November 22, 2021
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe (Year B) on November 21, 2021, at St. Austin Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:5-8; and John 18:33b-37.
This is the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe, which begins the final week of the church year. In our gospel passage today, Jesus declares to Pontius Pilate, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
In a time when so many things seem unstable – politics, inflation, public health, and even the weather – let us take consolation in this great truth: Christ is our king, who leads through mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are our way, our truth, and our life. Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you are our light, our feast, and our strength. Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are our joy, our love, and our heart. Lord, have mercy.
Historians tell us that Pontius Pilate was ruthless, and he routinely tortured and murdered people who opposed him or his government. The gospels, however, portray Pilate as conflicted. Pilate recognizes that Jesus is innocent, yet he frets about his own political future with the Emperor if he can’t quash a religious dispute. Pilate muses to Jesus, “What is truth?”
We need to prayerfully ask ourselves that same question. So often, we are blind to the truth in our own lives. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal things as they are, not how we wish them to be.
Less than three weeks ago, one potential juror for the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin said that she was scared because no matter what the jury decided, half of the country would be angry. All too often, we find ourselves like this juror, like the jurors about to deliberate in the trial of the three men who killed Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, and like Pilate.
A quick review of the circumstances in Kenosha: in August of last year, police shot and severely injured a black man named Jacob Blake. Since there were legitimate questions about whether police had used excessive force in apprehending Blake, people were protesting in the streets of Kenosha, protests that included some incidents of vandalism. Two days after the Blake incident, Rittenhouse came to the protests, fatally shot two people, and significantly injured a third.
Even while the details were still unclear, media outlets lined up on opposing sides in telling the story, dismissing the complexities of this tragedy, settling for simple “us vs. them” binary interpretations. One side claimed that this was a case of law & order and self-defense; the other claimed that this was a case of racism and vigilantism.
What is truth? St. Augustine wrote 1600 years ago:
Let us, on both sides, lay aside all arrogance. Let us not, on either side, claim that we have already discovered the truth. Let us seek it together as something which is known to neither of us. For then only may we seek it, lovingly and tranquilly, if there be no bold presumption that it is already discovered and possessed.
In this case, sadly, we favored bold presumption over love and tranquility. One side has compassion only for the 17-year-old Rittenhouse and calls him a patriot; the other side has compassion only for the shooting victims and calls Rittenhouse a domestic terrorist. This trial, unfortunately, fend into this idea of distilling the events in Kenosha into a false dilemma. That potential juror was right: the jury reached a verdict, and half of the country is angry. As frustrating as it may have been to Pilate, Jesus’ refusal to offer a robust defense against the charges by the religious leaders is very consistent with his life and teachings. Jesus refuses to give in a false dilemma and over-simplified binary choices.
What is truth? The Kenosha trial was not technically about any of the issues championed by either side. Wisconsin law allows for the open carry of arms, even if Rittenhouse was carrying an AR-15 military-style weapon that was illegal for him to own. The trial was not about why Rittenhouse came to Kenosha that night, or what his political beliefs were. The trial was about self-defense: was Rittenhouse acting in a legally “reasonable” way when he shot those three people?
The truth is, rational people could look at the evidence and come to different conclusions. I can understand the argument that Rittenhouse should be held accountable for the deaths and injuries that he caused. I can also understand the arguments that while Rittenhouse made a series of very bad decisions, perhaps he felt that he had no choice but to shoot, partially mitigating his culpability for the deaths and injuries he caused.
What is truth? This trial – just like the ongoing trial in Georgia – exemplifies that our debates about weapons, race, and justice are far from settled. Jacob Blake is now a paraplegic with several damaged internal organs; two people protesting this tragedy are dead and a third has lost the use of his arm. Is the problem that our laws are unjust? Is the problem that our laws are not applied evenly? Is the problem that we cannot determine the motivations of people caught in high-stress moments? Is the problem that life is often unfair and no one is responsible for these deaths and injuries?
What is truth? The truth is: human life is messy. Conflicted, troubled. Our inhumanity to one another seems never to cease. We have become so fearful of one another. Many law-abiding people of color fear interacting with police officers; many property owners fear protests turning violent. But one truth supersedes and saves us, comforts us, and gives us hope.
On this last weekend of the Church year, we celebrate that we have a relationship with the greatest Truth, which does not come from human hearts, laws, or opinions, nor even from nature or our understanding of it. Our Truth is a person – Christ, King of the Universe. On this solemnity, we recognize that our baptism makes us agents who assist Christ in reconciling all of creation to God’s plans. We also know that the job of full reconciliation is beyond us, and that it will only be completed at the end of time, when Christ exercises his full “dominion, glory, and kingship.” Only the Holy Spirit can reveal the way forward. What does Jesus say about Kyle Rittenhouse? … about his victims? What does Jesus ask us to do?
Hebrews says that Christ has freed us of our sins by his blood. But before we can be truly free, we must acknowledge our sins and make a firm commitment to change our ways. Bemoaning the prevalence of violence in our society is not going to change anything, unless we do the hard work of articulating what is wrong with our laws and culture, asking ourselves if we contribute to the problems, and then advocating for the proper authorities to make the necessary changes. Unlike Pilate, we can’t simply wash our hands and pretend that we have no part in the daily crucifixions happening in our world.
Christ is our Truth. Everyone who belongs to the Truth listens to Christ’s voice. And only that Truth can set us free.