THE TEXT BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE VIDEO COMMENTARY BY FR. FERNANDO ARMELLINI

Video Text Download version

A good Sunday to all.

If we go through the pages of the history books, we will see the succession of many kingdoms arising, they have their moment of glory, they subjugate other peoples, then comes the inevitable moment of decadence and these kingdoms crumble.

Let’s think of the Assyrians: at the beginning of the 7th century B.C., from the Persian Gulf to the Egypt of the Pharaohs, the whole world was theirs. How long did this kingdom last? At the end of the 7th century B.C. Nineveh was conquered by the Babylonians who began their reign. Recall the hanging gardens, one of the seven wonders of the world; the Ishtar gate in Babylon, dedicated to the patron goddess of the city, Ishtar, the morning star; remember the lion over this gate, symbol of strength, of the dominion of the Babylonians. We remember the famous tower of Etemenanki. How long did the glory of Babylon last? Not even a century, because then the Persians came and conquered Babylon. Even the Persians, after two centuries, had to surrender the kingdom, and all the satrapies were conquered by Alexander the Great. Then came the Romans.

So are all the kingdoms of this world; they pass after a time disappear, leaving traces of blood, memories of wars, violence, and unprecedented cruelty. And the same thing happens with ideologies, with fashions, with political parties that emerge and excite because they promise the new world, and it seems that they embody something divine, eternal, but they always, all of them, vanish.

The question, then, is there a realm that does not end – a domain on which I can stake my life with the certainty that I will not be disappointed, certain that I have not been on the wrong side of history? This is the question, and today’s word of God answers this very question because it sets before us the kingdom that abides forever, the one that Jesus proposes to us.

From the beginning of his public life, Jesus spoke of this kingdom; this theme has been at the center of all his preaching. On his lips, this theme is repeated about 90 times. What royalty is it about? It is not easy to understand; let us remember how in the dialogue that Jesus had with Pilate, the Roman procurator did not understand; he did not understand what kingdom Jesus was talking about; he only understood the kingship of Tiberius, which was based on the strength of the Roman legions; and Jesus had no soldiers, only twelve fishermen who followed him and some women, ‘what kingdom is yours?’ He does not understand anything about the new kingship and let us be careful because down through the centuries, unfortunately, even those who gave their allegiance to Jesus’ kingdom, then succumbed to the temptation to continue to conform to the criteria and logic of the kingdoms of this world.

Often it was not easy to distinguish between those who had given adherence to the kingdom of Jesus from the other kingdoms; there was the same pomp, the same quest for honors, power, wealth, for political clout. Think of the frequency with which the disciples of Christ were often involved in competition with the greatness of the kingdoms of this world, and even resorted to violence, which is most incompatible with the kingdom proposed by Jesus.

We are at the end of the liturgical year and at the end of the Gospel of Luke that accompanied us throughout this year. In the beginning, this evangelist presented the temptations that accompanied Jesus with three parables throughout his life, and one of these temptations refers to the proposal that the evil one made to Jesus to conquer, also for himself, a kingdom in this world. He had suggested to him, ‘Think about it, you want to change this world, you want to build your own kingdom; you are intelligent, you can move multitudes… I will show you how to become great.’

How do you get this success? His words were these: ‘I will give you the glory of all the kingdoms of this world, for I hold this world in my hands, but on one condition, that you prostrate yourself to worship me.’ It wanted to say, ‘accept the indications that I suggest to you, and the kingdoms of this world that I possess are conquered even by seducing,deceiving, exploiting because keep in mind that, if you are honest, if you think of the good of others, of the poor, you will not go very far.’

The distant suggestion it had given him was to think of himself to be well; ‘keep in mind that to be happy, you must climb high to conquer power if you want to be remembered in the pages of history books, if you want your name to be given to the cities, as it happened to Caesar, with more than 30 Caesareas. Alexander the Great: how many Alexandrias? ‘If you do not listen to me, you will be ignored; no one will remember you anymore.’ These are the thoughts that the evil one wanted to put in Jesus’ mind.

This was one of his temptations. We observe how the evil one had presented himself, not as an adversary but as a friend, one who wanted the good for Jesus, wanted to help him to build his kingdom. In today’s Gospel, this wrong thought will be incarnated, and we will hear it in the words of specific characters that we will meet in today’s Gospel, and it will be the last attempt of the evil one to make Jesus withdraw from his completely different kingdom proposal. And in fact, today’s passage begins by setting before us the dramatic scene of Jesus’ coronation as king. Then it will be impossible to go wrong; there will be no mistaking in any way the kingdom of Jesus with the kingdoms of this world; and we will be invited to make our own choice of which kingdom to join.

Let us listen:

“After they had crucified Jesus, he people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, ‘He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.’ Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, ‘If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above him there was an inscription that read, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’”

Earlier, you saw in the background the picture of the coronation of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III; it was with these triumphal ceremonies that emperors and pharaohs were enthroned; there were feasts, ceremonies, tributes. So were all the coronations of the kings of this world;they were a hymn to strength, a celebration of power, of dominion. Let us remember the pharaoh that on the day of his inauguration, he shot four arrows in the direction of the four cardinal points. It was the warning he sent to all the kings of the earth: ‘Take heed that you do not provoke me, for I will unleash all my strength.’ That is what characterizes the kingdoms of this world, which are in the hands of the evil one; who proudly seek dominion.

The account we have just heard and the representation you now see in the background,speak to us of a royal coronation but entirely different; there is none of what characterizes the coronations of the kings of this world. It is impossible to be mistaken because they are two opposite kingdoms. We want to compare them because then we must make our choice; we must give our adhesion to one or to the other, and our life depends on it. That’s why we want to understand the kingdom that Jesus proposes to us. We observe that the place of the coronation is not the throne room of a sumptuous palace; it is Calvary, an unclean place,outside the walls of the holy city.

There the executions took place. Those cursed by God ended up on the cross; and this place was chosen because, if you notice, it was in a high place, like a stage on which the executions took place; a representation, a spectacle for all those who came in and out of the city gate to witness.

The evangelist Luke uses a Greek term that only appears there and not by chance. In the whole New Testament this term ‘θεωρία’ – ‘theoria’ (from which the word ‘theater’ comes) is never used. ‘Theoria’ means spectacle, it is a representation that takes place now on that stage, which is Calvary, and in this representation, Luke wants us all to attend because God is on the stage. It is God showing us all his glory, shows us his true face. And at the end of the performance, each one of us will be invited to erase from our mind and from the heart, all images of God that do not correspond to the God we have seen on Calvary.

The throne is a cross. If Jesus had listened to the wicked one who suggested to him to take a kingdom from this world, ‘since you have all the capabilities to conquer it,’ he would not have ended up on a cross; he would be on another throne, adorned with precious stones. This is the invitation to cancel all the thrones on which we have placed God; he is not on the thrones that we like. His throne is the cross, and from the cross, from that throne, he does not give orders, but obeys his identity as God, who is love and only love, goodness, and only goodness. And from that throne, which is the cross, the glorious throne, he will judge our life; it will be a successful life if it conforms to what we see there on the cross, a life given totally out of love. The judgment will not be one of condemnation, but we will be evaluated according to that life that he lived, a life totally surrendered.

The wand, what is the wand that all kings hold, the staff decorated with precious metals? As we know, the wand was originally a simple staff that indicated the power of the ruler to strike down anyone who defied his orders, thus symbolizing dominion, the fear that this ruler was able to instill. Jesus’ hands: They are nailed; he never touched any of these wands that all the rulers of the world wield to strike. He never strikes anyone; he is beaten and will never react. He will never strike anyone with punishments to those who have gone astray. This wand is put into his hands by us because we like a God who punishes; we like him because we are evil, and we would like a God who looks like us. No, let us take all wands of the hands of Jesus, for he will never strike anyone. This is the God who is revealed there in this spectacle of Calvary, which Luke wants us to observe very carefully.

Then, where are the purple garments, which later, unfortunately, many of his disciples will show off; those who have neither understood nor internalized his proposal of a new kingdom? There is no garment; he is naked and poor, the blessed one who was left with nothing because he gave everything. This is the proposal of the beatitude that he has made: Blessed are the poor, that is, those who have nothing for they have given all. Be on the watch for when you come to the customs of life, at the end of life as he did at Calvary. Life triumphs when it is like his when we are naked like him because we have given everything.What God has put in our hands, and we have transformed it into love for our brother’s life.

Nor is there any trace of an army that should secure with arms and by force the sovereign’s power. Yes, the soldiers are at the foot of the cross, but they are not of his own. He had already said this to Pilate: ‘If my kingdom were founded upon the standards of this world, in the reign of Tiberius in which you, Pilate, believe, my disciples would have tried to react with weapons.’ No; Jesus does not know this army, and before Pilate had already made it clear to Peter that it is not with the sword that the new kingdom is established in the world.

The bodyguards are two criminals condemned to the same punishment, and he is in the middle. Observe well between whom God is found; he is located between two criminals, and the letter to the Hebrews says well speaking of Jesus our brother who ‘is not ashamed to call the two he has at his side brothers.’ We realize how the God that we see there on Calvary, that we are beholding, is completely different from what we imagine.

When the Son of God came to show his face to us in this world when the first people appeared, at his side, he was not ashamed to call them brothers; they were the unclean of the earth, the shepherds. Then, when he grew up, he went with the sinners for baptism; and let us remember that the Baptist said: ‘You are out of place; you should be with the righteous.’ And he said, ‘No, now a new righteousness has begun.’ This is the God who is revealed there on Calvary. He is amid two criminals. This is our God.  

The crown: It is a crown of thorns. Let us remember that after the conquest of Jerusalem, the crusaders had planned to crown King Baldwin on Calvary; they had made a crusade to conquer this sacred place. Thank goodness someone had the good sense to say: ‘Let us not make this blasphemous gesture.’ And in fact, it was decided to crown him in the Basilica of Bethlehem on December 25, 1100. Where are the pages, the attendants, the courtiers who acclaim him and give him gifts?

Let us observe at the foot of the cross; it continues the spectacle that Luke shows; he speaks to us of three groups of people: The people who were watching; it seems that they did not realize what was happening; they did not understand how a man who had only done well could die like this, they kill him, and he does not react.

Immediately afterward, the evangelist Luke will note that all the multitudes who had come to this spectacle, to the ‘θεωρία’ – ‘theoria,’ thinking of what they had seen, returned beating their breasts. This is the invitation that is made to us, rethinking the spectacle that Luke makes us witness; in the end, we also must turn away from beating our chest for having offended God with our thoughts, with the masks we have placed on his face. These people represent all well-disposed people who desire to understand the new kingdom of God, but they fail because those who should enlighten this multitude about the true kingship, are themselves absorbed in the pursuit of the greatness of this world, therefore, they cannot guide these people who would like to understand what is happening and what kingdom it is good to join.

Second group: The leaders mock him and say: ‘He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ, the chosen one.’ These leaders are the true responsible ones, the ones who uphold the old kingdom over which they preside; they are the dominators, they do not want the old kingdom to end and a new kingdom to be established. They defy it. Why doesn’t Jesus come down from the cross? Why doesn’t he do the miracle so that all would believe him and we wish he did too? Let’s be honest… let him come down and make those who defy him pay. This God does not exist; is the God we like, the God who shows all his strength. But this God is incompatible with what is revealed to us there, in the spectacle of Calvary. The God of Calvary is the God who loves everyone, even those who fight him; the God who, even if one does not trust his word and insults him, he still loves, he forgives because he is a God who saves, and that is all. The proposal of the Evil One was precisely to withdraw into himself: ‘Think of yourself.’ That is the evil one who, through the mouth of these leaders of the people, continues with his proposal: ‘Save thyself; employ all your abilities in the service of yourself.’Whereas the true God, instead, thinks only of love.

The soldiers: Mock him; they compete to give him vinegar. They were not Romans; they were Syrian soldiers. They were poor men, torn from their families and their land and sent, for little money, to commit acts of violence against a people with a different language, customs, and religion, and far from their families, wives, and children. They had lost all human feelings and vented their disappointment against those weaker than they, they distressed the poor people; they were victims of the mad design of the ancient kingdom where only strength counts. And therefore, they say: ‘If thou are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ They also repeat it a second time, ‘think of yourself.’ They have been educated to believe only in strength, and those who trust in weapons respect those who win and mock the losers. And Jesus is on the side of the losers.

Above him was an inscription, “This is the king of the Jews.” It’s quite a parody of the royalty of this world. The evangelist John will note the irony of the inscription placed by Pilate because the leaders of the people will make their complaints: “Do not write that the king of the Jews, but he said that he is the king of the Jews.” And Pilate shall answer: What is written is written;” he remains, ‘king of the Jews.’ Pilate did not know, but he spoke the truth. He it is who fulfills the Scripture; he is the expected king, but those who thought they possessed the knowledge of the Scriptures had been mistaken; they were still thinking of a Messiah according to their criteria, and their criteria was not God’s criteria. The criteria of God’s Messiah we saw there, at Calvary. That is the Messiah that saves, and he saves us when we let ourselves be liberated of ourselves and open our hearts to unconditional love for our brother or sister, even if it is the one who takes our life.

The evangelist Luke has presented to us the new kingship; it is the spectacle that we have witnessed; now we are invited to make a choice. Besides Jesus, there are two malefactors; one of them will acknowledge having belonged to the old kingdom, the kingdom of dominion, force, and violence, and now he will give his adhesion to the new kingdom. Let us listen:

“Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.’ The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, ‘Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”

The revelation of God is not finished. Luke now invites us to contemplate God between two criminals, and to listen to the proposal that the first of these criminals makes to Jesus, who says to him: ‘If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us.’ The Messiah that this criminal has in mind is the one taught to him by the religious leaders who are expecting the victorious Messiah, who builds a kingdom in this world, and this criminal fought for one of these kingdoms and lost. And he says to Jesus: ‘If you are the Messiah, we do it together, save yourself and save us.’ This is the third time we hear this proposal made to Jesus: ‘Save yourself.’

It was the proposal that the evil one had made to him from the beginning: ‘You, Jesus, must think of yourself, not others. If you think of yourself, you build a great kingdom, and you become somebody important.’ This is the third time it appears, ‘think of yourself,’ ‘save yourself.’ In this old kingdom in which this criminal still believes life is not to be donated, it must be withheld. It is a suggestion the devil had given him. The second criminal says to his colleague: ‘We have erred in life; we sided with the wrong kingdom and lost. We could have won, but we lost.’ This is the logic of the kingdoms of this world that are based on force; ‘we had less strength, and we lost.’

And he addresses Jesus and calls him by name; he feels that he is a friend, but he does not call him Lord because now he has opened his eyes and understood the true face of God, the God who loves. He sees him as a fellow traveler, who certainly disapproves of what he has done, but he does not feel condemned by this God. And Jesus doesn’t tell him to repent. He introduces him to paradise.

The story of this criminal is the story of every person. Who among us has not committed some murder, not with the sword, but with hatred, jealousy, slander and lies, gossip, injustice? If there were x-rays that would reveal what we have in our hearts, perhaps they would find a cemetery. Jesus’ answer: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

This ‘today’ in Luke’s Gospel is a very important adverb that is repeated six times and always at very significant moments. The first time, which we all remember, is in the mouth of the angel who says to the shepherds: “Today is born for you, the Savior.” Then, in Nazareth, when Jesus reads the prophecy of Isaiah and concludes by saying: “Today, this prophecy is fulfilled.” Then, after Jesus raised and set the paralytic on his feet, all the people say, “Today we have seen wonderful things.” Then, when Jesus sees Zacchaeus, he says to him: “Today, I must come into your house; I must stay with you.” And at the end, he says: “Today salvation has come into this house.” And the last time is the one on Calvary: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

This term ‘paradise’ appears only once in the Gospels, on the lips of Jesus on Calvary:“Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” This word comes from the Persian word ‘pairaidaza,’ which indicates a large garden where everything is green, a park with springs of fresh water, leafy trees full of fruits, and smells of flowers. Jesus will not remember him in paradise, but ‘today’ introduces him into the new Kingdom.

This is good and great news. This is the Gospel. The kingdom of God is not deserved; it is given to all, even to the greatest criminals because the love of God does not look at who is good and who is evil but gives his unconditional love to all. Peter, in his second letter, recalls what he saw or what he heard about what happened on Calvary says that when Jesus was insulted, he did not respond with outrage and suffering. He did not threaten revenge. It is the invitation that Peter makes to the persecuted Christians to be like their Master. Those who believe in the new kingdom behave like God, like that Son of God he saw on Calvary.

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.