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Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons: Feast of Christ the King - 22 November


The oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator, Saint Catherine's Monastery , Sinai

The oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator, Saint Catherine's Monastery , Sinai

Year B - 22nd November 2015

How do you see Christ? What image do you have of him when you are worshipping or praying quietly? Is he the Lord of the Byzantine Icon, majestic, solemn, gazing into your soul? Is he a local image, the Christ of your own culture, or perhaps a much loved face from a painting by one of the great religious artists?

I've thought a lot about this whilst thinking of the feast of Christ the King. In John's Gospel, Jesus very clearly says that his kingdom is not of this world and that his kingship is 'to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice'. That basic witness to truth challenges all our earthly images and structures especially the Church, for sometimes the truth is far from obvious, politics, power, wealth all tend to distort our position.

That's why Pope Francis is pointing out a renewed vision for the community of Christ's disciples, we are to be a people of truth welcoming those who seek truth as we do, being an inclusive Church helping not hindering the love of God to reach out through us. The writer of the book of the Apocalypse tells it straight; 'He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood', who are we then to block or hinder his love for others?

But I'm going back to the image of Jesus Christ. As I grow older the image I have of Jesus becomes less one picture, but more a glimpse of somebody who knows and loves me more than I know, a glimpse of the Transfiguration, I do know him, and yes I have recognized him but I cannot hold on to any one image. They cannot do him justice, he is brighter than any sun or whiter than any white, but he is there. I'm not alone in this, many people discover Christ in this way, the hints and guesses, the shadow at ones side, he is there in love and this is his true Kingdom.

In St Catherine's Sinai there is an icon of Christ as the alpha and omega, like Daniel's vision as he gazed into the night. In this Icon Christ has white hair and is surrounded by the stars, this is our King. As an Advent hymn puts it, 'Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning, Christ the beginning, for the end is Christ'.

Fr Robin Gibbons is an Eastern Rite Chaplain for the Melkite Greek Catholics in Great Britain.

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