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Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 31, 2007

The Feast of the Holy Family

The Feast of the Holy Family falls on the Sunday between Christmas and the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, January 1. The readings for the day focus on qualities that make for happy relationships between people, including members of families.

Sometimes when we focus on the Holy Family as the model for family life, we get bogged down with the perfection of Jesus and Mary, the holiness of St. Joseph, and the impossibility of actually living a perfect life ourselves. Then we write off their example as just another bit of pious nonsense that has nothing to do with the reality of crying babies, mortgage payments, difficult bosses, and all the other stresses that come with marriage and family. For those who are not married and/or don’t have children, the feast can seem irrelevant or even be a painful reminder of unfulfilled hopes.

So, I find myself wondering, what is it that makes a family, any family, “holy?” It seems to me that if the Holy Family is to be a model for the rest of us, that must mean that we are also to be “holy.” What made them holy?

Being holy does not mean having no problems or challenges in life. Holiness, it seems to me, lies in how we handle those difficulties that come in every life. After all, without the problems, difficulties, challenges, “crashes,” struggles, “hitting bottom,” or whatever we call it, we would never need to turn to God for help. We could just continue blithely on our way, assuming everything is fine, and in the best American cultural sense, be “rugged individuals” who can make it on our own.

But that isn’t what the spiritual life and journey are all about. Our spiritual lives are about learning from our mistakes, growing in wisdom, reaching out for help and community, being purified in God’s love, so that we can run joyfully to the Lord at the end of our days.

When we look at the lives of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, we find that they were filled from the beginning with many of the same challenges faced by other families. An unexpected, unplanned pregnancy, one outside the marriage; governmental demands that upset a family’s plans; taxes; inconvenient timing of a birth; the necessity to leave home and become refugees in another land; a child who feels grown up enough to go off on his own at the age of 12 without telling anyone where he’ll be; the death of a spouse or parent; a child whose life choices and career don’t meet the expectations of the family or community; the untimely death of a child. All these things were part of the lives of the Holy Family, as they can be part of our own lives. What made Joseph, Mary and Jesus holy as a family was their response to these challenges and their loving support of each other through them.

Joseph’s first recorded response to Mary’s pregnancy was compassion. He did not want to expose her to the penalties of the Law. He loved her and wanted her to be safe. When the angel told him in a dream that Mary had not been unfaithful, he accepted her as his wife. He made a home with her and supported her through the pregnancy and birth. He took her and Jesus to safety in Egypt, again following the instructions received in a dream. When it was safe, he took them back to their home in Nazareth cared for them and made a home for them.

Both Mary and Joseph must have “pondered” many things along the way. Many things did not make sense at the time. They really didn’t know what God had in mind. Jesus was a normal child. He had to learn how to be a man and how to respect and love the people around him. Mary and Joseph taught him by their actions as well as their words, just as we teach our children more by the way we act than by our words. It’s no surprise that people in families tend to share many gestures, facial expressions, attitudes and beliefs. The Holy Family would not have been different in this. The characteristics we seen recorded about Jesus were probably in great part those he learned from his parents.

In this week following the Feast of the Holy Family, as we enter a new calendar year, I hope we can take their lives as ones that exemplify the kind of relationships that result from heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love (Col 3:12-17). These qualities are not ones that stem primarily from feelings, but rather they are attitudes and behavioral choices to which we are all called.

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Dec 28, 2007

Feast of the Day – 12/28 – The Holy Innocents

December 28 is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. This feast dates from the 6th century and commemorates the the slaughter of the boys under two years of age in Bethlehem as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (2:16). The murders were occasioned by the visit of the Thee Wise Men to Herod, the Roman client king. When the Wise Men did not return to tell Herod of the boy shown to them by the Star, Herod estimated that the New King foretold by the Star would be two years old or less. As a result he ordered their wholesale murder.

Some scholars say that this event never really happened. The story in Matthew and the infancy narrative itself were attempts to show the importance of Jesus and the prophecies and wondrous events that happened at his birth. However, since Herod’s cruelty was legendary, scholars have not been able to rule it out.

The Coventry Carol brings to life the pathos of this remembrance. The first time I heard the Coventry Carol it was sung on a Christmas recording by Joan Baez as the Vietnam War was escalating. The commemoration and the carol are a timeless recollection of the victims of war, famine, and plague. People in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Fr. Raymond Brown, the scripture scholar, suggested that the narrative was written to recall the exile and return of Israel and Christ. Rachel mourning for her children recalls Jeremiah’s assurance that they would return from their capitivity in Babylon. The flight of Joseph, Mary and Jesus into Egypt to escape Herod parallels Israel’s own sojourn on the Nile. The slaughter of the children recalls the 10th plague which killed all of the first born human and animal males in Egypt and which resulted in the release of the Israelites, God’s people.

The message of hope in this time of darkness is echoed in the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John1:5)

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Dec 26, 2007

Worn Out by Christmas Carols? – Try Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Christmas carols and secular “holiday” songs start assaulting us the day after Thanksgiving. The constant barrage on the radio, in elevators, shopping malls, and fast food outlets is a far cry from the caroling of my childhood and the joy my neighbors gave me and my family the other night as they came singing to our door.

For refreshment take three Palestrina and call me from heaven:

Here are three selections from Palestrina’s Christmas Mass – O Magnum Mysterium – O Great Mystery

The Introit or Opening: Puer Natus Nobis – A Child is Born to Us, A Son is Given to Us

The Kyrie Eleison – Lord Have Mercy – Penitential Rite

The Communion Motet – O Magnum Mysterium – O Great Mystery

As beautiful and soaring as the polyphony of the Kyrie and Communion motet are, it is important to remember that traditionalists at the time saw it as a vulgar deviation from the purity of the plain chant of the Introit.

The coming of God in the Flesh at Christmas and in the arts is ever new and startling.

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Dec 26, 2007

Christmastide – 12 Days of Celebration

(Christmas Eve: Goa, India)

There can be a strange misconception that Christmas ends on the morning of December 26. Many people take down Christmas trees and other decorations and gear up for a secular New Year of parades and American football games. It does make some sense, because many people have been exhausted going to “Christmas” parties since early December, eating and drinking a lot, while chasing through the shopping malls.

Christmastide, however, from December 25 to January 6 – the former feast of the Epiphany when the Three Wise Men came to visit the infant Jesus – is actually the time for celebrating. In many Latin countries, gifts are exchanged on the Epiphany in honor of the gifts of the Magi.

The white fish recipes that are part of gourmet menus for Christmas Eve are actually an echo of a time when December 24 was the last day of Advent – a time of preparation. Christmas Eve was a day of fasting and abstaining from meat.

There is still time to reclaim the joys of Christmastide. Relaxation, reflection, some daily exercise and a slower pace – just spending time with each other – is the acceptance of the Gift beyond comprehension – Emmanuel – God with us.

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Dec 25, 2007

Christmas Day – December 25 – The First Day of Christmas

There are many wonderful movies and stories associated with Christmas. Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the famous Frank Capra movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, and other stories from around the world, depict the coming of grace and peace in the darkness of poverty, hunger, disillusionment and despair. They have happy endings but are very dark.

These stories and movies are an apt testimony to the theology of Christmas in its broader context. They are reminders of hope, joy, and peace. There is also the darker side of Christmas for billions around the globe lost in starvation, oppression, and loneliness.

Generally, Christmas is a day reserved for family and close friends, but you might want to re-think that. Christmas miracles are something you can do on December 25th and other days. Remember that old acquaintance or friend with mental health problems? How about a quick call, a card, or a short letter? Do you know someone far from home? Someone in prison? In the hospital? Suffering from cancer or HIV/AIDS? How about doing something special like a card with a personal note? Mrs. Jones up the street with very few visitors probably wouldn’t mind a brief visit or a quick hello. A small celebration for international students can ease the pain of Christmas away. For non-Christian international students, it is a wonderful experience of joyous hospitality.

We have 12 special days of Christmastide to be miracle workers. As tiny Tim said “God bless us everyone.”

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Dec 24, 2007

Christmastide – Christmas Eve

“In the twenty-fourth day of the month of December;
In the year five-thousand one-hundred and ninety-nine from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;
In the year two-thousand nine-hundred and fifty-seven from the flood;
In the year two-thousand and fifty-one from the birth of Abraham;
In the year one-thousand five-hundred and ten from the going forth of the people of Israel out of Egypt under Moses;
In the year one-thousand and thirty-two from the anointing of David as king;
In the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
In the one-hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
In the year seven-hundred and fifty-two from the foundation of the city of Rome;
In the forty-second year of the reign of the Emperor Octavian Augustus;
In the sixth age of the world, while the whole earth was at peace —
JESUS CHRIST
eternal God and the Son of the eternal Father, willing to consecrate the world by His gracious coming, having been conceived of the Holy Ghost, and the nine months of His conception being now accomplished, (all kneel) was born in Bethlehem of Judah of the Virgin Mary, made man. The birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the flesh.”

A reading from the Roman Martyrology for December 24.

This proclamation is often sung or recited when placing the Christ child in the manger in the home.

Peace to all in the great joy that God is in our midst.

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Dec 23, 2007

Holiday Grace Means Reducing Stress

Christmas and New Years are times for that bane of all good people – temptation in the guise of Good. St. Ignatius Loyola is well known for this insight into the primary way good people fall from grace. One of the fool proof temptations is to get people so wound up in getting everything right, that they get it all wrong.

Here are some ideas:

Budget your time, money, and calories. Becoming exhausted, financially stressed, and sending your blood sugar into outer space are all great ways to make you feel down, miserable, and ready for a fight.

Prioritize you activities. Turn off the Christmas machine! It’s a time for celebration. Select activities you and your family really want to do. Get help. Delegate tasks. Indulge in just relaxing, breathing, praying.

Don’t try and solve family issues over the holidays. It can happen, but usually it only happens in greeting cards and holiday movies. Be peaceful and prayerful. Take care of yourself and avoid toxic people and situations. You have a much better chance of being successful in handling difficult relationships during less stressful times and occasions.

Decorations and “house beautiful” have nothing to do with a manger in Bethlehem. You and your loved ones will remember and cherish the warmth and the love that come from imperfect decor, meals, and people. The greatest gift you can give yourself and your loved ones is relaxation. Banish the junk food devil. Holiness is in simple slow food – nothing elaborate – just healthy and good.

Your daily examination of conscience should include rest, wholesome food, plenty of water, and exercise. Remember it’s supposed to be a holiday, not two weeks on a forced march. Make sacred time for yourself – alone with God or at least a good book.

Remember, the truest sign of grace and holiness is laughter. It is a time to have fun. Laughter brings us closer to our family and friends, boosts the immune system, and relieves stress.

Watch out for impulse anything — eating, spending, drinking, or decision making.

If you feel out of sorts, it is time to watch out for the four horseman of the holiday apocalypse: Hunger, Anger, Loneliness, Fatigue. Be peacefully aware of your moods and feelings. You determine how you will respond to people, situations, moods, and feelings. Live in God’s grace and so will the others around you.

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 16, 2007

Seasons of the Soul

Growing up in Eastern Washington, seasonal changes were an accepted and expected part of life. We knew that the days would get shorter and the nights longer, the weather would get colder, and sometime in late November or early December, the first snow would fall. As we snuggled into our warm houses and settled into winter activities, it seemed only right that we enter into a more reflective, quiet time liturgically too. Advent was a subdued time, with focus on preparing spiritually for the coming of Christ. Christmas cards and Christmas carols, with talk of cold weather and snow, all seemed a natural part of the season. That’s the way it was outside and it was all I knew!

Then I grew up and moved to coastal California. It still got cold in the winter, but mainly the cold was from the humidity. My first Christmas in California, I went home and got my wool clothes so I could stay warm. We only got snow on rare occasions and it never “stuck.” We often had warm, sunny days in December and January. The iris were even blooming in planter boxes in front of the bank in January! My sense of the seasons was completely thrown for a loop. Christmas day, with temperatures in the mid-60s, just didn’t feel quite like Christmas.

I was reassured to find that my mother-in-law, who was born and raised in Southern California, also had problems getting into the swing of Christmas when the weather was too nice. She commented one year that she was really glad the rains had finally come, so she could get into the spirit of Christmas.

I find myself reflecting on these memories now, as we reach Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. Rejoice! we are told. The time is near.

What time is near? Does it have anything to do with the calendar and the way we fill our days with preparations for the celebration of Christmas?

What I am coming to understand is that liturgical seasons have no real existential tie to the physical seasons of the year. If they did, we’d have to have different liturgical seasons in the Southern Hemisphere and in the tropics, because the weather there is totally different from that of northern climes.

No, liturgical seasons are something more. They are seasons of the soul, condensed into a one year period and repeated on a regular cycle, so we can taste them, savor them, and move on to the next. By repeating them on an annual basis, we are able to enter into them differently and perhaps more deeply each time they come around. As we move through the ups and downs of our daily lives, we become more or less in touch with the gifts each season brings. We learn more about longing for God, or about finding “God with us,” or needing someone to rescue us and set us on our feet again! Having the chance to move through these seasons of the soul on a regular basis can help us move through them with hope when the events of daily life bring them crashing into reality in our personal worlds.

So, as we reach this third week of Advent, as we hear the call to “Rejoice in the Lord,” let’s each look into our heart and see what it is we ask of the Lord – what we really want. Then let’s join together in “joyful expectation as we await the coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ…”

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 11, 2007

Festive Recipes – Santa Lucia Buns

The feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia) is coming up this week, on December 13. One of the most fun things about being Catholic, I think, is that we get so many excuses to celebrate something. And we have lots of great foods to share among our many world cultures.

The following is a recipe I received from my daughter’s Waldorf school class many years ago. Her class made these buns for the rest of the school. Of course, we had to taste them too. They are delicious.

Santa Lucia Buns

Ingredients:
2 cups of scalded milk
1 cup of warm water
2 tablespoons (packages) of yeast
8 tablespoons of honey (½ cup)
½ teaspoon of saffron (or 1 teaspoon of cardamom)
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of golden raisins (plus extras for decorating)
8-10 cups of sifted white flour
¼ cup butter (plus extra to grease pan and top of dough)
1 egg (for glazing dough)

Melt butter in milk, cool to lukewarm. Measure honey into warm water; mix until dissolved. Add yeast, let it sit until bubbly. Add raisins, saffron (or cardamom), and salt.

Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until dough is slightly sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic on a floured board. Grease bowl. Form dough into a ball and grease top. Let rise, covered, until double. Shape dough into little “cats” and let rise on greased, covered baking sheet until almost doubled. (They can also be rolled into logs about 7 x ½” in size and shaped into spirals or other shapes.) Glaze with egg.

Bake in preheated 425º oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Do not overbake. Brush with glaze after cool.

Glaze:
Sift ½ cup confectioner’s sugar. Add 2 teaspoons of hot milk and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla. Let dry once brushed onto buns.

Serve warm with coffee, tea, or cocoa. Enjoy!

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Dec 8, 2007

Feast of the Day: The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

December 8 is the feast day of the Immaculate Conception, a solemnity celebrating the conception of the Virgin Mary. According to apocryphal writings, Mary’s parents were Joachim and Anna. Mary’s conception, which occurred in the natural way, was special in that Mary was spared the “stain” of original sin.

There has been a long tradition of celebrating the feast of the Virgin’s conception by her mother. There has also been a long tradition that Mary was redeemed in anticipation of the redemption of all humanity by her son Jesus. St. Thomas Aquinas and others taught that Mary’s redemption occurred sometime after her conception, to conform with the scripture that all men and women have sinned except Christ. The issue has to do with the fact that God’s becoming fully human in the mystery of the Incarnation, when Mary conceived Jesus, could only have occurred in one who was sinless and not subject to the pain and weakness of a fallen human nature. When the angel Gabriel saluted Mary, he addressed her as Full of Grace. This greeting would not have made sense – according to the long tradition of theology – if Mary were tainted by the fallen state that afflicts every other human until Baptism.

Devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, was recorded in early feasts emphasizing her role in salvation history. Mary’s “yes” to the angel Gabriel set everything in motion when she was overshadowed by the power of the Most High. During the controversies about the nature of Christ in the early centuries, titles given to Mary became very important. If Jesus was truly human and divine, Mary became Theotokos – Mother of God. If Jesus was not truly God, Mary was called Christotokos – Mother of Christ.

Exactly how and when Mary was delivered from the sinful state all humans share was not formally defined by the Catholic Church until 1854 by Pius IX. Contrary to the theology of several prominent saints, Mary, from the first moment of her existence, was spared the blockage of grace we call original sin.

An Episcopalian priest, Fr. Matthew Moret, has produced a very short You-Tube video, “Making Sense of Sin,” which succinctly reviews previous conceptions of sin and what these conceptions say about our conception of God. The common concept of sin as a transgression sets God up as the cosmic Judge. Our relationship is not personal but juridical. God’s love becomes conditional on our surrendering our will to His. This concept can be one of a vindictive or manipulative God. Our concept of sin can alienate us from God, contrary to His Divine mercy, love, and grace, which never leave us. Fr. Moret’s short but excellent video presents Kathryn Tanner’s concept of sin as blockage. God continues to heal us, to provide for us in all ways, but we have a diminished capacity to accept or even recognize God’s continual outflowing of good and love to us. Sin is far from trivial, as demonstrated by the brief slide of an entrance to a Nazi death camp.

Mary, Full of Grace and Mother of God. There must have been no blockage. How did that happen?

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 3, 2007

St. Francis Xavier and Me

December 3 is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, “Apostle to the East.” Francis Xavier was born in Navarre, Spain in 1506, to a wealthy and influential family. However, his family lost their lands in 1512 when Navarre was conquered by troops from Castille and Aragon. His father died in 1515.

Francis went to study in Paris when he was 19 and met Iñigo (Ignatius) Loyola there. To make a long story short, Francis eventually joined with Loyola as one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.

Francis is best known for his missionary work in India, Malacca, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Japan. From 1540, until his death on an island off the coast of China in 1552, he traveled and preached throughout the East, frequently returning to Goa in India. He left behind communities of Christians in each place he visited and pioneered the missionary style of the Jesuit order through the compromises he worked out with the existing Christian community, founded by St. Thomas the Apostle, in India.

There are many biographies and studies written about St. Francis Xavier’s life, teachings, influence in the Church, and miracles.

My family has had a close relationship with St. Francis for several generations in the Pacific Northwest. Jesuits were among the first to arrive in eastern Washington and brought with them a devotion to St. Francis. Growing up in parishes staffed by Jesuits, we shared in the tradition of the “Novena of Grace” each year in March. In fact, my parents’ first date ocurred when my father picked up my mother from her teaching assignment in northern Idaho and escorted her to the Novena in Spokane!

As a child, many of my early memories are related to the family tradition of attending Mass and the Novena from March 4-12. Each year we went, with our own prayer requests, and gathered with hundreds of other people from Spokane and the surrounding areas to praise God and ask St. Francis to intercede for us. There were people we only saw once a year – at the Novena.

Some years the prayer intentions were very practical – a job for a relative out of work, health for a sick relative, help with school work, etc. Other years the intentions were more “spiritual” – help in overcoming a bad habit, help in discerning a life path, greater understanding of the Holy Spirit – little things like that!

Important things happened during or after the Novena. Two cousins who were born during the Novena were adopted into the family – we had been praying for a child for each family that year. Other children have been born into or adopted into the family in the year following the Novena. One of my brothers survived a difficult birth on March 4 and was given an extra middle name, Francis, in thanksgiving. Relatives got jobs. People got well. An uncle returned to the Church as he lay dying during the Novena. My Great Grandmother and my Grandmother both died on First Friday during the Novena.

Sometimes funny things happened, like the year my youngest brother dropped a “steely” marble at the back of the church and it rolled all the way to the front, causing a stir as it went all the way! Mom was not amused, but we’re all still laughing about it.

The relationship with St. Francis is not limited to those nine days in March. At harvest time, when a storm threatens to ruin a crop before the field is harvested, prayers go up to “St. Frank” to protect it. When a relationship needs a boost from the Holy Spirit, prayers go to St. Francis. And when something goes really well, prayers of thanks go up too. It’s good to have a powerful big brother (saint) to help out.

A little over ten years ago, a young man from a Goan family knocked on our front door, hoping to sell a medical software program to a medical group we managed. The software was not what our group needed, but he became a close friend. We found many common threads in our educations, life experience and shared bond as Catholics. He in turn has introduced us to his family and many of his friends, including those who are the founders of Suggestica.com and who have opened this world of internet blogs and vertical discovery engines such as theologika.net to us.

It seems St. Francis Xavier is still looking out for us in this increasingly small, small world and doing his part to continue spreading the Good News.

Posted by Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD on Dec 1, 2007

A Limrick for Christ the King

It’s nearly a week now since the feast of Christ the King, but today I received a limrick in the mail that was written last Sunday by a member of my home parish, St. Patrick Parish in Spokane, Washington. On this last day of the liturgical year, I share with you Dennis Johnston’s reflection on the readings for Christ the King. (The accented syllables are the ones to be stressed when reading the limrick.)

Sure we célebrate nów Christ the Kíng,
To his lóve and light álways we clíng.
In His Kíngdom Etérnal
We shun dárkness inférnal —
For forgíveness, faith, mércy we síng!

Thanks, Dennis, for your gift of this poem.

And thank you, Yom Jae Won, of Korea for your painting, “The Exalted Jesus” shown here.

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Nov 30, 2007

Saint of the Day – St. Andrew

November 30 is the feast day of St. Andrew, the first apostle called by Jesus. He was the brother of St. Peter and introduced Peter to Jesus. There is very little we know about his life. The Gospels show him present in the ministry of Jesus but in the background, while Peter, James, and John are out front.

The Gospel of Mark (1:16-17) tells of his call by Jesus.

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen.
17: Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

The first chapter of the Gospel of John presents the call differently:

The next day John (the Baptist) was there again with two of his disciples,
36: and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”
37: The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
38: Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39: He said to them,”Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
40: Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
41: He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed).
42: Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
43: The next day he decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
44: Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.

There is a tradition that St. Andrew was crucified on an X shaped cross at Patras in Greece. We don’t really know where he went to spread the Gospel. Many countries from Greece to Russia claim him. He is the patron saint of Scotland.

These few lines from the Gospels show us a working man who heard the call of John the Baptist with his brother Peter and then followed after the Man John had called the Lamb of God. There is always a human desire to know more about such a person, but what we do know is that St. Andrew challenges us to leave our nets behind and follow too.

Posted by Dcn. Randy Pozos on Nov 26, 2007

Feast of Christ the King – The Reign of God

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent.

For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross (through him), whether those on earth or those in heaven.

And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him”

Colossians 1:14-23

The feast of Christ the King is very recent. Pope Pius XI established it in 1925 to reassert the centrality of Christ in a world confronted with communist atheism and secular agnosticism. The feast is widely observed by other liturgical denominations, including Anglicans and Lutherans.

The feast of Christ the King was originally observed on the last Sunday of October, closer to all Saints Day, November 1. After the reforms of the church calendar in 1965, the feast was moved to the last Sunday of Ordinary Time – the Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent. It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and provides a culmination that is solemn but not triumphal.

Strictly speaking, the term “basilea” in Greek is not equivalent to our sense of “kingdom” in the sense of territory. Scholars prefer terms like reign or dominion. The reading from Colossians – the second reading of the day – more aptly summarizes the meaning of the feast. All creation was made for Him and in Him and the love of Christ rescues us from our alienation from ourselves and our true meaning.

Next Entries »

The Feast of the Holy Family

Feast of the Day – 12/28 – The Holy Innocents

Worn Out by Christmas Carols? – Try Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Christmastide – 12 Days of Celebration

Christmastide – Christmas Eve

Holiday Grace Means Reducing Stress

Seasons of the Soul

Festive Recipes – Santa Lucia Buns

Feast of the Day: The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Francis Xavier and Me

A Limrick for Christ the King

Saint of the Day – St. Andrew

Feast of Christ the King – The Reign of God

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