November 22, 2020 - The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
November21,2020
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Today the Catholic Church throughout the world celebrates the last Sunday of the Church calendar with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. Before the reform of the Church calendar in 1970 this feast was celebrated on the last Sunday of October, which is still the case with those who observe the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. At the 4pm Traditional Latin Mass we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King on Sunday, October 25th. When Pope Pius XI established this feast back in 1925, it seemed as if the whole world was beginning to march in the wrong direction. In 1917, once Christian Russia was replaced by virulent atheistic communism. In Mexico the Church was experiencing a bloody and ruthless persecution, vividly portrayed in the 2012 film The Greater Glory, which is a film every adult Catholic should see. In 1922 Benito Mussolini marched on Rome and pompously proclaimed the beginning of fascist rule based on the old pre-Christian Roman Empire. It was to be an entirely new era. Later in 1933 Adolf Hitler would establish the Third Reich, which he thought would last over a thousand years. Of course, we know how history turned out, but even to the victors there would be much suffering and sadness. I remember well my parents and grandparents saying that after World War II things were never quite the same again. The world had lost its innocence. It is this last lament that helps us see the relevance of today’s feast.
Our era has its own challenges. The current moral and spiritual direction of our country has many rightly and seriously worried. What will be our future as a country and as individuals as many souls turn more and more away from Jesus Christ and His holy commandments? Daily we are witnesses to the sad Secularism that has become more and more antagonistic towards the Christian Way of life and is even looking for ways to persecute and suppress true believers and curtail the freedom of our Holy Mother, the Church. The warning given to us by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 about the “dictatorship of relativism” is being played out in the daily struggle between good and evil, right and wrong. What should we do? To whom should we turn? Even some Christians think that we should remain silent, failing to even raise our voices on the side of the angels.
They are wrong. Without a doubt our first, last, best, and only hope is Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. May His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. His gentle yet firm reign is tried and true. He cannot fail us no matter what. To Him we re-consecrate ourselves as His faithful, devoted, loyal disciples. Come what may we promise to stand by Him and His holy bride, our Mother, the Catholic Church. In solidarity with the Mexican martyrs, we must never fail to proclaim from the housetops: “Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King! Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe!”
Yours in Our Lord Jesus Christ Our King and the Queen of Heaven, Mary,
The Rev. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor
P.S. On Thursday, November 26th we join all Americans in celebrating Thanksgiving Day. For what matters most we are sincerely thankful. We beg God to lead us through these difficult days just as He did at the first Thanksgiving. We are most grateful for our faith in the Lord and for all His good, loving, holy people. God bless America! Mass will be celebrated at 9am.