By Fr. Francis Gonsalves, SJ –
Solemnity of Christ the King
Readings: Dan 7:13-14; Rev 1:5-8; Jn 18:33-37
“I am a king; I was born for this. I came into the world to bear witness to the truth” (Jn)
Homily Hint: Number 8 among the 10 ‘thematic nuclei’ of ‘lived synodality’ (see Preparatory Document, n.30) is ‘authority and participation’. In any exercise of office, there is need to plan, execute and evaluate, which calls for participation and also use of power and authority. In today’s gospel passage we have two models—Jesus and Pilate—whose life and disposition can give us insights on how one ought to deal with power and authority.
Jesus versus Pilate: Authority versus Power
- Celebrating the feast of Christ, the King, we see a captive Jesus questioned by Pilate who
symbolizes the might of the Roman Empire. In the Gospel according to John, Jesus stands
tall even during his passion and does not hesitate to answer Pilate boldly. “Are you the
King of the Jews?” Pilate asks Jesus. Here is a classical example of worldly, imperial power
pitted against godly, moral authority. On the one hand, power, from the Latin ‘potere’ is
usually understood as the ability to use force and influence others. It comes from outside,
is normally delegated, and can be taken away or decreases with age or upon retirement.
Authority, on the other hand, is developed from within oneself. Jesus is one who the crowds
see as one who speaks with authority—an inner strength that is cultivated through Jesus’
intimacy with the Source, Abba, God. The difference between ‘power’ and ‘authority’
roughly marks the distinction between ‘satta’ and ‘shakti’ in some Indian languages,
respectively, the former referring to the physical and political realms, while the latter to the
moral and spiritual.
Who really is being judged?
- A fearless Jesus full of ‘authority’ boldly stands before a fearful Pilate clinging to ‘power’.
Piecing together a portrait of Pilate from the other gospels, one realizes that he is indecisive,
frightened about losing friendship with Herod (Lk 23:6-12), afraid of the dream which his
wife has (Mt 27:19), and pressurized by the potentially riotous mob (Mt 27:24). Seeking
to save his own skin, his manoeuvers and cross-questioning serve no purpose as he washes
his hands, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood”. Reflecting on this scene, one could
ask: Who really is the king? Who is fearless? Who is being judged? Pilate? Jesus? It almost
seems as if Pilate, not Jesus, is on “trial for truth”. Pilate fears the loss of his throne, whereas
Jesus declares, “my kingdom is not of this world,” fearlessly challenging Pilate, ready to
die for justice and truth. In John’s gospel, Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and
the life” (14:6). ‘Truth’ in John’s gospel refers to the kingship of Jesus himself.
The Kingship of the ‘Son of Man’
- The first reading is part of Prophet Daniel’s ‘night visions of the four beasts’ symbolically
referring to four kingdoms or empires—Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece—whose rulers are
described as ‘beasts’ with terrifying power. However, the ‘Ancient of Days’ appears with
the ‘Son of Man’ “with the clouds of heaven” to whom is given “dominion and glory and
kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” Note that the rule of
the Son of Man is all-embracing and universal: “an everlasting dominion that shall not pass
away” and “his kingship shall never be destroyed.” While the title ‘Son of Man’ does refer
to a man, it refers mysteriously to someone who is much more than a man. Jesus applies
the title to himself—especially in the gospel according to Matthew (8:20; 11:19; 20:28)
with the additional aspect of coming in glory for final judgement of the world (24:30;
25:31). This passage is written two centuries before the coming of Christ into the world
and is interpreted as pointing out to the much-awaited Messiah who will rule the world but,
in a manner totally unexpected, belying false expectations of various groups like the
Pharisees, the zealots, the recluses around the Dead Sea and those who endorsed various
forms of Davidic kingly messianism.
Today’s Psalm (93) on Kingship: is one of the original enthronement psalms referring not to
Christ’s, but to Yahweh’s, kingship. The kingdom spoken of is an eternal reality. What is
predicated of Yahweh in the First Testament is interpreted later in terms of Jesus Christ. In other
words, God reigns, reveals and redeems through his son, Jesus Christ.
The Universal King: The second reading from Apocalypse reveals three facts: (a) Christ loves us,
(b) He has “washed away our sins with his blood” and (c) he establishes us as his family “line of
kings and priests.” The reading ends with a self-proclamation of Yahweh under three titles: (a)
Alpha and Omega – referring to the beginning and the end; (b) One “who is, who was, and who is
to come” – reflecting the meaning of ‘Yahweh’; and (c) Almighty (Greek, Pantocrator). All these
are wonderful confessions of Christ’s Lordship and Kingship.
Listen to Three Popes:
Pope Pius XI (1857-1939) instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925 to remind Christians that
their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy. His papal
motto was: “Pax Christi in Regno Christi,” meaning, “The Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of
Christ!” Towards the end of his papacy Pope Pius XI spoke out boldly against the ‘evil empires’
of Hitler and Mussolini who seem to remind us of the ‘beasts’ of the first reading!
Pope Benedict XVI on November 25, 2012, Feast of Christ the King [homily to newly installed
cardinals]: “Jesus speaks of kings and kingship, yet he is not referring to power but to truth. Pilate
fails to understand: can there be a power not obtained by human means? A power which does not
respond to the logic of domination and force? Jesus came to reveal and bring a new kingship, that
of God; he came to bear witness to the truth of a God who is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8,16), who wants to
establish a kingdom of justice, love and peace.”
Pope Francis on October 17, 2021, at the 50th Anniversary of the Institution of the Synod of
Bishops: “[I]n this Church, as in an inverted pyramid, the top is located beneath the base.
Consequently, those who exercise authority are called ‘ministers’, because, in the original meaning
of the word, they are the least of all. It is in serving the people of God that each bishop becomes,
for that portion of the flock entrusted to him, vicarius Christi, the vicar of that Jesus who at the
Last Supper bent down to wash the feet of the Apostles (cf. Jn 13:1-15). And in a similar
perspective, the Successor of Peter is nothing else if not the servus servorum Dei.”
Fr. Francis Gonsalves, SJ is the Executive Secretary, CCBI Comm. of Theology & Doctrine and President, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune and former Principal of Vidyajyoti College, Delhi. He is also the Executive Secretary of the CCBI Commission for Theology and Doctrine. He has authored many books and articles and is a columnist with The Asian Age and The Deccan Chronicle national dailies.