November 12-13, 2011
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proverbs 31:10-31 First Thessalonians 5:1-6 Matthew 25:14-30
On local college and university campuses, you can always tell when quarter or semester finals are drawing near: the Library is inhabited 24/7, the level of partying drops and the late-night study sessions are back-to-back. Dark circles appear beneath youthful eyes, clothes become a bit disheveled and God only knows what new life-forms might be growing within the laundry piles nestled in dorm and apartment rooms.
With the hope of stellar success, the approach of finals sets in motion a frenzy of academic intensity. In like manner, the approach of the seasonal holidays causes more focused planning, shopping and list-making…knowing that Thanksgiving will be here before you can say gobble-gobble-gobble. This week’s Scriptures (not unlike the readings for the last month or so) derive their intensity from next week’s official ENDING of the Church year: The Solemnity of Christ the King. With that in mind, this week’s readings are pretty straight forward: God entrusted this past year to each of us….he expects results from his investment…what have we done with what he gave us? How have we used this past year? What have we to show for another year of building a relationship with Jesus? Have we screwed up our lives or straightened out past struggles? Have we mended wounded relationships or driven them further apart? Are we more in tune with the Holy Spirit or still trying to control the grace of God? An unpleasant and off-putting consideration is that both last week and this week’s Scriptures have the strong image of God essentially saying NO to those who do not adequately prepare, who do not produce, who do not measure up.
Have we perhaps slipped into thinking that God has to accept whatever we offer him? Have we become so arrogant as to think that God does not get to have any expectations…that we can pretty much do whatever we want and still get everything…on our own schedule? Ahhhhhhh….well, each person is always free to create their own fictional image of God, but the image proclaimed in the Scriptures for the last couple of thousand years is that God is not nearly the patsy some people want to presume he is. While very loving, forgiving and tireless in his pursuit of each of us….God will allow us to refuse his invitation…he won’t force us to be in relationship with him…and while we always think that we will naturally turn to God when our time is up….in reality we will probably do what we have rehearsed and conditioned ourselves to do throughout our lives. So…with one week to go before this year is up…for what/whom have you been rehearsing? Yourself or Jesus?
Thank you for sharing this autumn weekend with our Corpus Christi Community. You have noticed that starting back on October 1st, our Hospitality Ministers are now remaining stationed at the doors throughout the Mass. This is to be able to warmly welcome those who are arriving late, provide them with a Worship Aid…AND…gently and lovingly remind them to not compound their lateness by rudely disrupting the readings by trying to find a seat. If you arrive late, please kindly follow our Hospitality Ministers instructions to wait until the proper time to go to a seat. Also, please do not use the center aisle…please discretely find a seat via the side aisles instead of drawing attention to yourself (nope, we are not trying to be mean or cruel…just inviting folks to embrace modesty and humility…after all, you ARE late!) Thanks for helping!! We continue to gather sign-ups for our Big Thanksgiving Feast on Monday, November 21st….the sign-up sheets for assorted food and service options are outside on the special Thanksgiving Table. The Bulletin has complete news on what to expect for our Feast, as well as other news of upcoming events, please take one with you as you depart…and remember…while the Church year ends next weekend…you are loved. FKB
