Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
After so many accounts dramatically displaying God’s care for Daniel and his friends, the narratives now turn to the theme of God’s care and protection for the entire nation. Daniel sees visions in the darkness of night. He struggles with fears and doubts about the destiny of his people. Already he has a seen four beasts emerging from a sea of chaos. These represent various kingdoms determined to oppress God’s people. The fearsome appearance of the beasts vividly captures the unthinking cruelty of their ways. The fourth and final beast most likely represents the empire of Syria, which oppressed the people in the days of the Maccabean War.
Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ, king of the universe. Traditionally this is the final Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, and it closes in grand style. The key to understanding the meaning of this liturgical solemnity is the term “king.” In the Gospel, Pilate and Jesus go back and forth about what it means to be a king. Pilate can think only in secular political terms while Jesus consistently responds from a spiritual theological perspective. Jesus has no aspirations to be a secular political king. Pilate cannot imagine kingship in any other terms.
“Are you the King of the Jews?” The setting for today’s Gospel is the passion narrative of the Gospel of John. Jesus has appeared before the high priest, Caiaphas, and the results were unsatisfactory. The Jewish authorities want Jesus killed, but this can only be mandated by the Roman secular authorities. So, Jesus is brought before Pilate, accused of blasphemy. Pilate gets right to the point by asking Jesus if he is indeed the king of the Jews. Pilate means, of course, a secular king. Jesus responds quickly and sharply. Notice how cleverly Jesus begins to put Pilate on trial by the way he phrases his questions. Is Pilate convinced that Jesus is a king, or is this just hearsay? Pilate, no friend of the Jews, clearly shows that here.
Jesus defends his kingdom. Jesus concedes that he has a kingdom, but it is nothing like what Pilate is envisioning. Jesus’ kingdom is a spiritual reality not confined to this world. God is in charge of Jesus’ kingdom, and the secular world exercises no control over it. If Jesus’ kingdom were of this world, Pilate would not be in charge, and Jesus would not be on trial. However, Pilate and his world are irrelevant to Jesus and the kingdom of God.
“Then you are a king?” Pilate thinks that he has cornered Jesus into admitting the desire to be a secular king. However, when Jesus explains what he means by kingship, it is way beyond the realm of Pilate’s comprehension. Jesus came to testify to the truth. He is the truth. This is how Jesus confronts the world and offers it an opportunity for an alternative kingdom. Only those who believe in Jesus can accept this offer.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius