Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Talk about a title. In the first reading today it speaks of the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven in power and glory and that his kingship will never be destroyed. It is easy to think of Jesus as a friend, or as a nice man that lived a long time ago, or even as a personal savior, but I think it is much harder to see Jesus in his proper light as King of the entire universe. 

Do we believe Jesus has power in this role? I recently had a situation happen with our 2 year old where he had a really high fever and wasn’t responding correctly. We rushed him to the hospital and all I could think about the entire drive there was that I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to help. But then I realized, someone else is in control. 

Pain, war, violence, sin, and disasters can all be used as justification that God does not exist. But I prefer to see these things as ways for God to draw us even closer to him. Sometimes we need a reminder that we are not in control. I don’t think it is a coincidence that many people who are poor and destitute are used to reaching out to God, while many people who have all the material things they could ever need can be tempted to put Him on the back burner. 

Sometimes God may allow things to happen in our lives not to draw us away, but to remind us that he is in control and he loves us and he wants us to rely on him. This trust does not seem to come easy, but think about the ways that we travel. Whenever we step on a plane we put our lives in the hands of a total stranger. We leave work and family and our possessions behind and all we have is a simple carry-on. We board and allow the captain, who we have never met, to fly us 10,000 feet in the air and we trust that we will land safely. We don’t know if the pilot has the correct credentials or even if the pilot is sober. But we put our trust in them. We know that they are in control. 

If it is possible for us to do that with a total stranger just because they have a badge, how much more possible should it be to put our trust in the King of the universe? He is the one who ultimately knows our hearts and knows exactly what we need. He is the one who loves us unconditionally and wants to see us flourish. He is the one who will bring us to safety and ultimately to perfect happiness in heaven. On this solemnity, let’s ask God for the grace to trust him in all things, especially those hardships that might come our way, and reflect on them not as moments where God pulls away, but as moments where He allows us to rely on him. 

From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!

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