"You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." - John 18:37

The scripture for today talks about the way Pilate summons Jesus and asks Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Later, Jesus asks Pilate if he came to this question by himself. Pilate then asks Jesus what crime He has committed to lead to His arrest. Jesus replies that His kingdom is not from this world. His followers could have used violence to prevent His arrest but this is not the way of His kingdom. God’s kingdom is about the power of love more than anything else.
Human as we are, it’s normal for us to experience times of hardship and experience pain that is caused by all sorts of reasons. It is normal to say that life will never be easy. Often times, we find ourselves caught up in all (if not in others’) problems and end up feeling hopeless and empty and turn to worldly things to fill in the void of the hole that is in ourselves. We tend to turn to things that are bad for us, but make us feel some sort of temporary happiness. We tend to forget the real solution to our problems and that is by putting God in the center of everything we do. Recognizing God as our King should be easy for us. Well, sadly, nothing ever is. There are times that we forget Him and go through our daily routines just to finish the day and start another one tomorrow. Putting God in the center of our lives should not feel like a chore. It should feel as if we are doing these small things in order for us to become closer to Him and a step closer to His kingdom- the place where we will feel true and genuine happiness. Living this kind of life means that we see Him even in the everyday trials and difficulties that we face. Living this life means that we are ever faithful to the rhythm of dying and rising as it unfolds every day be it in school and/or work. Most importantly, living this kind of life means that we will serve as bridges for those whom we meet- that we are the body of Christ leading others to more whole and happier lives. If someone should then ask us, “What have you done?” Our answer should come quickly and surely—we have served our King.

 - Nicole Aquino

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