HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

King of the Universe

Saint Peter's Square

Sunday, November 20, 2016

[ Multimedia ]

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, crowns the liturgical year as well as this Holy Year of Mercy. The Gospel, in fact, presents the kingship of Jesus at the summit of his work of salvation, and it does so in a surprising way. “The Messiah of God, the Chosen One, the King” (Lk 23:35, 37) appears without power and without glory: he is on the cross where he seems more defeated than victorious. His kingship is paradoxical: his throne is the cross; his crown is of thorns; he has no scepter but a reed is placed in his hand; he does not wear sumptuous garments but is deprived of his tunic; he has no glittering rings on his fingers but his hands are pierced by nails; he has no treasure but is sold for thirty pieces of silver.

Truly, the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world (cf. Jn 18:36); but in him, the Apostle Paul tells us in the second reading, we find redemption and forgiveness (cf. Col 1:13-14). For the greatness of his reign is not worldly power but the love of God, a love capable of reaching and healing all things. Through this love, Christ humbled himself to our level, he dwelt in our human misery, he experienced our most wretched condition: injustice, betrayal, abandonment; he experienced death, the tomb, and hell. In this way, our King went to the very ends of the universe to embrace and save every living being. He did not condemn us, he did not even conquer us, he never violated our freedom, but he walked with humble love that excuses all things, hopes all things, and endures all things (cf. 1 Cor 13:7). Only this love has conquered and continues to conquer our great adversaries: sin, death, and fear.

Today, dear brothers and sisters, we proclaim this singular victory by which Jesus became King of the ages, Lord of history: by the sheer omnipotence of love, which is the very nature of God, his life itself, and which will never end (cf. 1 Cor 13:8). With joy, we share in the beauty of having Jesus as our King: his loving lordship transforms sin into grace, death into resurrection, and fear into confidence.

But it would be little to believe that Jesus is King of the universe and the center of history without making him Lord of our lives: all this is in vain if we do not welcome him personally and if we do not also welcome his way of reigning. The figures that today's Gospel presents to us help us in this. In addition to Jesus, three figures accompany him: the people who watch, the group gathered near the cross, and a criminal crucified near Jesus.

First, the People: the Gospel says that they “stood and watched” (Lk 23:35): no one says a word, no one approaches. The people are far away, watching what is happening. This is the same people who, because of their needs, crowded around Jesus, and who now keep their distance. Faced with life's circumstances or our unmet expectations, we too may be tempted to distance ourselves from the kingship of Jesus, to not fully accept the scandal of his humble love, which unsettles our ego, which disturbs us. We prefer to remain at the window, to keep to ourselves rather than approach and draw near. But the holy people, who have Jesus as their King, are called to follow his path of concrete love; to ask themselves, each one, every day: “What does love ask of me? Where is it leading me? What response do I give to Jesus through my life?”

There is a second group comprising several people: the leaders of the people, the soldiers, and a criminal. All of them mock Jesus. They hurl the same provocation at him: “Let him save himself!” (cf. Lk 23:35, 37, 39). This is a temptation worse than that of the people. Here, they tempt Jesus as the devil did at the beginning of the Gospel (cf. Lk 4:1-13), so that he will renounce reigning in the manner of God but will rule according to the logic of the world: let him come down from the cross and defeat his enemies! If he is God, let him show his power and his superiority! This temptation is a direct attack against love: “Save yourself” (vv. 37, 39); not others, but yourself. Let the self prevail, with its strength, its glory, its success. This is the most terrible temptation, the first and last in the Gospel. But faced with this attack on his very being, Jesus does not speak, does not react. He does not defend himself, he does not try to convince, he does not make an apologetic for his kingship. Rather, he continues to love, he forgives, he lives through the moment of trial according to the Father's will, certain that love will bear fruit.

To welcome the kingship of Jesus, we are called to fight against this temptation, to fix our gaze on the Crucified One, and to become ever more faithful to him. How often, even among us, we seek the comforting securities offered by the world. How often have we not been tempted to come down from the cross? The allure of power and success has seemed an easy and quick way to spread the Gospel, too easily forgetting how the reign of God operates. This Year of Mercy has invited us to rediscover the center, to return to what is essential. This time of mercy calls us to look at the true face of our King, the one who shines forth at Easter, and to rediscover the young and beautiful face of the Church, which shines forth when she is welcoming, free, faithful, poor in means and rich in love, and missionary. Mercy, by bringing us to the heart of the Gospel, also urges us to renounce habits and customs that can hinder the service of the Kingdom of God, to find our orientation only in the eternal and humble kingship of Jesus, and not in adapting to the precarious kingships and changing powers of each era.

Another figure appears in the Gospel, closer to Jesus: the criminal who prays to him, saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42). This person, simply by looking at Jesus, believed in his reign. He did not withdraw into himself, but, with his mistakes, his sins, and his troubles, he turned to Jesus. He asked him to remember him and experienced God's mercy: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43). God remembers us as soon as we give him the opportunity. He is ready to erase sin completely and forever because, unlike ours, his memory does not record the evil committed and does not forever hold a record of the wrongs suffered. God does not remember sin, but he remembers us, each one of us, his beloved children. And he believes that it is always possible to begin again, to rise again.

Let us, too, ask for the gift of this open and living memory. Let us ask for the grace never to close the doors of reconciliation and forgiveness, but to know how to transcend evil and division, opening every possible path of hope. Just as God believes in us, infinitely beyond our merits, we too are called to instill hope and give others a chance. Because, even if the Holy Door closes, the true door of mercy remains wide open for us: the Heart of Christ. From the pierced side of the Risen One flow, until the end of time, mercy, consolation, and hope.

Many pilgrims have passed through the Holy Doors and, far from the noise of commentary, have tasted the great goodness of the Lord. Let us give thanks for this and remember that we have been invested with mercy to clothe ourselves in merciful sentiments, to become instruments of mercy ourselves. Let us continue our journey together. May the Virgin Mary accompany us; she too was near the cross, she gave birth to us there as the tender Mother of the Church who desires to gather us all under her mantle. Beneath the cross, she saw the good thief receive forgiveness and she took the disciple of Jesus as her son. She is the Mother of Mercy to whom we entrust ourselves: every situation, every prayer, presented to her merciful eyes will not go unanswered.

MASS FOR THE CLOSING OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY

PAPAL CHAPEL

HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

King of the Universe

Saint Peter's Square, Sunday

November 20, 2016

[ Multimedia ]

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