In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth, including all the lands and seas, all the plants and animals, and including the creation of “man”—of us humans. God created, and was pleased with his creation. He saw that it was all good.
He created us humans “in his image.” That meant we were part of the rest of the natural world, but we have had from the beginning immortal souls, the capacity to love as God loves, and we have a will able to choose to love as God loves—or not.
And so, from soon after the beginning, we humans began to wrestle with the questions, “Do I love as God loves or not? Do I choose to be God’s creature and trust that God’s ways are the best ways or not?” Human nature being what it is, from the beginning we began to choose to believe that we know best, and that what is best for us (each of us), is better than God’s way of seeking at all times the good of the other and the good of God’s will for all creation, as well as the good for ourselves.
That choosing in opposition to God is called sin, and it has plagued us humans from the beginning, creating a world of conflict, violence, poverty, power plays, and families torn by the loss of love’s rule where we need it most—in relationships with those on whom we most depend.
God Seeks Us in Relationship
In time, God noticed Noah, then Abram, a descendant of Noah. As Abram entered into a covenant relationship with God, God began to shape our human capacities to show us how to choose to love as God loves. God’s relationship with Abram eventually became God’s relationship with the Hebrew people. That relationship was often stormy, as all the stories we know as the “Old Testament” or “Hebrew Scriptures” tell us. Even God’s law in the 10 Commandments was not enough.
We humans still did not “get it” that God’s power is accompanied by God’s wisdom, a wisdom that seeks the good of each and all—even in the middle of the created survival of the fittest natural order. We still did not see HOW to do it.
And so, God came and entered into history as one of us—Jesus. Jesus, fully God as well as fully human, lived a simple life as a Hebrew boy and man, then as a mostly popular itinerant rabbi, until the contrast of his God capacities to heal, teach, convict, and love so conflicted with the perceptions of the people of who and how God ought to be that Sanhedrin, Roman government, and the inherent tendency to sin of even Jesus’ disciples combined to put him to death.
He died on a Friday afternoon. He rose during Holy Saturday night–as the third day began . His rising changed everthing. It was one thing to believe in a spiritual afterlife of some vague sort. It was something entirely different for a human person to rise from the dead in a transformed state. For Jesus was raised in a way that was clearly different from how he had raised Jairus’ daughter or Lazarus. Jesus, when he was raised, showed clearly his immortality.
Beginning with his appearances to Mary Magdalene and the other women Easter Sunday morning, to his closest disciples on Easter Sunday night, and to ordinary disciples on the way to Emmaus Easter afternoon, risen Jesus, the Christ, changed the world and all of history.
Jesus changed it because Jesus, as God, experienced the worst of evil and death—and triumphed over it. He changed it because Jesus, as God, sacrificed that we might become God’s full children. He triumphed over all the pulls to selfishness which were represented in the evil done to him. He changed it because in all this, Jesus was still man, HUMAN, and so he proved that through the power of God ALL of us humans can rise to live in Eternal Life as Jesus did. ALL of us can live a resurrected life of God’s ways, love that extends to ALL peoples in ALL places through ALL ages of the world.
Kerygma
That is the “Greatest Story Ever Told.” That is the Good News of the Gospel that propelled the disciples out of their fear in the Upper Room on Pentecost Sunday some 50 days after Easter. The word for that propelling, compelling story is kerygma. Its literal meaning is “Good News.”
As we live some 2000 years later, the “Good News” can seem like “Old News.” It can seem like Old News because the world around us is not permeated by understanding that God’s way is the BEST way. We get very lost in even understanding what God’s way is.
God the creator is God. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is God present in our world today in so many, many ways: in the Eucharist and all the sacraments, in the Church and its teachings, in every mass, in the prayers of peoples every day, in acts of mercy done to share God’s love by millions of people every day, in all those “baptized with the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit CAN lead and guide us—if we choose, if we dare.
Ah, that’s the rub.
Just as Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, Peter, Paul, and saints throughout history had to CHOOSE to discern and follow God’s ways, so must we. To the extent that we do, we move the Kingdom of Christ along.
Solemnity of Christ the King
Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King in 1925 as a way to remind the Church that our faith tells us that it is Jesus, the Christ, who rose from the dead, who is the ultimate ruler of the world. Originally, its celebration was on the last Sunday of October—right before the Feast of All Saints. It was changed in 1970 to the last Sunday of the church year to better emphasize that Christ will be the actual ruler of the New Heaven and New Earth which follows the judgment of all the peoples and all the nations on “the Last Day.” He is the ultimate King.
On this last Sunday of the Church year 2022, perhaps it is good for each of us to consider: Where has Jesus, the Christ, come in our lives in the past twelve months? Where is Christ the King/ruler of our lives? Where not?
For myself, there have two significant changes in the past three months. The first seems tiny, but it is having large effects. I am a planner. For many years I have had yearly personal mission statements and goals. I have a color-coded weekly planner that lists everything I hope to do—and a color-coded schedule to match.
But in recent months God has helped me see that there is too much of my own will in that. I may think I give God all, but I organize my time so God gets on any given day what I want to give him. Some things I don’t REALLY want to do—I don’t say “no,” I just don’t get around to them. God is not quite King.
I haven’t given up my To Do list, but I am praying now, “Rearrange my time, Lord, if you want.” Let me tell you, God must be saying, “Alleluia! I’ve been waiting years for this!” because day after day my daily plans get wrecked. That rattles me sometimes, and I have to “have a little talk with Jesus.” But, when I looked after a month, I’m actually getting more things done than I was before. Plus, I have more energy and more joy.
The second change is that I am being moved toward focusing on prayer and “seed sowing.” I’m not sure what that will mean long term. But the Holy Spirit is in it. Hopefully, in it and ruling–Christ the King’s To Do List each day.
Both these changes which God has formed in me lead me to see Jesus as the LORD, the ruler of my life. My confessor gave me this prayer which I now share with you. I do not know its source. I’m praying it daily–and it’s growing daily more sincere.
Prayer:
Jesus, my Savior, I humble myself in Your presence because You are worthy. You are worthy of all my praise because You made way for me to be called a child of God. Forgive me for placing myself about You. Come ad take Your rightful place on the throne of my life. Grant me hope and joy as I live my life surrendered to Your lordship. Amen.
