Hear His Voice

 John 18: 33b-37

My Kingdom Is Not of This World

³³ So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” ³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Today is the final Sunday of our Liturgical Year and the Feast of Christ the King, an observance inserted into the Liturgical Calendar in 1925 by Pope  Pius XI to combat the growing secularism and withdrawal from things sacred spreading across the world at that time. If it was bad then, what would Pius XI say about today? We certainly need to work at putting Christ not only back into Christmas, but into every aspect of our lives and dealings with each other.  Church attendance was already suffering before the Pandemic, and took a huge hit during it.  It has not recovered since.  Millions did tune into Mass on TV but that temporary alternative has become an unfortunate permanent alternative. Stories of sexual abuse by priests and religious are appalling and have shaken, if not destroyed trust in our religious leaders. The pursuit of material goods, money, power, age-old curses, seem more widespread than ever. It's certainly time for a change, and reform, a re-direction. If each one of us takes action in cleaning out "closets", redirecting our priorities, seriously listening to and practicing the teachings of Jesus we can be instrumental in restoring our relationship to God and serving the King of Kings.  "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts:"  (Ps 95: 8)

Bro. Rene