Sunday, Nov. 24, is the Solemnity of Christ the King. Mass readings: Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 93:1, 1-2, 5; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37. 

We are called to acknowledge that Jesus is in fact our King. There comes a time when we must personally affirm what the Church has always announced: “Jesus is Lord, and he is King. He is my King. He has authority in my life.” This must become a daily, increasing reality in our life. Do we allow Christ to command us?

That brings us to the solemnity’s Gospel. In a remarkable display of literary artistry, John and the Holy Spirit vividly depict the vacillation of Pontius Pilate. In this Gospel passage of the trial of Jesus, Pilate goes in and out of the governor’s house seven times. 

He’s trying to please the crowds. He’s trying to please his wife (who had warned him to “have nothing to do with that innocent man” (Matthew 27:19). He’s trying to help Jesus. He can’t decide, so in and out he goes! Pilate is just like us. Oftentimes, we say that we love God, but we also love the world. We want to please others and we want to please God, but we cannot do both. We are often locked in indecision, trying to please the world and God.

Faced with a crucial decision, Pilate weighs the consequences that choosing Jesus will have on his career, his family, his loyalty to country and Caesar, and his access to power. How often does Jesus our King take a back seat to career, politics, convenience and so forth? Amid all this indecision comes the question from Pilate: “Are you the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33). Although it is Jesus who is on trial, he turns the tables on Pilate. Jesus asks him a crucial question: “Are you saying this on your own or have others been telling you about me?” (John 18:34).

It’s a remarkable question, and each of us has to answer it. Is he really our King? Do we believe that he is King? As King, does he have authority in our life? How?