As we come to celebrate this Solemnity of Christ the King let us be reminded that there are two kingdoms, that of Heaven and that of earth. It is Christ who is the King of Heaven and Satan who is known as the worldly prince. As we come to the end of this liturgical year it is a fact to state that we have been through a lot, but with the knowledge that Christ is our King everything that we might be called to embrace should not be too much for us to withstand.
Nevertheless, instead of placing our trust in the healing mercy of God and the Kingdom which is to come we so often allow ourself to dwell in the here and the now. We must be reminded that we are not called to follow after this worldly prince, but instead to chase after the Kingdom of Heaven. No matter how much we strive for this world to be a reflection of Heaven it will always fall short, but we are still called to be sent forth as disciples of the Lord to spread the Good News of the faith. In doing so we live in service of the Kingdom of Heaven and not the kingdom of this world.
As disciples of the Lord we must never allow the voice of faith to be silenced. Throughout the world’s history there are those who have tried to silence this voice, but they have always failed. They failed because the faith is truth itself and because Christians were so convinced of this reality that they were willing to lay down their life in defense of this truth. I would hope and pray that we will not have to face the plight of martyrdom, but we do have to head into the world to allow the flame of faith to shine brightly.
When we fail to live for Christ and His Heavenly Kingdom we are allowing the prince of lies to overcome us to believe that we are to live for the here and now. To live for the here and now is to live for the amassment of earthly pleasures without ever having to embrace the cross which leads us to an encounter with Truth. We have just passed through another election year, I for one am happy that we only have to go through this process every four years and not more often. So often it seems that we place the political process over our trust in God. This be true not only in politics, but even with COVID-19 that we have had to deal with for this past year. Instead of worrying about something that is out of our control and stressing over what is on our television screen we should place our trust in God.
With all that seems grim around us let us be a people of hope. It is a fact that our liturgical year comes to a close, but it is also a reality that a new year will begin. The same holds true with everything that is taking place around us. From the cross and resurrection of our Blessed Lord always springs forth a great hope if only we would be open and listen to God. After all we must remember that Christ is the Good Shepherd who tends His flock. In other words He provides for all of our needs. We can see this made manifest through the grace that is constantly being poured upon us and through the gift that is the sacraments especially the Most Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of confession.
With that I invite you to make use of the new confession opportunities during the Advent season. I will hear confessions 30 minutes prior to each Sunday obligation Mass which means I will hear confessions at 4:30pm, 7:30am next week, 9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm next week. I will remain in the confessional until the line is finished or until 5 minutes before the start of Mass, whichever comes first.
As we come to the end of this liturgical year and soon embark upon a new one may we be filled with hope concerning what lies ahead. May we always serve Christ our King and the Kingdom of Heaven for this Kingdom is a kingdom which will never pass away.
Long live Christ the King!
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