Dear Parishioners,

This weekend is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe or what we have more often called, Christ the King. While Christ has always been King, the Feast was not instated until 1925 by Pope Pius XI in response to the growing secularism and atheism in the world. During this time in Mexico, Russia and other parts of Europe there were militant secularistic regimes that threatened and persecuted the Catholic Church. In Mexico, many faithful Catholics called the “Cristeros” were martyred for the faith and the great cry “Viva Cristo Rey” became their last words. They kept Christ the King as the center of their lives despite anti-Christian governments.

Dear Parishioners,

This coming week we gather with friends and family to celebrate the American holiday—Thanksgiving. It is a beautiful holiday to stop and give thanks—to be grateful in this fast paced world that is often more ready to criticize and complain than give thanks. Of course, we as Catholics give thanks every time we gather for Eucharist...we are truly thanksgiving people.

St Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This can be hard if we see gratitude or thanksgiving as an emotion rather than a virtue. Christian thanksgiving does not depend on circumstances but on practices and habits we develop by always looking for the good and trusting in God.

Dear Parishioners,

One of my favorite quotes is from Saint Augustine, Bishop in the late 4th and early 5th century.

“Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying, but let us live well, and the times shall be good. We are the times, such as we are, such are the times.”

Dear Parishioners,

As you read this I hope the Diamondbacks have clinched the World Series title. A worldly hope, but none the less a hope. What is Christian hope? This week at morning Mass, St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, speaks of hope, “for in hope we were saved.” It also speaks of “creation groaning” in this life, much like we groan when we watch the news these days...hoping for peace, for the respect of human life and care for those most vulnerable. As Christians, we groan as we wait in hope for God’s fulfillment.