Homily – Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (B)

The Liturgical Year enters its final week with the Feast of Christ the King.  The final gospel passage for the year recounts Jesus standing before Pontius Pilate being interrogated about his identity.  ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked.  Jesus replied,

“Yes, I am a king.  I was born for this; I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.”

The gospel finishes here during the Liturgy of the Word in Mass.  But as the gospel continues, Pilate famously asks Jesus “What is truth?”  The question remains unanswered, at least verbally.  The truth Jesus has borne witness to is the truth of his whole life – the revelation of God’s love for humanity.  It is for proclaiming this truth that Jesus is placed on trial and is brought before Pilate.

Telling the truth can get us into plenty of trouble.  We must consider what we have to say and the consequences of it.  There are consequences too if someone refrains from proclaiming the truth.

Students have asked me, “are all the stories in the gospel true?”  Certain stories in the gospel are used as an example to highlight the truth.  For example, the story of the Prodigal Son is to highlight the truth that God is merciful.  If we stop proclaiming this truth, many will not have a second chance, a third, a fourth and more.

Those who find the truth unacceptable will find a way to suppress, deny and condemn.  I read an article by Ribqa Nevash, she is a young Christian originally from Pakistan, now in the UK.  She is an Aid to the Church in Need advocate for persecuted Christians, especially women and girls suffering violence and forced conversion.  Ribqa shares her story of her job application being rejected because she is a Christian.  She used to cry out “Why Lord? Why am I getting so many rejections? I am your daughter – please do something for me.”

The question for Jesus is a question for us also.  Are we leaders of truth?  Are we leaders for freedom?  Are we making the Kingdom of God present in our world?

What is our answer?

By Fr Hoang Dinh

Published: 22 November 2024