From the Pastor – Solemnity of Christ the Universal King

November 27, 2017

From the Pastor – Solemnity of Christ the Universal King

We celebrate today what is popularly and traditionally called the Feast of Christ the King. This is also the beginning of the last week of our Catholic Liturgical Year, as the New Year begins with Advent next Sunday. We often mention that time is a gift to us; this idea of measuring Church time is also a gift, but do we truly appreciate it?

People tend to say “I go to church.” In reality, Christ does not call us to “go” to church; He calls us to be Church. We should live our lives in such a way that it is clear we are Catholic and Christian and part of Christ’s Kingdom, for He is our King. Were you aware that the name “Christ” is a royal title in itself? In Greek it means “the anointed king.”

St. Paul referred to the Lord as “king of kings and lord of lords,” a phrase with which we are familiar. If we accept Christ as our King, and if we live our lives as His disciples and followers we are certainly part of His Kingdom. Pope Pius XI instituted today’s solemnity in 1925 at a time when many countries were struggling with total loyalty to secular royalty. Pius XI wanted Catholics to recognize that their loyalty was to a higher power, their spiritual king in heaven.

Pius XI wrote at that time, “For Jesus Christ reigns over the minds of individuals by His teachings, in their hearts by His love, in each one’s life by the living according to His law and the imitating of His example.”

Pastoral Pondering

In 2012 the movie For Greater Glory was released which chronicles the Cristeros War which occurred between 1926 and 1929 in Mexico. It is a true story of faith, persecution and the triumph of grace which produced saints and martyrs. The socialist government, supported by the Freemasons, sought to eradicate Catholicism in Mexico by enforcing the anti-clerical constitution that had been adopted 30 years previously. The uprising which opposed those measures took as their battle cry the slogan “Viva Cristo Rey!” (Long live Christ the King) and many martyrs died with those words upon their lips, including St. José Luis Sánchez del Río, a fourteen year old boy.

As we come to the close of the Church’s liturgical year and hear the words of the Last Judgment from St. Matthew, it is a good opportunity to ask ourselves if we truly live with Christ as our King, our Lord and Master. During a recent retreat with other priests from around the world, we had a beautiful opportunity to reflect upon the Last Things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. The meditations presented by the priest leading the retreat were inspired by the traditional spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius.

My time of reflection during the retreat made me realize how easily we (including me personally) allow the spirit of this world to influence us and lead us away from the Kingship of Christ. We too easily compromise with this world in order to get by or to be accepted. In so doing, we make a desire for human respect become an idol in our lives. In his dream about hell, it was revealed that one of the greatest sins after pride is the desire for human respect which arises from a type of disobedience to God’s law and to His will. When we choose to acquiesce to this world, we are, either directly or indirectly, turning our backs on God.

This rejection often comes in little ways that can easily go unnoticed. Perhaps its allowing worldly pursuits to interfere with prayer or even assisting at Holy Mass on Sunday. Perhaps it is remaining silent when someone criticizes our faith or our Church. Perhaps it is not turning off the television when what we are watching portrays that which is immoral. Perhaps its refusing to properly discipline our children and calling them to holiness and virtue. Regardless of the means, the result is the same, a lukewarm faith that distinguishes us very little from those who have no faith at all.

Not one of us is given tomorrow. We are simply given today. Neither you nor I know when the Lord will return nor when He will call us. What we do know, however, is that when our time comes, we will be judged for how well we lived out our Baptismal call. This is lived out first by loving God with all of our heart, mind and soul and then loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. What a blessing it is that God reminds us of this reality on this last Sunday of the year so that when our time comes, we do not stand before Him empty-handed and find ourselves among the goats and not the sheep.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • October 3, 2025
Our readings today show us that living a stewardship way of life, that is, a life focused on serving God and His Kingdom, is not easy. They also show us that our lives belong to God, not to us, and that God will indeed bring about the fulfillment of His kingdom., We just need to have faith that He can do it and commit to our small part in His grand design. This is both our privilege and responsibility as Christian stewards. Jesus makes this privilege and responsibility clear in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. When the apostles as the Lord to increase their faith, He tells them that even a mustard-seed sized faith is all that is needed to move mountains (because it is God who does the heavy lifting). We need to only take the tiniest step forward, and He will do the rest. But living our lives in His service is also very much our responsibility, as Jesus explains through the parable of the unprofitable servant later in the passage. Our Lord describes a scene in which a servant has just come from tending to the master’s affairs and asks whether it would be reasonable for the master to begin waiting on the servant. Of course, it would not be reasonable! The servant would be expected to continue to serve his master until he has completed the work the master has given him that day. Jesus says that we should have the same attitude before God. The time, talents, and treasure entrusted to us are all God’s. Our very lives belong to Him. Whatever we do on God’s behalf with our lives and our gifts is simply our God-given responsibility. The stewardship way of life makes the privilege and responsibility of serving Christ and His kingdom a reality. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering  As we move into autumnal colors, with shorter days and cooling weather, the late weeks of the liturgical year always provide us with an opportunity to reflect on faith and life. It is also that time of the calendar year when we start thinking about those who are less fortunate among us. In the coming weeks, we have a number of efforts to assist the least of our brethren with life’s basic needs including the coat drive, thanksgiving food drive and the Christmas giving effort (formerly known as the Angel Tree ©). There are no shortage of demands placed on all of us these days, but the spiritual and corporal works of mercy remain the bedrock of our Catholic lives. Thank you in advance for responding with a generous heart.

From the Pastor - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • September 26, 2025
We have all been given great power by God in the form of Time, Talents, and Treasure. Today’s readings remind us that this power is meant to be used for great good. And that failure to do so has eternal consequences. We see the urgency for us to put our powers to good use in today’s Gospel passage from Luke. Our Lord tells the rather chilling parable of the rich man who ignored poor Lazarus during their lifetimes. At the moment of the rich man’s death, he goes down to the netherworld, while Lazarus is taken to the eternal joy and comfort in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man keenly regrets his indifference towards the needs of Lazarus, but it is too late for regret. His choices have played out, and now the rich man will face the consequences of his failure to use the gifts God gave him. Pursuit of God’s kingdom and care for the poor are not trifling matters. Our Lord makes this clear to us over and over in the Scriptures and the constant teachings of our 2,000-year-old Church. We are free to ignore these teachings and live instead for ourselves. But there will be tragic results for us in the end. And, because we are made for eternity, living selfishly on this earth doesn’t really bring us true happiness anyway. So how can we use our great powers for great good? By embracing stewardship way of life. By putting God first in all areas of our lives — in the way we spend our time, the ways we share our talents, the ways we give of our financial resources. Stewardship living calls us out of our comfort zone and into commitment to the Lord and the things that matter to Him. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering Even though this year is not a presidential or mid-term election, local elections are quite important, and we often don’t take them as seriously as we should. This year we have two parishioners running for office, Dan Boone is running for town council, and Bill Fountain is running for school board. To some these positions may seem insignificant, but it is at the local level that we, as Catholics, can have the greatest impact. I thought it might be helpful then to give a reminder of the duties of Catholics in political life. The Church teaches that lay Catholics bear primary responsibility for temporal affairs, including politics, as an extension of baptismal vocation (CCC 1913). Key duties include:  Forming Conscience : Study Church teachings to discern moral priorities; avoid reducing faith to single issues but prioritize intrinsic evils like abortion. Active Involvemen t: Vote informatively, run for office, join parties or advocacy groups, and dialogue with officials to apply Gospel values. Pope Francis stated, "A good Catholic meddles in politics," offering the best of oneself to help leaders govern justly. Non-Partisan Advocacy : The Church engages issues (e.g., life, family, peace) but avoids partisanship to focus on principles. Parishes can host voter education but not endorse candidates. For Public Officials : Catholic politicians must align actions with Church moral teachings; supporting grave evils like abortion risks scandal and cooperation in evil. Separation of church and state protects, rather than hinders, faith-based action in public life. Challenges and Encouragement In polarized environments, Catholics may feel disenfranchised, but the Church calls for renewed engagement to transform society incrementally toward justice. Resources like the USCCB's Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (updated periodically) guide voters on applying Catholic Social Teaching. Ultimately, political action flows from love of neighbor, proving faith through works (James 2:14–17).