Long Live Christ the King



"Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." (Jn 18:37)



Have you ever had your heart broken?  Have you been rejected or betrayed?  As a member of the human race, if you have dared to love, the odds are that you have also experienced loss. 

A truly broken heart feels like it can never love again.  A person who has been rejected or betrayed feels like they'll never be able to trust again.  Those who have loved and lost feel like there's no one who could ever fill their void.

But what if there is Someone who knows exactly how we're feeling in these darkest of moments?  Indeed, what if that Someone has entered into even our worst suffering?  This is the mystery of Christ the King, who ushers in the eternal reign of God by taking on all of the pain and brokenness of his beloved subjects.  As the Catechism puts it, "the true meaning of his kingship is revealed only when he is raised high on the cross" (n. 440).

Faith and Science?



NASA x-ray photo of soil on Mars

 A counselor I know recently told me about a fourth grader who claimed he knew that God didn't exist.  When she asked him why he was so sure, the boy responded by saying that he had learned about the Big Bang.  In a moment of inspiration, the counselor looked at the boy and said, "If there was a big bang in the room next door, would you wonder what had caused it?"  Naturally, the boy said yes.  She continued, "If I told you that nothing caused it--it just happened, would that answer satisfy you?"  Of course, the boy said no.  He acknowledged that he would want to know why the big bang had happened.

As Christians living in an era defined by scientific and technological advances, are we resigned to talking about "faith or science," or is it possible to talk about "faith and science"?  The Nicene Creed boldly professes belief in God, "the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible."  But, as believers, do we too often retreat into either a blind fideism or an atheistic rationalism--or do we actually believe what we profess? 

Seek the One Truth

Decision 2012 is finally over.  Or is it?  What if our daily decision for the rest of 2012--and beyond--is just as pointed now as it was before the distracting state and national elections?

Indeed, what if two paths remain set before us:  either Radical Secularism or Daily Discipleship?  Of course, as we have seen so clearly in recent years, radical secularism is the "default" option which we unknowingly embrace anytime we shy away from daily discipleship; a so-called "neutral" or "lukewarm" middle position is, in fact, a choice for radical secularism.  Check out some of the more striking contrasts between these two paths:

Our First, Most Cherished Liberty

It's rare to have any large group speak with one voice.  But over the past number of months, the U.S. Bishops have unanimously called for prayer, study and action in defense of religious liberty.

In a remarkable--and quite readable--document entitled Our First, Most Cherished Liberty, the Bishops outline a number of concrete examples of recent attacks against religious liberty.  They remind us that religious liberty is more than mere freedom to worship.  And, in a riveting section in which they quote Martin Luther King, Jr. (who himself was quoting St. Augustine), they insist that "an unjust law is no law at all."

In a spirit of authentic patriotism and in recognition of the basic human rights upon which the U.S. Constitution rests, the Bishops have taken the lead at a pivotal moment in our history.  Men and women from a variety of creeds and backgrounds have joined in the movement.  So, in unison with the Bishops, let's join in their prayer for religious liberty: