William Holman Hunt drew a picture of Christ the King knocking at the door. The door is overgrown by ivy, and Jesus stands outside in the garden with a lantern. This image invites a more profound reflection: when people viewed it, they noticed there was no handle on the outside of the door. While Jesus knocks at the door, he gazes out into the world, inviting us in. This profound invitation lies at the heart of this solemnity. Christ looks out to us and seeks to enter. What holds us back?
The Gospel reading may hold some clues for us. Jesus presides over the people from the Cross. It is almost like the picture drawn by William Holman Hunt he is frozen in place. We witness people throwing scorn on Jesus. The leaders and the soldiers both misunderstanding this saving act. They understood salvation as a remedy for present ills rather than a divine embrace. It is only the good thief who is able to perceive this embrace when he prays to be remembered in the Kingdom.
So our hearts and minds are pierced by this reality that seeks to transform how we see God entering into a relationship with us. This is not a salvation that overlooks suffering but one that seeks to transform it for the good of others and the whole of creation. The answer to the paradox of the Cross is not outside us but how we open our hearts to let Christ enter in.
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