Back in the day when most people thought the universe wasn’t all that big and that earth and the sun sat pretty much in the middle, it’s wasn’t too hard to imagine how God could have created it all.

Most of us don’t bow a lot. We’re citizens of a country that does not have a tradition of much civic reverence. We remove our hats to sing the National Anthem, but no one thinks of kneeling when the presidential motorcade goes by. This country was founded on the principle that no person is greater than another.

JESUS PRAYED, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”

In what has now become a cult classic, A Knight’s Tale, a 2001 movie starring Heath Ledger, tells the story of a young 14th-century English thatcher’s son who is encouraged by his father to “change his stars” by accepting an apprenticeship to a knight.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Is it good to be the king? Maybe for David and the Israelite tribes. He was, after all, “anointed,” with the weight of divine approval that word carried.

Power seems cool to possess—from a distance. You can do anything with enough of it: Order people around; get your way; make money, squander it, and get more.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. —Teresa of Ávila