To Pilate's question, Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world.... And to the new interpellation of the Procurator, he answered: I am a King. For this I was born.... Not being of this world, the kingdom of Christ already begins here. His reign extends in the midst of men when they feel themselves to be children of God, feed on Him and live for Him. Christ is a King to whom has been given all power in Heaven and on earth, and He rules by being meek and humble of heart15 , serving all, because He came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life for the redemption of many. His throne was first the manger of Bethlehem, and then the Cross of Calvary. Being the Prince of the kings of the earth, He demands no other tribute than faith and love.
A thief was the first to recognize his kingship: "Jesus," he said to him with simple and humble faith, "remember me when you are in your Kingdom. The title, which for many was a cause of scandal and insults, will be the salvation of this man in whom faith has been taking root, when the divinity of the Savior seemed to be most hidden, who "always grants more than what is asked of him: the thief only asked to be remembered; but the Lord said to him: Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise. Life consists in dwelling with Jesus Christ, and where Jesus Christ is, there is his Kingdom ".
In today's feast we hear the Lord saying to us in the intimacy of our hearts: I have thoughts of peace and not of affliction for you, and we resolve to put right in our hearts whatever is not in conformity with the will of Christ. At the same time, we ask him to be able to collaborate in that great task of extending his reign around us and in so many places where he is not yet known. "To this we Christians have been called, this is our apostolic task and the eagerness that should eat our souls: to make the kingdom of Christ a reality, that there be no more hatred or cruelty, that we spread on earth the strong and peaceful balm of love". We will only achieve this by bringing many people closer to Jesus, through a constant and effective apostolate among the people who daily pass close to our lives.
To make our desires come true we turn, once again, to Our Lady. "Mary, the holy Mother of our King, the Queen of our heart, take care of us as only She knows how. Compassionate Mother, throne of grace: we ask that we may know how to compose in our lives and in the lives of those around us, verse by verse, the simple poem of charity, quasi fluvium pacis (Is 66:12), like a river of peace. For you are a sea of inexhaustible mercy" (Is 66:12).