Solemnity of Our Lord

My dear friends in Christ,

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This marks the last Sunday of the liturgical year. On this day, we contemplate the Kingship of Jesus our Redeemer. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925 to remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy claimed by dictators at that time. In our day, we need this reminder that our first allegiance must be to Christ the King, especially as we face many temptations in life. The feast has an eschatological dimension pointing to the end of time when the kingdom of Jesus will be established in all its fullness to the ends of the earth. Our Gospel today speaks of the last judgment where the righteous will be separated from the wicked. When we are judged, will we be able to say that we were part of the righteous group? St. John of the Cross said; “When the evening of this life comes, we will be judged on love." This day also leads into Advent, when the Church commemorates the arrival of the newborn king. The Liturgical Year will begin with the First Sunday of Advent, December 3.

December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation. The Vigil Mass will be Thursday December 7th at 7:00 PM, on the Holy Day at 8:00 and 10:00 AM. Next Sunday we will have the right of welcoming for our RCIA candidates at the 9:30 AM Mass.

May God bless you all!

Father John