Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

Christ the King (November 23, 2003)

Suggested Emphasis

"His Dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away; his kingship shall not be destroyed."

Salesian Perspective

James J. Hill was a captain of industry, one of the great railroad barons of the late 19th century. The "Hill" lines that he controlled included the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific. Hill's lifelong dream was to use his power to forge these (and other) companies into a vast empire stretching west from Chicago across the great American heartland all the way to the Pacific Northwest.

Today we celebrate Christ's kingship, Christ's power, Christ's royal character. Unlike earthly kings (and their subsequent descendents, the captains of industry), however, Christ's dominion, as we hear in the Book of the Prophet Daniel, was - and is - an everlasting dominion. Unlike other earthly empires, Christ's dream - the establishment of the Kingdom of God - will never pass away

What kind of king is Christ? How is his dominion unique among other monarchs? We look to the words of St. Francis de Sales in a conference on "hope" he gave to the Sisters of the Visitation in 1620. The occasion was the founding of yet another Visitation community (over 80 of which were established by the time St. Jane de Chantal died in 1641):

"You have always only one and the same king, our crucified Lord, under whose authority you will live secure and safe wherever you may be. Do not fear lacking anything, for as long as you do not choose any other king, he will always be with you. Take care to increase in love and fidelity towards Christ's divine goodness, keeping as close to this king as possible, and then all will be well with you. Learn from him all that you have to do. Do nothing without his advice. This king is the faithful friend who will guide you and govern you and take care of you as, with all my heart, I ask him to do."

No benign dictator here. No benevolent tyrant. No philanthropic captain of industry. No, here we see a person of divine, royal nature and character who lays down his life for others. His dominion serves the needs of others. His prestige gives others guidance and hope. His kingdom provides sound advice. His commonwealth is all about faithful, loving friendship. His vision gives clear direction. His empire is the dream where all might live as one.

Like Christ, we are called to use our God-given power and promise to serve the needs of others. Like Christ, our royal "divine right" impels us to love one another.

Whose dream, whose empire, whose kingdom are we building today?

Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is Executive Director of the
De Sales Spirituality Center in Washington, DC