Throughout November we have been praying for the deceased, particularly those who passed away this past year. Our board in the sanctuary and the list in the bulletin helps us remember and pray for them. Unfortunately, we accidently omitted some names from this past year. I am very sorry to the families, and I take responsibility for their omissions. The lists have been amended. Please add to your prayers: Antonio Almeida, Jeanne “Claire” Boardman, Leonne Cote, Mary Grinsell, Raymond Johnston Jr., Genevieve McLellan, Luis de Nobrega, Robert Papineau, Irene Sweeney, and Gloria Vecoli in your prayers. If any other names of those who died this past year whose Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated here at St. Teresa are not on this list, please let me know to add to our list.
Coming up the front stairs into church last weekend you may have noticed something different about the stairs (or at least a peculiar smell). The spaces between the granite blocks have been resealed and waterproofed for the coming winter. The insulation and sealant had deteriorated. Water would have been able to get in between the slabs, freeze, and then cause damage. Brunca Waterproofing Corp came and did the work. Thank you to them for preparing the stairs for winter.
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. At every Mass we pray the “Our Father.” In that prayer we pray for God’s kingdom to come. Every king has a kingdom over which he rules. As a king, Jesus Christ is no exception; albeit unlike earthly rulers, his kingdom has no limits. As the liturgical year ends the Church draws our attention to the reality of Christ’s kingship. In 1925 Pope Pius XI instituted this special feast. At that time Europe and the world were reeling from the catastrophic destruction of World War I. Secularism, nationalism and consumerism were on the rise. The old institutions, kingdoms and powers of the world faded away. In the wake of the demise of these earthly kingdoms, Pope Pius reminded Christians then and now that the kingdom to which we belong is “spiritual and concerned with spiritual things.”
Such a kingdom does not pass away. No earthly power can control it. It envelopes every aspect of our lives. Nowhere and no one can claim to be independent from His rule. Our minds, bodies, families, workplaces, politics, and everything else belong to Him. Nothing can compare to the privilege and honor of such citizenship, which we obtain through Baptism. While a passport can enable us to cross borders, the Sacraments enable us to cross over into eternal life. His rule is one of peace, not as the world gives it, but peace that persists even in the midst of suffering. Our king wants the free participation of his subjects to be co-builders of his rule. He does not want us to remain cogs in the machine or passive, servile subjects. He calls us “friends”. Such participation means imitating our Lord’s complete self-giving love to his subjects; to serve, rather than to be served. As Pope Pius XI continues: “it demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment from riches and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They must hunger and thirst after justice and more than this, they must deny themselves and carry the cross.”
While the old monarchies have largely faded away in history; others have risen to take their place. Consumerism, hedonism and the like try to draw us into their realms. They make promises of happiness and fulfillment that, while hollow, can bewitch us. The Solemnity of Christ the King serves as a reminder that our allegiance belongs to Christ and only his kingdom is worth serving.