OMELIE / Omelie EN

24 nov 2024

24/11/2024 - 34th – Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe - B

24/11/2024 - 34^th – Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe - B

Reading 1 DEU 7,13-14 Psalm 92 Reading 2 REV 1,5-8 Gospel JN 18,33-37

Today we give Jesus the title of King, and King of the Universe. Where is this habit coming from?

When Jesus, answering Pilate, said: “You say it: I am King”, He was thinking of what the prophet Daniel wrote: “To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed”.

Jesus knew that His royalty needed to be prepared by sufferings and persecution, so He did not lose hope nor faith in the Father’s promise, not even if Pilate himself had condemned Him. Today we want to bow in front of Jesus, calling Him by that title He was mocked with and which He was condemned and killed for.

Jesus is King, and the King of the Universe. We cannot be happy by just saying it: it would be too easy, but above all useless for us. We want to think of Him as a King to serve Him, as the prophet says.

What does “to serve Him” mean? Who is benefiting from the service rendered to Him?

To serve Jesus Christ as King means thinking of Him as more important than anyone else, and to think of His words as more important than any other philosophy, His commandments more than any other human law. Also, it means living in a way that His plans may work out fine, His desires may become a reality.

We have many desires about our life, our comfort, our commitments: almost always they are good ones, but Jesus’ are far reaching, they can see what is needed in order to build a peaceful and serene society and, above all, in order to ensure our eternal life.

In fact, the advantage coming from “serving” Jesus is all ours: our heart receives peace, our relationships with others are fixed or reach an interior and deep level, generating joy and serenity. By obeying Jesus everything that would come from selfishness vanishes, and from us radiate happiness and hope.

Jesus’ royalty, as He Himself had declared while talking to Pilate, is a service in its own: it is “testify to the truth”, as He Himself had said.

Truth il the coming to the light or the revelation of God, the God of love and mercy. Jesus’ life and death are the testimony given to God, who loves the men and wants to save them from their lack of order and their selfishness that create suffering for everyone.

This is why we want to follow Him, we want to obey Him, we think He is superior to everyone, we consider Him king for us and we present Him as king to everyone. He will not make Himself known to anyone, He is not like the kings we know: “My kingdom is not of this world”.

The so-called subjects are awaited by Him, because He wants them to be free, and He does not even want them as subjects, but as friends or children of His, who are sharing His desire to cover the world in the Father’s love.

We continue joyfully to declare our faith and give our love to Jesus Christ “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth”.