Readings: 

Isaiah 11, 1-10, The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb.  A beautiful dream of peace by someone who lived centuries ago and dreamed.

Psalm 72,  Justice shall flourish in his time and fullness of peace forever.

Romans 15, 4-9,  Welcome one another.

Matthew  3, 1-12, I am baptizing you with water.

 

Apologies, Everyone. Because of the dangerously icy roads and sidewalks, we canceled our Sunday Celebration. 

 

Next Sunday, December 15:

1.    Bring items from this Sunday for Samaritan Inn, e.g., toilet paper and paper products. and many more listed on our Advent handout.

2.    Bring items for the Dallas Rape Crisis Center, e.g., womens' needs and office supplies, and more listed on the Advent handout.

3.    We will celebrate our Advent Penitential Rite after the Our Father.

4.    We will celebrate our 9th Anniversary & Christmas Brunch.

 

 

 

Readings: 

2 Samuel 5, 1-3, You shall shepherd my people Israel.

Psalm 122,  Let us go rejoicing to house of the Lord.

Colossians 1, 12-20,  He is before all things.

Luke  23, 35-43, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.

 

 

History of the Christ the King Feast: date, author, reason it was declared.

Date: Not during the early church, not during the time when Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Empire, not during the time of Luther & the Reformation, not during the time of Pius IX with the Italian Resorgiamento & his Infallibility statement (1870), but in 1925.  Fairly Recently.

Author: Pius XI, pope 1922-39

Reason(s): at least 2 factors–The Times and Modernism/Secularism

 

 

1.  The Times:

a) End of WW I and build up to WW II   

b) Mussolini & Hitler: the same year Pius XI became pope, Mussolini became prime minister.  By 1925 he had become a dictator.  The feast was to counter the dictatorship.  "Christ is king, not you."

 

 

2.  Modernism & Secularism:

a) Modernism.  Despite being scholarly and pro-scientific methods, Pius XI was suspicious of biblical scholarship which questioned, for example, biblical inerrancy, the nature of bible miracles, the virgin birth, the resurrection, the atonement theory that God demanded his son suffer & die for a single sin by a human.

b) Secularism coming out of the Enlightenment said that all people were equal, people should have a say in government as in democracy, and backed the separation of church/state, like proposed by Jefferson.  The Catholic Church was against democracy.

 Sources: Living with Christ, Nov., 2009; Wikipedia

 

Our Blessings

Thanksgiving, as many of you know, is my most favorite celebration and feast of the year.  For three reasons.

1.  It is family and friend focused.  Gather around the table and have a great meal with people dear.
2. No gifts are expected.  Gifts can create tension in me.  What do I get for people?  Will I get more than I give?   
3. Once we reach Halloween and turn toward Thanksgiving, I begin to count the gifts and blessings of my year.  I love doing this and the memories fill me with peace, joy, and consolation.

 

 

This season I have come up with a half dozen or eight really special gifts.  I would love to share with you my top three.

First, as Rosemary would say to you, “That cowboy has married up.”  I agree, folks, and I am enjoying every moment of married life.  Rosemary and our home, Aviana, and the fun we all have.  I lived for years with loneliness, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and doubly especially when I lived in Tanzania.   I am not lonely anymore. 

 

 

I bet you won't find another Catholic priest counting his marriage as his biggest blessing of the year.

Secondly, you people.  This community.  You people are an amazement to me and to many others who cannot be here.  The warm hospitality, the generosity, and the mutual support and acceptance of one another, especially of the kids.  Do you realize that we have been celebrating here for nine years this coming Sunday?  I will never forget that first Sunday we gathered here. 

 

Thirdly, I’ve had some marvelous bike events.  The 5 Boro in N.Y. coupled with the big McGinn family reunion.  The week long ride across Iowa, like riding in a circus.   The exhausting but exhilarating Hotter ‘N Hell ride out of Wichita Falls, 100 miles, 100 degrees temp.

 

Connected with these events I include our 9 day Yosemite back packing trip, my most favorite park and my most favorite trail, the Matterhorn Canyon trip.  The last time I took this trip was 2009 and I knew that I would never again be able to hike like this with my factory edition hips.  You know the rest of the story.  This was the first time I traveled the Matterhorn Canyon since 2009 and I thought then that I would never see it again.  I was moved to tears on occasion.

 

 

Two bonus gifts.  Rosemary & I every Monday evening have a date night.  Guess what we do.  We are dancing again.  At the Farmers’ Branch Senior Center, a fun place with a bunch of old geezers who can really dance. 

And, finally, my French. 

I am most grateful.

Your biggest gifts this year?  Your biggest gift.