The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
SUNDAY, November 21st Jn 18: 33b-37 “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Our King is a crucified King! Indeed He lived a life of humility and humiliations. Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen refers to three main manifestations of Jesus’ humiliations.
1. In His Incarnation – God, the Lord and Creator of the universe, became a man, and not only a man but a totally dependent baby.
2. In His Passion and death – Christ suffered continual humiliations:
- Scourging: His flesh was ripped and torn from His body, His blood spilling out.
- Crowning with thorns: His face set like flint, He uttered not a word, as they made a mockery of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
- His suffering and death nailed to the cross, a sword piercing His side after He expired causing blood and water to gush forth.
- Betrayed by Judas for money. Betrayed by Peter out of cowardice and fear. Abandoned by the other disciples who all ran away, except for John, the Beloved Disciple.
3. In the Holy Eucharist – Jesus’ Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist on all the altars, in all the tabernacles of the world until the end of time.
- Christ ls present – a silent captive in the tabernacle.
- Do you think there are tabernacles in Churches around the world where no one comes to visit Jesus?
- Do you think there are Catholics who do not go to Mass on Sunday? Here in America only 20% of Catholics go regularly to Mass on Sunday. In Rome and France only 8% attend Sunday Mass. In Europe, Catholicism is dying.
- Do you think there are Catholics who receive Communion unworthily, in the state of mortal sin? Or go to Mass dressed inappropriately? Or during Mass, look at their cell phones or chew gum? These things happen!
- All this inflicts deep wounds on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Let us follow in the footsteps of our Crucified Savior by learning the art of Humility through the path of Humiliations.
HUMILITY THROUGH THE PATH OF HUMILIATIONS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
HUMILITY indeed is a very difficult virtue for all of us to practice. However, it is essential for us to grow in holiness. A humble person recognizes that all the good he can do comes from God, but all the evil he has done is his own choice and his own doing. Saint Teresa of Avila says that humility is the truth.
ROYAL PATHWAY TO HUMILITY. Although it be exceedingly painful, the royal and most efficacious pathway for us to grow in humility is through the pathway of humiliations. However, it must be highlighted, humiliations that are seen and accepted as part of God’s Divine Providential Plan. In other words, humiliations not seen and accepted in the light of God’s Divine Providential Plan can actually make us more proud, arrogant, and even bitter. Thus, humiliations can make us either better or bitter!
CALL TO SANCTIFY OUR SUFFERINGS. Undoubtedly humiliations can cause very intense pain in the depths of our soul. The key is to humbly recognize that humiliations will definitely come our way, maybe sooner than we are aware, and we should strive to recognize them as sent by God and accept them.
SUFFERINGS AND HUMILIATIONS WASTED! It is all too common that many people, even those who call themselves believers in Christ, waste their sufferings, do not take advantage of the sufferings and humiliations that God sends them. These are graces wasted! Graces that could save souls!
A GREAT EXAMPLE IS JESUS, THE SUFFERING SERVANT OF YAHWEH. In all the various aspects and circumstances of our lives, Jesus is our supreme and sublime example. He Himself said: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (Jn 14:6) To help us understand humiliations and how to react to them, Jesus is always our best example! This is true most especially in His Passion and death.
ONE EXAMPLE FOR OUR INSTRUCTION: CROWNING WITH THORNS! One of the most enlightening examples in the Passion and death of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is when He suffered the crowning with thorns. This humiliating event was prophesied by the great Prophet Isaiah in these words: “He was like a lamb led to the slaughter and He did not open up His mouth. By His wounds we are healed. (Is 53:5,7) For our edification, instruction and motivation let us unravel, step by step, the excruciating pains, sufferings, and humiliations that Jesus willingly accepted in His crowning with thorns.
HUMILIATIONS IN THE CROWNING OF JESUS WITH THORNS
1. BOUND AND DRAGGED. After being brutally scourged at the pillar, in which Jesus lost huge quantities of blood, He is bound and dragged into a little room, very much like a prison cell. He who came to set the captives free, now allows Himself to be a captive, even a slave of the whims, insults, and mockeries of men.
2. THE KING’S THRONE. Jesus was, is, and always will be the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Despite His Kingly royalty, He is dragged into this little chamber and forced to sit on a huge stone. The mystic, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich stated that pieces of sharp glass were embedded sticking up from the huge stone where he was forced to sit, causing even more intense pain as Jesus undergoes a night of tortures and humiliations.
3. SMACKED IN THE FACE. The torturers smack Jesus in His Sacred Face. Of course this results in multiple bruises and bleeding. Yet His face becomes like flint and He opens not His mouth as the Prophet Isaiah reminds us.
4. PUNCHED. Above and beyond the smacking is added fierce and violent blows to His Sacred Face. Still Jesus remains silent, like a lamb led to the slaughter.
5. PLUCKED HIS BEARD. Once again, as the Prophet Isaiah reminds us, these cruel men grab onto and pluck His beard. We can imagine how much pain this causes Jesus, but He willingly suffers this further humiliation!
6. THE CROWNING WITH THORNS. One of the torturers has an insidious and diabolic idea. Given that Jesus was proclaimed King, why not give Him a crown??? Not a royal crown fit for a King, but a derisive, mocking, and insulting crown made of sharp, piercing thorns.
7. WEAVING A CROWN. Therefore, thorns are taken from the nearby thorn-bushes and woven into a crown, a Crown of Thorns for a mock-ceremony for a mock-king, who indeed is King of the Universe!
8. THE PAINFUL CROWNING. Then the painful and humiliating ceremony takes place. With mockery and utmost cruelty, the torturers press the Crown of Thorns on the Sacred Head of Jesus. In the film of Gibson, The Passion of the Christ, Jesus is insultingly proclaimed: Hail, King of the worms! In all of this Jesus, the gentle Lamb of God being led to the slaughter remains silent.
9. PRECIOUS BLOOD ISSUES FORTH. With sharp and penetrating thorns pressing deep into the skull of Jesus, His Blood spurts forth with huge drops falling to the ground. Amidst this torture, the men surrounding Jesus laugh with glee and mock Him all the more. The cruel and vulgar words that issue forth from their mouths cause Jesus as much pain as the thorns that pierce His Sacred Brow.
10. BOWING DOWN AND GENUFLECTING. Mocking Jesus as king, the torturers now take their turns bowing and genuflecting before Him, the mock-king. In all this, Jesus willingly accepts these humiliations as the will of the Eternal Father, endured for love of us and for our eternal salvation.
11. A STICK AS A SCEPTER. To further humiliate Jesus as mock-king, they find a stick, and after first striking Jesus over the head with the stick, further embedding the Crown of Thorns into His Sacred Head, they place the stick in His hands, His royal scepter! This is the way they treat The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
12. SPITTING IN HIS SACRED FACE. To intensify His sufferings and humiliations, the torturers proceed with one of the most humiliating actions that can be done to a human person—they take turns spitting in His Sacred Face.
13. JESUS IS BLINDFOLD. The mockery continues with new insults. Now it is time to find a cloth and cover Jesus’ eyes, thereby blinding Him. He who is the Light of the world, who gave sight to the blind, is Himself made blind. More insults, mockeries, and deprecations descend upon Him. Yet in all this, Jesus is silent!
14. PUNCHES, SLAPS, BLOWS, AND SPITTING. Still more do they punch Jesus, strike His Sacred Face, spit on Him, pull at His beard, mock and make sport of Him. Jesus, our Lord and King!
15. EXTENSION OF TIME. These humiliations—and there were many more—went on the whole night of Holy Thursday into Good Friday morning. Long, cruel and tortuous hours— all endured for love of you and me and for our eternal salvation. How precious we are to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
In conclusion, for us to grow in the virtue of humility, the royal path is through humiliations. None of us will suffer the intensity and atrocity of the humiliations that Jesus underwent for us. However, when you are visited by any form, type, size, shape or color of humiliation, do not waste it! Rather think of the sufferings and humiliations that Jesus underwent for your salvation, and unite your sufferings to His for your conversion and sanctification, and for the salvation of the whole world.
For the sake of His sorrowful and humiliating Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
