christ the king C

Today as we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, as we affirm that Jesus is King, we reflect on the gospel where he was presented before Pilate to be judged.  In reality, however, it was Pilate who felt judged as he goes from the praetorium and then out, then again inside the praetorium and then out again.  If you care counting the coming in and out of Pilate in this particular episode alone, he went in and out not twice, not thrice, not even four times, but seven times.  Why was Pilate going back and forth?  Why was Pilate doing this?  Because he has two things in his head pushing him back and forth.  And what are these two things in his head.  First, Pilate knew what was right.  And second, Pilate also knew what was easy.  If he only knew what was right, then no problem.  He will be forced to do what is right despite the difficulty.  If he only knew what was easy, then there would be no problem.  As some people would say, what you do not know can’t hurt you. 

The difficulty is Pilate knew both - he knew what was right and at the same time he also knew what was easy.

Pilate saw the obvious truth about Jesus, he saw the obvious truth about the accusation of the Jewish leaders and their real intentions.  He knew the right thing to do.  But he also knew the easy way out, he also knew what was expedient, he knew what was lovable, what would make him agreeable with the people and what he can gain out of this.  That is why Pilate was torn apart - coming in and out of the praetorium seven times.  This is most often the reaction of one who has two things on his head. 

In the end what happened?  Pilate avoided responsibility.  He washed his hands.

Pilate’s dilemma was not just a moral dilemma.  It was also an early manifestation of an addiction.

I came across an article about addiction, its various manifestations and its characteristics.  The things that intrigued me are the following characteristics:  impaired control, continued use or acting out despite knowledge of consequences;  immediate gratification (short term reward) coupled with long term cost - dasig ang kakunyag kag ang kanami pero sa katapusan ang konsekwensia.  Addiction.  An Addict.  This is a person I believe who started early with a preoccupation with what is easy.

This is naturally high school mentality that is if you care to look at our program, this is first segment mentality.  Sometimes they knock on my door, Father puede ka lisensiya magguwa.  They I will answer kay sin-o ka gani malisensiya kon magguwa ka?  Kay Fr. Bing der.  Ti ngaa ari ka di?  Kay wala di sia der.  Kaina ari sia.  Huo ari man sia.  Ti nga wala ka naglisensiya? Hulata!  TI der ...?  Hulata.

Now kada amo sini pagsugti.  Kada gamay nga ingos sabta.  Kada gamay nga deperensia mareklamo kag mapabulig, sabta. 

To state it more positively, you have to permit them to experience that good feeling one feels after they have done something difficult.  You have to permit them to experience that good feeling after they have survived doing something demanding and challenging. It was something tough and yet I did it. The feeling is great, isn’t it?  That feeling is important.  And that feeling must be experienced time and again, repeatedly - the feeling of “yes, I did it,” “yes I have done it,” otherwise the chances of going through addictive behaviors becomes more and more real.

That is why this gospel is an irony.  Pilate was interrogating Jesus, “Jesus, are you king?” when in reality that question should be asked to him, “Pilate are you king, are you man enough, are you tough enough, are you a person in control, are you a person in command, are you a man of principles?”

Many times in the classrooms during class recitation, there were a number of times when as a teacher I would easily forget that I was supposedly asking the questions and not the other way around - my students asking me the questions instead.  But this is what happened in the gospel in the exchange between Jesus and Pilate.  Jesus was not in the court of Pilate.  Pilate was in the court of Jesus where he was made to face the obvious truth, not just about Jesus which he could not see, but the truth about himself, which, it seemed he refused to see and accept.  Pilate, are you king, enough?  Pilate are you man enough to withstand the heat?

The celebration of the kingship of Jesus is a celebration that helps us look upon our own kingship, or the kind of formation that we give that would later on make them appreciate their own Kingship..