Lord of the Universe, of history, and of our lives

Christ Pantokrator, Cathedral of Cefalù, Sicily

The universe, seen through our knowledge of science, is a magnificent creation and tells us of the awe-inspiring wisdom of God. As persons, body and soul, made to the image of God, we need the living God to feed us with Himself. The Old Testament is the story of God preparing His people for the One who is to come.

Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of all these things. As the Eternal Word made flesh, He “comes into His own” as the fulfilment of all creation. He offers Himself to us as the Bread of Life by giving us His own flesh and blood in Holy Communion. Through His redeeming sacrifice, He repairs the damage done by sin.

St Paul spoke of Christ as our Lord and God, echoing the act of faith of St Thomas. He praised Christ as the Lord of the universe, saying that “all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1.17-18) Our Lord is the “master-key” to the meaning of the universe, to the meaning of human history and to the meaning of our own lives.

Therefore we must give Christ His rightful place in our own lives by recognising Him as Our Lord, not giving Him a secondary place alongside other concerns, but offering to Him all our thoughts, words, and deeds of each day, and being generous in our prayer and our worship of Him.

It is true that Our Lord humbles Himself to be close to us and invites us to friendship with Him. We should never lose sight of how great a gift this is from the Most High God. In humble confidence we bow down before Him to adore and praise Him.