Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King, 23 Nov 2025, Shrine of St. John Bosco the Dreamer, DBFC Lawaan
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we end the liturgical year, we gather to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ our King. Looking back at our past history as a Filipino nation since the year 1521, we realize that all these years, we have steadily grown strong and firm in our faith in the Lord. In fact as of this year 2025 we have become the third largest Catholic country in the world following Brazil and Mexico. Added to this, many of us have gone beyond our borders as missionaries to bring this faith to other countries where Christ is not yet hailed as King and Savior.
The big question however is this. In a very Catholic country like ours, why does corruption still exist in our society? In a very democratic nation like ours, why do we keep electing government leaders who do not manifest the qualifications of a true leader: maka-Diyos, maka-tao at maka-kalikasan?
Just look at us today. Most recently we have been suffering the consequences of our poor sense of discernment: hundreds of casualties on human lives and large scale damages to properties triggered by the most recent typhoons and aggravated by substandard flood control projects. It is the poor and the weak who suffer the most, not so much from the flash floods and super typhoons but rather from the drowning floods of corruption committed by civil leaders and public servants who are fake, greedy and dishonest.
The Gospel we have heard today (Lk 23:35-43) brings us back to that historic moment when Jesus hang upon the cross to fulfil his mission of conquering the world by the power of his love and thus save us from the power of the evil one. When I read this passage to prepare this homily, at first I didn’t feel anything as this passage has been used again and again during Holy Week. But when I read it more reflectively for a second and a third time I found something very striking, and it left me not only disturbed but also in great awe. So, I invite you to look more closely at what happened there.
While Jesus hung on the cross people who were there on Mt Calvary showed mixed reactions. First the religious leaders came forward to mock him, insult him and push him to his final test, saying “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” The next were the soldiers who crucified him. They said almost the same thing, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” The third was the thief crucified beside him. He also said something similar, “Are you not the Christ? Then save yourself and us.” In other words they were all challenging Jesus to save himself.
While Jesus, as Son of God and King of the Universe had all the power to come down from the cross, he also knew that he was facing the last and the trickiest temptation in his life. And I’m sure that was what made him struggle and suffer the most.
The good news is… Jesus chose not to come down from the cross. He was fully aware that that was not the way the Father wants him to save the world. He knew God’s plan perfectly well, that the most powerful way to save us was not through the easiest way but through the hardest way, the most difficult and most painful way, that is, by remaining on that cross naked, humbled, broken and helpless until death. That was the only way to make us and the whole world feel how infinitely powerful and overwhelmingly great his love was despite humanity’s sinfulness.
Today many of us are actually carrying heavy crosses. Others are in fact already nailed on that cross – the cross of married life, the cross of religious vows, the cross of academic requirements in school, the cross of being a Rector in a difficult community, the cross of illness or old age, the cross of being jobless, the cross of being in a broken family, the cross of being homeless and losing a loved one esp. in the recent flash floods, the cross of suffering from the systematic corruption of the government. We too are at times tempted to give up or to come down from that cross. Why? – because we are already so tired, so frustrated, so depressed.
The surprisingly beautiful thing is that many of us have chosen to remain on that cross until our last breath. Why? – because of nothing else but a four-letter word, L-O-V-E. Aside from that, we know that God is with us and he will carry us through. Many of us choose not to give up because we believe in our higher calling and a higher power. God is still greater and mightier than our biggest problems. And it is in the worst situations that we Christians can be the best version of ourselves.
Today, our proclamation of Christ as our King carries with it the challenge to love in the same way that he did… total, unconditional, sometimes suffering silently, but always selflessly until our last breath, and until God raises us from our graves.
The saints we have been celebrating since November 1 have shown us inspiring examples. They have proven to us that loving like Jesus is still very much do-able even in a time of corruption, hate, conflict and wars. For example St. Martin de Porres (we commemorated him last Nov 3) was an illegitimate child abandoned by his father. But despite his lowly status he became a lay brother and, with a magnanimous heart, he served the needs of others, including the sick, the beggars, and the African slaves transported in great numbers to America.
St. Martin of Tours (Nov 11) was a Roman soldier, brave and strong, but when he met a beggar almost naked along the road, his heart suddenly melted. And feeling pity for him he came down from his horse, cut his military cloak in half and gave one half of it to the miserable man. That night, he had a dream in which he saw Jesus wearing the half-cloak he had given away to the beggar.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Nov 17) was married to a crowned prince, named Louie IV. After she was widowed at twenty-one years old, she started to give away her wealth and possessions to the poor. She never wanted to marry again for she felt so strongly the love of Christ who called her to dedicate her life totally to God. She even had a hospital built for the poor making use of all the money she had, and when it was completed, she spent her time everyday taking care of the sick and the suffering.
We also look up to St John Bosco, our father and founder. He was born in Italy from a poor family of farmers. But he felt he was called to become a priest for poor and abandoned youth. Despite the lack of resources, he succeeded to finish his studies as a working student, then as a seminarian, and soon he was ordained a priest. From then on, he dedicated his life for the poor, abandoned and exploited youth of society. Docile to the promptings of the Spirit, he eventually founded the Salesian congregation of priests, brothers, sisters and lay people who would continue the work he has begun for the poor. Today his work continues to flourish in over 135 countries worldwide, educating and evangelizing youth to become good Christians and upright citizens.
Dear brothers and sisters, the lives of a multitude of saints are a big source of inspiration for all of us. Let us come out of our comfort zones. Let us wake up from our slumber, and let us love as Jesus did – silently, sacrificingly, selflessly. Our mission is to love starting from our families, overflowing to neighbours esp. to those most in need, including even those who hurt us. Let us keep this in mind: we are called not only to be firm in our faith, and to celebrate the sacraments in church, but above all to proclaim the good news of Christ our King by word and deed.
Finally let us reflect on this: we might have elected government leaders who are fake public servants, because they are not maka-Diyos, maka-tao at maka-kalikasan. The good news is, there is still hope. We can still put our acts together and join the Trillion Peso March against corruption this coming November 30. Let our voices finally be heard – STOP CORRUPTION NOW!
May this Eucharist, in which we encounter Jesus as King, empower us to become more and more like him in our thoughts, our kind words and good deeds, so that we too may one day reign with Him forever in the Kingdom prepared for us in heaven. GiGsss!
P.S. Let us pray for our civil leaders and public officials who have betrayed public trust for their dishonesty, plunder and corruption, that, like the repentant thief in today’s Gospel, they too may soon repent, make restitution and surrender themselves to Christ, King of Justice, Love and Mercy.
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