Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Christ the King. 

While I am traveling, one of my favorite past times is people watching. You’ve probably done it yourself. You can sit outside a café and watch the world go by, a whole cast of characters. And you can speculate as to who they are and where they are from. I try to guess the nationality of the people around me and those walking by.

The Italians are easy; they’re always so well dressed. The Irish are peeled with freckles, and they wear shorts and t-shirts at the very first sign of sunshine. The Americans are, well, I’ll leave that up to you! Have you ever played that game? Can you identify different nationalities without them even speaking? Maybe by their behavior or their attitude?

Here is a much more difficult question for you. What would a citizen of the Kingdom of God look like? Remember, citizens of the Kingdom of God come from every nationality, culture, people, gender, and race. What would distinguish them? How would they behave? What would their values or attitudes be? And let’s say we are ignoring religious jewelry or paraphernalia.

I appreciate that it’s a strange question. We don’t often think of being citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are certainly proud citizens of particular countries with a legitimate demand on our loyalties. Still, we also must recognize that there is a power and an authority greater than any earthly one. We recognize God as the ultimate authority, the ruler of the Universe.

St. Thomas Moore summarized this well. When faced with the choice between career and truth, he chose to do the right thing, even though it meant losing his rank, privileges, and eventually even his own life. He dearly loved King Henry VIII. Indeed he was a friend to him. But he summarized his decision with these words,” I am the kings good servant but God’s first.”

All citizens have rights and obligations, and the citizens of the Kingdom of God are no different. To be citizens of the Kingdom is not just the promise of a future eternal life after death but an obligation today. We must help realize his Kingdom.

In the Gospel, Christ tells us that his Kingdom is not of this world. Most kings are served. Here is a king who serves. In most kingdoms, the lowly die for their king and country, here the king dies for us. Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world, but it is in this world. This is his world; this is his Kingdom. He heals us. He speaks for the poor, the outcast, and the downtrodden. He reconciles sinners. He challenges the unjust.

To be a citizen of the Kingdom is to continue his mission, his values, in our own time. To change the world, society seems impossible; we don’t know where to begin. It begins in our own home, our family, circle of friends, living, witnessing to Christ, in and out of season. It means, to tell the truth, to be a person of integrity, to be humble. It means to speak for the poor, the forgotten when no one else wants to know. It means to sacrifice ourselves for the common good. It means to persist when we have compassion fatigue when other voices suggest a superficial charity but turn away from a fundamentally just and equitable society.

We are called not to give the world a superficial make-over but to truly change it to renew the face of the world. That’s why we have churches, schools, hospitals, and missions all over the world. Not just to serve local communities but to call them to service.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

With Love and Blessings,

Fr Damian

There will be a 9AM Thanksgiving Day mass at St. Catharine Church. There will be no 12PM mass that day.