Dear Fellow Parishioners,
With hearts filled with Thanksgiving, and bellies filled with turkey we join in celebrating the Feast of Christ the King. Yet, for many Catholics who commemorate the Feast, it is just one more celebration which we go through every year at this time. It becomes “another thing” happening in our very busy schedules that overwhelms us so that we can’t wait for the holiday season to be over.
This is a mistake, because our lives are really all about time. The time we give to what is important, directed by our inner clock, not the countdown to black Friday, or the sales that take the wind out of our sails. Our Catholic liturgical year follows a rhythmic cycle which points us toward beginnings and ends. In doing so, it emphasizes important truths that can only be grasped through faith. This Sunday, the Feast of Christ the King, is the last Sunday in the Church year. On the last week of the Church Year, we are invited to remember that every end is a beginning - because in Christ the King, Thanksgiving and Advent can actually become a way of life. Jesus Christ is Lord. Living in Him we can move from Christ the King to Thanksgiving to Advent.
So, I invite you to enter into this new liturgical year that we begin December 2nd as we introduce “The Advent Conspiracy.” We will focus on four areas:
This is just the beginning of an adventure into the true meaning of our lives surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. We plan on going deeper each year as we strive to recognize the truth behind our faith in Jesus Christ and the gift of grace we often miss because mindless consumption of goods bombards us and takes away the “Peace to People of Good Will” we actually celebrate at the birth of Christ. Let’s work and walk together to take it back by entering into “The Advent Conspiracy!”
Fr. Bill