As the visions during the night continued, I saw one like the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven. When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him. He received dominion, glory and kinship; nations and people of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14 New American Bible translation)
Can I get an AMEN! This weekend, in the Catholic calendar, we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King signifying the end of the liturgical year. This verse from Daniel was one of the readings and it could not have come at a better time. Terrorism, refugees and the circus of politics seem to be the topic of conversation these days. Everyone seems to be “worried”. The passion and fervor I hear in the voices of people who claim to be followers of Christ saddens me. I recently signed up for Facebook so that my messages and posts would be available there as well. I was originally encouraged by the way this form of media was being used to spread positive messages and then I read a comment made by a fellow Christian which read something like this: “Yes, we have to pray! I pray that God do away with them all!” My first thought was: That’s what they think about us, where does it end? That’s not what Jesus preached – the Jesus I know is a model of gentleness and humility EVEN in the face of persecution.
It’s no secret that Christians have been, and continue to be, persecuted from the beginning. The apostles themselves were persecuted. Each generation has a different regime they have to work to defuse. However, history tells us that good always triumphs over evil. The Bible tells us the same thing – this verse is just one example of it! Yes, evil exists in the world and we need to be on guard for our own safety, but hating the sinner and/or wishing them harm is NOT the answer. Want to be militant? Be church militant! Do what you know works to fight against evil in this world: PRAY! Pray without ceasing! The Psalmist says: 7x a day I praise you. Not only will prayer bring you peace, but it will help us overcome evil!
Are you anxious about the state of our world today? Do you worry about terrorism as you go about your daily routine? Then I challenge you to flex your prayer muscles. Move beyond the rote and mundane and into deeper communion with our Lord and Savior. He longs for that deeper relationship with us. Mother Teresa said He THIRSTS for us – what an image! It is only by truly knowing Him that we can TRUST Him always and remain in a state of peace in order to be obedient to His command: Love your neighbor as yourself! So you see, obedience comes with trust! Think for a moment about the people in your life that you trust. People you would trust with a secret or even with your life. Are they people you just met yesterday or are they the people you have a close intimate relationship with, people you feel you know inside and out? Trust in the Lord comes in the same manner – when we work at having a close, intimate relationship with Him. When we take the time out of our busy schedules to just BE with Him. If your trust in Him is not solid, then maybe you can spend more time with Him just as you would a special friend if you felt your relationship was being compromised.
I’ll end with a thought shared by my pastor in yesterday’s homily: There is a bumper sticker that reads: God is my co-pilot. The Church’s response to that is a sign that reads: If God is your co-pilot, you’re sitting in the wrong seat!
Trust in the Lord, remain in peace! God bless you!
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