St. Stephen Church at 6044 SW 19th Street , Miramar, FL 33023 US - The King Could Not Understand
| The King Could Not Understand |
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It is said that King George III of England (America's enemy in the Revolutionary War) felt terrible about the loss of the 13 British Colonies. In fact, for the rest of his life, he could not pronounce the word INDEPENDENCE without stuttering it, yet he was a king that still had some good insights:
When the fighting in America stopped, King George and all his royal allies in Europe were sure that George Washington would have himself crowned as the "Emperor of the New World." because that is precisely what they would have done if they were in his shoes. Yet, when he was informed that Washington planned to surrender his military commission and return to continue his farming business at Mt. Vernon, King George III declared, "Well, if he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world!"
In a similar was, at the time of the Nazi’s, an infamous German writer and biographer, Joseph Goebbels, stated that Mahatma Gandhi was a fool and a fanatic. “If Gandhi had the sense to organize militarily”, Goebbels thought, “he might hope to win the freedom of India.” Goebbels was certain that Gandhi couldn’t succeed following a path of non-resistance and peaceful revolution.
Yet, as history played itself out, India peacefully won her independence while the Nazi military machine was totally demolished. What this writer regarded as “a weakness” actually turned out to be “the real strength” and what he thought of as “strength”, turned out to be “the true weakness”.
This is what we hear in today’s Gospel passage: There is power in giving up power, in emptying oneself (called metanoia). Jesus knew it, Pilate didn't. And, as you and I know, at the end Jesus won and Pilate was the real looser! Are you ready to ‘let go and let God? ...that will really make you the winner”.
Jesus is KING and LORD!
Rev. Alejandro RoQue, omi
