed their crimes, there was an eighteen minute gap of silence. Nixon's faithful secretary, Rosemary Wood, had erased the incriminating evidence! In the same way, Campolo says, Jesus will erase all the incriminating evidence against us as he did to the repentant thief crucified at his right side.
10) You're with Him; go on in." A few years ago, Pastor Erwin Lutzer and his daughters were visiting Washington, D.C. While there, they met a man who had served on former President Bush's secret-service security team. The gentleman offered to give them a guided tour of the Oval Office. Pastor Lutzer and his daughters passed through many security checkpoints the next day on the way to the Oval Office. At each checkpoint, they expected to be searched and questioned. But instead, the guards took one glance at the secret-service man and announced, "You are with him; go on in." Pastor Lutzer wrote that he expects our entrance into heaven will be like that. We will have no credentials of our own that could possibly get us in. But Jesus will be walking along beside us. And at each gate, the angels will take one look at Jesus and announce, "You're with Him; go on in." (2. "Do Many Paths Lead into God's Presence?" By Erwin Lutzer, Preaching Magazine, Mar./Apr. 2001, p. 20).
11) King who conquered death: Worldly kings do not have this power. Their last enemy is death which ends their power, wealth, and prestige. In Vienna there is a crypt under a Capuchin church. In this crypt are buried 140 kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Each sarcophagus is sculptured in steel. The largest is a double tomb for Maria Theresa and her husband. On each sarcophagus is carved a cross and the king's or queen's crown. On each corner of one sarcophagus is a skull wearing a crown. The message is clear: Death is king! Even kings are conquered by death. But the kings of God's realm live in spite of death. As kings, we Christians need have no fear of death, for by the power of the cross, death was defeated. (L/10)
(Fr. Anthony Kadavil, St. Mary’s church, 106 Providence Street, Mobile, AL 36604)