Behold Your King
A Letter from the Publisher
By: Joe Difato
I'll never forget the day I met President Ronald Reagan. Well, I didn’t really meet him. Years ago, when I was in graduate school in Washington, DC, I used to park my car at the nearby Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. One night, as I was walking to my car, I saw President Reagan. He must have been heading for a concert there. There he was, only fifteen feet away from me. Our eyes connected, and he smiled, winked, and waved to me. Stunned, I waved back. Then, just a few seconds later, he was escorted into an elevator and out of sight.
For me, it was an incredible experience, brief though it was. I had my own private encounter with the President of the United States! During my drive home, all I could think about was the thrill I felt from meeting someone so important, someone so powerful.
Perhaps this is similar to the way people in heaven look at Jesus. The Book of Revelation speaks about the multitude of angels and saints who praise Jesus as a King and Lord, seated on a glorious throne. Excited to be in his presence, they proclaim, “Worthy is the Lamb. . . to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:12). Of course, seeing Jesus goes far beyond my very brief encounter with President Reagan!
The good news is that we can catch glimpses of Jesus’ glory right now. We don’t have to wait for heaven! While seeing President Reagan gave me a momentary thrill, seeing Jesus can change our lives forever. St. Paul once spoke about how all of us, “gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). So not only does seeing our King fill us with joy; it transforms our hearts!
I spent the rest of that night thinking about my experience with President Reagan. I recalled it over and over. I thought about what it must be like to be president. I thought about what I would do if I were in his shoes. Likewise, the more I encounter Jesus in my prayer, the more I think about him. And the more I think about him, the more I want to live in his kingdom of love. So let’s all fix our gaze on Christ the King. Let’s become more aware of our magnificent King and his magnificent kingdom.
Help for College Students. During this month when we honor Christ as King, we want to lift up in a special way our college-aged children and grandchildren. College is a time when young people face many challenges to their faith. This is why The Word Among Us Partners recently began a ministry to Catholic college students, helping them develop a strong prayer life. We have added a few pages to the center of this magazine that explain how Partners is already helping college students draw closer to the Lord. Take a look at them, and please consider helping us bring God’s love to even more.
Joe Difato, Publisher | Email the Publisher at [email protected]
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