Solemnity of Christ the King

This is another homily I wrote for out homiletics class.

Solemnity of Christ the King John 18:33b-37 (Phillip J. Uro – November 21, 2021)

What have you done?

Does this question sound familiar? How many times did we hear this from our parents or another adult in authority? [What did you do? What have you done?] How many times have we asked this question of our own kids or those of whom we have authority over? Why do we tend to ask this or similar questions? To get to the truth about what happened! Well just maybe we need to ask ourselves these questions.

What have we done? What have we been doing? What are we doing?

This weekend is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and on this day the Church gives us for our Gospel reading from the book of John the incident when Jesus is sent before Pilate to be tried. Why? What are we to gain from this reading as we close out the calendar year and enter into our Advent Season?

Surely Pilot has already heard a lot about this Jesus, yet the Gospel has him asking Jesus a lot of questions until he gets to his final question: “Then you are a king?”

And how did Jesus reply? “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.”

OK Pilot, there you have it. Now what? What are you going to do with this? This King, whose kingdom is not of this world has come to testify to the truth. All that he has done is to reveal the truth about His Father and His Father’s Love. He has given sight to the blind, cleansed the leopard, raised the dead, and forgiven sins. He has proclaimed a message of peace, repentance, and forgiveness. He has been obedient, and will be obedient to His Father’s will and he will be crucified, die, be buried, and will be resurrected. And, as our readings today proclaim, He will receive dominion, glory, and kingship; he will be robed in majesty; he will rule over the kings of the earth; and all who belong to the Truth will hear his voice.

Did Pilot hear the Truth? Did he listen to his voice and recognize Jesus as his King?

What about us? Are we inquisitive like Pilot? Where do our questions lead us? What have we come to know about this Jesus? Is he a King? Is he our King? Do we belong to his kingdom? Do we listen to his voice?

What have we done? What are we doing to listen to Christ’s voice?

Next week we begin our Advent Season. A season in where we prepare ourselves for the coming of our King. But our society has already begun to enter into the season of the Commercial Christmas. A time when it can be difficult to hear his voice. But let’s not let it be so. Maybe we can make it a season where we strive to hear Christ’s voice, and to do so in ways we might not normally do so; by going to Sunday Vespers, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, doing an hour of Adoration, volunteering at the Care Service, going to a Bible Study, praying the Rosary, or doing the Stations of the Cross, just to name a few suggestions.

What have I done? What am I doing? Am I listening to his voice?