In theological terms, the crucial word is kenosis, which means self-emptying. Christ \u201cemptied himself, taking the form of a servant\u201d is how Paul\u2019s letter to the people of Philippi puts it. What is being described here is a process by which the ego is set aside for the fullness of God\u2019s love to enter into a human life. The less of me, the more of You. In this way vulnerability is regarded as the defining feature of precisely the sort of holiness that was there in that moment of the Queen\u2019s anointing. A \u2018tired\u201d Queen is an exemplification of just this sort of kenotic servant monarchy. In other words, a \u201ctired\u201d Queen is the perfect sacrificial embodiment of what a monarch should be. And demonstrates why the well-being centred virtue-signalling showiness of some of her relatives is such a grotesque parody of the role.<\/p>\n
But to put this in more secular terms, vulnerability is the means of connection between people. Our vulnerability is how we are open to the other and the other is open to us. Which is why \u2014 and I don\u2019t think I am just imagining this \u2014 the present vulnerability of the Queen is establishing a renewed kind of intimacy between the Queen and her subjects. Given the formality within which she is encased, it is entirely inappropriate to say this \u2014 but I want to give her a hug. We don\u2019t need the handshakes or the curious peering into a familiar woman\u2019s face to try and work out what is going on behind all that well-rehearsed small talk. The more vulnerable she becomes, the more human, and so also the more fully a Queen in the theological sense.<\/p>\n
Such public defencelessness is rare, at least in leaders. The last one I can remember achieving anything like this was Pope John Paul II. His last few years \u2014 and these may well be the last few years of the Queen\u2019s life \u2014 were marked by a reduced physical capacity, while at the same time he became a more intense version of what he was called to be. To be a Pope is partly to perform a certain function. But when ill health robbed him of the ability to perform that function, all the job description utilitarian bits of being Pope dropped away and his, as it were, symbolic role was more fully exposed….<\/p>\n
Thankfully, the Queen is not yet this ill. But she is 95 and easily the longest serving monarch in history. Her Christian faith has long been a comfort to her. And this is especially evident now, in the twilight of her years. Indeed, the version of the Queen that we are now seeing is the greatest of her roles as our monarch. It is not important if she misses COP26 or other political talking shops. She is doing something much more important now.<\/p>\n
She is showing us what human life is all about when we loosen our grip on power and status and function. Her last act may well be her finest.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Queen\u2019s finest hour. https:\/\/t.co\/z8K6zyrlSl<\/a><\/p>\n — Giles Fraser (@giles_fraser) October 28, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n