My Kingdom Does Not Belong to This World

Since most of us have never lived in a kingdom and have no experience of relating to a king, our notion of kings and kingdoms tends to be along the lines of Camelot. A grand dream for a kingdom of this world. This feast we celebrate today, and its readings, hardly take us to this kind of kingdom. The Gospel is part of a dialogue between Jesus and Pilate at Jesus’ trial. Hardly Camelot!

On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, we see that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Nor is his kingdom a special place, but an interior identity defined by our relationship with Christ the King. This Sunday we celebrate a King whose presence and power we have experienced.

Jesus’ kingdom exists wherever we embody Jesus’ manner of acting and relating, whenever the Spirit of Jesus is the rule of life.  Our lives are totally about the good of the other. We enter into Jesus’  Kingdom when we proclaim, by word and service that Jesus is Lord of all. This kingdom does not belong to this world but it is meant to transform this world.