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How appropriate for us to celebrate this feast of Christ our King. It is a powerful reminder that our citizenship is not in this world but in the next. In spite of all the unrest surrounding the election and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the McCarrick report, we Catholic Christians should still have great inner peace. You might say, or ask, “Father, how can this be?” It should be and is possible because the source of our peace is Christ and not the world in which we live, or the powers that rule the world.
Before our Savior ascended into heaven, he told his disciples, “You will have trouble in the world, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33. The Lord also said, “I leave you peace, my peace I give you. I give you peace not as the world gives peace.” –John 14:27. Christ’s peace is eternal and true in spite of everything else that is going on around us. It can be the foundation of our person and our lives. The world’s peace is only temporary and often very fleeting. We feel worldly peace when we feel things are going our way. How often does that happen? It is a rare moment or day when everything seems to be going right. Most of the time, the world peace we experience is in bits and pieces and never truly complete or long-lasting. There is always some unrest, problem, difficulty or challenge.
The peace that Jesus offers you and me is the truth that we belong to Him! He is our Lord and Savior and has conquered sin and death. No matter what else happens in our world, in our families, our lives, our country, we have the assurance of our Savior who is always with us and who will never leave us to face our trials alone. This truth has to sink down into our very being. If we are to be true followers and believers of Jesus Christ, then his peace needs to take root in our hearts and our very souls. The unrest that you and I may experience surrounding mishaps in our lives, a commotion in our country, and an endless number of problems, cares or concerns is the reality of this world. These are all real and true setbacks, problems and difficulties. But they should not rob us of our inner peace. All of these things are temporary, but what Christ offers you and me is eternal. Sometimes all we need to do is stop and put ourselves back into the arms of our loving Savior. When we think we are journeying through this world on our own, we are bound to become depressed, discouraged and even despairing. That is where the devil has his way with us. When we are in this state of fear and anxiety, we often resort to sinful solutions to our fears. This is when Christ draws closest to us and longs for us to turn to Him and ask His help and the assurance of His love and protection.
On this Feast of Christ our King, let us be encouraged and at peace. Everything in this world is passing. But you and I, through the mercy of God, are His children and have an inheritance that is eternal. We are citizens of His kingdom that is not limited to this world. Let us remind ourselves, and all we love this weekend not to live in fear, discouragement or panic. We belong to Christ and He to us. Let us rejoice and be glad. God can use all difficulties to bring about a greater good. Let us face each day with confidence and hope, not in ourselves, not in political parties or human beings, or technology or the media, but we place our hope, our trust, in no one and nothing less than Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World!
Remember, our new Mass schedule will begin next Sunday, November 29th, the 1st Sunday of Advent:
Saturday evening 4:00 pm Mass at St. Vitus and 4:00 pm Mass at
St. Camillus;
Sunday morning: 8:00 am Mass at St. Mary, 9:00 am Mass at St. Vitus,
10:00 am Mass (weather permitting) at the Sears parking lot, and 11:00 am
at St. Camillus.
God love you,
