Today’s Mass challenges us with the question: “Who or what exercises power over our lives?” We all know, don’t we, that it should be Christ our Lord -- He should be the One in whose dominion we should live. Here on earth even though we are citizens of the City of Man we should first be citizens of the City of God.
Christ came among us to show us that false gods of this world only bring us pain, inner conflict, and a hellish life both for ourselves and for those who must live with us. Their power is the power of manipulation and control. They may bring us temporary pleasure and false sense of well-being but they are utterly incapable of giving us lasting happiness and genuine peace. Christ is among us to show us that if we live in His Kingdom, with Him as the Lord of our lives, then we can find the happiness that is lasting and genuine, namely the unselfish mission of making other people happy. For happiness is not something that we can buy, win, or achieve, it is a gift that is given us. It comes only as a gift that is a by-product, a result, of living the way Jesus lives.
All of the powers of Christ were expended for others so that in His kingdom all might have freedom, dignity, and happiness both in this life and in the next. All that is Christ’s He gave to us to be shared. Just what kind of a God is God, and what does He expect of us? How we answer those questions will shape what we desire in life, what we want to control us, and what we know will give us genuine happiness, true love, and lasting peace. That’s the challenge of this Sunday on which we honor Christ our King.
Christ came among us to show us that false gods of this world only bring us pain, inner conflict, and a hellish life both for ourselves and for those who must live with us. Their power is the power of manipulation and control. They may bring us temporary pleasure and false sense of well-being but they are utterly incapable of giving us lasting happiness and genuine peace. Christ is among us to show us that if we live in His Kingdom, with Him as the Lord of our lives, then we can find the happiness that is lasting and genuine, namely the unselfish mission of making other people happy. For happiness is not something that we can buy, win, or achieve, it is a gift that is given us. It comes only as a gift that is a by-product, a result, of living the way Jesus lives.
All of the powers of Christ were expended for others so that in His kingdom all might have freedom, dignity, and happiness both in this life and in the next. All that is Christ’s He gave to us to be shared. Just what kind of a God is God, and what does He expect of us? How we answer those questions will shape what we desire in life, what we want to control us, and what we know will give us genuine happiness, true love, and lasting peace. That’s the challenge of this Sunday on which we honor Christ our King.