315th Meditation
“How blessed the nation that learns to acclaim you! They will live, O Lord, in the light of your presence. The Holy One of Israel is our king” (Ps 89:15,18).
Whoever acclaims the Lord and acknowledges Him as King, enters into the reality established and revealed by God, because the Lord is indeed a King. Moreover: He is the true King, in whom everything has its origin.
“Pilate said, ‘So, then you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice'” (Jn 18:37).
In the Church we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, which expresses precisely this reality. Sacred Scripture assures us: “The Lord will be king for ever and ever” (Ex 15:18).
The light of God dawns upon us and we know well to whom we belong and whom we serve. If God is our King, then we live in the right hierarchy, in which all other power relations are put in their rightful place. From the knowledge of the King of heaven, we will know how to examine whether human power structures legitimately serve human beings or exploit them; we will know how to distinguish a good government from a bad one.
Our King bears witness to the truth, and His rule and entourage are grounded in this truth. This true King serves people to the point of laying down His life for them.
Blessed is the one who understands this, and who puts himself at His service. He will walk in the light of His face and God will recognise him. Those who walk in your light rejoice in your name every day and “by your saving justice they are raised up” (Ps 89:17).