Is your end coming? Rely on our Lord to carry you through.

“Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb” (Rev 19-9a).  This is the end of the first reading from today’s Mass.   The first reading and the Gospel both have very ominous tones with the coming of the end of the world.   The Gospel is a prelude to the readings this Sunday.   But both readings also point to what is coming, the Lord in Glory.  The Gospel finishes with “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” (Luke 20:28).  Both of these should give us encouragement in knowing our Lord will come again.  As Christians we look to the end times with hope as if we are living our lives as Christ taught us we will be welcomed into his kingdom.   Christ will come in glory to judge the living and dead with mercy, and if we are following him with the best of our abilities we will look forward to this time with joy.   But the world of today tends to focus on the negative which causes anxiety and loss of hope.   Many of us will or are experiencing our own end of the world, though loss of loved ones or a job, failing a class at school, or a failing a marriage.   This can be very discouraging and cause anxiety, but if we keep out focus on Jesus and know of his coming glory and that we are called to the wedding feast it will carry us through.  When you are feeling like it's the end of your world pray to Jesus for help in guiding how you can better follow him to come into his glory. Seek out other believers to help sustain you in this trail and they will help you along. This will give you hope and encouragement.  May God bless you! 

Always be prepared, the end is coming

In the Gospel and also the first reading today we hear about the end times, which typically come up at the end of the liturgical year and the beginning of Advent. There have been many who have tried to predict the end times and it has caused a lot of people to fret and do some strange things.    The events of nature that have recently occurred such as hurricane Sandy have some pointing to the end.  

We always need to be prepared for the end, because it will be Jesus coming in glory.   If we align our lives with the way God has given us, following the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and doing corporal works of mercy we will be well prepared.  Jesus tells us “don’t follow those” who say “The time has come” or “I am he” as they will probably take you down the wrong path.  Keep following Jesus as he will come to judge the earth and it will be a joyful time for those who are prepared. 

May God bless you!

Give your all to God

As we enter the final week of the church liturgical year Monday's readings Jesus gives us a parable which causes us to think whether I am giving my all to God.  He cites the poor widow who gave from her poverty, which was very little, but it was all that she had.   Am I giving to God only what’s left over or part of my time, talent, and treasure?   I should try and give all that God has given to me back to him.   If I go about my day with this thought in mind I will be a good steward of what I have been given and offer all I have to God.  If I give my work, play, volunteer time with a heart of gratitude to God I will treat others with love.  In regards to money to support the poor and the church I need to think about how much I can give in gratitude and being generous as God has blessed me with many gifts.  Pray that God can help you to give your all to him.   May God bless you!

34th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Feast of Christ the King – Getting rid of obstacles to Christ

Father Vince homily on the Feast of Christ the King used some fluorescent yellow traffic pylons as symbols of things in our lives that are keeping Christ from reigning as top priority.     He gave some good examples of others who wanted to have themselves as top priority of their lives rather than God, specially Lucifer and Adam and Eve, and this got them into trouble.    He also gave us some examples of others who put their interests first and relegated God to minor or no roles in public life in the early 20th century such as Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin.   Their priorities that left God out of the picture caused terrible wars and a stifling oppressive government of Communism that led to much suffering.   To help combat the rise of nationalist and secular movements that excluded God and to remind us that Christ must be top priority in our lives Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925.

The Feast of Christ the King is very appropriate today as Western culture continues to move God out of the picture.  The culture can have a negative impact on our lives and we must continue to be focused on keeping Christ as top priority in our life.   Father Vince gave us some obstacles that can be keeping Christ from reigning in our own lives which are:

·        Pride – “I know better”

·        Indifference – “I just don’t care”

·        Arrogance – “Don’t tell me what to do”

·        Anger: “Leave me alone”

·        Selfishness – It’s all about me”

·        Time: “I’ll do what I want to do”

 This is some good food for thought as Advent approaches to try and get rid of one or more of these obstacles.    I know that for me time is an obstacle that gets in the way.  I have many days that I plan on spending time in prayer but I don’t block out the time and it doesn’t happen as I spend the time doing the things I want to do.     Are any of these obstacles keeping Christ from reigning in your life?  If so why not try to focus on “kicking it” out of the way this Advent season.  May God bless you!

Catholic roots to Thanksgiving and ideas to practice your faith on Thanksgiving

This morning I was listening to Catholic Radio Indy and a segment on the SonriseMorning Show, and the host asked when the first Thanksgiving was and where.   The other personalities on the show and myself thought it was Plymouth Rock in the early1600’s, but the first Thanksgiving goes back to city of St. Augustine in Florida in 1565 where a Mass was celebrated and a dinner shared.    He also mentioned that the Native American, Squanto, who participated in the feast of thanks at Plymouth Rock, was a Catholic.  For more details Catholic Online has an article about Thanksgiving where you will also find a prayer for Thanksgiving.

If you would like some ideas to include your Catholic faith into Thanksgiving see the Seasonal Features Thanksgiving section on American Catholic website.     Of course a great way to start your day and give thanks is to attend Mass Thanksgiving morning where we give thanks to God and receive our Lord Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist.   If you are traveling be sure to check out Mass Times to find out where and what time Thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!