Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy Feast of Christ the King!
As this month has been focused on the four last things, Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell, our liturgical calendar is also coming to an end.  It ends with this great feast in part to show how Christ is the Lord of all, King of the entire universe, king of our souls, and king who ushers in a new kingdom that has conquered death with the triumph of His loving mercy.  Even as we remember our faithful departed and remember our own death, which we must face, we are consoled in the truth of the one king who has come not to be served but to serve.  He offers us salvation.  This truth is the context in which we have remembered those who have died this past month.  For those who purchased memorial candles, the 8:30 Mass on Wednesday Nov. 23 will be offered for the repose of their souls.  Memento mori (remember your death) is the phrase of this month, but remember that Christ conquers death.

Happy Thanksgiving Week
Make sure to enjoy this time as our country focuses on thanksgiving.  We are often tempted to dwell on negativity, and to be sure there is much darkness and evil in our world.  It is proper to name it in order to fight it.  But fighting against the evil is best done by starting with what we have and being thankful.  This thankfulness should turn us to God in Whom we have hope, for only He can conquer evil and bring even greater blessing.  Thanksgiving is not a time to ignore the realities of suffering, but to reset our bearings on God in order to bring relief to all who suffer. Thankfulness can help us act with Christian joy.  May we be thankful our country still has some vestige of a unique holiday that draws us out of ourselves toward God.
Remember too, that literally the best way to give thanks to God is by participating at Holy Mass, for it is the perfect act of thanksgiving (that’s what Eucharist means) of Jesus to His Heavenly Father.

The Time is Approaching
We are approaching the time of approaching.  I mean Advent of course - the time of preparing for Christmas. As this liturgical year comes to an end, a new one begins.  It begins as we look for the coming of our Lord at the end of time. Advent comes from the Latin, “ad-venire,”  “to come toward.”  Very fitting since in November too we are bringing to mind the Four Last Things as we come ever closer to our end on earth, but looking toward eternal life. 
As we have done the past few years, we will utilize the option of ad orientem for the Masses in Advent.  We are literally doing what we sing in the song, “People Look East,” for that is what ad orientem means - to look east.  I talked to a couple other priests who said they are incorporating it at their parishes as well.  The symbols and gestures of the Mass signify great meaning.  The more we understand what we do and why, the better we enter into the mystery of Christ’s love for us.  I’ll speak more about it in coming weeks, but I hope this can help us all prepare our souls well for the coming seasons.      

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Pfr