November 22, 2020
Dear Friends in Christ:
This Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. We celebrate the fact that Christ is our universal king, and yes, our judge. The Solemnity of Christ the King is a “newer” feast in the Catholic Church. It was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925. However, the reality of Christ as King is not new at all. Jesus is referred to as King throughout the New Testament. But this title does not refer to a status of an earthly king like many of the Jews had been expecting, someone to overthrow the Roman rule and be an earthly king. Rather Jesus is the king of all creation—a kingdom that is present in this world and also for all eternity.
Pope Pius XI witnessed a turbulent time in the world’s history. Secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of people's thinking and living and organizes their lives as if God did not exist, was on the rise. Dangerous dictatorships were emerging in Europe and beyond. Christ had long been referred to as King, but Pope Pius and the Christian faithful saw the respect and reverence for Christ’s authority waning in the midst of the unrest during the first part of the 20th century. In response, the feast was set with the intent to reaffirm and refocus faith and respect in the kingship of Jesus over individuals, families, society, governments and nations.
Referring to happiness, Pope Pius XI pointed out in his encyclical Quas Primas, in which he established the feast of Christ the King, that our Lord is the author of happiness. He wrote “Oh, what happiness would be ours if all men, individuals, families, and nations, would but let themselves be governed by Christ!”
While some problems our world faces today differ from the particular events that inspired Pope Pius XI to establish this feast in 1925, his message and call to honor Christ the King in a society that denies the authority of our Lord is no less pertinent now than it was then. Sometimes, Christianity is viewed today with hostility. Today, individualism has been embraced to such an extreme, that for many, the only authority is the individual self. Relativism has crept into our society, with individuals defining their own truths.
In our nation, we do have a separation of Church and State. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prevents the government from making laws which regulate an establishment of religion, prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. But that simply means the nation cannot embrace any one religion. It does not mean a ban for a religious group to gather and to express their opinions. It does not mean one cannot allow one’s values to influence their decision making. Everyone has values, whether the person is one of faith (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) or of no faith. The laws prohibiting murder, robbery or arson are based on values. So every decision, every law is based on a value. This feast day of Christ the King challenges Christians to remain reverent and devoted to the higher authority of Christ. This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. Remember there is only one Mass at 10 am. Please come! There is no 8:30 am Mass on that day only. The origins of Thanksgiving Day go back to 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native American Indians held a thanksgiving autumn harvest feast celebration lasting 3 days at Plymouth, Massachusetts. For many years, this was celebrated by individual colonies and states. Early presidents viewed this celebration differently. President George Washington recognized it, but President Thomas Jefferson chose not to recognize it. It was not until the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November. How interesting our nation’s leaders envisioned God was a part of our nation’s history and yet today for some it is so “inappropriate.” Our traditional Christmas Giving Tree program is on p. 6. To prepare for Advent (Nov. 29), refer to p. 5 for some online Advent enrichment series. Mark your calendar that we will be celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe at a 7 pm Friday, Vigil Mass, Dec. 11 since it was the consensus that more people could come versus Saturday morning, Dec. 12. Plan to bring your flowers to be presented to our Lady. More info coming.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!
Fr. Lawrence W. Jozwiak
Pastor
“The Cross is the school of love.”
—St. Maximilian Kolbe
“There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” John 15: 13