On the last Sunday of every liturgical year, which this Sunday is, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King—King of the Universe. Next Sunday, we will begin a new liturgical year as we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent.

The Solemnity of Christ the King takes place on the last Sunday of the liturgical year to remind us that at the end of time, Christ will come to judge the living and the dead. The solemnity is intended to remind us that we are to be ready to meet Christ when He comes by being ready to meet Him today and always. While Christians have always believed that Jesus was their king, this liturgical feast was established in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. He instituted it in troubled times to remind Catholics that the worldly powers that were causing such political turmoil at the time were only temporary and passing. The true Kingship over humanity belonged to Christ and Christians ought to be more concerned with following Christ than those passing worldly powers. At the same time that Pius XI instituted the feast, he suggested that as it was celebrated all Catholics ought to renew their consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Pius XI’s motto as Pope was: “Christ’s Peace through Christ’s reign.” Continue reading →

I am not a person who usually watches a lot of television. However, when our parishes were closed down between March and June, that all changed a bit. Once I had completed all of my parish calls and duties, I tried to read as much as I could. Once I had done as much as that as I could, I found myself turning to the television around 8:00 in the evening.   One of the things that surprised me is the number of television shows that are related to developing and celebrating the talents that some people possess. Some of the shows that can be found on the television include titles like “The Voice,” “America’s God Talent,” “Britain’s Got Talent,” “So You think you can Dance,” and “Dancing with the Stars.” All of these shows have in common the desire of those who appear on the show to have their unique talents and qualities recognized in the hopes of becoming famous. Continue reading →

The most beautiful liturgy in the Church year is the Easter Vigil. It begins with the blessings of the fire and candle.

During this part of the Vigil, the Easter fire and candle are blessed. The light of the fire represents the Risen Christ, who has destroyed the darkness of death, to become the light of the world. Once the Easter candle is lit, it is carried into the church, as the proclamation “Christ the light” is sung three times while the candle is carried into the church and brought to its place next to the ambo. As the candle is being carried into the church, the baptized members of the Church light their candles and slowly the church building is illumined by the light of all the baptized who are gathered to celebrate the Easter Vigil. Continue reading →