Handmade

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, November 24th, 2024:
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

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Revelation
1.5-8 

​Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will lament. So it is to be. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

As I quickly typed out the scripture passage from Revelation that inspired this reflection, auto-correct attempted to tell me what I really meant to type. The second sentence in part reads: “…and made us to be a kingdom.”   The computer tried to tell me the line was actually: “handmade us to be a kingdom.” The “correction” made me pause. God did hand make us to be a kingdom.

Recently I was reflecting on the fact that the Jesus I said yes to on the day of my First Communion is the same Jesus I say yes to every time I receive him in the Eucharist today some 40 years later - and counting. That’s a little mind boggling.  Jesus has not changed. But I have.

I am no longer seven years old — physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 

I am no longer worried that if I don’t do something right, that I will be loved less. 

I am no longer scared to ask the tough questions, sometimes be angry with God, and have the challenging conversations. 

I no longer hide who I am from God, thinking that He doesn’t know my deepest darkest fears, secrets, and desires. 

I am no longer able to ignore God’s consistent quiet—and sometimes not quiet—call to witness His truth, beauty, and goodness. 

After all these years of saying yes to Jesus, I have changed because He has changed me. 

I faithfully give my yes, because God is constantly finding joy in me but also challenging me to be more. Even when I stumble or feel unworthy or go my own way, God consistently and patiently calls me back.

I have a living, breathing, ever evolving relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This relationship needs my active participation for it to be the life-giving gift that it is meant to be; this relationship, containing such a depth of love and relationship, awaiting my discovery. 

I am daily becoming all God made me to be. I recognize and own the gifts He gave me and continue to unwrap them, so that I can make the world better. And through my example and witness I can give others the permission to do the same with their gifts. 

My journey of faith is not a solo trip. I am not only called to serve, shape, and share my story with others but also allow others to serve, shape, and share their part of our shared story with me. 

I know I am loved. Period. 

We were indeed handmade to be a kingdom. A kingdom that ebbs and flows as we humans figure out who God is, why He made us, and what and who we are meant to be. That takes time.  And it changes. Yet the constant, our Triune God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit remain “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."




Aurea Sadi

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