Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
Today as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, we give thanks to the Father who gave his only son to suffer and die for us. As St. Paul says, we have been found fit to share in the bounty of this sacrificial love offered for us. How do we make ourselves fit to receive the bountiful love of the Lord? Perhaps the best way to answer that is to think about the Thanksgiving table we gather at this week.
- What makes us worthy to sit there among family and friends? How did we achieve the worthiness to be the recipient of the meal that is prepared?
- What did we do to earn an invitation to the feast?
The answer to all of the above is “nothing.” Someone loves us enough that they invite us to the table, prepare a meal and desire to share our company, and we do nothing to earn that. So, too, with our heavenly Father who seeks to share his heavenly kingdom with us, simply out of sacrificial love. As we celebrate the bounty of the harvest this Thanksgiving, let us also remember to give thanks to the Father, who makes us fit and worthy to receive his love.
ANNUAL REPORT THANK YOU – I want to express my gratitude to the kind words and reception that my annual report received following masses last week. In addition to the published report of last week’s bulletin, my talk at all masses can be found here https://tinyurl.com/SR-Report25.
THANKSGIVING MASS – On Thursday at 9:00 am, we will celebrate our annual Thanksgiving Day Mass. Thanks to John Buckel and all the members of our Music Ministry who are preparing for this special celebration.
Our offertory collection at the Thanksgiving Day Mass will once again be given to an organization called Friar Suppliers for their mission in Haiti, which focuses on creating, building, and improving the living conditions of those in desperate need, as well as bringing hope through evangelization programs. www.friarsuppliers.org
ADVENT WREATH – We enter the season of Advent next weekend and, therefore, begin our faithful preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth. This year we will continue the tradition of inviting families and individuals to sign up for the lighting of our Advent Wreath at Masses. The sign-up book can be found on the altar rail in front of the St. Joseph statue.
ADVENT ANGELS PROGRAM – The Family Mass Committee is coordinating our annual Advent Angel Gift Collection. The Advent Angels program gives the families of our parish an opportunity to help people who are less fortunate than themselves by giving with our hearts, with love and generosity. The collection will benefit the Outreach efforts here in the Massapequas at St. Rose of Lima and support the Church of the Resurrection in Farmingville. Please see the flyer in today’s bulletin for further information.
Peace,
