Fr. Bob’s Homily – Feast of Christ the King

Today we read about the two thieves crucified with Jesus. Their names are not recorded in Scripture, though tradition gives the name “Dismas” to the repentant thief. Both men shared in the same cruel, humiliating and public death. Both hung beside our Lord. They were both condemned justly, while Jesus was condemned unjustly. Yet the choices the thieves made could not have been more different.

One thief turned inward. He cursed and demanded to be taken down. He wanted his old life back. He clung so tightly to the life he had that he crushed it in his grasp. He died in bitterness and despair.

The other thief turned outward in trust. He asked for nothing great, nothing miraculous. Only this: “Jesus, remember me.” And because he opened his heart to Jesus, he received life. The same cross that meant death for one became salvation for the other.

This contrast reminds us of the choices we have. Suffering can harden us, or suffering can open us to grace. Pain can drive us to despair, or it can teach us to trust God. We cannot avoid the cross. We all carry one. The question is, how will we carry it? And to whom will we turn?

Christ is not our King because He removes the cross. He is our King because He transforms it. He reigns not from a throne of gold but from a cross of wood. His crown is not of jewels, but of thorns. His power is not control, but love.

This King knows we cannot live by bread alone. So, He feeds us with His Body and Blood. He joins Himself so closely to us that He can say, “I am the vine, you are the branches. I am the head, you are the body.”

Unlike earthly kings, He does not treat us as subjects, but as friends. We were dust, and He lifted us. We were homeless, and He gave us the Church. We were orphans, and He gave us His Father and His Mother. We were sinners, and He died for us.

Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you a king?” Jesus replied, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” And it is not. His Kingdom is not built by armies. It does not advance by conquest. It grows only through the quiet, powerful force of love.

And it’s a love that He never forces. He only invites us to embrace it. Those who accept it choose light over darkness. Hope over despair. Mercy over vengeance.

Dismas, the good thief, shows us something extraordinary. He shows us that it is never too late. He lived a broken life. But in his final moments, he met Christ. And in that moment, he found mercy. His story tells us that no past is too dark for God’s grace – and this is the great promise of Christ the King.

He brings peace out of chaos. He brings hope out of despair. And He brings life out of death. He can turn even the darkest ending into a radiant beginning. He can transform a desert into a garden.

So, my friends, the question is simple. Which thief are we? Do we cling so tightly to life that we lose it? Or do we surrender it into the hands of Christ and let Him save us?

If we trust Him, if we follow Him, then the King who reigns from the cross will lead us into His Kingdom – where love never ends and life never dies.