…[N]o one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3 NRSV In college at Franciscan University, I learned that our entire Catholic Christian faith is ultimately reducible to one person: Jesus Christ. If you boil it all down, at the end of the process (or the beginning, depending on how you look at it) is Jesus. The life and legacy of one man who changed the face of the earth, forever.

Most people reject the Church and her teaching because you and I have failed to represent this God-Man adequately. Instead of meeting Jesus through our actions, they meet us, along with all our agendas and baggage. Many people confuse the Church for you and me and reduce the Christian faith to our failures and inadequacies.

But they don’t typically reject Jesus, when they come to know Him. Because He is perfect. He never fails. He shows mercy to the sinner (all of us). He knows no partiality. He doesn’t favor a particular class or gender or race, or even creed. He loves all, equally. The Muslim, Jew and Christian, all alike. And He is Lord of us all, whether we admit it or not.

I take great comfort as a Christian admitting to Jesus daily that He is the Lord of my life. This statement brings great freedom. Freedom to not get it all right all the time. Freedom to love hard and make mistakes in the process. Freedom to allow Him to lead and govern my heart, thoughts and actions. Freedom to dream big, and let Him put wheels on those dreams.

When Christ Is Lord, we don’t have to try to be. We can relinquish the burden of planning our whole life, and begin to discover His plan. We can stop trying to earn God’s love, and accept the gift of Himself to us, no matter if we feel worthy or not. When Christ Is Lord of our hearts, we can more easily show mercy to others, because it has been shown to us.

Be warned! There are centuries of proof that proclaiming Christ is Lord has dangerous consequences. Individuals who follow Christ have been known to sell all their stuff, quit their jobs, serve the poor and adopt children. They’ve also been known to lose their lives…and find endless joy in the process. Let us lose our lives together, friends! Let them see the crosses on our backs and the fire in our eyes as we strain ahead toward the pearl of great price!

Christ Is Lord. Forever. Amen.