A Note From Fr. LeRoy
This weekend marks the end of the Church's Liturgical Year. We celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe! Over the past 12 months we have journeyed with Jesus through His coming and birth in the Advent and Christmas Seasons, then onto his formative years in Nazareth and the beginning of his three years in public ministry at Ordinary Time, then through his passion, death on the cross in the Season of Lent, then onto his resurrection and triumph over death in the Easter Season, and finally back to Ordinary Time as we see the infant Church grow during those early years of Christianity. Although not necessarily in perfect order, we have traveled through much of our Lord's life here on earth, and we have learned much. The final word we have is that Jesus is "the Lord of lords and the King of kings!" hence, the Solemnity of Christ the King. This celebration helps us remember that Christ's reign and power encompasses all of creation as he absorbs all things into himself (even our sin) which he redeems and re-presents to the Father on our behalf for the salvation of the world and the gift of life everlasting.
This weekend my homily spoke of how in our scientific world of "cause and effect" it seems our society or culture wants easy and accessible answers to everything, all our questions we might have, especially the question of God itself. Even in religious circles we might be tempted to try to pin God down so as to put Him into a nice, neat, little package as if God could be completely controlled or understood. What we don't understand, we reject and so we often see people stop praying or coming to church or worship God because of some hardship they experienced or simply because they don't have all the answers they want. Truth is, we are uncomfortable with mystery, with the unknown, as if God were a "problem" that has to be solved.
The Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe reminds us that no matter how difficult or confusing things are, we can take comfort in that Jesus not only knows us and our situation, but He still has his hands at the wheel of creation and everything that surrounds us. We are never alone for God is with us. And so, "We walk by faith and not by sight," (2Cor.5f).
I would like to conclude with a poem that was read to us at our Diocesan priest retreat this past summer at St. John's. It comes from Fr. Killian McDonell OSB a monk at St. John's Monastery: It's entitled, God is Not a Problem:
"God is not a problem I need to solve, not an algebraic polynomial equation I find complete before me, with positive and negative numbers I can add, subtract, and multiply. God is not a fortress I can lay siege to and reduce. God is not a confusion I can place in order by my logic. God's boundaries cannot be set, like marking trees to fall. God is the presence in which I live, where the line between what is in me and what is before me is real, but only God can draw it. God is a mystery I meet on the street, but cannot stand beyond, cannot view from a distance, the presence I cannot make an object, only enter on my knees."
God is not a problem, God is a person who wants to be in relationship with us! So, on this Solemnity of Jesus Christ King of the Universe, instead of telling God how big our problems are, start telling your problems how big your God is!
Happy Solemnity everyone!.
Fr. LeRoy Scheierl
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