Is Christ our King? - Homily, 34th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Christ the King of the Universe – Cycle B– 11/22/15

         As we come to the end of the Church year the readings look to the future when Christ will return again in triumphant glory as our king.   We are told that all in the world will see him, both his subjects and those who aren’t. There are some who will be joyful and some who will be fearful.  Christ’s kingdom will come and will last forever.  This is what we all long for and hope for.   The prophecies we heard from Daniel and Revelation were written in times of great persecution.    In Daniel the Seleucid’s were persecuting the Jews and in Revelation the Christian’s were undergoing the wrath of Nero.  The people were in need of hope, a savior to come and rescue them.   These prophecies both pointed toward the final coming of Christ to reign in his Kingdom.

         We may feel like we’re in need of our savior to come again with all the troubles going on in the world.   Last week the tragic bombing by ISIS terrorist in Paris rocked the world.  Previously there was the crash of the Russian Jet that killed hundreds.  We hear about the hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes in the Middle East due to persecution for their faith, many of which are Christians.   Now, in our own state we hear about refusal to allow these persecuted refugees from moving here for fear of the safety of its citizens. If Christ is truly the King of the Universe why are all these troubles going on in the world?   I guess we really need to ask: is Christ really King?

         In the Gospel today we hear Pilate ask Jesus a similar question: Are you King of the Jews?  Jesus responds to Pilate, but it may not have been what he expected:

“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 Jesus indirectly answers that he is king, but not of this world.

Pilate asks Jesus again: “Then you are a king?” Jesus responds: “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” Jesus came into the world to bring us the truth.  Jesus is Truth.  His kingdom is truth.  Jesus told us “I am the way, the truth, and the Life”.   His kingdom is a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, justice love and peace. 

        

         So while Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, his kingdom is in this world through his loyal subjects.  Who are his subjects?  We are, those baptized into his Church.  Jesus taught us how to live in this world through our faith in him.  How do we follow Jesus in being his loyal subjects?  Jesus’ response to Pilate tells us:  “Everyone who belongs to the truth, listens to my voice”.

Do we listen to Jesus’ voice and believe that he is our king? Or do we only hear him and choose what we want to listen to? The concept of a king can be very foreign to us living in the USA. We’re used to freely choosing what we feel is best for our own personal situation. We select our government leaders that we feel best to do the job, and can choose another if they don’t.  But when we make a choice do we do so based on truth, or how we think or feel?  Following the Truth is what truly gives us freedom.

If Jesus is our King we need to listen to him because he speaks the truth.  The truth that he speaks of is the love of God and neighbor as yourself. It is the living out of the Beatitudes.   If we want to be part of his kingdom and conquer the world we need to follow the way Jesus.   Jesus does not rule by domination, but humble service and sacrifice. Jesus way of life is the perfect example of how to live in the world, but not to be of the world. 

We live in a world that is full of injustices, persecutions, and tragedies. We can expect these things to happen because it’s an imperfect world. Jesus’ Kingdom is not fully here yet, but we can make it a better place by living as loyal subjects of Christ, King of the Universe.   What are some ways we can do this?  By being patient and kind when others annoy us at home, school, work, and even on the road.   We can offer a smile or kind word when some appears to be lonely or having a bad day.  Prayers can be offered for one another, especially those who are persecuted.  We can ask for Holy Spirit’s wisdom to seek the truth in choosing our leaders. 

As we enter into Advent let’s make a commitment to make Christ the King of our lives by choosing to listen to him and live the Truth that he gives us.  As we come forward to receive the Eucharist let’s ask God for the grace to make Christ the King of our lives.  God bless you.