It’s no news that time certainly goes by quickly. Here we are on Thanksgiving weekend. The media and the world of commerce call this the traditional start to the holiday season. It used to be called the Christmas Season. But then, the secularists have removed God from the public square. Of course, they make a concession by allowing the expression of religion if it is kept behind closed doors. How can we relegate God to only a part of our world—to only a part of our lives? The answer is that we can’t. Believing in God involves a relationship, and that relationship is one of love. He personally loves each one of us, and our natural response is to love Him.
Today, the last Sunday of the Church year, is the feast of Christ the King. By confessing his kingship, we are professing that He is the center of each of our lives. Each of us will certainly die sometime. We will not just cease to exist and pass into nothingness. We will go on living although separated for a time from our bodies. We hope that we will have the real life of Heaven and not a deadly existence without God which is called hell. The fullness of life with God begins here on earth with Baptism and continues with keeping Him in our daily lives. We realize that true life, freedom and happiness consist in doing his will.
Most Americans thanked God a couple of days ago for the food and other things that they have. May they not put Him on the shelf until next Thanksgiving. As Catholics we keep the subject of today’s feast alive everyday: Jesus Christ is our one and only King.
Next Sunday, we will begin our preparation for the commemoration of the birth of our King. Advent is one more period of time for spiritual growth. We should ask how prepared are we to receive Him daily and to express our love for Him. May each of us be a faithful witness to our love for Him. Just as the early Christians were a leaven for the world, may we be a holy influence on our society today. Then, perhaps more and more will be getting ready to celebrate not the holiday season but the CHRISTmas Season .
Fr. Stanley
