Feast of Christ the King

Jesus couldn’t do much for the man on the cross… his own hands were nailed. He couldn’t take him off, but he gave him more than he could ask for. He gave him paradise.

Where is God in our suffering? What sort of hope can we find this week in our country? What with so much tragedy, violence and division. What has God and the Church to say? God in his love for his people, and the Church with its social teachings – have they any message of hope?

Where is God? God did not cause the tragedy of homelessness, nor the  violence or murders that have taken place.  God is with us suffering like he was with the thief. He didn’t cause the suffering of the man on the next cross to him. He wants our happiness and wants justice and prosperity for all.

God is with us, holding our hands, asking us to support each other. The Church will offer a place and space to find the love of God, and its social teaching will ask us to look for the common good in the future. It offers also a place where we can hear the Church’s approach to our economic future, reminding us all the time of the needs of the poor and the ordinary in education, medical care, housing and the ways in which the very old and the poor will suffer most in a situation which has been none of their doing. We are the Church and called on to make our voices heard for those who, like the man on the next cross, have little voice except to ask for help.

Lord, may thy kingdom come.