Thanksgiving Homily

Today our nation celebrates Thanksgiving and we gather here this morning to celebrate the Mass. It is here that we come to encounter Christ who is present with us in the Eucharist. The word “Eucharist” actually comes from a Greek word which means “thanksgiving.” With that it becomes most fitting that we gather together in order to give thanks to God for the many blessings that we have received in this life.

I understand that some may lack family at this time of year. I understand that some may have to endure hardship which makes it difficult to give thanks. Nevertheless, we are able to look towards the cross and see all that the Lord has done for us. For from the cross we can see that God loves us so much that He gave up His only begotten Son. Despite my failures and sinfulness the Lord has done all this for me and so I give thanks.

In a matter of minutes I will take bread and wine into my hands and say the words of consecration. From these words will come about the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ our Lord. Let us remember the Israelites who had been freed from their enslavement in Egypt, who wondered about lost in the desert, and even dared to complain unto God that they were hungry. In time God poured out Heavenly food upon them from which they ate and gave thanks for what God had done for them. This Heavenly food encouraged them that despite their hardships that they must and can trudge onwards towards the Promised Land.

So too in the Eucharist we have so much to be thankful for. Each of us is on a journey towards a Heaven and along the way we will endure hardship like the Israelites. Nevertheless, let us receive our strength and hope from our encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. May each of you and your families have a blessed Thanksgiving and give thanks for all that God has done for you.

Bulletin Article: November 24

With this Sunday we come to our celebration of Christ the King. This celebration brings about the conclusion of our liturgical year. We now head into Advent where we prepare for the birth of Christ who is God made Flesh.

Our parish is always a busy place, but in Advent there will be a few extra activities that I would like you to be aware of. On December 2 we will celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of our parish church with Mass at 6pm, December 7 a parish Advent retreat will be held beginning at 9:30am, December 9 our parish will host the icon of Mary of Persecuted Christians with a prayer service at 6pm, December 10 our Advent penance service will be held at 7pm, December 12 Mass will be offered on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at 7pm, December 14 a Rorate Caeli Mass will be offered at 6:30am, and December 19 our school will hold a musical at 5:30pm.

Lastly, I want to give you advance notice that I am currently planning a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from October 5-14, 2020. More information on this pilgrimage will soon follow. There will be an informational meeting held January 14 at 6:30pm.

In Christ, 

Fr. Dustin Collins

Last Sunday After Pentecost Homily

With this Mass we journey ever closer to the end of the liturgical year. When we gather next week we will arrive at the First Sunday of Advent and the start of a new liturgical year. The liturgical year is a cycle which has a beginning and an end. Nevertheless, when it comes to its conclusion it always begins anew.

This serves as a reminder of what goes on in the world around us. In the world we have many cycles which are continusely at play. We have the seasons which go from the warmth of summer to the cold of the winter. We are moving towards death and the Final Judgement. With each of these we do not simply pop out of existence, but life continues as is illustrated in this cycle.

There are some in this world who use prophesy to predict the end of the world. These many predictions have now come and gone and yet here we remain. What remains important for us is to remember that we know not the time nor the hour. If we realize this to be true we can place our attention on what is important and thus work on getting everything in order within this life. There are so many who act as if they are oblivious to the reality of death.

Our Gospel instructs that we shall see the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven and He will send out angels to gather His elect. This imagery reminds us of the harvest where crops are cut and collected from the fields. In this manner that which is found to be good and pleasing is taken while everything else is left behind. So too with death there will be judgement. The elect will be gathered together for they have been found worthy of Heaven while the rest will be cast into Hell. 

I hope that we come to place this imagery in our sight. We were created in the image and the likeness of God. God has taken on our human flesh out of love. He died upon the cross in forgiveness of our sins and sends forth the Holy Spirit to guide us in truth. Again there are many who never think of these life giving realities and thus they trudge about life chasing after false gods which will always leave them empty.

As we enter into the season of Advent next week may we keep all of this upon our mind. Fulton Sheen, who thanks be to God will be beatified on December 21st, stated that the saddest words every written were that there was no room for them in the inn. Therefore, as we enter into Advent may we come to make room in the inn of our heart for God made Flesh to come and dwell among us. If we are to do this we must cut away everything in this life which keeps us from this encounter.

Let us thus prepare for the many transitions that will take place in our life. Let us prepare for our movement into Advent and a new Church year. Let us prepare for our death and our encounter with God the Just Judge. It is towards Heaven that we must strive. May we come to do so with the assistance of all the angels and saints of Heaven and remain in the confines of the Church always.

Christ the King Homily

Adapted from homily given for Feast of Christ the King in the Extraordinary Form on October 27, 2019.

This Sunday marks the final Sunday of the liturgical year. When we gather together for the Holy Mass next Sunday we will begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year. In the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite this final Sunday of the liturgical year is known as the Solemnity of Christ the King.

I have never met a king and this is probably true for just about all of you. If we were to ever meet a king it would be proper for us to genuflect in his presence. Thankfully each and every Sunday we do have this opportunity to encounter a King. This King whom we encounter is Christ our Lord. This is why we normally genuflect when we enter a Church. We genuflect for the one who is present with us within the Tabernacle is Christ our King. If the Tabernacle is not placed in its proper place and is thus hidden in some alternate location one should not genuflect for our Lord is not present.

Hopefully we allow nothing to take our sight away from this reality. It is to here that we should come to find our hope in the midst of any affliction that may befall us. Nevertheless, we are a society which has its news at its fingertips. There is nothing which is seemingly left for us to figure out on our own. So many allow themselves to get caught up with this endless revenue of information to the point that it becomes harmful for their soul. It becomes harmful because they forget about Christ. They take their sight off of Him and begin to worry about things which are out of their control. When we think about it there is nothing which we are ultimately in control of.

This is precisely why this Solemnity of Christ the King is so important for us. We must allow Christ to be the center of our life. We must allow Him to be the One who calms all of our fears. We must allow Him to be the one whom we go to as the source and summit of our life.

This Feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in order to remind Christians of their allegiance to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy. As we chase after Christ we must remember that His Kingdom is not of this world and thus we should come to elevate our sight upwards towards Heaven.

It would seem that many have lost sight of this direction as they come to push to the side Christ in order to chase after the world. Again we must be reminded that Christ is our King. We should be willing to submit to this just ruler. We should submit here all of our fears and worries. We should not let them overcome us, but submit them to Him. We should not chase after endless avenues of pleasure, but instead realize that it is Christ for which our heart now longs.

As we come to celebrate this great Solemnity of Christ the King may we allow Christ to become the King and Ruler of our life. Let us submit to His Divine will and always be found willing to humble ourself in His midst.

Bulletin Article: November 17

Congratulations to our children who made their first confession this past weekend. I hope that this first experience with the sacrament of our Lord’s mercy will not be their last, but instead the first of many. I encourage all to make frequent use of the sacrament. Our parish confession schedule can be found in this bulletin.

Next weekend we will celebrate the final Sunday of the liturgical year, Christ the King. Following this Sunday we will be quickly plunged into the season of Advent. Please keep in mind that our parish Advent retreat will be December 7 and our parish Advent penance service will be held December 10.

Lastly, I encourage the youth of our parish to serve at Mass. We will have a training session for altar servers next Saturday, November 23, from 10:30am-11:30am.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins