November 24, 2024
Dear Parishioners,
On the feast of Christ the King, I invite you to reflect on the story of a king. It is the story
of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. Prince Edward was the first son of the King of
England, so he was also the crown prince who succeeded his father. When Edward was born, the whole country was filled with joy after many years of waiting. The King declared Edward’s
birthday a national holiday, and ordered all places to hold banquets to celebrate. People danced and prayed to God for Prince Edward. On the same day, a boy named Tom was born in a dilapidated house in the slums of London. When Tom was born, his mother cried like rain, because she did not know how to feed him. His father cursed him as an unfortunate, redundant son. When his alcoholism took hold, he abused his wife and children mercilessly. Although Tom was taught to read and write by a loving priest, he eventually had to beg.
One day, while wandering around begging, Tom approached the royal palace. He kept
staring at the splendid palace. He was so fascinated by the magnificence of the palace that when the guard shouted to chase him away, he still did not hear. The angry guard was about to raise his hand to grab the boy’s neck and beat him up. Coincidentally, Prince Edward was walking inside, and saw this and stopped the guard. Seeing a boy of the same age, Edward invited Tom to visit the palace.
Of course, before taking the beggar boy to visit the palace, the prince had to let him
bathe and change his clothes to suit the palace. Because they were the same age and stature, Edward lent Tom his royal robe. When standing in front of the large mirror, both were amazed because they looked exactly the same. The only difference was the beggar boy’s skinny body and messy hair. That could change very easily, the prince chuckled.
After Tom had been groomed and fed for a while, no one could tell who was Edward and
who was Tom. Then a bold idea came to the prince’s mind. Tom would stay in the palace and
play the prince, while Edward would leave the palace and wear the ragged clothes of a beggar. When he got bored, he would change back.
Of course, the courtiers all thought there was something wrong with the prince, because
his behavior had changed so much. But when they let the prince judge a problem, his mind was still clear. So they thought it was just a change of puberty. As for the beggar boy, oh my, he suffered all kinds of mistreatment and ostracism. At home, he was scolded like a dog, and when he went out, he was bullied and humiliated. Wherever he went, he was either bullied or shunned. When he was hungry, he begged and no one gave him anything. When he was so hungry that he stole, he was beaten up.
Then Edward heard that the courtiers were preparing to crown Tom king, so he decided
to return to the palace. As soon as he reached the gate, the guard grabbed him by the neck and pushed him to the ground. The more he argued that he was Prince Edward, the harder the guard stepped on his head. Finally, Edward had to use the prince’s seal as proof before the guard believed him.
After restoring the crown prince’s throne and becoming king, Edward rewarded Tom with
the position of manager in the royal palace. After that life-changing event, both Edward and Tom had profound changes. But the greatest and most wonderful change was in the king’s personality. King Edward understood what it was like to be poor and unjust, what it was like to have a broken family, what it was like to be humiliated and ostrasized. Thanks to that, Edward became a kind, just, and wise king like never before.
Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, took on our sinful and beggarly condition and
gave us His glorious royal robe. Do we trust that: God understands all our suffering and
weakness? And most of all, do we believe God wants us to fully enjoy His most precious gifts?
Christ’s kingly role is not expressed through power and money, position and talent, but through boundless mercy, ultimate sacrifice, boundless trust in the will of the Father. If we want to live in the style of the King of the Universe, we should not rely on power, rush to grab money or to seek fame, consider talent as lasting value, and especially put ourselves above others. If we keep pursuing ambition, at the end of our lives, we will discover that it is all just an empty illusion. The more we cling to it, the more suffering and pain we will have. Then when we have to stand before the Supreme Judge, who is also the King of the Universe, our beggarly identity will be completely bare.
When we reject the kingly identity that Jesus came down to teach and exemplify, we continue to take on the identity of a beggar, no matter how much silk and velvet we are covered with on the outside, no matter how many people around us are praising and flattering us. The kingly identity is linked to the truth. The beggarly identity is hidden in darkness. Christ the King of the Universe wants to give each of us the kingly identity. Do we want to exchange with Him?
In the Most Holy Trinity and in solidarity with you all,
Fr. Duc