ON THANKSGIVING DAY, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26th,
MASS WILL BE OFFERED ONLY AT 9 a.m.
So much of 2020 has been beyond our control, and we have naturally focused on limitations and restrictions, the uncertainty and loss of the people and opportunities we miss most. With record numbers of people infected by covid-19, Thanksgiving Day is a good moment to take a deep breath and focus on the parts of our lives that bring us joy and for which we are thankful to our God. Gratitude to God can open our hearts to God’s gift of happiness. Gratitude to God helps us all feel more positive emotions, improve our health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
Of the many things that will be remembered in the aftermath of 2020, the moments of warmth and kindness will surely be some of the brightest ones. Acts of kindness are not strictly a pandemic phenomenon, but perhaps they have taken on a new significance. Kindness can be God working through each of us that unlocks our shared humanity. We are all sisters and brothers, created in the image and likeness of God. Kindness strengthens relationships, develops community, and enables others to see Christ in YOU!
In the face of fear, uncertainty, and isolation it is all too easy so give in to frustration. This year God gives us the opportunity to strengthen our community, and be even more of the presence of Jesus in us and in others.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING
On this last Sunday of the Church’s Liturgical year, we honor Jesus as the center of creation. The attitude demanded of us as true believers is that of recognizing and accepting in our lives the centrality of Jesus Christ, in our thoughts, in our words and in our works.
We must work every day, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to draw closer to Jesus. In our own increasingly “post-Christian” society, we cannot be complacent in our spiritual lives. To acknowledge the Kingship of Christ means that we should dedicate ourselves to prayer, to building up our families and our parish communities, and to bringing healing to our broken world.
The Kingdoms of this world at times are sustained by arrogance, rivalries and oppression; the reign of Christ is a “Kingdom of justice, love, and peace.”