Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King…this is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time. Next weekend we enter into the Season of Advent and our preparation time for the coming of our Savior into humanity. We use the titles "Solemnity", "Feast", and ―"Memorial" without usually explaining them and so I thought I would take this opportunity to give a little background.
Solemnities are the highest of the three and are usually reserved for the most important mysteries of faith. These include Easter, Pentecost and the Immaculate Conception; the principal titles of our Lord, such as King and Sacred Heart; and celebrations that honor some saints of particular importance in salvation history, such as Sts. Peter and Paul, and St. John the Baptist on his day of birth. Solemnities have the same basic elements as a Sunday: three readings, prayer of the faithful, the Creed and the Gloria which is recited even when the solemnity occurs during Advent or Lent. It also has proper prayer formulas exclusive to the day: entrance antiphon, opening prayer, prayer over the gifts, Communion antiphon, and prayer after Communion. In most cases it also has a particular preface. Some solemnities are also holy days of obligation, but these vary from country-to-country. A solemnity is celebrated if it falls on a Sunday of ordinary time or Christmastide. But it is usually transferred to the following Monday if it falls on a Sunday of Advent, Lent or Easter, or during Holy Week or the Easter octave. Since there won’t be a test on this after Mass, I will explain the reasons for a "Feast" and a "Memorial" at the time one comes about on a Mass celebration.
Today’s Solemnity, Christ the King, celebrates not only the end of the liturgical year—but most importantly the re-turn of our Lord Jesus Christ the King of the entire universe.
While some may regard this time with fear and anxiety, the liturgies of the Church encourage us to look forward to this time with hope. In fact, we recall that part of our Christian tradition is to actually long for—to actively pray for—the end of the world as we know it and the return of Christ in glory.
Parish Updates…some work in the church has taken place, the gutters and flashing have been replaced and the bill actually came in $1,600 LESS than originally quoted. Thank you to Tony Drapelick for all his work and attention on this matter. The workman did find an issue with some flawed work where the original and newer roofs meet—at the expansion of the rear of the church where pews were added—we will have some work to do in a few years but we are "safe" for now. Other issues we are dealing with in the parish center are some difficulties with the heating system. We are having it looked into at this writing and so I cannot provide you with details at this time. Volunteers are working to add weather-stripping in all areas of the parish center and church proper. At the rectory, I am indebted to Mike Grappone for all his wonderful work in painting the main living rooms of the house. It has become a full time job for him…I think he feels like Eldin the painter from the Murphy Brown Show. The walls and woodwork are so dry (from not having been painted in thirty years or more) that they are drinking paint. Mike, along with Mike Daly and Mike Doyle are really working hard and I am very grateful to them all. Some over-grown and dying shrubs were removed from the front of the rectory and the sidewalks are being repaired, as required by the insurance agent. A new side-walk is being installed so that the parish will have access to what was the great-room in the rectory and now will be a meeting room for parishioners, so as to alleviate some of the scheduling issues in the meeting rooms at the parish center. Thanks to you all for your patience and support.
PEACE!
