In his message before the Angelus on Sunday, the feast of Christ the King, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel of Saint John and encouraged Christians to make the Word of God their guide.
Vatican News
Vatican City, Sunday, November 24, 2024 (REI): On Sunday, November 24, on the occasion of the Solemnity of Christ the King, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with a community of devotees in the courtyard of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Before the Angelus, he addressed the believers and said: Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
The Gospel reading of today’s liturgy (Jn. 18:33-37) presents Jesus before Pontius Pilate: who was handed over to the Roman procurator to be sentenced to death. However, an argument begins between Jesus and Pilate. Through Pilate’s questions and the Lord’s answers, two words in particular are transformed and take on new meaning. Two words: “King” and “world.”
First Pilate asks Jesus: “Are you the King of the Jews?” (v. 33) Reasoning as an official of the empire, he wants to understand if the man before him is a threat, and to him, as a king, he is a threat. He has the right to give orders to all his subjects.
Jesus is king
Did the Pope say this could be a danger to him? Jesus claims to be King, it is true, but in a very different way! Jesus is king because he is a witness: he tells the truth. The real power of Jesus, the incarnate Word, resides in his true word and in his effective word, which transforms the world.
World, here is the other word. The “world” of Pontus Pilate is one in which the strong triumph over the weak, the rich over the poor, the violent over the meek, a world that we unfortunately know too well.
Jesus is King, but His kingdom is not of this world, and not even He is of this world.
His kingdom is not of this world.
The world of Jesus is, in fact, the new and eternal world that God prepared for all by giving his life for our salvation. This is the Kingdom of Heaven, which Christ brings to earth by pouring out grace and truth (John 1:17).
The world in which Jesus is King saves creation destroyed by evil by the power of divine love. It is Jesus who saves, liberates, forgives, provides peace and justice to creation.
The Holy Father said: “Yes.” Jesus always forgives every burden on our hearts, every mistake of the past. Jesus never tires of forgiving. This is the kingdom of Jesus. If there is something bad inside you, ask for forgiveness. And they will always forgive.
listen to the lord
The Pope said: “Jesus speaks very closely with Pilate, but remains distant from him, because he lives in a different world. Pilate does not reveal the truth, even when it is before him. He will crucify Jesus, and order to write on the cross: “King of the Jews.” (Jn. 19,19) Without understanding the meaning of this word, but Christ came into this world and listens to what comes from the truth. to his voice. (Jo.18:37) This is the voice of the King of the universe, who saves us.
Lord comes to our world.
Listening to the Lord illuminates our hearts and our lives. So let us ask ourselves, let each one ask himself in his heart: Can I say that Jesus is my “King”? Or are there other “kings” within my heart? In what ways? Is His Word my guide, my certainty? Do I see in them the merciful face of God who always forgives, waiting to offer us forgiveness?
He then called Our Lady to pray, saying, “Come, let us pray with Mary, the servant of the Lord, as we wait with hope for the Kingdom of God.”
