– Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade (bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)
1.
One day I was having a conversation with a friend of mine when he told me: “I am a good Catholic but there are many things in the Catholic Church that I don’t like and I don’t agree”. My answer was: “Welcome to the club. I am trying to be a good Catholic Priest, but there are many things in the Catholic Church that I don’t like and I don’t agree. I think that if you made a list, my list would be longer than yours.” But She (The Church) is my mother and I am passionately in love with her. There are many things in my family and in my country that I don’t like and I don’t agree, but my family is my family and my country is my country and I love them. And the curious aspect of this love affair is that the more I love my family and my country and my church, the more I love other churches, other families and other countries.
2.
Today (Nov. 25, 2018) the Church is celebrating the Feast of Christ the King. I like the idea of celebrating the Feast of Christ the King. Actually, becoming a King is part of the ritual of our Baptism when the Priest anoints us with the oil of Chrism and says: “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life” (Ritual of Baptism).
3.
Now my confession. I always feel uncomfortable with the way this characteristic has been interpreted by the life of my Church. Portugal has 33 Kings, and 2 Queens, in its History books. In my school book of the history of Portugal there was a picture of each one of them. All of them very sombre-looking, with a golden crown on their heads and a sceptre in one hand. The lives of many of them were involved in wars against other nations. They had many things in common and one of them was power over all the people. They used their power to do lots of good things but they also used their power to oppress people and cause bloodshed.
4.
The Catholic Church instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925. I think it was a great idea. However, every time I see a statue of Christ the King it looks exactly like the statues of the Portuguese Kings: a crown on His head, a sceptre in His hand, strange garments and very sombre. They really look like the figures I used to see in my school books. I really didn’t like them. Actually comparing them with what the Gospel says about authority and power they look ridiculous and don’t inspire me to be a Jesus follower. And I am afraid that worshipping a king according to the world’s values, the church is supporting power like the world sees it. Recently, Brazil elected Jair Bolsonaro to be its president. Before the elections, somebody said that if Bolsonaro was elected it would be a tragedy for the world, and for Brazil of course. He used the Bible and his church to implement his ideas.
After he was elected, it was said that the person that was more insulted in his campaign was God. He used God and His Word to propagate his diabolic ideas. And he won. God was the loser. And when God loses, all the people lose.
5.
For me, the true images that express the Kingship of Jesus, and inspire me, are:
Jesus the Good Shepherd (Lk.15: 3-7), Jesus washing dirty feet (Jo.13:4-15), Jesus touching an unclean and dirty leper (Mk.1:40-45), Jesus embracing children (Mk.10:13-16) and finally a bloody body crowned with a crown of thorns (not gold) and mocked at the cross (Mat. 27:27-56). Actually I prefer what Jesus says about power and authority. «You know that among the Gentiles whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you: But whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many». (Mk. 10: 42-45).
One of the recent books of Pope Francis has the title of «The True Power is to Serve»
Love and Peace, Fr. Bernardino Andrade