The Mental Health Benefits of Submitting to the Kingship of Christ

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. This is a reminder that Jesus is not a symbolic ruler, but the true Lord of our lives. In a culture that prizes personal control and constant self-definition, the idea of surrendering to Christ can feel difficult. Yet this very surrender is what brings real peace.

The truth is that everyone serves a “king.” If it isn’t Christ, it may be our fears, desires, habits, ambitions, or anxieties. These false masters often leave us stressed, overwhelmed, and fragmented.

Submitting to Christ’s kingship offers real mental and spiritual freedom:

We are relieved of carrying life alone. We no longer have to invent our own purpose or control every outcome. 

Life becomes ordered. When Christ is at the centre, everything else finds its proper place. 

Fear lessens. We trust the One who holds our future instead of clinging to control. 

Addictions and anxieties lose power. They cannot rule where Christ reigns. 

Humility restores peace. Letting go of self-obsession frees the mind and calms the heart.

Christ’s kingship is not harsh; it is healing. The One who rules us is the One who loves us to the cross.

Today, the Church gently asks us: Who sits on the throne of your heart?  What voice shapes your thoughts and choices?

If it is anything other than Christ, today is the day to lay it down. May we truly mean the words we pray: “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done.”   And may Christ our King bring us the order, freedom, and peace we long for.

Prayer of Surrender to Christ the King

Jesus Christ, my King, I place my life under Your loving rule. Quiet my need for control and fill me with Your peace. Take my mind, my heart, and my will.   Guide my choices, order my life, and reign within me. May Your Kingdom come in me today and Your will be done in all I do. Take my mind, that it may think with Your wisdom.  Take my heart, that it may love with Your compassion.   Take my will, that it may seek Your ways above my own. Free me from the false kings I have served — from fear, pride, anxiety, and the need to control.   Dethrone every attachment that keeps me from You and establish Your peace where there has been turmoil. Reign in every corner of my life:   in my desires, my decisions, my relationships, and my work.   Bring order where there is confusion, healing where there is hurt, and light where darkness lingers. Jesus, King of my heart, I surrender all that I am to Your care.  May Your Kingdom come in me, and through me, for the glory of the Father.

Amen.

Fr Jude Mukoro, MBACP, FHEA (Reflections on Christ the King)