The Feast of Christ the King, Year C
3-6 year olds
(Parents and catechists, in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with 3-6 year olds we never mention Jesus' death without, in the same breath, proclaiming the Resurrection. Young children are not yet sinful, and the suffering of Jesus, the one they love, is horrific. We never leave the young child in the darkness--we always move to the reality of the light--we always proclaim the Good News.)
Sunday is the feast of Christ the king. That means Jesus is the best, the greatest, the first of all. We love him.
So why are we listening to a reading about him dying?
It is important for us to remember that WE KNOW MORE than the people watching him die. They think death is the end. They think it is a joke to call Jesus a king, because if he is so great, why is he dying? They don't know what we know.
What do we know happened?
First, we know that Jesus is not pretending. He really did die.
And second, we know that when the women went to the tomb on the third day, they found it empty. Why?
BECAUSE JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!!!!
He is so full of the life of God, he can never die again.
Jesus knew he was going to die. He said,
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. --John 10:11
He made his life a gift. He gave all of himself in the bread and the wine, before the soldiers ever came to take his life away. Could they take away something that he had already given???
No wonder death couldn't be the end! No wonder death could not beat him!
After Jesus died, God filled him with abundant life. He can never die again.
And he shares that new Risen Life with us.
Oh, those silly people watching him die. They think that this is the end. They think that Jesus is not the king, they think he is not the best, they think he is not first of all.
But what do we know?
Jesus is the first born of the dead!
Stand up and sing! Jesus is king!
Alleluia!