Pope: Let us welcome the kingdom of God, the only one destined to last forever

"Jesus asks us to let Him become our king". "But we must not forget that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world. He will be able to give a new meaning to our life, sometimes also tested by our mistakes and our sins, only on condition that we do not follow the logic of the world and its 'kings' ". Yesterday the Holodomor anniversary, "terrible famine caused by the Soviet regime that caused millions of victims".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "History teaches that the kingdoms founded on the power of arms and prevarication are fragile and sooner or later collapse", while the kingdom of God, "founded on His love" is destined to last forever, as long as we do not follow "the logics", the "kings" of this world, said Pope Francis before the recitation of the Angelus, to 20 thousand faithful present in St. Peter's Square, despite the rain. "Well, you are brave to come here, despite the rain," the Pope commented.

On the day in which the solemnity of Christ the King, Francis noted that the feast "recalls that the life of creation does not advance by chance, but proceeds towards a final goal: the definitive manifestation of Christ, the Lord of history and of all creation. The conclusion of the story will be his eternal kingdom. Today's Gospel passage (cf. Jn 18,33b-37) tells us about this kingdom, the kingdom of Jesus, telling of the humiliating situation in which Jesus was found after being arrested in Gethsemane: bound, insulted, accused and brought before to the Jerusalem authorities. He is presented to the Roman prosecutor, as one who is attentive to political power, to becoming the king of the Jews. Pilate then makes his inquiry and in a dramatic interrogation asks him twice if he is a king (see verses 33b.37) ".

"Jesus responds first that his kingdom" is not of this world "(v. 36). Then he says: "You say so: I am king» (v.37). It is evident from his whole life that Jesus has no political ambitions. We recall that after the multiplication of the loaves, the people, enthusiastic about the miracle, wanted to proclaim him king, to overthrow Roman power and restore the kingdom of Israel. But for Jesus the kingdom is something else, and certainly not achieved by revolt, violence and force of arms. Therefore he withdrew alone on the mountain to pray (cf. Jn 6: 5-15). Now, responding to Pilate, he points out that his disciples did not fight to defend him. He says: "If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought because I was not handed over to the Jews" (v.36) ".

"Jesus wants to make it clear that above the political power there is another much greater, which is not achieved by human means. He came to earth to exercise this power, which is love, bearing witness to the truth (see verse 37). This is the divine truth that is ultimately the essential message of the Gospel: "God is love" (1 Jn 4: 8) and wants to establish in the world his kingdom of love, justice and peace. This is the kingdom of which Jesus is the king, and which extends to the end of time. History teaches that the kingdoms founded on the power of arms and prevarication are fragile and sooner or later collapse. But the kingdom of God is founded on his love and is rooted in the hearts, giving to those who welcome peace, freedom and fullness of life. We all want peace, we want freedom, we want fullness. How you do it? Let the kingdom of Jesus be rooted in our hearts to have peace, justice, fullness ".

"Jesus today asks us to let him become our king. A king who with his word, his example and His life immolated on the cross has saved us from death, points the way to the lost man, gives new light to our existence marked by doubt, by fear and by everyday trials . But we must not forget that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world. He will be able to give a new meaning to our life, sometimes also put to the test by our mistakes and our sins, only on condition that we do not follow the logic of the world and its 'kings'. May the Virgin Mary help us to welcome Jesus as the king of our life and to spread his kingdom, bearing witness to the truth that is love ".

After the recitation of the Marian prayer, the Pope recalled that "yesterday Ukraine commemorated the anniversary of the Holodomor, a terrible famine caused by the Soviet regime that caused millions of victims. The immense wound of the past is a call for all so that such tragedies are never repeated again. We pray for that dear country and for the much desired peace ".