Dear friends,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. We proclaim his kingship that is at odds with the human understanding of kingship. The Lord reminds us that the powerful who lord the world do it to let the power felt, but for his followers it should be otherwise. Jesus called us to service. Through faith, responsibility should be understood as a gift from God to serve his people.
With the Solemnity of Christ the King, we celebrate also the end of the liturgical year. Next Sunday, we will enter the Advent season, during which we will dive into the mystery of God humbling himself to come to us as He sends His Son, who said: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. This is manifest in today’s gospel when Jesus addresses the criminal who asks for mercy. We will likewise share in his kingdom if we strive to remain faithful and ask for his mercy.
This week we also celebrate Thanksgiving. It is the opportunity I take seriously to thank all of you here at Holy Cross. Parishioners, guests and visitors…, all of you, each at their own capacity, are a tremendous blessing to this parish family. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your examples of discipleship. As we all thank the Lord for the gift of life, protection and all the blessings he ceaselessly bestows on us, I will always remain thankful to Him for the blessing and the gift of each and all of you to this parish family.
Needless to remind it, we may be tempted to count the unfortunate situations we went through. And this a human thing. Yet, even when we are able to count our misfortunes, it is impossible for us to count our blessings from God. Just because they are countless… On this solemnity of Christ the King, we are invited to lift up our eyes to Him on the Cross ass water and blood gush forth from his side to cleanse us and to make us whole again.
I would like once more to wish you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.
Fr. Emery