November 21st 2021. Feast of Christ the King

GOSPEL: JN 18,33B-37

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

 

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

 

(Check us out on Facebook – Sunday Gospel Reflection)

GOSPEL: JN 18, 33B-37

Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. The Kingdom of Christ is not generated by anything from this world

In the Gospel passage from John for the Feast of Christ the King, Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” This is a strange question, since religious issues such as whether Jesus was a messianic king would have had no interest for Pilate, but the Jews wanted Jesus sentenced to death for blasphemy, something they did not have the power to do under Roman rule, so they had to get Pilate involved. Jesus’ reply to Pilate is that his Kingdom is not of this world, something that we also hear in the first reading from Daniel, which describes the Son of Man coming on the clouds to receive eternal dominion. When Jesus says my Kingdom is not “of” this world, it is important that we pay attention to the meaning of the participle “of”. It is not simply possessive but means, rather, that the Kingdom is not from this world; it is not produced by this world. In Daniel, in fact, the Son of Man comes from heaven.

 

2. The disciples of Christ must spread the Kingdom, not by violence, but by mercy

When Jesus was arrested, he reacted badly when Peter drew his sword. Later, Peter denied Christ and said he was not his disciple. In fact, he was not a disciple of Jesus at that moment and had abandoned him. True disciples do not defend Christ with the sword, or by defending themselves. The Kingdom of Christ is not an earthly dominion. The faith was not spread by violence but through love and mercy. Christ, when he appears after the resurrection, instructs the disciples to the ministry of forgiveness, not dominion. He tells them to go out and forgive sins, for if they do not, then people will be left bound in their sins.

 

3. Jesus is a King whose throne is the Cross

After Jesus explains to Pilate that his Kingdom is not of this world, Pilate responds, “So you are a king then?” Jesus replies, “It is you who say it”. This is not just a mode of expression of Christ. It is a statement that points to a truth that Pilate now accepts: that Jesus is a king of a particular sort. In fact, Pilate will now accept this all the way to the death of Jesus, for he even adds this inscription, “King of the Jews”, to the cross. Jesus is recognized by the secular power as a king, but not a king of this world. His throne will be the cross. His courtiers will be the Virgin Mary and the beloved disciple, whom he bequeaths, each to the other. Let us live this end of the liturgical year adhering to this Kingdom, rich or poor, in sickness or in health. Even if we live in situations of injustice, we can be free in Christ, for he liberates us, not according to this world, but according to love. This is the truth that the cross bears witness to.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY . . . The feast of Christ the King marks the end of the liturgical year. In the Gospel, we see him before Pilate. What kind of king can he be? He is a condemned prisoner, about to be humiliated and killed. What kind of kingship is that? As history unfolded, however, no man came to have the kind of impact that Jesus of Nazareth did. Even people who don’t believe in him must confess that he has exerted an influence on the world that can be matched by no other individual. But if we look closely at the scene with Pilate, we already begin to see that Jesus has a kingship that is utterly different to the powers of this world. The rulers of this world rule by force and coercion. They themselves are contaminated by the very power they exert. But Jesus shows before Pilate that he has a freedom that is unheard of. His nobility consists in his capacity to be unreachable by mundane powers of this sort. Who has freedom of this sort? Pilate certainly hadn’t. Does true freedom consist of wandering around the streets doing what you like? Or is freedom something that can be possessed wherever you are, even if you are in chains? Who bears true royalty, the one who is possessed by things, or the one who is able to detach himself from things? Who is more powerful, the one who can coerce people into doing what he wants, or the one who loves everyone he meets, even those who do him wrong? Royalty of that sort is not of this world! Jesus of Nazareth reveals to us the kind of people we, deep down, long to be. When we marry, we long to be able to love in the same radical way that he loves. When we begin a friendship, we long to be able to be true in the way that he is true. Jesus has the power of love, and he has the power to plant love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. This is real power! This is the power of Christ our King!