Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (B)

Following the voice of Truth

JOHN 18:33–37

I’m sure that by this point of your Christian journey, you’ve suffered and/or endured ridicule or taunts for your beliefs and values. In fact, I hope so! It means you’re doing something right. In today’s Gospel, we witness the conversation between Jesus and Pilate after Jesus has been handed over to Him by the Jews.

We know that Jesus has done nothing but be a servant to others and challenge persons to a new way of thinking and living but as a result of this He has been arrested and taken to Pilate to be punished. If being a Christian means following in the footsteps of Jesus, are we willing to follow Him in this way too?

By choosing to follow Jesus, we are saying that we will stay true to who we are and what we believe even if it means enduring pain and suffering. We are called to recognise that all that we are experiencing, both joy and pain, is part of the Christian journey.

But as with all things in Christ, there is hope and redemption. Luke 6:22 says “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”

A couple months back, I watched the movie ‘The Greatest Showman’ and a song that has stuck with me since then is ‘Never Enough’. The lyrics read “All the shine of a thousand spotlights, all the stars we steal from the night sky will never be enough. Towers of gold are still too little. These hands could hold the world, but it’ll never be enough for me.”

When I first heard it, I really found that it perfectly described the longing within the human heart and the dissatisfaction with earthly accomplishments. When it becomes difficult to choose the side of truth, we need to remind ourselves of why we chose it to begin with.

I’ve found that as difficult as it can be to live through the moments of loneliness following exclusion and insults, and even moments where living the Catholic faith requires a lot of sacrifice and dying to self, remembering the restlessness of our hearts prior to choosing Jesus can help us to stay on the path that we’ve chosen. Just like Simon Peter in John 6, we may find ourselves remarking “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

As we draw to the end of the liturgical and calendar year, we are reminded of the chance we have to start anew; a chance to choose to listen more closely to the voice of Truth.

As we enter into Advent, may we make time to listen to God’s voice and allow Him to reign as King in our lives and hearts. In the reading, Jesus asks Pilate, “Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?”

May we choose Jesus not because we have been told to do so by others, but because we too have an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus. Only in listening to the voice of He that is the Truth, do we discover our purpose and live fulfilling lives.

“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.”

Prayer
Lord, may we always listen to the promptings within our hearts and choose daily to be on the side of truth. May we never tire of doing what is right and good.

The Gospel Meditations for November were by Khadine Bovell, a parishioner of St Joseph RC, St Joseph who serves as an assistant coordinator in the Youth Choir and a teacher-in-training with BOMA-TT.

By Khadine Bovell