OMELIE / Omelie EN

26/6/2016

20/11/2016 - Christ the King of Universe - C

20/11/2016 - Christ the King of Universe - C 

1st Reading 2Sam 5,1-3 from Psalm 121 2^nd Reading Col 1,12-20 Gospel Lk 23,35-43

Today we bring to an end the Holy Year of Mercy, initiated last year. It has been a year dense of prayer and initiatives finalized to help us to believe more in Jesus, who is the mercy of the Father for us sinner. Our decision for him becomes stronger every time we pass through the doors of the Jubilee of our sanctuaries or that of the house for the elders or other places of suffering. Today’s feast helps us to reinforce our decision for him: infact we call him the King, and we do not pronounce this jokingly or superficially. We don’t want be comedians. Do we say truly to Jesus: you are my king, I obey you, I listen to your words to put them in practice. We say this to him because the world, with its disorders, obliges us to recognize that Jesus is the only one who does not deceive us, the only one who speaks to us only for our own good and for the truth of all, of single and of the peoples. We see infact that the world disobeys Jesus and run into disorders and new sufferings, unforeseen and not thought of. When Jesus was on the cross, the religious leaders and the soldiers derided him and humiliated him for the title of King which was written on his own head. One of the criminals who was with him, did this. In their hearts was still alive their pride and their incapacity to have compassion with whom suffers.

Jesus answered to everyone with silence. He did not need to defend himself because he knew that his defenses is God himself, thus he gave himself to Him. His silent answer created a sign in the heart of the other criminal who started to reflect. His own reflection, starting from that silence, made him recognize the innocence of Jesus and made him admit his own fault. He also recognized the deception in which fall the men who mock a man on whose is shown the beauty and the goodness of a new God, not known before but always unconsciously dreamt of and desired. He feels the need of answering the words of his own companion, and to answer attempting to do this by making him recognize his own faults. In the end, and this is the most beautiful thing, he turns to Jesus and calls him by name. The name of Jesus, pronounced by the criminal, resounds in a new way, and it is truly a beauty! Who know how much Jesus has been consoled to hear his name pronounced with love by the man who was crucified besides him! The hearing of the name in that moment on the cross, is an act of mercy by the Father to Jesus, who was able to see the realization of salvation for which he offered himself. The name of Jesus infact is salvation for whom pronounces it with love.

His name is pronounced by us also, with the profound desire to be in communion with him. Have you ever tried to pronounce this name? First pronounce it in the secret of your heart, repeating it many times. Then try to pronounce with a high voice in a place where you are alone and no one will hear you except him. Finally, speaking of your own faith with the friends and family members, and not only with the children, do not try to avoid, but, try to make his name known, wrapping it with the warmth of your love, of your own esteem and humility. He will enrich you with new life and holiness. He is truly a king, do you believe it?

Jesus does not only has mercy, as we might notice in the many pages of the gospel, but he is the mercy of the Father. God infact has loved us so much that he has had mercy on us, giving us Jesus, putting him near us in a way that we may be able to welcome him and thus be changed. Baby Jesus is infinite mercy, infact no one, even great sinners are afraid to get close to a child, and in this way everyone get closer to God. Jesus on the cross is mercy who gives courage also to whom suffers for his own sin, as happens with the criminal. Jesus is the mercy of the Father in our hearts every time we pronounce his name.

This great truth is underlined to us also by St. Paul. Entering in the kingdom of Jesus, that is, accepting him as king of our own life, we are “freed from the dominion of darkness” and we obtain “the forgiveness of our sins”. “He is also the head of the body, the Church” and thus in the Church we can stay serene and with sureness, notwithstanding that some of our brothers might fall in some serious sin. We must not feel ashamed of the Church, neither when some priests or bishop or someone who occupies an influential position in the Church, behaves in a shameful way: we must be proud that we appertain to the Church because its head is always Jesus with his holiness and truth. Holding to him our life itself will become merciful for our brothers and for the world: we will help them to see and touch, listen and taste the beauty and the goodness of our Lord, our King and our Savior, Jesus.