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Illustration: Stained glass window at the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral in Roslindale, Massachusetts, depicting Christ the King in the regalia of a Byzantine emperor
Pope Francis’ Homily for Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Saint Peter’s Basilica – Sunday, 24 November 2024
Homily includes some reflections for World Youth Day
Sunday Gospel: John 18:33-37
Pilate asked: ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’
Dear brothers and sisters
At the end of the liturgical year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the universe.
This celebration invites us to look to him, the Lord, the source and fulfilment of all things.
(Col 1:16-17 In him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together), whose “kingdom will never be destroyed”
(Dan 7:14 – And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed)).
As we contemplate Christ the King, we are uplifted and moved.
However, what we see around us is very different, and this contrast can raise troubling questions in our hearts.
What are we to make of so many wars, continuing violence and natural disasters?
What can we say about the many problems that you, dear young people, have to face as you look to the future: the lack of job opportunities, the uncertainty about the state of the economy, the increase in inequalities that polarize our society?
Why is all this happening?
And how can we avoid being overwhelmed?
These are difficult questions but they are important ones.
Today, as the Church celebrates World Youth Day, I would like to encourage you to reflect, in the light of the Word of God, on three words that can help us face these challenges with courage.
These three words are: accusations, approval and truth.
First word: Accusations.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is being accused (Jn 18:33-37 – above).
He is, as they say, “on the witness stand” in court.
Pilate, an official of the Roman Empire, is questioning Jesus.
This can be seen as an image of all the powers that have violently oppressed people throughout history.
Although Pilate had no personal interest in Jesus, he also knew that the people followed him, believing him to be a leader, a teacher, the Messiah.
The procurator could not allow any disturbance or unrest to threaten the “enforced peace” of his district, so he decided to appease the powerful enemies of this defenseless prophet.
He put Jesus on trial and threatened to condemn him to death.
The Lord, who had always preached justice, mercy and forgiveness, was not afraid.
He was not intimidated; he did not rebel.
Jesus was faithful to the truth he preached, faithful to the point of sacrificing his life.
Dear young people, you may sometimes feel “accused” of following Jesus.
At school, or among your friends and acquaintances, some may try to make you think that your fidelity to the Gospel and its values is a mistake, because it keeps you from conforming to the crowd and from fitting in.
Do not fear their “condemnations”!
Do not worry; sooner or later, their criticisms will fail, their condemnations will prove to be false, and their superficial values will be revealed for what they are: illusions.
Dear young people, be careful not to be carried away by illusions.
Be concrete because reality is concrete. Beware of illusions.
What lasts, as Christ teaches us, is something quite different: the work of love.
This is what lasts and makes life beautiful!
The rest will vanish.
Love is embodied in works.
Therefore, I repeat: do not be afraid of the “condemnations” of the world.
Continue to love
But love according to the light of the Lord; by giving your life to help others.
Second word: Acceptance/
This brings us to the second point: acceptance
Jesus says: “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36 above).
What does Jesus mean by this statement?
“My kingdom is not of this world”.
Why does he not do anything to ensure his success, to get the support of the authorities, to get approval for his program?
Why does he not do that?
How can he expect to change things if he has been “defeated”?
Jesus does this way because he rejects the mentality of power (cf. Mk 10:42-45 = Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”).
Jesus is free of it!
Dear young people, you too would do well to follow his example.
Do not allow yourselves to be carried away by the need to be seen, to be approved, to be praised.
Those who get caught up in this frenzy experience anxiety.
They end up pushing others around, getting into rivalries, being insincere, giving in to peer pressure and compromising just to get a little recognition and visibility.
Please be careful, your dignity is not for sale. It is not for sale! Be careful.
God loves you just as you are, and not as you appear.
Before Him, the innocence of your dreams is worth more than success and fame, and the sincerity of your intentions are worth more than worldly approval.
Do not be deceived by those who lure you with vain promises, but only wish to manipulate you and use you for their own interests.
Beware of being exploited. Beware of being conditioned.
Be free, but free in accordance with your dignity.
Do not be content to be “stars for a day” on social media or in any other context!
I remember once a young woman who wanted to be noticed, even though she was pretty, she put on all her make-up before going to the party. I thought, “after the make-up, what is left?”
Do not put make-up on your soul and do not put make-up on your heart.
Be who you are: honest and transparent.
Do not be ‘stars for a day’ on social media or in any other context.
You are called to shine in a greater heaven.
In heaven, the infinite love of the Father is reflected in many little lights.
His love is revealed in us through the faithful affection between spouses, the innocent joy of children, the enthusiasm of young people, the care for the elderly, the generosity of consecrated persons, the charity shown t the poor and the honesty upheld in work environments.
Think of the things that will make you strong.
Think of hese little lights: the faithful affection of spouses – a beautiful thing -; the innocent joy of children – this is a beautiful joy! -; the enthusiasm of young people – be enthusiastic, all of you! -; and care for the elderly. I ask you: do you care for the elderly? Do you visit your grandparents?
Be generous in your life, be charitable to the poor, and be honest in your work.
This is the true heaven in which we shine like stars in the world (Phil 2:15 – hat you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world).
Please do not listen to those who lie to you!
No approval you receive can save the world or make you happy.
Only the free gift of love can make us happy.
It is the free gift of love that saves the world.
Love cannot be bought, it cannot be sold: it is free, it is a gift of self.
Third word: Truth
This brings us to the third word: truth.
Christ came into the world “to bear witness to the truth”
(Mt 22:34-40 – – 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depends all the law and the prophets.”);
1 Jn 4:6-7 – We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.).
Only in love does our existence find light and meaning (cf. 1 Jn 2:9-11 9 He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and in it[a] there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.).
Otherwise, we remain prisoners of a great lie.
What is this big lie? That of self-sufficiency, the ‘I’ that is self-sufficient
(cf. Gen 3:4-5 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”).
This kind of selfishness is the root of all injustice and unhappiness.
It is the ‘I’ that turns in on itself – me, me, with me, always me – and it has no ability to see or talk to others. Beware of this disease of the ‘I’ turned in on itself.
Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life (Jn 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.), teaches us by stripping himself of everything and dying on the cross for our salvation, that only in love can we live, grow and flourish in our full dignity
(cf. Eph 4:15-16 – Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.).
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati — a young man like you — once wrote to a friend, saying that, without love we no longer live, but we just get by (cf. Letter to Isidoro Bonini, 27 February 1925).
We want to live, not just get by.
That is why we must strive to bear witness to the truth in charity, loving one another as Jesus taught us (cf. Jn 15:12).
Sisters and brothers, it is not true, as some think, that world events have “escaped” God’s control.
It is not true that history is written by oppressors, tyrants and the proud.
Although many of the evils that afflict us are the work of men who have been deceived by the Evil One, everything is ultimately subject to the judgement of God.
Those who oppress people, who make wars, what will their faces look like when they stand before the Lord?
“Why did you start that war?
Why did you commit murder?”
How will they respond?
Let us think about that, and about us too.
We do not start wars and we do not kill, but I did commit this or that sin.
When the Lord will say to us: “But why have you done this? Why have you been so unjust?
Why did you spend money on your vanity?” The Lord will also ask us these things.
The Lord gives us freedom, but He does not abandon us.
He corrects us when we fall, but he never stops loving us.
If we want, he will lift us up so that we can continue our journey with joy.
At the end of this Eucharist, the Portuguese youth will entrust to the Korean youth the symbols of World Youth Day: the cross and the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani. This, too, is a sign.
It is an invitation to all of us to live out the Gospel and take it to every part of the world, without stopping, without being discouraged, getting up after every fall and never ceasing to hope.
Indeed, the theme of the message for today’s celebration is: “Those who hope in the Lord shall run and not be weary” (cf. Is 40:31).
You, young Koreans, will receive the Cross of Our Lord, the Cross of life, the sign of victory, but you are not alone: you will receive it along with our Mother.
It is Mary who always accompanies us on our journey towards Jesus.
It is Mary who in difficult moments is beside our Cross to help us, because she is our Mother.
Let us keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, on his Cross and on Mary, our Mother.
In this way, even throughout our difficulties, we will find the strength to go forward, without fear of accusations, without the need for approval, based on the basis of our own dignity, with the certainty of being saved and accompanied by our Mother Mary.
Without making compromises and without spiritual make-up.
Your dignity needs no make-up. Let us go forward, happy to live for others, to be in love, and to be witnesses of the truth.
Please do not lose your joy. Thank you.
