Whose are we?

 There are many voices that can compete for our attention and guide our lives. This is an ongoing reality of daily life when we wake in the morning to when we go to bed at night. The information age can shape who we become through the many media which seek us to invest in their view of the world and how we fit in. This tsunami of information can hold our attention for a moment and then we move on. There can be bite-sized pieces of news that we seek to discover a deeper pattern from which we can live. Yet ultimately who is the focus of our lives.

This is especially true when we seek to discover a rule of life. This is more than obeying laws or acknowledging a person who has governance over us. Rather it looks at who we submit with an active and listening heart that attends to the voice of the other because we trust their guidance. In this way, our obedience is not just an external act of submission to the authority of another. It is actually a recognition of what is good, beautiful, and true. This is what gives purpose to our lives and allows us to become present to a God who sees us as we truly are.

Thus on the Solemnity of Christ the King we believe that there is a voice that speaks goodness, beauty, and truth to our hearts. This helps us to discover that our lives have meaning and substance. We have been created out of love for the good of God, the good of ourselves, and the good of the whole of creation. In this, we learn to build on solid foundations that acknowledge that we have a deep inner worth. We become detectives of God's graced presence in every moment of our day. It helps to direct our attention and not become distracted by the voices which seek to destroy, distort and diminish life. We seek to find the voice which will enhance, empower and befriend us for the good of the whole.

As we enter these final days before Advent we seek to notice what holds our attention and who guides our life. In the end, we seek to listen to the voice which actually acknowledges whose we are!