The King Returns

“We have a King who keeps His promises.”

N.C. Wyeth, public domain

A Parable

“Once upon a time, there lived a princess, the daughter of a king. The king loved his daughter more than anything else, more than any other person or thing in his vast and beautiful kingdom.

One day the king was called upon to protect his kingdom. He gathered his knights and together they prepared for battle. The king would have liked to take his daughter with him but he knew it was too dangerous and so he left her behind in the safety of the castle, and promised he would return to her. The king and his knights rode away to a distant land while the princess watched from a castle window until he was out of sight. She longed for his return almost as soon as he left.

Time went by and the king did not return.

After a time, evil men took over the castle, they imprisoned the princess in a high tower and enslaved the people. The kingdom fell under a curse, dark clouds filled the sky and each day seemed darker than the one before it. Every day the princess would stare in the dark sky and pray for her father's return.

Eventually there came a day when the sun did not rise at all and the kingdom was plunged into darkness for three days.

Finally, on the third day, the princes saw a small light on the distant horizon. The light grew brighter and brighter until at last the entire kingdom was lit, as brightly as it ever was in the light of the sun.

As the last shadow was chased away by the light, the princess saw the king standing on the castle steps. He was tired and ragged, his armor bore the signs of many battles, his hands and feet were wounded and scarred. But his face shone with the light of love.

The princess was overjoyed, she ran down the stairs and threw herself into the arms of the king. The King embraced His beloved daughter and told her, 'do not be afraid, all of our enemies are conquered, we are safe, forever.'

And on that day a sound like the sound of trumpets blasting echoed throughout the sky, and a great voice was heard to say 'Fear no more, O daughter Zion, see, your King has come.'”

A Question of Trust

It has been said that mankind has only ever had one problem; we want to be like God. Which is another way of saying we have trust issues. The Catechism of the Church tells us that all sin is grounded in disobedience toward God and lack of trust in His goodness.

This was the lie the serpent told to Eve in the Garden. That God did not want us to be like Him. But God created us in His own image and likeness. We were created to “be like Him.”

Perhaps it is difficult for us to trust God because we find it difficult to trust other people. We all have friends, family, or loved ones who have let us down when we were counting on them. As a result we are wounded when people we trust fail us in matters big or small. And to avoid being wounded again we begin to build walls around our hearts to protect ourselves. The problem is that those walls can keep God out of our hearts as well.

We know that we can trust God because God has proven to us that He is trustworthy. We were created to share our lives with God. To that end we were endowed with a robe of grace. When our first parents chose to disobey God, they lost that grace and saw that they were naked. That act of disobedience changed their very nature and were no longer fit to walk with God in Paradise. They, and all of their descendants, were exiled from the garden. We have been working our way back to God ever since.

From our first parents we have inherited our fallen nature. But even then, in the very beginning, God promised that this would not be a permanent state. God promised that He would send a savior who would free us from the darkness of corruption and the enslavement to sin.

On Passion Sunday, we recall the Passion and death of Our Lord because it is through these events that God has fulfilled His promise to us. The suffering of Jesus Christ won for us a definitive victory over sin and hopelessness. We bear palm branches today as a symbol of that victory.

Our relationship to God is always spoken of in terms of family and covenant. Throughout salvation history God establishes covenants with his people in an effort to create a place where He can live among us. A covenant is a family bond. A marriage, for example, is a covenant between two families. Through Jesus, God establishes a new covenant with us. In this covenant God has promised that he will never abandon us. No matter what we do, if we are willing to turn back to Him, He will always be ready to receive us in mercy, and forgiveness, and love. If we reject Him, scourge Him, crown Him with thorns, betray Him and crucify Him, He will continue to love us.

If we would trust in God we must first tear down the walls we have built up around our hearts that keep Him out. We must invite Him in, to transform us into the person we know we should be.

We have a King who keeps His promises.

Pax vobiscum

Christ in Majesty © Lawrence Klimecki

Pontifex University is an online university offering a Master’s Degree in Sacred Arts. For more information visit the website at www.pontifex.university

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual “hero’s journey” that is part of every person’s life. He maintains a blog at www.DeaconLawrence.org and can be reached at Lawrence@deaconlawrence.com

Pontifex University is offering free and reduced price for online education during the Wuhan virus crisis

From the Provost:

Dear Pontifex University Students, past, present and aspiring, 

These are difficult times for all of us. I hope you and your loved ones are staying well, and that God’s grace is touching you in this time of anxiety and worry. We pray for you, please pray for us.

The major worry is that we or our loved ones will be affected by the virus, of course. There is a secondary worry, which is steadily becoming more and more important, and that is the economic impact of the response to the threat of the virus. There are no easy options here and I don’t think any of us know how quickly we will get through this unprecedented crisis, and how badly we will be affected. 

We realize that most of you are likely confined to your homes and wondering what to do. We have thought about how we can help in a small way and have decided to offer you the following. 

If you tell us you have lost your job as a result of coronavirus, we will let you take one three-credit course (or equivalent eg three one-credit courses) at no charge. If you are observing shelter-at-home you can take the same at half-price. 

If you are a current student, the email me directly telling me which offer you wish to take up. If you are not, then please fill out an application online and then email me, dclayton@pontifex.university.

Many of you will have ideas far better than me on how to deal with this at a personal level. I have written a blogpost on what I am doing in the hope of sparking off some ideas for others. In many ways, for me, it is about accepting how powerless I am to contribute or help beyond implementing the recommendations regarding self-seclusion. It comes down to trying to be open to God’s grace and focussing on being a good and joyful presence in the small number that I do come into contact with directly, or via Zoom. Myself and a friend of mine have resolved to sing Evensong - Vespers and Compline according to the Anglican Use, daily (apart from Saturdays) and put it out as a live video on my personal Facebook page. I would love to read what ideas you have had to be one who gives during this time of uncertainty. If you feel like posting in the comments box below the blog postings I will see them all. I always enjoy reading your comments. 

My God bless you and keep you. 

Provost, www.Pontifex.University