Jesus proclaimed His kingdom on the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is a place of great beauty and calm peace. In this place He spoke of those who would inherit the kingdom of God: the poor in spirit, the humble, the meek, people who work for justice, the peacemakers, those who suffer for their faith and do good. They seem an unlikely group of people who will triumph over time and become a strong and powerful kingdom in contrast to those whose power is violent and harsh. In today’s Gospel Jesus tells Pontius Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world but it is a kingdom that bears witness to the truthfulness of who people are, the goodness of relationships, and is a place where people show mercy to those in need. In this kingdom people look after one another and care for one another. Jesus speaks of bearing witness to the truth that each person is created good by God, given the gift of human freedom, and called to love others in rich and strong relationships. He continues this in forgiving those who have sinned. He washes the feet of His friends to show them the example of love. His kingdom is of service in which the power of love shines out.
On this feast of Christ the King, we are called to examine our hearts in the light of the attitudes and action of Christ. When we examine our emotions, we may find, some deeply hidden negative, even violent, attitudes towards others. We are called to discover the truth about ourselves and offer this to the healing grace of God. When we find these attitudes, then we can ask the Lord to show us His mercy and to heal us. Advent, which begins next week, is a time of preparation for Christmas when we can become better followers of Jesus Christ to serve in His kingdom.