From the Pastor – Nov. 26, 2017

Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The feast reminds us that Jesus was a different type of King. He had no crown, except the one of thorns. His throne was the cross, which became a means of victory over sin and death. The robe he wore was of purple, which he wore on the way to his execution. But, he was a servant-king, showing the people he touched the care and concern of the Father. His presence, his message and his actions all reflected his love and affection for the people he met. He was the way to the Father for them, as he is for us. The challenge of this feast is that he invites us to follow his example, because we are the ones entrusted to help bring the Kingdom of God a little closer to the people we meet each day along the way.
Today also begins the last week of the church year. Next week we begin the Season of Advent. We can look back on this year to see how well we have listened to the challenge of the Lord to be a vibrant sign of his presence for others. If we can grow each year in our awareness of Christ’s presence in our lives and our responsibilities as his people, then we have understood all that Jesus calls us to be as his people.
Today’s Gospel reinforces for us the challenge to serve one another. Whenever we care for another we accept the challenge Jesus offers us to be that sign of his presence for others. The interesting thing is that we do this every day in our dealings with each other, and we never give it a second thought that we might help another experience the care of the Lord Jesus. We act towards each other in friendship because we see a need and want to be able to help.
There was an interesting item on the news the other day. The individual was talking about how some people, especially but not limited to young people, are so consumed by social media that their lives are radically affected. Their school work and their work suffers because of their obsession with social media. The commentator went on to say how this obsession is akin to an addiction. The ones who become so consumed with social media have altered their lives, from missing school, work and other activities. It is amazing how easily we can become so detached from the “normalcy” of life and allow social media to dominate our lives that it now becomes the norm. It is always good for parents to monitor how much involvement their children have with social media. It’s just as important for spouses to do the same with their partners. There are enough problems in our lives without having to add to them by our obsession with social media. The message we send, when we become so consumed by social media is that nothing and no one matters except what I want to do. WWJD?
~Fr. Joe