This is a solemnity of the ultimate power, the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

For some, the word king might sound antiquated, something that belongs to ways of governance from the past. And even though we might not have kings today, the revelation of Christ did come at a time when the world was ruled by kings. In this world, the image of Christ the King communicates to us that the important question of our lives has to do with power.

The question of the Gospel is a simple one: What power controls your life? As Christians, we answer that we recognize that the power of Christ is the only power that will give hope to the world.

Power is meant to bring order, peace, and control. But our human condition of sin makes it difficult to exercise power justly, and we are often disappointed at the experience of abuse of power. So, Christ reveals to us a different kind of power: the power of the Creator of the world, who wants to maintain the order of creation, a power that always works through love. This is the only form of power that will never disappoint us.

What does this power do? Many would like Christ to use his power of divine intervention whenever we feel threatened or angry, and many end up disappointed that the power of God did not come to the rescue. Many would like Christ to use his power of divine healing when we or a loved one is diagnosed with a difficult or terminal illness, only to end up disappointed that miraculous healing did not occur.

Many then ask: Where is divine power? If God does not necessarily stop bad things from happening to good people, then what?

I would like to propose to you that the power of God is less about divine intervention whenever we feel we need it, and more about opportunity. The power of God does make it possible for us to start again at any point in our lives. We are never too young or too old for the power of God to help us to start again.

We see this power begin to manifest in the lives of others during this time of the year. Churches around the world now have their OCIA groups underway, people from all walks of life experiencing the power of God in their lives in a new way, seeking a new beginning. OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, is a path of conversion, and as people walk this path, they are learning to let go of their own abuse of power, learning to stop submitting to the powers of the world, and learning to seek, desire, and ultimately submit to the power of Christ through their willing participation in the sacraments. If you need proof of God’s power active in the world, talk to any of them.

Many people are in crisis right now. Many people have submitted to the power of addiction, anger, depression, and anxiety. This week alone I spoke to four individuals, from all ages and all walks of life, about these struggles, all tired and all seeking something new. That’s about a weekly average. To them, and to you whenever you are undergoing your own trials, the power of God makes it possible for us to start again at any point in our lives, no matter what kind of lifewe have been living.

Today the reading from 2 Samue gives us an image of the spiritual condition of Israel. They were like lost sheep, scattered in exile among the nations, lost to the powers of the world. But it says the power of God will come to them like a shepherd, and gather them together, and lead them back to safety.

Pope Francis emphasized two characteristics of the power of God. The first characteristic of the power of God is that it is creative. Since God’s power always works through love and is creative power, anyone who really loves another person wants that person to become all that he or she can be. And there is always this openness of love to creative change and growth. In the same way, God wants us to become everything we can be. God sees possibilities in us that we often cannot see.

In Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 22, Pope Francis says:

“That word is unpredictable in its power. God’s word is unpredictable in its power. The Gospel speaks of a seed which, once sown, grows by itself, even as the farmer sleeps. The Church has to accept this unruly freedom of the word, which accomplishes what it wills in ways that surpass our calculations and ways of thinking.”

That means that an individual, a parish, a diocese, an archdiocese, always needs to be open to the unpredictable power of God’s word to inspire us and to lead us into new and unanticipated directions. That is my own personal daily prayer: Lord, surprise me today. I want to be surprised by you. There is a sensitivity that develops in our spiritual senses when we are willingly attuned to God’s movement in our daily lives. Divine power becomes ever more evident.

The second characteristic of the power of God is that it flows out of suffering. Since God’s power always works through love, it is most focused at the point where human persons are weakest.

The Gospel of Luke makes very clear today that it is through suffering that the power of God is manifested, and forgiveness and solidarity is a fruit of that power.

At Calvary  there were three people suffering, two of them as a consequence of their wrong actions, and Jesus, unjustly.

The suffering of one of them is manifested the way many who are under the power of the world would respond: in anger. “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. Do you not have divine power? Use it for me. Give me what I want.”

The suffering of the other, however, is different. He is open to the possibility that maybe, even though he is coming to a bitter end to his life, he might somehow be able to start again. Amidst the impossible situation he is in, maybe, just maybe, God’s power will surprise him. He allowed his suffering to lead him to the revelation that Jesus was some form of divine king, and he submits: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The power of God makes it possible for us to start again at any point in our lives, no matter what kind of life we have been living, no matter how impossible the situation might seem.

Then there is the suffering of Jesus, willingly submitting to the powers of the world so as to give new life, a new beginning, to those who place themselves in solidarity with those who are suffering: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The question of the Gospel is a simple one: What power controls your life? As Christians, we answer that we recognize the power of Christ as the only power that will give hope to the world.

As we end Luke’s Gospel, as always, he invites us into the scene and place ourselves in the characters. Which of the two thieves have you been? Which of the two thieves are you right now? Whose power is controlling your life, and what is it leading you to?

To proclaim Christ as King is to submit to the life of grace. It is to allow the creative power of God move you where God needs you to be. Let God surprise you. It is to allow the healing power of God transform any form of suffering into love for others.

To proclaim Christ as King is to trust that the power of God makes it possible for us to start again at any point in our lives, no matter what kind of life we have been living.