A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, November 14th

Congratulations to those who were confirmed last Tuesday evening.  We accompany you in prayer, asking God to strengthen you as you live lives that help bring about His Kingdom.  God bless.
 
Please mark your calendars to attend our Advent Reflection and Adoration on Tuesday evening, November 30th, at 7:00 pm.  It will be a great way to begin our reflective season of Advent.
 
We are at the last Sunday of Ordinary time before the Feast of Christ the King.  The readings come from a literary genre called “apocalyptic” writings.  They can be looked at as very scary or as a sign of hope.  For example, imagine a man is adrift in raging waters and a coast guard helicopter is trying to save him, before he drowns.  For someone looking on from afar, it is a scary scene: huge waves, great winds blowing the helicopter around, and the man desperately hanging onto the board.  But, for the man in the water, the helicopter gives him great hope that he will be saved.
 
In the reading from Daniel, we are told “at that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people.”  In the Gospel, we hear, “and then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.”  In other words, despite all the problems in the world, despite all the tumultuous waves and heavy wind, we have a Savior who will be there to rescue us, to pull us from the water.  As Jesus says over and over to His disciples, “Be not afraid.”
 
The final image that Jesus uses in the Gospel reaffirms that this is a message of hope.  Leaves on a fig tree are a sign of new life, that summer is coming after the harsh winter: the tree that appears dead is coming to life!
 
As we end the Church year and prepare to celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, our readings remind us to have faith and hope that all will be well, that Jesus is in control, and, if we stay close to Him, all will be OK.  And the parable of the Last Judgment tells us how to stay close to Jesus: “when I was hungry, you gave me to eat; when I was thirsty, you gave me to drink…”  How are we doing?
 
Church sign of the week: Would you want yourself as a neighbor?