Yes, you are my King!
The last sunday of the liturgical year we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. He is not a King like all those Kings and warlords that dominate this world....
Homily
In today’s gospel we meet Christ the King.
But it is a very meek and humble king we meet.
His appearance is not king-like at all,
He stands there in front of the Governor Pilate
as a criminal, a suspect of serious crimes.
But nevertheless He answers: “Yes, I am a king”.
Believe in Him
But who will be able to know He is a King?
Who will be able to discover His greatness?
His answer is 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”.
That means:
those only who hear His words
and who believe in Him,
they will come to know Him as a King,
they only will come to know His kingdom.
Love
This in fact is something
we experience also in daily life:
whoever loves a person,
believes all that proceeds
from the lips of that person.
If you really love a person,
you will have faith in him, in his words.
No blind love: get to know Him!
But how then do we come to love somebody?
Of course I do not mean here
falling in love with someone,
in a blind love,
because you are so much attracted
by outside qualities of the other,
things like outer beauty, clothes etcetera.
If you feel attracted by these things
beiing blind for who this person is,
you do not love this person
as he or she is,
because our love is blind.
In this case you’ll believe this person,
because you love him or her,
but you have not really come to know this person.
Experience
How then do we love somebody
with a real love and a real knowledge?
We do so when we have experienced
that he or she cares about us,
especially when this person
does a real effort to help us,
when his or her love implies
a real sacrifice.
Therefore we are very grateful
- when we have or had good parents –
for all they have done for us
for the love they showed us in so many little things.
If you have experienced in parents this love:
people giving their lives for you
out of love,
you have a reason to thank God.
This is a real base
which helps you to experience
how God loves you.
Contemplate His love
The same happens
in our relationship with the Lord.
When the good thief
contemplated our Redeemer
suffering so much pain and death upon the corss
with such patience, such love,
though he had done no wrong,
he started to love Jesus;
under the influence of this love
and of the grace of God, that divine light,
that broke into his soul,
he believed that Jesus was truly the Son of God,
the King of Kings
and he begged not to be forgotten by Him
when he would have passed into his kingdom.
When You listen to Jesus with love
you will see behind His outer appearance,
you will not just see
a powerless, heavily punished criminal,
but you will discern
Gods love.
Love and faith
This love is the foundation of our faith.
It is very important for us
to try always to love Jesus
with our hearts
in daily life, in the normal things we do,
because when we love Jesus,
we are on the side of truth
and we will be able to listen to His voice
and welcome what He is saying in our lives.
See His suffering
Everyone encounters suffering and pain.
Some people experience really
very difficult problems, heavy to endure.
Many cannot cope with that
or they blame God
or do not believe in Him any more
because He sent them these sufferings.
Then they become bitter and empty.
Only if you have a real love for Jesus,
not a blind one,
not a love that wipes away
His suffering and loneliness,
His penance and cross.
If you really try to have a real love for Jesus,
teh way He is,
with His cross and sufferings,
you wille be able to continue to follow Him
when sufferings are crossing your path.
And you will continue to say:
Yes, you are my King,
not a King of splendour and majesty only,
but a King who went for me through the dirt,
through flagellation and crucifixion
and was crowned with thorns.
Lord, help us to listen to your voice,
to love you, to believe in you.
amen.
