Turn Down the Noise and Trust Christ the King

Hail to Thee, O Christ, our King! Put to flight Lucifer, the fallen angel of darkness, from our homes, schools, and society, force him and his agents into Hell, chain him there everlastingly «whilst we, Thy friends, continue to salute Thee« Hail, Christ, our King! ~ Fr Joseph Stedman, Jesus, Mary, Joseph Novena Manual: The New Revised (Kindle Locations 935-952). Confraternity of the Precious Blood. Kindle Edition.

One Peter Five

By Danielle Heckenkamp

The noise of the world is loud, at times unbearable, and it rattles not only our bodies but also our souls, which too many of us choose to ignore. I’m not only referring to music, social media, and podcasts, but also to the Catholic commentary that takes precedence over our relationship with Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King. The soul has no other purpose in this life than to know, love, and serve God, and as much as we might learn from podcasts and uplift our hearts to God through music, we must remember that our relationship with Him comes first and foremost. It would be in our best interest to turn down the noise, even the noise that references Truth, and to first place our hearts before Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King, and trust in His merciful love.

We live in unprecedented times; the noise is louder than ever. Access to instant information through the internet has offered humanity an opportunity to see each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and sins within seconds, and this unhealthy paradigm has also shifted our focus from God to ourselves and others.

 There is something beautiful to be said about the simplicity and unwavering faith of the Medieval ages. The love for God took precedent, even though fallen clergy occupied positions of power within the Church. It was the laity and faithful religious who desired their repose with the King of Kings and strove, within their abilities, to accept Christ’s graces and live in accordance with His love. These holy souls were not inundated with the noise of clerical politics, government sanctions, or the sinful choices made by those in powerful positions. The Medieval world focused on community, family, and local concerns, rather than the latest report from a wayward Cardinal or the daily commentary offered from the Vatican. Their lives were focused on Christ and growing in friendship with Him.

Please do not misunderstand me: as important as it is to comprehend the errors in the modern world and Church, it is utterly more important to seek a relationship with Christ the King. The news, reports, and Catholic commentary all have their place, but at some point, we need to turn the noise down and trust in Christ’s merciful love. None of the noise matters if we do not spend each day loving and serving Our Lord. With our human weaknesses, we have little to give God, but our aim should remain the same – to offer Him the best, not our second bests.

Lacking trust in God is one of the greatest sins of modern society, and we choose to ignore this fact. Over the past couple of hundred years, society has progressed from emphasizing family and community life to individualism, but it has reached its head in the 21st century with the rapid pace of technological advances, social media, consumerism, and ignoring God for the sake of unity. We have lost the very essence of our being that matters most, the longing of our soul for God.

This yearning of our soul to unite with God is embedded in every one of us. It is a longing that deep down tugs at our hearts when we are enduring pain, suffering, loss, or joy. We want to share those moments, so rather than share them with God, Who is waiting so patiently, we broadcast them on social media, post them to a blog, or share them with friends and family. I am not saying that any of these are sinfully wrong, but society is disordered in the oversharing of personal information. Our initial desire should be to share first with God. Yes, He knows all things and foresees all things, but He doesn’t want to be pushed away and ignored. God wants a relationship with each one of us and for us to bring our desires, hopes, losses, and sufferings to Him. By aiming to unite our souls with His goodness and love, which will be ultimately fulfilled through the beatific vision in heaven, we are fulfilling our greatest purpose on this earth – the Glory of God.

It isn’t easy to turn down the noise in our overstimulated world. If it were easy to ignore the noise and trust fully in Christ, then the path wouldn’t be narrow, and more souls would reach heaven. But the bridge to Christ, as St. Catherine of Siena emphasized, passes over the rushing waters of vice and worldly attachments, and it is easier to drown in the distractions than reach Christ the King.

As the liturgical year approaches the Feast of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, we have an opportunity to turn down the noise of the world and to place our hearts at His feet with the desire to grow in love each day, slowly but faithfully. It will not be through the opinion blogs or political podcasts that we will grow closer to Christ; if anything, those will draw us farther away from our Creator. Instead, we can begin the work of uniting our souls with His Will through Mass, the Sacraments, daily prayers, meditations, and sacrifices. These modes of worship with have a greater impact on our own souls and on the souls of others than any of the noise distracting our hearts from faithfully trusting in God’s mercy and love.