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CALL OF THE KING
Presented to Preaching the Spiritual Exercises Practicum Participants
Montserrat Retreat House
July 30, 2015
Presented by Jan Davis, D.Min.
Did you see the latest family photo of Prince William,
Duchess Kate Middleton,
Prince George,
and the newest royal baby, Princess Charlotte?
What IF you got home tonight
and found a note from Will and Kate saying,
"We're sorry we missed you at George's 2nd birthday party on the 22nd.
He was a "monkey" as usual."
There is something about royalty that intrigues us.
This idea of royalty intrigued Ignatius as well.
He was, after all, a child who grew up in a castle...
I remember as a little girl, before I learned to read,
having a concept of royalty.
Our family belonged to Christ the King parish,
in Corpus Christi, Texas.
I remember that statue of Jesus the Christ upon his throne
holding the world in his hand.
On the last Sunday in October (in those days) a procession,
with banners and bells,
and this statue of Christ the King
would parade through the streets.
I didn't understand it all.
But I did know something special was happening.
What about Jesus Christ, the Eternal King?
It was helpful for Ignatius to think of Jesus as a king.
In his meditation
Ignatius imagined Jesus to say,
"It is my will to win over the whole of humankind.
No enemy can defeat me....
I will draw all to myself.
I will stay with my friends
and we will labor and struggle,
watch and pray.
No one will have to go through anything
that I do not myself go through.
Whoever works with me
and suffers with me
will also share the glory of the Kingdom with me.
I assure you,
I will see my project crowned with total success."
Jesus was very clear about his mission -
to follow the will of his Father
and to bring all into the Reign of God.
Jesus calls us to join him in that mission.
Look at him -
you might even see him inviting you.
One day,
some years ago,
when my aged mother came to visit me,
she told me of a sermon
she heard at church the previous Sunday.
She talked about how,
during that sermon
Jesus looked into her eyes and said,
"Come".
There was something mystical
and mystifying about all of that.
My mother, then, seemed to change in subtle ways:
She seemed to have the Spirit of the Lord upon her.
She was always bringing good news.
She seemed no longer to be oppressed.
She gave away a lot of her simple belongings.
Soon, very soon after that, she died.
In her papers, my daddy found a copy of that sermon.
There was nothing about the eyes of Jesus,
or the invitation,
not even the word, "Come".
But she had heard it.
And had she answered it.
Was that the Call of the King?
Or the invitation to the Eternal Banquet?
Is there really a difference?
Is the Call of the King a prelude meeting Jesus face-to-face in eternity?
In Annotation 95 Ignatius writes about Jesus's call,
"whoever would like to come with me
is to labor with me,
that following me in the pain,
he may also follow me in the glory.
I will see my project crowned with total success."
So do you hear the call of the King?
There are several ways to respond - or not.
Annotation 98
is Ignatius' prayer of offering- oblation -
in answer to the Call of the King:
(It goes something like this-)
"Eternal Lord of All Things,
I make my offering of my whole self.
I want
and desire in my depths,
to imitate you in bearing all things as you did.
I will labor with you
to bring God's reign
- here - now -
if you will give me the gift to do it. Amen."
There are no banners and bells, but -
Do you think something special is about to happen?
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reflections, and meditations on Holy Scripture, praying with biblical narratives of Jesus: his life, ministry, passion, and resurrection. At the heart of the
Exercises is a consideration of The Call of the King and Contemplation to Attain Divine Love.