Christ the King Homily

Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Traditionally this feast is celebrated on the final Sunday of October while in the new calendar it is celebrated on the final Sunday of the liturgical year. This feast was established by Pope Pius XI is his encyclical Quas Primas, In the First. This encyclical reminded Christians that the sovereignty of Christ encompasses all the aspects of our life: personal, political, temporal, and eternal.

Here Pope Pius XI had stated, that many people had “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law our of their lives.” Sadly, we can see how this reality is currently manifest in our modern day society. Instead of us looking outward towards God we so often look inward towards ourself. The laws of our land as well as the way in which we live and order our life should be modeled after Christ our King.

We must remember that none of us are citizens of the here and now, but rather we are called to be citizens of the eternal and perfect Kingdom of Heaven. We cannot align ourself with a political idealogoy which contradicts God and His commands for us. There is not a law, political party, or a nation which can be placed before God. Sadly, there are those who push God to the side when making laws, when electing officials, and when practicing national patriotism.

We must realize that each of us are called upon to be witnesses to a higher Kingdom then what many orient their life towards in the here and now. In the words of Pope Pius XI, “When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessing of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony.”

This is a reality that we are called to make manifest. This reality must be begun within our homes for it is the start. If we cannot order our life towards Christ the King within the home it will be difficult to do so within society. It is true that many hearts have wondered away from God, but we cannot lose the virtue of hope. We instead must reform our life in order that we may become true witnesses of Christ’s coming Kingdom.

When we begin to lose the virtue of hope when it pertains to all that is going on around us we must come to be reminded of this coming Kingdom. If we can come to proclaim Christ as King there will always be a glimmer of hope for us. May we come to place out trust in Christ the King by ordering our life and our families around Him. It is Christ alone who can bring solace to the word for the Kingdom that He brings is a Kingdom which will never pass away.

Long live Christ the King!

31st Sunday of OT Year B Homily

The Lord instructs us that we are to “love the Lord (our) God with all (our) heart, with all (our) soul, with all (our) mind, and with all (our) strength.” We are also called upon to “love our neighbor as (ourself).”

This passage puts a lot of emphasis on love. Love is something which we so easily take for granted. When preparing a young couple for marriage I ask why do you want to enter into marriage with one another. The answer that I expect to hear is because we love one another, but what does love really mean?

Therefore, we must come to believe that Jesus is love incarnate. When we reflect upon Sacred Scripture we will clearly come to see that every word which He spoke was that of love. For example when Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman it was love which He spoke to her. So too in this day and age the Lord continues to speak love to us and invites us to enter more fully into it.

If we look to the cross we will see the message of love proclaimed to us. It was from Calvary that we came to be redeemed and from this reality of sacrifice we are shown what it means to love. Most beautifully in the Marriage Exhortation from the Extraordinary Form we are told: “Henceforth you will belong entirely to each other; you will be one in mind, one in heart, and one in affections. And whatever sacrifices you may hereafter be required to make to preserve this mutual life, always make them generously. Sacrifice is usually difficult and irksome. Only love can make it easy, and perfect love can make it a joy. We are willing to give in proportion as we love. And when love is perfect, the sacrifice is complete.”

This statement brings us back to the cross and reminds that it is a place of love which we are to enter more fully into. The more that we are willing to enter into the cross the more that we will be able to give of ourself out of love. The Lord witheld nothing upon the cross, but gave of Himself entirely out of love. This is the same love that we should have for those around us.

Sadly, sacrifice is something which is foreign to our ears. Therefore, it is easy for everything to be about us and our desires. It is love which is constantly calling us towards something greater. When we are able to love we look upon another and no longer see them as a means to obtain something, but an opportunity through which we can share what God has given to us. Let us come to more fully love God in order that we may love our neighbor.

Bulletin Article: October 24

Please pray for the priests of the Diocese of Knoxville while they are away on their annual retreat. In case of sacramental emergency please contact the parish office. I look forward to our Trunk or Treat which will be from 6pm-8pm on Friday. I thank those who plan on attending with a decorated trunk or have brought candy for this event. This is just one example of many ways that our parishioners give in the spirit of stewardship.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

22nd Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Our Gospel states to us: “Render therefore to Caesar,” says our Lord, “the things that are Caesar’s”, and then He adds: “And to God the things that are God’s.” This statement reminds us that we are created in the image of God and thus all of our faculties should return to Him.

Saint Augustine stated that we “are the coins of God stamped with His image, and God demands the return of His coins as Caesar did the return of his.” Saint Jerome adds to this: “Let us give to Caesar the money which bears his inscription, since we cannot do otherwise, but let us give ourselves freely and of our own accord to God, for what our soul bears is the glorious imprint of the face of a God and not the more or less majestic head of an emperor.”

This all ties into our Epistle which stated: “He who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.” Therefore, we should be able to think of the many ways in which God has begun something great within us. We have been created in the image and likeness of God and have been given so many gifts that we are able to share with the Church and others.

It is impossible for us to claim to love God if at the same time we ignore the needs of others. This is something more than saying that we love someone because there must also be actions to what we say. We can say that we are Catholic all that we want, but at the same time we should backup who we are by our actions. We should not only live the faith in word, but also in action.

Just because we pride our country on the separation of Church and state does not mean that we can separate our faith from our public witness. There are some who claim to be Catholic, but give a public witness which attacks the sanctity of human life and marriage. This is an impossible way to live and order one’s life if they desire to order everything that they do towards God.

This Gospel is challenging us towards something deeper. We must always remember that God has given us everything that we have and therefore everything that we have we owe unto Him. Our Christian witness is not one of separation and complacency, but rather should be one which is fully integrated into the teaching authority of the Church. We are called not to complacently live our life, but instead to actively order our life towards Christ.

As Saint Augustine put it, “Our hearts are made for you, O Lord, and in you only can it find rest.” In thus manner let us find our rest in the Lord and “render therefore to Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

30th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Sacraments are central to our faith and they have been given to the Church by Christ. St. Augustine defines a sacrament as “an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.” This word sacrament comes from the Greek word, mysterion, and the Latin word, sacramentum. Mysterion means something which is hidden or secret, this is where we get the word mystery.

Sacraments depend upon signs and symbols which signify a sacred reality. For example we have the symbol of bread which points towards the reality of the sign which is Christ being present with us in the Eucharist. With all of the signs and symbols which surround us inside of the Church it is easy to fail to go deeper.

Despite going deeper and learning more about the sacraments we must also come to trust in grace. So often we fail to put God first in our life. Sometimes people even approach the sacraments without putting God first. A baptism is an important time to celebrate, but this celebration should not overshadow the effect of the sacrament. Confirmation is not dependent upon the knowledge of the receiver, but rather the gift that God gives within the sacrament.

How we approach the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can also be reflective of this same reality. We so easily allow ourself to lose the transcendent nature of the Mass. Instead of approaching the Mass from the direction of drawing us closer to God we so often get caught up by placing ourself at the center. Our priority then becomes the music, the preaching, and the entertainment that we receive. We instead must learn to place our trust in the Lord who incorporates our lives into the worship of the Father. Let us be willing to delve further than what we see with our sight, but allow the Lord to transform our lives through this encounter.

In our Gospel we encounter this man who was blind. Despite his lack of sight he desired to see what was concealed from his eyes. With faith he cried out to the Lord and exclaimed, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Through his exclamation he exhibited his faith in an unseen reality which was present. Through his persistence and faith the Lord came to heal him and he was finally able to see what had been concealed from his sight.

So too through all that is taking place around us in the sacraments and liturgy have a profound effect upon us. So often we focus on us instead of God who is present in each of these realities. Let us come to encounter these realities with faith and the desire to see just like Bartimaeus. Sight will never come if everything is turned inwardly upon ourself, but with our attention placed outwardly upon God we will allow the Lord to be at work within us and to bring sight to our eyes.

Bulletin Article: October 17

Our next fellowship opportunity will be October 29th when we have our Trunk or Treat from 6pm-8pm. I thank our parish’s Mom Ministry for helping to organize this event. You can assist in one of two ways either (1) decorate your trunk or (2) bring candy that can be be used as extra candy for the decorated trunks. To register your trunk for the Trunk or Treat or to receive more information please call 423-282-6367.

Halloween is closely related to two important liturgical days which we cannot forget about. On November 1st will be All Saints Day which will not be a Holy Day of Obligation this year due to falling on a Monday. All Saints Day is a celebration of the triumph of the faithful who have gone before us and are now numbered among the saints. We will have Mass for All Saints Day at 7am, 8:30am, and 6pm (Latin). On November 2nd we observe All Souls Day which serves as a reminder of Purgatory and the need to pray for those who have gone before us in order that they may soon be numbered among the saints. We will have Mass for All Souls Day at 7am, 8:30am, 11:15am (cemetery), 5:30pm (Latin), and 7pm (Spanish).

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

21st Sunday After Pentecost Homily

We are now close to halfway through the month of October which means that we will very soon arrive at November 1st and November 2nd. November 1st is All Saints Day where we come to acknowledge the multitude of saints in Heaven and November 2nd is All Souls Day where we are reminded of the need to pray for those in Purgatory.

Purgatory is an important aspect of our faith, but is one which is sadly rejected by many faith traditions and even some Catholics. At the point of death we would rather jump towards the canaization ceremony of our loved one instead of expressing the reality of Purgatory and the need to pray for the souls of the faithful departed.

Some make a mistake by seeing Purgatory as a second chance of getting Heaven. When it pertains to our salvation there are not any second chances. When we die we will either be judged to Heaven or Hell. Purgatory is instead a temporal punishment for sin and for a cleansing from the attachment to sin. It is Purgatory which cleanses the soul as “gold tested in fire.”

Our Gospel passage is one which is often used in regards to Purgatory. In it we were told concerning the king who settled accounts with his slaves. He forgave him the debt, but the slave was unjust in forgiving the debt of others. For this it was stated: “Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.”As it is similarly stated in the Gospel of Saint Luke: “I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

From all of this we can conclude that Christ calls the believer to live out a life of justice which will be exacted to the last cent. The Catholic teaching on Purgatory is that if at the end of one’s earthly life, this debt of justice was not satisfied, he shall be purified before entering heaven. This is in line with the Book of Revelation which states concerning Heaven: “nothing unclean will enter it.”

Thankfully, Purgatory exists for without it how would we expect something which is found unclean to enter Heaven? Without Purgatory how would we who continue to have earthly longings find happiness in Heaven?

Therefore, let us continue to pray for the souls of the faithful departed that they may be escorted into Heaven this day by all of the angels and saints. Let us offer our sacrifices for them and let us orient our heart towards Heaven that we may come to order our life towards Paradise.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, Rest In Peace. Amen.

29th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Our Gospel calls us to servitude. In our world it can be easy for everything to be about us, but in the end we are hopefully living freely. We only live freely when we give of ourself out of love. There are some who give in order to obtain something in return. The Lord shows us the alternate path of servitude.

We must remember that Christ is God made Flesh. That He is the second person of the Most Holy Trinity. Nevertheless, He did not come in order to be exalted, but in the words of the Book of Philippians: “Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”

It is hard to wrap our mind around the fact the that being a servant or slave is something which can be good. In this application it is to live freely as we were created in the image and likeness of God. This form of holy slavery is put into action whenever we give of ourself in a sacrificial way out of love. Christ Himself displays this sacrificial love most perfectly upon the cross when He laid down His life for us out of love.

As our Gospel came to state: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” This verse makes known the fact that our life on this earth is not to live as if we are greater then everyone else for if this be true then we will not be great in the life to come. Instead those who live truly living out sacrificial love will be those found in great degree because of the Kingdom of Heaven.

This passage should make us look inwardly upon ourself and ask how God is calling us to live out sacrificial love. The concepts of sacrifice, servitude, and holy slavery are hard for our culture to comprehend and sadly are not ingrained into who we are as a human person. Jesus must instead be the model to how we live and order our life. When we allow Him to be our model the rest of our life begins to take shape. 

Therefore, let us look to the Lord who was willing to be this sacrificial servant. May we be willing to grow in modeling our life after His and thus be found willing to let go of everything which holds us back from reaching such a reality.

Bulletin Article: October 10

We have been gathering in the 13th of every month since May for exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and to pray the rosary. The purpose of this series of rosaries was to pray for the growth of our parish, for those effected by COVID-19, and the success of our parish homecoming weekend. The reason that May 13th was chosen as a start date was because this was the first apparition at Fatima which would then happen on the 13th of each month until October. Therefore, on Wednesday, October 13th, we will gather one final time to pray the rosary at 6pm. There will be a reception in the gathering hall following this opportunity for prayer.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

20th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

The nobleman desired that healing would be brought unto his son. Therefore this man from Capharnaum, who had probably already heard of Christ’s healing miracles, traveled to Christ. Christ listened to his plea and acted through this miracle which cured the nobleman’s son. Once all this was brought to completion our Gospel states: “and himself believed, and his whole house.”

Now that the man had received the miracle that he was in search of he could not return to his old way of life. He came to see and to believe along with his whole house which is to state that his heart had forever been changed. The grace which came to be work bore abundant fruit which touched the life of not only one, but many.

It is with this that the salvation of souls should be an important reality for each of us. Everything that Jesus did was for the salvation of souls. Jesus’ ministry was without limit and everything that He would do was not for His own glory. Jesus goes out in order to bring the lost sheep back to Him. Through His healing ministry He reaches out to heal in order that sinners may not be lost, but may come to find eternal life. Likewise, this man and His family came to find and believes in this path which leads to eternal life.

So often we live out a faith which is turned inward upon ourself. In doing do so we forget about this importance of having concern for the salvation of others. The Lord desired that everyone be saved if they so wish. He died upon the cross in order to bring about that salvation. Upon the cross He was even concerned with the salvation of the good thief.

We are each called to have zeal for souls. This does not mean that we are called upon to be aggressive and pushy. We can think of these extreme examples of being aggressive and pushy when it pertains to religion due to experiences that have happened in our own life while living here in the south. Instead we are called to be prudent and charitable and thus be willing to lead others unto the Lord and the salvation that He desires for us.

Belief was brought onto this man and his house. Their souls came to be saved by Christ’s healing power. May we too have such zeal to bring others unto the Lord in order that they too may come to inherit eternal life. Let us continue to pray and work for the salvation of every sinner in order that they may come to be healed by Christ and saved. Let us be willing to do everything for the glory of God and for the salivation of souls.

28th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

As we profess in the Nicene Creed: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” This statement points towards the question made by the man in our Gospel: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

To this Pope Benedict would state in his encyclical letter “Spe Salvi” “On Christian Hope”: “Do we really want this- to live eternally?” He next states: that many who “reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive.”

The man in our Gospel was given a difficult answer to his question: “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

The key to this answer lies in the fact that something was holding this man back from allowing God to be found at the center of his life. This passage does not mean that we cannot have material possessions, but that we cannot allow them to become the center of our life. Whenever excess is found our life is off kilter for in all things moderation is the key. When moderation is not fostered it is easy to begin to stray from the path which leads to eternal life.

There are many who claim that they desire eternal life in word, but do we truly desire Christ to be found at life’s center? There are many activities that we pursue which detract from this reality and cause us to push God to the side. The invitation to eternal life caused the man in our Gospel to make sacrifice and thus we were told concerning him, “His face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

The invitation to eternal life should fill us with joy not with sadness. Sadness is only encountered if there is something that we desire other then eternal life. When it pertains to the world around us everything can always be taken away, but once we have obtained eternal life it cannot. Eternal life is something which is finite and true, but we so often fill our life with the perceived joys which are always fleeting from our sight.

This takes us back to Pope Benedict XVI and the question of us finding eternal life attractive or not. If this were an attractive option for us there would be nothing that we wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice in order to obtain it. Sadly, out view is usually informed by what is taking place in the here and now. Instead of the here and now we must be willing to look outward and realize that God calls us to something greater. We have been called to eternal life. What are we willing to surrender in order to obtain it?

Bulletin Article: October 3

I thank all those who participated in our parish stewardship weekend. I will report on the outcome of this weekend in the near future. One way that we can be good stewards to our parish community is by participating in ministries during the liturgy. We are especially in need of sacristan, ushers, and altar servers.

The current COVID-19 instructions allow us to resume passing baskets for collection. I would like to return to this, but this will require at the minimum of 4 ushers at each Mass who have received Safe Haven training with a financial background check. The reason that we have not had altar servers at our 5pm vigil and 8am Mass is due to a lack of youth who have responded to assist in this ministry. It is my hope that our parish will soon respond by filling these openings.

Please mark your calendars for our next parish open forum which will be November 8th at 7pm.

In Christ, 

Fr. Dustin Collins

External Solemnity or the Most Holy Rosary of the BVM Homily

Today we celebrate the External Solemnity of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This solemnity falls on October 7th which is the anniversary of the battle at Lepanto in 1571 where Christian forces overtook Turkish invaders. In this battle Christians were greatly outnumbered, but through the encouragement of Pope Pius V the faithful took up the praying of the rosary and victory was won.

At Fatima the Blessed Mother came to the three shepherd children and said, “Pray the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.” We can see that the rosary is a most powerful of devotions. Through the faithful praying of the rosary victory was won at Lepanto and victory is daily won in the life of the faithful. The rosary is sometimes refereed to as being a sword for through the praying of it we enter into spiritual battle to slay demons, covert sinners, and to conquer hearts.

Saint Dominic attests to this for through the promotion of the rosary he was able to slay a heretical sect known as the Albigensians. The Albigensians saw the universe as a constant struggle between good and evil. It was upon failing to convert them through his words that he retreated to prayer. Here Mary came to him and said, “Wonder not that until now you have obtained so little fruit by your labors; you have spent them on a barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of divine grace. When God willed to renew the face of the earth, he began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation. Therefore, preach my Psalter.”

Through the faithful preaching of Mary’s Psalter Saint Dominic was able to win victory of the Albigensians. Due to a battle which was won in September 12, 1213 a chapel was dedicated to the rosary. From here many battles were won and attributed to the rosary. Again through the rosary one is able to slay demons, covert sinners, and conquer hearts. We may not be in the midst of a battle when it pertains to country versus country, but we daily find ourself in the midst of a spiritual battle. No greater prayer reminds us of this then the Saint Michael prayer, “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.”

As the Blessed Mother stated to Sister Lucia: “There is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families… that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.”

For this reason let us take up the Psalter of the Rosary and pray it each day. Such devotion will lead us onto the Lord and allow our heart to dwell with Him always.