St. Vincent - Crookes, Sheffield at 40 Pickmere Road, Crookes, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 1GY UK - Homily for the Feast of Christ the King (B)
| Homily for the Feast of Christ the King (B) |
But are secular leaders today that much different. They too have their lackeys. To maintain power they are often beholden to financial backers who can lean on them for favourable decisions. You’ll have heard of the proverb: ‘when money talks the truth is silent’. The Kingdom of God, on the other hand is transparent and based on undiluted truth. There are no hidden agendas or backroom deals. Jesus said: ‘those who live by the truth listen to my voice and come out into the light.’ They are not beholden to anyone except God and their conscience. But before we have a go at the big bad world, the Gospel reminds us that the Kingdom of God is either within us or it’s not there at all. The tug-o-war between truth and falsehood goes on in the minds, hearts and consciences of each person. The decisions we make, the motivation behind our behaviour and the way we form our consciences will be the litmus test as to whether we’re subjects of God’s Kingdom or not. For many, facing the truth about themselves won’t come easy. But the Kingdom of God is not about taking soft options. The truth can sometimes be a bitter pill to swallow but in doing so my conscience will be clear. The scene before Pilate provides a classic encounter between truth and falsehood. The whole trial of Jesus was a sham. He was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. False witnesses were brought forward. Barabbas, a murderer, was set loose. In washing his hands Pilate buried the truth. He condemned an innocent man to death. In so doing he acted in bad faith and went against his better judgement in order to avoid hassle with Caesar. A man’s life didn’t count for much if Pilate’s job was on the line. We too have a conscience. It is that still small voice urging us to do this and shun that. There are other voices, which are not of God trying to influence us as well. Which inner voice informs my decisions? Is it the voice of Pilate who buries the truth for the sake of convenience or it the voice of Jesus who says the same words to me as he said to Pilate: “All who are on God’s side bear witness to the truth”. Last week we spoke about God’s judgement. St Paul tells us: “every one of us will have to stand before the judgement seat of God and all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ’. We need have no fear of that judgement if we live out the Truth in love. We will inherit the Kingdom.
Kings and queens today, especially in the Western World, are by and large, figure heads devoid of any real power. However, way back in history, things were quite different – many were despots who ruled through fear. But they couldn’t have done so without willing accomplices.
