Dear Parishioners,

I would like to thank everyone for the good turnout for the Thanksgiving Day Mass. I was so happy to see so many of us come together to thank God first before other celebrations that day. May God continue to bless us all as we willingly share our time, talent, and treasure during this holiday season.

End of the Liturgical Year

With the celebration of Mass this weekend, we have come to the end of the Liturgical Year B. Next weekend, we will begin the new Liturgical Year C, which also marks the beginning of the season of Advent in preparation for Christmas. The Church dedicates the last Sunday of every liturgical year to the guidance of Jesus Christ, known as "Christ the King." This is a reminder that God has control over the beginning and end of all things in heaven and on earth, the Alpha and Omega. Jesus, himself, chose to identify himself more as a shepherd than a king. This is because the title, King, generally refers to an autocratic leader and a monarchical system where the followers are mostly treated as properties of the king. However, as Jesus explains to Pilate in the Gospel today, his kingship and his kingdom does not belong to this world.

A little bit of history behind this Solemnity will help to clarify why the Church chose to dedicate the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year to "Christ the King." After World War I, there was a growing sense of the power of humanity to rule itself. A power struggle commenced among the world leaders of the time, as some leaders (i.e., Adolf Hitler) were trying to dominate and enthrone themselves as leader of the world. There was a rise in secularism, extreme ideological government and economic system. It was at this backdrop that, in 1925, Pope Pius XI established the Feast of Christ the King as a protest against the rise of modern secularism. The Church wanted to remind the world leaders that, no matter how powerful any leader might be, no human being can claim to be the absolute ruler of the world except for Jesus himself. Thus, the Feast of Christ the King is a proclamation of the Chris an belief that the reign of Christ should be felt not only in the private lives of Christians, but also in the public domain.

As we move into the new Liturgical Year, we are reminded of what Jesus told his disciples, to "put new wine into new wineskins" (Mt 9:17). One of the best ways to do this is to visit the Sacrament of Reconciliation to purify and renew ourselves. In addition to the regular weekly confession time in our parish (Saturdays, 3:30pm to 4:30pm), you are invited to come and participate in our Parish Advent Penance Service scheduled for Wednesday, December 5, at 7pm.

Thank you and Remain Blessed. Fr. James

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