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Bishop's Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King

November 23, 2025

(Renata Sedmakova / Shutterstock.com)

Homily of the Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu
[Christ the King Church, Kahului (Closing of the Annual Diocesan Conference of Filipino Catholic Clubs)]

Some time ago I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our bus driver was a young Muslim Palestinian. One day I made it a point to go back to the bus early, before the rest of the group arrived, so that I could speak with him. I asked him how it was to live in the Holy Land, knowing that there are tensions between Palestinians and Israelis and between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. He told me of some of the great challenges that had to be faced and of some of the injustices that almost all groups perpetrated against other groups. What he said in the end, however, really took me aback. After describing the many tensions and complexities that were a part of life there, he said, “Maybe it is Jesus who will save us from all of this.” It was an expression of hope in the midst of so much suffering, and, in a very small way, a profession of faith in Jesus from one of the most unlikely sources. I am hoping that his response was based on the many interactions he had had with disciples of Jesus as he drove them around the Holy Land, giving him hope in someone we know is always ready to save us.

Although we can be grateful that we do not live in such a tense and complex situation as those in the Holy Land experience, we also have many tensions and complexities in life. Perhaps we are engaged in “war-light” with someone we actually love – a spouse, a parent, or a child – and we are always bickering and fighting. Perhaps we have committed some grave and secret sin, and we bear the guilt of that sin. Maybe we have been unfaithful in marriage, procured an abortion, or treated an employee unjustly. We may feel that these are sins that can never be erased from our souls. But, like that young bus driver, we can put our hope in Jesus, who longs to be the ruler of our lives so that he can give us the healing, forgiveness and peace we so desire.

In the Gospel we see Jesus, not only suffering physically the pangs of crucifixion, but also suffering from rejection, abandonment, and ridicule. The inscription above his cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”, may have been prophetic, but it was meant to be cruel and derisive. All but a handful of his closest disciples were nowhere to be seen in his greatest hour of need. The leaders of the people, the Roman soldiers, and even a condemned criminal taunted and derided him, making fun of his claim to be the Messiah, the Christ. Yet one among them dared to make an unlikely journey of hope, reprimanding his fellow criminal, taking responsibility for the crimes that he had committed, and asking Jesus to forgive him by admitting him to his kingdom. And we see Jesus, even in the midst of his sufferings, joyfully promising entry that very day into Paradise.

Our personal lives can often be filled with challenges. Our civic life is often chaotic, with factions no longer listening to each other but demonizing anyone who disagrees with them. We see immigrants living in fear, people overcome with the challenges of making ends meet in this very expensive economy, and the number of poor and destitute increasing at an alarming rate. We see a rise in suicides, especially among young people. We can often feel like sheep without a shepherd.

But we celebrate this feast of Christ the King as a reminder that, no matter how bleak, complex, and full of suffering life might be, we are on a pilgrimage to Paradise, and we have a King who longs for us to journey there with him. He not only shows us the way, but makes himself the way, so that in the joy of our relationship with him, we need not feel mired in any sin, ensnared in any difficult and life-draining relationship, or overcome by any life challenge. The crucified One does not necessarily take away our suffering, since he knew so much of it himself and refused to walk away from it. But he assures us that we can always turn to him, seek entry into his kingdom, and be granted the joy of entering into Paradise with him. Sometimes it is the most unlikely people, or the most unlikely circumstances that will lead us to him, but Jesus is always with us as our Lord and King, who shows us the way on our journey to Paradise.

Long live Christ the King!