OMELIE / Omelie EN

21 nov 2021

21/11/2021 – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ King - B

21/11/2021 – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe - B

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

Jesus has not rejected the title of king. He knew the words used by the prophets and the Psalms, the promises made by God to David and his children. He knew the whole people was waiting for the Son of David, the king of Israel. Therefore, He could not and did not want to ignore this title God Himself is giving Him in many of the Scriptures. But when He found Himself in front of Pilate, for whom the Scriptures where totally useless, Jesus felt the need to explain. The king, whom the Scriptures are talking about, is not a usurper, is not someone pursuing his own interests, but is the one who is representing God in front of men. He is the very king who “has” to come, and He comes “sitting on a donkey's colt”: He is meek and humble and He has no intention to overturn the kingdoms of the world. He will not use violence, will not move hosts, will not play the war horns. His royalty is not such to rival those which frighten and terrorise men. He is king, because God wants Him to be: He will be a king who shows the true face of God.

The royalty He is living is “testify to the truth”. We too are asking Him what He means for truth, and we do it in a way to allow Him to answer, not Like Pilate, who was ashamed of starting a conversation with a man who was despised and accused by others. Jesus had just said to His disciples: “I am the truth”, and He had explained the sentence by saying that He is showing us the Father, He is revealing Him to us with all His wealth of love and mercy. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (JN 14,9). His royalty therefore is very different from the one men dread, because is made of conquest and violence. If someone wants to be liked by God, they will recognise Him and obey Him, listen to His voice and fulfil His word.

Pilate did not understand, or he did not want to, so he did not have to change. We try to welcome Jesus as a true king. I am welcoming Him as my king, you as yours. It is not possible to do differently. We cannot wait for Him to compel us, because He does not want to have slaves as subjects, but only children and brethren. He wants us to be like Him, full of love, because His whole kingdom needs to show the true face of the Father, His whole kingdom needs to bring in the world the truth of love.

Today’s feast is making us aware of Jesus’s identity, but is also guiding us in exercising any authority we might have or we might be called to exercise. A disciple of Jesus’s who might receive a job requiring authority, above all in the Church, but also civilly or socially, will try to live it with the same spirit as Jesus lived His royalty. In a Christian world therefore, authority is lived – or should be lived – as a service, as an act of love, as the place in which the paternity of God is fulfilled.

We realize this service cannot be easy, because the temptation of power keeps showing up everywhere, even more in those situations in which is possible to be in charge. Every each one of us however can make an effort in our usual living environment, in the family, in the workplace, in the office, in our group of friends, while driving the car, in those places in which even just for a few minutes or hours we are among others. We can make an effort to consider ourselves as servants of God’s paternity, so His “truth” can shine and bear fruit of love, harmony and peace.

Today’s first and second readings, Daniel and the Revelation, are talking about Jesus, our king, using particularly solemn words. The latter should not frighten us nor intimidate us. He, in fact, is freeing us from any fear, because He is the one who has been pierced, and the one who “all the peoples will lament”.

Because Jesus for us is the KING OF THE UNIVERSE, this gives us serenity in front of the kings and rulers of this earth. There still are, and always will be, kingdoms and governments which will make us suffer, which will disappoint us, which will put obstacles to a serene life for the poors and the believers, which seem to enjoy supporting and tolerate oppressing injustices. There still are people like Pilate in places of importance, men who are looking for being in charge, not serving. Let us not be afraid. We will serve our true king, we will continue to learn from Him, we will give our obedience to Him. All we do, we will do for Him, and we will have peace and serenity in our heart, we will have the joy of being of help to many, and the Lord Jesus Himself will give us the fair, or better the abundant, reward.