If he's a king, we're the subjects

Most of us, I think, don't like to be told what to do.  Over the last few days, I was at the National Catholic Youth Conference with about 25,000 high school teens from around the country.  It was a wonderful experience, and I'm sure I'll have lots to say about it as time goes on.  Yet, like any trip with teenagers, of course, there's always a few that don't listen.  At the same time, we had a wonderful group of kids who were well behaved, listened, and enjoyed themselves.  Some of us were talking about previous trips we had run, and we all agreed, one of the great thing about taking teens on a trip is that when they're asked to do something, for the most part they listen.  Adults, on the other hand, aren't quite so used to taking orders from someone else.  Half the time they wander off, and the group leader is pulling their hair out to figure out where everyone has gone.

Reflecting on that and on the fact that today we celebrate the feast of Christ the king.  It really made me think of something.  Usually, when we celebrate this feast day, we think about the reasons why we call Christ our king, why Christ is a different kind of king that some of the kings of countries we're familiar with.  We think of just what it means for Christ to be a king.  Yet, today, I'd like to reflect on something a bit different.  If Jesus Christ really is our King, by extension, that means that we are his subjects.  That means that on some level, we're not in charge of ourselves.  We have to learn what it means to follow, to be subject to authority, to listen and act, without always agreeing, or even understanding those things we're called to do.  Being a subject means putting trust in our whole lives into another person, in this case, the person of Christ.

When I try to think of an image that gives the idea of king, it's such a foreign concept to us that it takes a bit of imagination to really grasp it.  A king is loved, a king is trusted.  A king inspires people to think of more than just themselves, but to think of one's nation before themselves.  For me, I was watching the Hobbit movie a few days ago, and there is one scene, that I think really gives me the image of what it means to follow a king.  In the scene, they describe a great battle.  Their army was almost defeated.  They were being pushed back, and one man was knocked down, but he refused to give up.  He stood up, took an oak branch, used it for a shield, and pushed forward.  It was clear that it didn't matter to him one bit if he lived or died, but he would defend his country with his last dying breath.  The others watched it happen and were inspired to keep fighting.  One even looked at him and said….now there is one that I could follow…there is one I could call king.

Now when I ask, what is it that really grabs me about that story, and I think it's the clear sense.  This man led them into battle and won.  He was a man of integrity, who valued those around him more than even his life.  It meant they were willing to  follow him, no matter the cost.  A true king is willing to risk his life for his people, even to die for his people if the need arises, but deserves the respect and obedience of his people.  It's a terrifying concept, really, actually turning over our will to someone else.

To follow a real king means we're not always part of the decision-making process, but we trust those in authority, and we do our part.  It means facing danger without always knowing all the details, but it means trusting that someone else does.  Following a king means having a relationship with a person.  It means having a deep trust that sometimes we're not always right, and we don't always make the best decisions….but here's someone who does.  Here's someone who deserves our trust.  It means putting our own will aside and obeying the will of another.

I think when we take that Idea, and look at our Lord Jesus Christ, the King, CS Lewis has an amazing line that I think sums up the issue we face in our world.  He says we look at the scriptures and theology different than the ancients do.  When we look at scripture, we try to make it fit into our lives.  We try to read scripture so that it applies to us.  That's not what the ancients did.  They never read scripture and made attempts to adapt it to their needs.  They took a very different approach.  They read scripture, and then tried to adapt their own lives to rise to that scripture.  Even if they didn't fully understand.  Believing, being a servant of the king, meant we had to obey.  It meant that our will did not come first.  It meant that when we see a problem with theology.  More often than not, the problem is not really with theology but with me.

When we look at the Church, sometimes, we  don't get it, we don't understand, and it can be very hard for us to obey what we don't always understand.   That's where faith comes in.  Where we can understand, we should of course try to.  Where we don't know, we should ask, and find out.  Yet, the Church for a long time has had a tradition that things usually work out the other way around.  We have faith that seeks understanding.  We believe, so we try to find out why.  Honestly, I can say how this works for me, and of course I struggle as much as anyone else, but for me...this is something that really does help.  We know who Jesus really is.  When we really do believe that he is our King.  When we really take our role as subjects of the king, and citizens of the kingdom of God seriously, it means that when we hear what the Church teaches, and we have an issue, our first response should be to ask…maybe it's me.  If I really do believe that Jesus Christ, if I really do believe he was born of a virgin, that he chose, willingly to die on a cross to save us from eternal death.  If I really do believe that he is God and he loves us, and knows us better than we know ourselves,   When he calls us, how can we do anything but listen.  When we don't understand, we have to ask ourselves….hasn't he done enough for us to really trust him.  Of course, we do what we can to come to understanding so that we can do more, but at some level, our belief comes first, because we believe Jesus really is who he said he is.  We trust him.

When it comes Jesus Christ, our King.  As this week continues, I'd like us to challenge ourselves to really ask that hard question this week.  Do I try to make my beliefs fit into my world, or do I try to form myself to fit with what I believe.  If Christ really is my king, how could I work to be a better subject?