November 22, 1998Solemnity of Christ the King |
1) 2 Samuel 5, 1-3
2) Colossians 1, 12-20
3) Luke 23, 35-43
A sad end to a noble king. Jesus died on the cross. People just didn't seem to understand. Some thought the fight for political independence for Israel was what would concern a real Messiah. "Down with Roman oppression!" Some thought that a real religious leader should have been a bit more concerned with the temple and the details of religious practice. "Liturgy is what it all comes down to: good music, nice ceremonies!" Some thought that a real Messiah should avoid "those people." "That man welcomes sinners and eats with them!"
Christ is our King. Heaven is our home. If we forget that it is "mercy I require, not sacrifice." we have forgotten our King. We are called to be stewards for the sake of the kingdom--not a kingdom of this world, but the Kingdom of Christ, Our King.
Next Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, the readings will be: 1)Isaiah 2, 1-5; 2)Romans 13, 11-14; 3)Matthew 24, 37-44.
This day ends the Church year with a bang, and overtones of it still continue into the first part of Advent, when we reflect on the coming of Christ in his power at the end of time. I would like to share with you a bit of history about this day from Reginald Fuller's Preaching the New Lectionary:
It was a happy inspiration when Pope Pius XI made the last Sunday of October the feast of Christ the King. Although in some ways it is duplicating certain themes of Ascension Day, it provided for a distinctive emphasis on Catholic social action, the counterpart of the social gospel in American Protestantism. It also provided liturgical support for the social teachings of the great encyclicals from Leo XII on...Now the time has come for a review of Pius XI's action. Feasts governed by the secular calendar, like the Ôlast Sunday in October' lack sound precedent in liturgical history. The feast of Christ the King, if it is to be observed at all ought to be integrated into the kingship of Christ from its proper biblical context, which is the eschatological reign, and his continued heavenly rule between the ascension and his return marks the progressive defeat of evil. For he must reign until he has subjected all his enemies under his feet...Those needs were met by another happy inspiration, namely, the transference of the feast to the last Sunday of the Church year. This Sunday has always had a strong eschatological tone, even with traditional readings.
I might add that this feast was established at the time when repressive regimes such as Fascism, Nazism, and Communism were gaining hold in Europe and threatening the rest of the world. Pius XI wanted to remind the followers of Christ that NO earthly power has ultimate hold over them, especially if it was evil. Christ himself was the ultimate ruler and authority!!
THEME: CHRIST THE KING: Some power derives from raw physical force, like the power of a plains tornado. The brunt of this power is to be feared and avoided at all cost. Some power derives from inner strength; it persuades, convinces, gathers. We do not speak of the "brunt" of this power for it is enfolding and without harsh edges. Jesus possessed this kind of power. He spoke and acted with an authority the world has not yet gotten over and cannot do without.
The conduct of everyone around the Cross was the negation of the very faith the good thief manifested; yet he believed when others disbelieved. The penitent thief called Him Lord or One Who possessed the right to rule; he ascribed to Him a Kingdom which certainly was not of this world, for He bore no outward mark of kingship. Victim and Lord were to the good thief compatible terms. A dying thief understood before the Apostles. This is the only deathbed conversion mentioned in the Gospels, but it was preceded by the Cross of suffering. What the good thief asked for was to be remembered. But why be remembered, except that the pardon Christ offered to His executioners could also be offered to him? Nor was there a word of smiting or reproach to the thief, for his heart was already bruised and broken. This was the only word spoken to the Cross that received an answer, and it was the promise of Paradise to the thief that very day.
Life of Christ by Fulton J. Sheen, PH.D., D.D.; pg. 389
Thanksgiving Day in the United States comes at the end of November, a bit late in the year for a typical harvest festival. The growing season is over. In some parts of the country, snow has already fallen.
The Pilgrims, the Calvinist settlers in New England, held the first Thanksgiving Day celebration in 1621. Many of the English settlers did not celebrate Easter or Christmas. They had abandoned Catholic feast days and seasons, but they were devoted to the Bible. They based their laws and customs on it.
After landing in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims had a tragic winter. They found the New England winters far colder than in England, and half the settlers died. In the spring, help came from a Pawtuxet Native American, named Squanto, who showed them how to plant corn and other native crops. Because of this, they enjoyed a bountiful harvest.
Inviting their Native American friends to join them, they prepared turkeys and other wild game, seafood, corn, dried berries and vegetables. Their harvest festival lasted three days.
Thanksgiving Day didn't become an annual event until much later. In 1789, President George Washington proclaimed a day of thanksgiving for the new bounty. For many years after that, some states celebrated on one day, some on another. In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as the official Thanksgiving Day for the nation.
The Law of Moses calls the people to share their bounty with family, servants, strangers, widows, and orphans. Today, in the United States many people have no way to share in Thanksgiving celebrations because they are hungry, homeless or isolated from family and friends. On Thanksgiving Day we remember them and welcome them with our prayer and our service.
There is KING Kong (you don't want to monkey around with him!). There is Prince Charles, who will be KING (if his Mom ever tires of being Queen). There is KING Kutz (which is dog food, but very tasty of you're a celibate who can't cook!). There is KING size (I'm almost there!). I think I'll stop now...My point is that the word "King" is used a lot. It's just not used with the same power that is meant when we say "Christ the King." How do I know if Christ is truly the King in my life? I give Him total allegiance. Anything less is not worthy of our King. Something to pray about on this Feast of Christ the King...
Father Murphy
Lay Holiness And Lay Mission... The vocation of the lay faithful to holiness implies that life according to the Spirit expresses itself in a particular way in their involvement in temporal affairs and in their participation in earthly activities. Once again the Apostle admonishes us: Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col 3:17)...
The vocation to holiness must be recognized and lived by the lay faithful, first of all as an undeniable and demanding obligation and as a shining example of the infinite love of the Father that has regenerated them in His own life of holiness. Such a vocation, then, ought to be called an essential and inseparable element of the new life of Baptism, and therefore an element which determines their dignity. At the same time the vocation to holiness is intimately connected to mission and to the responsibility entrusted to the lay faithful in the Church and in the world. In fact, that same holiness, which is derived simply from their participation in the Church's holiness, represents their first and fundamental contribution to the building of the Church herself, who is the Communion of Saints.
The eyes of faith behold a wonderful scene: that of a countless number of lay people, both women and men, busy at work in their daily life and activity, often times far from view and quite unacclaimed by the world, unknown to the world's greatest personages but nonetheless looked upon in love by the Father, untiring laborers who work in the Lord's vineyard. Confident and steadfast through the power of God's grace, these are the humble yet great buildersmof the Kingdom of God in history. [CL.n.17]
CATHERINE OF SIENA (1347-1380). A twin and the 24th of 25 children, Catherine enered the lay Third Order of St. Dominic. After a time of giving herself to contemplation, she came to realize that she must also actively serve others. She carried on extensive correspondence with all kinds of people, from popes and kings to humble workers and even prostitutes. Her theological writings, rooted in deep pastoral experience and common sense, earned her the title of Doctor of the Church. She is one of only three women to be so honored (the others are Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux). Gifts for the third millennium: Catherine's skills of conciliation among groups.
Starting next Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, the Catholic Church in the United States will introduce a new Lectionary (the book of Bible readings used for Mass). After the Second Vatican council ended in 1965, all books used for the liturgy were revised. The Lectionary was first published in 1970. This Lectionary included a wide range of readings from the Bible, with several cycles of readings for Sundays and weekdays, and was revised by the Vatican in 1981. This new Lectionary was approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and confirmed by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on behalf of the Holy See. What does all this mean to us here at OLS? We will be given a deeper sense of God's Word! The translations of the Lectionary are excellent and there are additional scripture passages for us to hear and contemplate. For the next several months the readings that are provided in the missals will not correspond to the words you hear proclaimed from the pulpit. (The publisher of the Missal is running behind in getting the new texts to us.) So, we will all need to listen more attentively to the Word of God spoken to us by the lector, deacon, and priest. Let us all pray that understanding of God's Word will lead us to a deeper faith and commitment to Jesus and His Church.
In a culture which prizes individuality, going to church can be understood as time for private prayer and devotion rather than community action. Often enough Catholics complain that there is little time for individual prayer at Mass. The Catholic liturgy expects a real dying to self in this regard. We do not simply worship God simultaneously. We come for communion, that is, we allow ourselves to become involved in a greater reality: the mystical body of Christ. For us, as a sacramental people, participation engages the whole human person, not only the mind. Liturgy is not only words, but action, as a genuine expression of love (see I John 3:18).
What are our images of full, active and conscious participation? If this participation includes singing and praying together, what efforts do we make to gather the congregation? Do our church buildings help or hinder the congregation in its gathering? How do we help people begin to think of pews as shared, rather than reserved, seating? Do we encourage participation with appropriate rehearsals and by using ritual music often enough so that it becomes familiar? Are our sound systems and lighting effective, and our musical instruments in tune?
How are the people trained to worship as an assembly? We might take some clues from how we prepare our children for the sacraments, or how we assist our catechumens in taking part in our worship. Do we remind people of the proper ways to make liturgical gestures and responses, and reflect with them on the meaning of these actions and words?
Several times in this year's gospels, Luke uses the image of a meal with Jesus as a setting for the proclamation of the kingdom of God. These parables may also provide us the opportunity to reflect as a community on our participation at the table of the Lord.
Rev. Paul J. Niemann, D.Min.
This past August 12, Pope John II published an Apostolic Letter under the title Dies Domini-the day of the Lord. It is an inspiring document that encourages all of us to reflect on the importance of the Lord's Day, Sunday, in our lives. I would like to offer a few thoughts on this important letter of our Holy Father.
His words stir and challenge us to a deeper appreciation of the true meaning of the Lord's Day in our lives, in the life of our parish. If one thinks of Sunday Eucharist as the weekly minimum required for a healthy spiritual diet, the data on Mass attendance reveal worldwide famine. Of Ireland's Catholics, some 60-65 percent; in Poland, 33 percent; in South Korea, Italy, and El Salvador 30 percent each; in England and Wales only 26 percent (according to recently reported studies.)
"We cannot live without the Lord's Supper" declares the pope, quoting a martyr in Dies Domini. He writes not merely to multiply Mass attendance, but to encourage us to observe Sunday-the whole day-"with conviction of soul." He urges everyone privileged to worship freely on Sunday to live the day "in all its depth." It is a lengthy document but it clarifies the relationship between the Jewish Sabbath, rooted in God's rest after creation, and the Christian Sunday, which celebrates the Resurrection. It also makes a convincing case for corporate worship, gathering as Christ's disciples have done for two thousand years, to eat from the tables of Word and Eucharist. The pope also acknowledges the responsibility of the church to provide good liturgy. Rather than chiding or waving the banner of duty or authority, the Holy Father appeals to our highest hopes and deepest longings. His words stir and his vision compels. Even when he cites the law (the Third Commandment and the Sunday obligation in the code of canon law), he describes it as "not at all a burden imposed," but an aid to help us recognize our "life-giving and liberating dependence upon the Creator."
From the first days of Christianity, Sunday has been celebrated as the Day of Resurrection-the day on which the whole community gathered to give thanks to God. The focal point of the whole day for the Christian is the Eucharist and the blessings of the breaking of the Word and Eucharist fill the whole day with the Lord's peace and joy. It is truly a day of "rest in the Lord." Sunday, then, is not only a remembrance of a past event: it is a celebration of the living presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of His own people.
Father James Tobin, S.M.
Pastor
When we pray during each Eucharist Thy Kingdom Come, what does it mean to us? It should mean an end to hate and jealousy, the end of human greed and meanness and sinfulness. It has to mean the end of every injustice, all suffering, all tears. The end of time. Christ Jesus will come again in glory to right all wrongs, to turn our mourning into dancing, to make all things shiny and new again. Think of the poetic imagery of Isaiah's peaceful kingdom in which there is no harm or hurt. Everyone who would know God as a child knows its tender, loving parent. The wolf is the guest of the lamb, the calf and the young lion browse together in the care of a small child, and the child plays beside the cobra's den. There would be no harm on God's holy mountain because everyone would really know God, as a child knows its parents' love (Isaiah 11:6-9)
Isaiah lived in a time of terror and upheaval. But he could see even more clearly what would come after devastation, when a merciful God would heal all the suffering and sorrows of the faithful. Then, at the end of days, God would provide a great feast on the holy mountain for all peoples (Isaiah 25:6,8,9):
A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.... The Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces....Let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!
With this series of historical vignettes we review the history of the parish and archdiocese.
Bishop DuBourg was in residence in St. Louis only three days when he had plans drawn for a cathedral church. Subscriptions were raised from Catholic and non-Catholic alike. On Sunday afternoon, March 29, 1818, the cornerstone was laid by the bishop together with his assisting priests, amid much solemnity and joy. Inside the stone were placed two papers, one containing the story of the foundation of St. Louis, and the other, the attestation of the actual ceremony signed by the bishop, the priests present, and the members of the building committee.
Yet Bishop DuBourg's new cathedral, a brick buiding, was destined never to be entirely completed, it being supplanted in 1834 by the present stone church. However, it was designed to have a nave measuring 134 by 40 feet, and 40 feet in height, with five large arches on either side, which eventually served as outer walls. A tall steeple, the same height as the depth of the building, with several large bells from France, was to point a graceful finger to Heaven.
Beautiful Old World treasures graced the altars and church interior. Sacred vases, ornaments, gold embroideries, gifts from France, Italy, Sicily and the Netherlands. There were beautiful sets of candle-sticks, a richly embroidered antipendium. Ten paintings, six of which were the gift of King Louis XVIII of France, hung on the walls. One representing the Crusader St. Louis, was above the altar; another of the Blessed Virgin and the Child amidst clouds faced the pulpit; there was a large Crucifixion, a picture of the Espousal of the Blessed Virgin, and one of St. Bartholomew. (Many of these valuable treasures of art are still on exhibition in the present Old Cathedral museum.)
Financial difficulties almost at once beset the new bishop and plagued his attempts to build a fitting church for the Catholics of St. Louis. Later, however, Providence was good and came to the rescue of the struggling parishioners in the form of generous financial aid from the Association of the Propagation of the Faith in France, under the protectorship of Cardinal DeCroy, Archbishop of Rouen.
Advent has a two-fold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ's first coming to us is remembered; as a season when that remembrance directs our mind and heart to await Christ's second coming at the end of time. Advent thus is a period devout and joyful expectation (General Norms from the Liturgical year and Calendar {henceforth, General Norms}39).
More list of questions lawyers posed to witnesses:
How was your first marriage terminated? By death. And by whose death was it terminated? Can you describe the individual? He was about medium height and had a beard. Was this a male or female? Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people? All my autopsies are performed on dead people. All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to? Oral. Do you recall the time that you examined the body? The autopsy started around 8:30p. And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time? No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy. In Jesus' Love, Fr. John
