by Fr. Tommy Lane
Who or what comes first in your life? Our celebration of Jesus Christ as King today means that we place Jesus first in our lives at all times. On this last Sunday of this liturgical year before Advent begins next Sunday, we celebrate publicly that Jesus is first in our lives. We could say today is really a celebration of the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.” In the Gospel (John 18:33-37), Jesus shows us one way to put him first. He says, “all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” (John 18:37) So, putting Jesus first means listening to his voice of truth and then living by his truth. In everything we think and do and say, we want to listen to the voice of Jesus. We begin making Jesus King of our lives by firstly making Jesus King of our minds and then King of our actions.
We make Jesus King of our minds by blocking out thoughts or images from our minds that are not of Jesus and then filling our minds with what would please Jesus. Much of what is on radio and TV and the internet is not of Jesus. Making Jesus King of our mind means choosing wisely what we allow into our mind from radio, TV, and the internet because sometimes unfortunately it is possible to hear the voice of Satan on radio, TV or internet. Listen to the voice of Jesus by turning off the voice of Satan on the TV and spending time in silence or enjoying other people’s company without the distraction of TV. Paul wrote in 2 Cor 10:5: “we demolish every presumptuous notion against the knowledge of God, and we bring every thought into captivity or obedience to Christ.” That describes very well what it means to make Jesus King of our minds: “we demolish every presumptuous notion against the knowledge of God, and we bring every thought into captivity or obedience to Christ.” We bring every thought that is not Christian into captivity and obedience to Christ by listening to his voice of truth. Instead of filling your mind with the voice of Satan on TV, radio, or internet, fill your mind with the voice of Jesus.
When we fill our minds with the voice of Jesus instead of the voice of Satan, it will have an effect in our lives. You will be a much happier person. When people visit your home, they will see whose voice is influencing you. Sacred pictures on the walls of our homes remind us to listen to the voice of Jesus. Holy Water fonts by our doors as we go out remind us to listen to the voice of Jesus. Listen to the voice of Jesus by praying together as a family every evening. Above all, we listen to the voice of Jesus by celebrating the Sunday Eucharist together here. In all these ways that we listen to the voice of Jesus, we make him King of our lives.
When we make Jesus King of our minds, it is much easier to also make Jesus King of our actions. We make Jesus King of our actions when we have to make a decision and we choose to do what would be pleasing to Jesus. Sometimes when we are making a decision we have different options, and making Jesus our King means choosing to do what most pleases Jesus. Sometimes we have these different options because there is a difference between the laws of the land and the laws of God. Even if the State legalizes something, it does not mean that it is in accordance with the will of God. A State may be forced to make something immoral legal because of pressure from certain groups or court rulings. Even when the State gives us the freedom to do something, we still need to ask ourselves, “Is this the right thing to do?” When laws concerning public morality are introduced, we need to ask, “Did the lawmakers listen to the voice of Jesus or to some other voice?” Jesus says, “all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” We make Jesus King of our lives by choosing to do what pleases Jesus when we have different options presented to us. Today, we celebrate Jesus as King to show that in all that we think, do, and say, we want to listen to the voice of Jesus.
On certain occasions, we also make Jesus King of our actions by the way we vote. If we had to vote on an issue of public morality and your favorite political party said to vote one way and the teaching of the Church said faith in Christ shows that we vote in a different way, how would you vote? Would you vote according to your favorite political party or according to the teaching of the Church? Jesus says, “all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” Today we celebrate Jesus as King to show that in all that we think, do, and say, we want to listen to the voice of Jesus. We make Jesus King of our actions when we have to make a decision and we choose to do what would be pleasing to Jesus. If Jesus really comes first in your life, he comes first in every part of your life, and comes first in the way you vote on issues of morality.
Our celebration today is a joyful celebration because Jesus is not like kings of earthly kingdoms who may be remote from their people. Jesus is close to us: he walks by our side; he lifts us up when we need help; he gave his life for us. Our celebration of Jesus as King today means that we place Jesus first in our lives at all times. We put Jesus first in our lives and make him King of our lives, firstly in our minds and then in our actions. We make Jesus King of our minds by blocking out voices that are contrary to Jesus and filling our minds with what would please Jesus. When we make Jesus King of our minds, it is much easier to make Jesus King of our actions. We make Jesus King of our actions when we have to make decisions and we choose the option that would most please Jesus.
I conclude with an excerpt from a beautiful hymn in Paul’s letter to the Philippians 2:9-11,
God has highly exalted him
[Jesus],
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 2003
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More related material for the Thirty-Fourth Sunday Year B: Christ the King
Good citizens of our country but God’s servants first: Jesus is our King 2006
Related Homilies: Jesus a Powerless King