November 21-22, 2009
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
Last Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daniel 7:13-14 Revelation 1:508 John 18:33-37
Sometimes the greatest truths are revealed in the midst of adversity. Those who remain calm in the midst of panic, the heroes who put themselves at risk for the benefit of others, those who stand with us when others conveniently slip away, the persistent friend who believes in us, the integrity of those who do the right thing…when the bad thing could so easily be embraced: these are gateways to perceiving the true character of those we encounter and with whom we fill our lives.
In the span of our years we frequently gain new insights into the people with whom we live. We come to understand their strengths and their weaknesses, sometimes we are surprised to discover that the person whom we always thoughts of as simply ‘our friend’ or ‘our son/daughter’ or ‘husband/wife’ or ‘neighbor’ could be someone wildly beyond our imaginings. (Captain Sully as an example of the positive….and on the opposite side, the recent shootings at Ft. Hood have a lot of people scratching their heads about what they never foresaw…) In this weekend’s Gospel selection, as we bring the Liturgical Year to a close, mere hours before he was to die on the cross we hear Jesus being asked if he is a ‘king’ by Pontius Pilate. In the midst of his betrayal, sham-trial and public humiliations, Jesus owns his purpose of existence: ‘to testify to the truth….’ In the course of this past year we have retold the ‘story of Jesus of Nazareth’ in hopes of reawakening the discernment that Jesus is not just an accomplished carpenter…but truly the incarnated Son of God. Because we have heard most of the Jesus stories year after year we can become dulled to their imagery and language, their curiosity and possibility. In the midst of our daily living we sometimes find an application for something we have heard, a Gospel image suddenly emerges as having fresh relevance, the cross ceases being theoretical and becomes real…and so, as we end this year of faith….what do you think? Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Does he interest you? How much? What about his words and message? Are they just ‘good things to have been said’ or are they words around which to revolve our lives? Is Jesus a person of interest to us only on the weekends….or is he becoming someone about whom we are continually discovering new traits, new truths, new depths…someone about whom we can’t stop thinking?
With our celebration of ‘Christ the King’, another year of faith has come and gone, thank you for traveling with our Corpus Christi Community throughout these past months. Next week, the Advent Wreath candles will begin to light our way to the Christmas story and a year of fresh opportunities and insights. At the end of the 12 Noon Mass we need your help in removing ALL the chairs from our Grand Hall in anticipation of Monday’s THANKSGIVING Dinner!
Please remember, TABLES WILL NOT BE SET UP UNTIL 3:00 this afternoon (Sunday)! (and no growling, shoving, biting or scowling at each other in the mad rush to get set-up….come on family….it’s THANKSGIVING!!!!)
The Bulletin has final information about our annual feast, as well as information on events coming up in Advent and the weeks ahead, please take one as you depart.
If you are traveling for the holidays, please do so carefully. As you gather with friends or family in groupings big or small, may you have a Thanksgiving of peace, calm and knowledge that no matter how the day, week, month or year has gone….you are loved. Happy Thanksgiving! FKB
