Today we celebrate Jesus as Christ the King. It is proper to do so on the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. For us today the image of a king is a little old fashioned. How many living kings can you name? Most of us probably think of Queen Elizabeth of the UK and then have to really search for more names. There are lots of kings in the Bible, for example King Saul, King David, King Solomon, etc. In today's Gospel, Pilate asks Jesus: "Are you the King of the Jews?" Part of Jesus' response is: "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." We really need to listen to Jesus more than ever to hear the truth today. In our first reading the Prophet Daniel has a vision of the Son of man coming on a cloud, who "received dominion, glory and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion." The Son of Man is Jesus. In the second reading from the Book of Revelation, we read: "Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth." That makes Jesus the King of kings. He is God's human face. God so loved the world he sent his only begotten son to be one of us to show us how to live by loving God above everything else and our neighbors as ourselves. May Christ the King bless us today and everyday.
On Thursday we have an American Holiday, Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. We will have a Mass of Thanksgiving on Thursday at 9:00 AM. I hope you can make it. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, individually and as a people. I thank all of those who helped with our St. Vincent de Paul food baskets. We were able to help 30 families have a great Thanksgiving.
Pope Francis has called a Synod of Bishops for 2023. He asks all the dioceses in the world to hold listening sessions to let the bishops of the world know what the grassroots is thinking. Please see Cheryl Ashe for more info on this.
The Notre Dame Federal Credit Union once again made a much appreciated gift of $5,000.00 to the parish. Diane Freeby, their ELEVATE Liaison, came by with the check and met with me and the Harris' to explain their ELEVATE program. This is a program where they donate to the parish when a parishioner meets with them and opens a new auto loan or debit or credit card. If you are doing either with the NDFCU be sure to mention the parish. A Third offering sounds really good. It is called a financial check up and it is free. For a 30 minute meeting with their representative, they will help you understand your finances better. They will also donate $150.00 to the parish in your name. For more info call them at 844-230-6611 or email them at [email protected].
An Evening of Hope and Healing for those struggling with infertility will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Therese, Little Flower Church in South Bend. This special gathering will focus on the Advent spirit of waiting with hope, and will feature a reflection, inspiring music, Eucharistic Adoration, and an opportunity to receive healing prayer as individuals or as couples offered by members of the prayer ministry team. Sponsored by Marriage & Family Ministry, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. For more information, contact Lisa Everett at [email protected] or call 574-234-0687.
We continue to have Sunday Mass at 8:15 and 10:30 AM. If you are not vaccinated, we ask you to wear a mask. If you are vaccinated, you don't need one but certainly can wear one if you are more comfortable doing so. If you are ill, please stay home and watch our Mass on our web page later in the day. We do have Children's Church during the 10:30. The Sacraments Class is at 9:30 AM as is the Good Shepherd Program. The Confirmation Class meets on Tuesdays at 6:45 PM in the hall. The Soup Kitchen is open MWF 11 AM - 12:30 PM. Our Saint Vincent de Paul still brings food to the shut ins. We are always looking for more volunteers for both.