What Are You Fighting For?

A Reading from the Gospel according to John

     Pilate said to Jesus,
     "Are you the King of the Jews?" 
     Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
     or have others told you about me?" 
     Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? 
     Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. 
     What have you done?" 
     Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
     If my kingdom did belong to this world,
     my attendants would be fighting
     to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. 
     But as it is, my kingdom is not here." 
     So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" 
     Jesus answered, "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."


     Fighting. I don’t know about you, but that's a specialty of my spiritual (and sometimes personal) life.  I will fight Jesus on just about anything. You name it, I’ve probably fought with Him about it. About 98% of my prayer is fighting Jesus like a toddler. You want me to move states for college, Jesus? Bet. I’ll dig my heels in and cling to responsibilities at home and… I went to college in North Carolina and thrived, even amidst the struggles it brought. Wait Jesus, you want me to move BACK to Louisiana? Try me. To Texas I go! …for five months until I get a job perfect for me back home. I could go on, but you get the picture. I tend to resist and fight His will for my life. Every. God Bless America. Day. Even though I know good and well His will is best. Here’s the thing, if Jesus can handle the scourging and the hill to the Cross, He can handle our petty resistance and fighting. Is that what we are supposed to do though? Is that really how we wanna live? I will tell you from experience… friend, it’s EXHAUSTING!

     Let’s take a closer look at this passage: 

     “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If My kingdom did belong to this world, My attendants [would] be fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not here.”  

     Y’all, read dat again. “My attendants (dats us, y’all) would be FIGHTING to keep Me from being handed over…”  If the people knew who they were handing over and listened to understand the truth that Jesus was proclaiming, they would be fighting to save His life. But his attendants refused to listen to the Truth. So alas, the King of Truth sacrificed His life to proclaim the truth of His throne of victory, the Cross. 

     In my personal life, all my fighting and resistance comes from not listening and not trusting the Truth that Jesus desires for me to embrace. This is a daily struggle; my own pride gets in the way of allowing God to work in and through me. If this sounds like you, take heart dear friends! He does not leave us when we are throwing our temper tantrums on the floor. Rather, like any good parent, He waits. He listens. He says, “Oh, you done? Now are you ready to listen to Me?” Even though we fail, the King patiently and faithfully works to transform our heart to serve Him. Let me just throw it out there… Jesus has an abundance of patience with us. He gives us the Sacraments to continually turn back to Him. 

     Today, we not only have the gift of the fullness of the Truth and seeing the beauty of the Cross, but also the gift of the Eucharist. Our entire vocation as Christians is to “testify to the truth” for the Kingdom of the King with ALL His beloved sons and daughters. We are all His attendants who should be fighting for Him. Instead everyday, we hand Him over, fight His will, and question His mercy. Heck, we may even question our belief in who He actually is, as Pilate did: “Are you the King of the Jews?” We ask Jesus, “Are you really who you say you are? Can you really do what you say you can do?” And we take matters into our own human hands and do everything except listen to the Voice of Truth. This is fighting against Him, rather than fulfilling our call to bring forth the Kingdom of Truth.

     Friends, we are meant to build up the Kingdom of God even to the point to the trial of the Cross and beyond. Rather than putting our energy towards fighting against the Crosses of our lives, we need to be striving to share the truth of the Kingdom of the Cross by trusting and living in the truth of the King. 

     I invite you in your prayer this week to ask yourself: what are you fighting for? Why? Are you fighting for the Kingdom of God in union with the King of Truth? Are you living as a desired child of the King who fought for you on the Cross? 

     I pray this helps you enter into a deeper relationship with the King of Kings as we enter into this new liturgical year!

     Happy Feast of Christ the King! 


About the Author: Lizzie Beauchamp was born and raised in LaPlace and attended Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, where she got her degree in Catholic Educational Studies and minored in Theology. She is currently in her third year of teaching middle school religion and embarking on a new adventure of leading high school youth ministry. Lizzie has three older sisters and is the proud aunt of 10 sweet kiddos. When she isn’t teaching, she loves to bake, hang out with friends and travel - especially to North Carolina.
Who is your favorite saint at the moment and why? St. Bernadette always. I have had a connection with her since I was little. I loved her so much I got St. Bernadette themed gifts for my birthday MULTIPLE times. I am convinced she healed me as a baby. 
What was the 1st CD (or cassette if you’re old school) you remember listening to as a kid? I don’t remember the album name but it was a cassette and it had the Hallelujah Hop, that was a JAM!
What is your favorite smell? Eucalyptus 
What food would you eat every day for the rest of your life? Chips and salsa 

Learn More About Red Stick Catholics

The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week.