Weekly Readings
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Luke 23:42
Opening the Word
Editor’s Note: Fr. Peter shares insights from a variety of voices on the Sunday readings.
The Hero King
Some think of a myth as something once presumed to be true but discovered to be false. For example, we say it’s a myth that Christopher Columbus discovered America. There is, however, another quite different meaning to “myth,” as in a story that helps us understand life and how to negotiate it. Such myths are often centered around heroes who overcome great odds for the sake of the greater good. Star Wars and Luke Skywalker is one such myth. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Frodo Baggins is another. These are myths capturing the need for courage and commitment to the good at the hero’s own expense. We often find ourselves wishing we could be like these heroes.
The biblical story of the Hebrew people can be thought of as such a myth, culminating in the story of Jesus. It differs from those other myths in that this story is not fiction. It is a saga that helps us understand and negotiate life as we live it. It culminates with the sacrificial death of the one we call King of the Universe. This King is a servant-king, one who gives his life for us so that we might live. Despite being urged by religious leaders and soldiers and the thief on the cross to save himself, he resists. Saving himself is not what he is about. Jesus is the King whose true myth we tell whenever we come together.
~Fr. Joseph Juknialis
Reflect
What does servant-leadership mean to me in my job, my community, my home?
Fr. Joseph Juknialis, a retired priest of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, is the new author of reflections for Liguori Publications’ Our Parish Community bulletins. Fr. Joe has served in ministry as a parish priest and a teacher of homiletics at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee. Retirement has given him time for hiking, canoeing, writing, poetry, gin rummy, the Green Bay Packers, and pursuing his appreciation of nature. In noting the most amazing aspect of his life, Fr. Joe says, “God has always brought me to the place I should be.”
