Christ the King

Shortly after the Second World War, Europe was in the process of rebuilding, and United States troops were a common sight on many streets, even those who had not been directly involved in the war. One young soldier was on leave visiting Sweden and took the time to extoll American democracy to an august looking man next to him, about how the American people could discourse with their politicians without fear, that it was far better than any Monarchy. The man he spoke with was polite, nodded and occassionally spoke. Then as he reached his stop the man told the soldier to remember, in Sweden, even the King rode the bus like the poorest of citizens to get to work. After the man disembarked he was told by the other passengers that he had been talking with King Gustalf VI Adolf, the reigning monarch of Sweden.

In relation to us, we are the American soldier and Christ is the King. Christ took on the scandal of the Incarnation, a human form, so that like the lowliest among us, he too had a mortal form. He was fully human and fully divine, he understood everything about us and our temptations.