Homily for Christ the King, Nov. 25, 2012

My brothers and sisters, do we belong to the truth Jesus is speaking of? Or are we on some less spiritual quest?  Our lessons today all revolve around the theme of our feast day today. Christ the King! This celebration dates back for centuries in one form or another.  In the new testament literature we heard today, we see the beginnings of the devotion. In Revaluations, John, is drawing on the imagery and tradition of Daniel to express his own vision.  Describing Jesus as the “Son of Man” coming down from heaven enthroned on a cloud.  Alpha and Omega, are the first and last letters of the ancient Greek alphabet. They make a convenient symbol of Christ as the beginning and end which includes of all things in-between. A simple and rich symbol of fullness.

In the gospel we look once again at Jesus’ trial before Pilot. Here, also in John’s expressions, Jesus is depicted as being questioned about being a king and having some kind of kingdom.  The actual charge here would be insurrection or treason. The King, Emperor, was Cesar.  John takes the story as an opportunity to emphasize that Jesus is about a spiritual realm not an earthly one. “Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world.”

The bottom line of the gospel passage is the quote: “I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Which prompts us to ask ourselves: Do we "Belong to the truth" as Jesus speaks of? How authentically do we listen to his voice?

Truth can be many things: enlightening/educating, frightening and even dangerous. It can also be exciting offensive.  Are we committed to living by the kind of spiritual truth Jesus testified to, i.e., recognizing God's plans and activities and living by them each day of our lives?

Anthony de Mello told the following story: When the devil saw a seeker of Truth enter the house of a Spiritual Master, he determined to do everything in his power to turn him back from his quest. So he subjected the man to every possible temptation: wealth, lust, fame, power, prestige. But the seeker was able to fight off the temptations quite easily.

When he got into the Master's presence, he was somewhat taken aback to see the Master sitting on an upholstered chair and the disciples at his feet. "This man certainly lacks humility, the principal virtue of the saints," he thought to himself.

He then observed other things about the Master that he did not like: For one thing, the Master took little notice of him. 'I suppose that is because I do not fawn on him as the others do," he said to himself. Also, he disliked the kind of clothes the Master wore and the somewhat conceited way he spoke. All of this led him to the conclusion that he had come to the wrong place and must continue his quest elsewhere.
As he walked out of the room, the Master, who had seen the devil seated in a corner of the room, said, "You need not have worried, Tempter. He was yours form the very first, you know."

To seek the truth sincerely we must give up our preconceptions about where we will find the truth and be ready to accept wisdom in many disguises.  Seeking the truth is not just an intellectual discipline. It is not simply a mater of study and learning; science is not about truth it is about gaining knowledge of how this world work.  Truth is about what and who is behind the workings of this world. Truth is seeking the ultimate meaning of life, the real purpose we human-beings have in living on this earth.  It is a quest of the mind, heart, body and sole; truth is a quest for the God who made us and gave us life for the purpose of sharing life and love.

We know this when we except the existence of God, we feel it when we allow God to enter our hearts and love us.  We live in this when we put love into action on behalf of our neighbor. Only in this way can anyone really be and live in the truth.  This is what it means to enjoy the real fulfillment of life's ultimate meaning and purpose.  In others words, we find and live truth-meaning by putting our faith into action.