Why the world and the church needs Christ the King

There was a commercial a few years ago by the copier company SHARP. They said in business you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. Actually our salvation is much the same, we don’t get what we deserve (what we deserved was death according to St. Paul-Romans 6:23). Instead we get what Christ negotiated for us. Have you ever really thought about what all the praying was about in Gethsemane? Christ knew the cup was not going to be passed, but if he was going to drink it, he was going to get something for it, namely our salvation and vicarious atonement.

How does this all fit into the celebration of Christ the King? Well, there are only really 2 logical points of viewing Jesus Christ either he was the greatest conman the world has ever seen or he was who he said he was.

If Christ is the world’s biggest conman that truly leads to a very lonely place. How so? What would you say to the children who lost a parent on 9/11, or a wife who lost her husband of 18 years on his 40th birth day? How to comfort a mother whose son was mistaken for a gang member and gunned down while riding in a car? I will never forget her words, “they killed my baby, he did nothing wrong!” Her son was 17 when he died, and he was never was in any trouble.

It all is so very senseless if there is no final authority bigger than humanity. It is all random events. If life only has meaning by the value we assign to it, then things bigger than ourselves have no answer or they are random and chaotic.

Contrast this with the idea of a personal loving caring God. The very idea gives hope for at least an explanation for some of the above events, but the biblical view is so much more. This personal God who loved us so much he died for us is also the same God who sits upon the Great White Throne.


Many years ago now the actor Tom Cruise made a movie called A Few Good Men. At one point the antagonist said “You want answers,” to which Cruise (the hero of the story) replied “I want the truth!” For those seeking answers to life most profound questions, this loving personal God is more than just a sympathetic friend, he is the King of the universe and he will one day judge all men according to their works. So often evil people get away with doing evil things, at least it seems that way to us, but that is because we humans live so much in the now and near future. God being eternal operates in a different time scale nor does he judge the same way we do. He looks in the heart. If you trust that there is a loving compassionate caring God, who is the king of the universe, and that he is your friend, then you know that some day-life’s unanswerable questions will be answered, truthfully answered.

And that my friend is the reason why the feast of Christ the king is so very vital and why the idea of Christ the king is so very important.

Someday a powerful and all knowing God will divvy up some true justice. For those of us who are his friends that is a very comforting thought.

Time to drop this one into the internet ocean. We will speak again.

D

Hey, What about me?

When St, Peter healed the lame man in very beginnings of the New Testament the focus is on the man's reaction. He went walking and leaping and praising God. However, old St. Peter was in the same predicament that he was in before; pursued by people wanting to kill him, penniless, thrown out of his own church. In other words, once God's power manifested in Peter; life did not all of a sudden become rosy. Peter still had the same problems. Peter did however give what he had: The power of God to change lives. To his credit, St. Pete did not wallow in his problems. He gave all he had, in fact he gave some thing very precious to himself, his faith.

Maybe that's the lesson, Most of us are normal every day people. We truly do live on the borders of grace (I know I do). Blessings overflowing? Uh, I must not be at the top of the trickle. Does not really matter, God only wants me to give what I have, what ever he has given me in the situation that I am in.

So as I right this, having just filed for bankruptcy, coming down with Strep, having contracted some sort of GI virus as well. I still have my faith.It really does not seem to be doing me much good, but like old St. Peter I am not going to wallow, and I do have to love of God in Christ. What more is there? When some one asks, I am going to give-as poor as I am. Because one never knows what the power of God will do. Well Good Reader, time to throw this one into the Internet ocean. I hope some one get this one, and I hope it helps. Big D

Indulgences are back-You have got to be kidding me!

Yep, I had heard rumors for a while (really hoped it wasn't true) and then the local fish wrap confirmed it. The Catholic Church is again in the Indulgence business. Once more, the Roman Catholic Church has run a muck and has gone kicking and screaming back towards the middle ages. In the mean time, Catholics in America leave the church in droves. In the language of our day-they call Bullshit!

More and more Catholics are taking on a very protestant view of Christianity. Some of this is good-The just living by faith, and maybe more importantly the justified LIVING OUT THEIR FAITH. Catholic Churches are also taking a very protestant view of how the church is run, namely by the laity, since there is a shortage of priests to go around. Some one must make decisions, namely the Church board. This involves the Catholic laity with their own parish congregation. Again , a wonderful idea.

But this article is not a bash on the Catholic Church, far from it. In fact the idea of penance is biblical and beneficial for the believer, but not for the blatantly silly idea of indulgences. Originally, the reason for penance was viewed as a way to show contrition. What it turned into was punishment. What it was really meant for by Christ was a way to teach new behavior.

If God remembers our sins no more when we confess our sins, then why penance? God already forgive and forgot the sins. Why live with the guilt? If God does not hold on to our sins, does anyone else really matter?

Notice how Christ handled sinners-he told them to go and sin no more. Great but how do you do that? You teach the sinner not to sin by giving him or her something else to think about and a check list to see if its going well. St. Paul gives us some vital clues: the fruit of the Spirit:love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. St Paul also tells to not be weary in well doing because we will receive if we do not fail (Galatians 6:9). So many focus on the promise, but the key is the journey! There is a resounding need for Christians to go to penance. All Christians, Roman Catholic, Protestant, this writer, and you. It allows our professional clergy to guide us into truth. It allows the Holy Spirit to speak directly to us. It can guide us into Christ like behavior so we don't sin in the first place!!!!!

As for indulgences, puleese! I don't need one; I don't want one. However teaching me to be more like Christ, that's a winner! THAT will help me get to heaven, and help me bring my little bit of Christ to my fellow person. That will bring me closer to My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,and as the title of the blog states-I certainly need it.

Well time to put this message in a bottle and toss it out to sea. For now good reader Gods Speed.

Big D