This weekend, the last Sunday of the Church year, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. While Jesus’ mission on earth was to proclaim the Kingdom of God, he never recognized himself as king; it was his followers that recognized him as such.
In Sunday’s gospel, Jesus appears before Pilate before he is to be crucified and Pilate asks him if he is the king of the Jews. Jesus responds by saying that his kingdom isn’t of this world and that he is here to “testify to the truth.” Following this passage that we will hear on Sunday, Pilate asks Jesus the question, “What is truth?”
In the last couple of years, I have found myself asking that same question as I continue to hear and read all kinds of stories in the news and on social media platforms that claim to proclaim the truth. Stories that are politically charged. Stories whose only purpose has been to spread fear and doubt. Stories that pander to an audience looking to validate their own views. How many times have you seen a story like this shared by a friend or family and made the decision to unfollow or even unfriend them because you disagreed?
We need to step back and recalibrate our sense of truth. We live in a world that often works hard to hide the truth. To be a witness of truth in this world, we need to start proclaiming the truth of the kingdom of God, a kingdom of love and justice, rather than spreading stories of fear, doubt, and misinformation. Let’s use our social media platforms and our friends and family gatherings to share stories of love, hope, and peace. This is how we can live as a witness of the Truth in today’s world.
