Gospel John 18:33b-37
Pilate said to Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Homily
To understand the Gospel reading for today it is necessary to understand the concept of Kingship in the Old Testament among the Jews. For the Jews the chief role of the King was to protect the defenceless, the widows and orphans, and all those who found themselves for whatever reason on margins of society. The King was meant to rule in such a way that a just and equitable society was secured. In this way the vocation of Israel, to model for the world a just and harmonious society, would be maintained. This concept of Kingship is totally different to the concept of Kingship among other nations in which the King was the one with all the power and ruled in such a way as to ensure that the power of the King was solidified and augmented. It was because of these differing concepts of Kingship that Jesus could say to Pilate, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
Good citizens of any kingdom work to ensure that the kingdom to which they belong progresses. Good citizens of the kingdoms of this world work to ensure that their country becomes the greatest. Citizens of thekingdomofJesushave another basis for their action. They do not fight to ensure the leadership of their King. They follow the leadership of Jesus, their King, in testifying to the truth. The question then becomes; what is the truth to which they testify? The fundamental truth to which those who belong to theKingdomofJesustestify is the radical equality of all human beings coming from the fact that we are all sons and daughters of God. It is the refusal of the world to accept this fact which leads to the injustices which have always beset humanity. It is the refusal to accept this truth which led to the holocaust. It is the refusal of this truth which led to apartheid; it is the refusal of this truth which has led to genocide and fratricidal wars, whether inBosniaorRwanda,Palestine,IsraelorSyria. It is the refusal to accept the consequences of this truth that permits the on-going famines in our world, the continuing war between Islam and the West and the continuing incidents of racism, be these individual or societal. It is the propagating of the lie for political purposes, that the radical equality of all human beings is a myth which continues to spawn ethnic and religious hatred across the globe, and the inequalities and injustices, not only in our land but throughout the world.
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On this final Sunday of the liturgical year, the Church through the biblical readings, puts us once again before a choice. We are reminder of the words of the Moses “See, today I set before you life or death, blessing or curse, Choose life then so that you and your descendants may live…”
To continue to reject the truth to which Jesus testified by his life and teaching is to choose death. This path only leads to injustice and the strife which always follows. Today we remember with gratitude all those of every religion and race who by their lives have testified to this truth for which Jesus gave his life. We remember with gratitude, the Kings and Mandelas and the Teresas of Calcutta and the Romeros of El Salvador and the Gandhis. We remember all who have been inspired by the lives of these great witnesses to the truth.
We must ask ourselves the question though, “Am I, by my life and words, a witness to the truth for which Jesus gave his life?” Unless I can answer in the positive, I cannot count myself as a member of theKingdom ofJesus. I cannot say that I have chosen LIFE
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we accept the Kingship of Christ your son and wish to dedicate ourselves to the building of his Kingdom. Help us to resist the temptation to put the building of the earthly kingdom as a priority before the building of the Kingdom of your Son. Help us to understand that it is only by building the Kingdom of your Son that we will attain peace in our world. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus, your son and our King. Amen
