BIG C CATHOLICS

By Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America (Ezekiel 34:11-17; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Matthew 25:31-46) Hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, sick, in prison. That’s the checklist Jesus uses in the famous judgment scene in Matthew’s gospel. There is another list, in today’s reading from Ezekiel, where the Lord catalogues all the things he will do for his sheep which, as we find in the preceding verses (not included), the official shepherds have failed to do. But, as with other lists in the Scriptures, these are not exhaustive. They point us in a certain direction and allow us to see beyond the list, to draw up “new, improved” lists according to the world we live in. This is exactly how many Religious Orders came into existence. Some literally feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Some meet other, equally urgent, needs. Interestingly, though hunger and sickness are specifically mentioned in the message of La Salette, the perspec

Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois Exodus 34:11-12, 15-17; Psalm 23; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28;  Matthew 25:31-46 "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brethren of mine, you did for me. "   (Mt 25:40) This feast of Christ the King is a paradox. Here is the King of kings who associates with tax collectors, the sick, and the outcast. Here is the Lord of lords whose primary mission was to conquer all sin, suffering, and death. Here is the monarch who died the death of a common criminal. And here is the king who taught his subjects—you and me—to be sure we are taking care of the poor, homeless, hungry, thirsty, naked, and estranged. Why should we share our resources with anyone in these groups? Because this King lives in them. Instead of inhabiting a castle filled with riches, this King chooses to live in the hearts and souls of the poor, oppressed, and those who cry out in suffering. God does things differently than humans do. The Gospel for this w

November 19, 2017 "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ declared the arrival of God’s kingdom (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15). It is our calling as Christians to make the kingdom of Christ a reality here on earth. Today, we pray for the grace to carry out this mission in imitation of Our Lord. Christ the King Novena Prayer - Day 3 Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray for the grace to fervently bring about Your Kingdom in my family and community. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will… [Mention your intentions here] As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgment of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that Yo

November 18, 2017 The feast of Christ the King was created by Pope Pius XI in order to help the faithful remember that allegiance to Jesus Christ is above any other allegiance whether to the government, a cause or an ideology. Today, let us pray that we may always be loyal to, and a devoted disciple of, Our Lord, the King of kings. Christ the King Novena Prayer - Day 2 Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray for the grace to obey You before any civic authority. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will… [Mention your intentions here] As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgment of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that You may use me – a sinner – to bring others int

November 17, 2017 This novena is focused on letting God reign supreme, among all nations, among all people, and most especially within us. To start, we would like to pray for your personal intentions. If there is any one particular area of your life that you have given over to sin return it to God during this novena. Christ our King, pray for us. Christ the King Novena Prayer - Day 1 Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray for the grace to place You above the powers of this world in all things. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will… [Mention your intentions here] As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgment of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that You may use me

This feast day was instituted by Pope Pius XI on December 11th, in 1925, within the encyclical letter Quas Primas . The Holy Father was responding to the fact that the world was becoming increasingly nationalistic and secular. Governments were claiming more and more allegiance from citizens and attempting to replace God. While nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights. – Quas Primas, 25 Pope Pius XI, therefore, created the feast of Christ the King to help the faithful to remember that our allegiance to Christ is above any allegiance to the government of a nation. Often, as society has grown increasingly secular, one pledges fidelity to ideas, ideologies or movements, in the hopes of fitting-in or winning favor: "The faithful...by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and co

November begins with the Feast of All Saints followed by the Feast of All Souls on which we remember those who have died and are in Purgatory. Although we may pray for the poor souls throughout the year, the month of November is especially dedicated to praying on their behalf. The solemn Feast of Christ the King is also celebrated, marking the end of one liturgical year and the beginning of another. During November, as in all of Ordinary Time (Time After Pentecost), the Liturgy signifies and expresses the regenerated life from the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is to be spent on the model of Christ's Life and under the direction of His Spirit. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world's. The culmination of the liturgical year is the Feast of Christ the King. "This feast asserts the supreme authority of Christ over human beings and their institutions.... Beyond it we see Advent dawning with its persp

For those familiar with monarchy like the kind predominate in Europe, the idea that the Blessed Virgin Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth might seem odd. In Western monarchies, the king and queen are typically husband and wife. By this standard, Mary the Mother of God would have no claim to such a designation. That Catholics have long accorded to her the solemn title "Queen" has even prompted Protestant accusations that Catholics divinize the Mother of Christ. In ancient Middle Eastern monarchies, kings had numerous wives as well as concubines. The greatest kings of the Davidic Kingdom were no exception. The Bible names eight wives of King David and acknowledges many more – although the exact number is not known. 1st Kings 11:1-3 indicates King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Amid such rampant polygamy, to bestow upon a wife the honor of being queen would doubtless cause envy, disappointment and recrimination among those in the royal harem not chosen. Israel&#

Memorial -  August 22nd With the certainty of faith we know that Jesus Christ is King in the full, literal, and absolute sense of the word; for He is true God and man. This does not, however, prevent Mary from sharing His royal prerogatives, though in a limited and analogous manner; for she was the Mother of Christ, and Christ is God; and she shared in the work of the divine Redeemer, in His struggles against enemies and in the triumph He won over them all. From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that she stands high above all created things; and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege enabling her to distribute the treasures of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer. And lastly, this same union with Christ is the fountain of the inexhaustible efficacy of her motherly intercession in the presence of the Son and of the Father. Without doubt, then, does our holy Virgin possess a dignity that far transcends all other crea

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) I once met a woman who was descended from the first man executed in the American colonies. It was a curious fact, but it did not reflect negatively on herself. There are people, however, who live with inherited guilt. The descendants of famous Nazis such as Himmler, Goering and others have distanced themselves as much as possible from their cruel history. Descendants of Hitler’s nephews have changed their name and live a secluded life. There is also guilt by association, as expressed by sayings about “birds of a feather” or “you are the company you keep.” Even the British royal family, in 1917, because of strong anti-German sentiment during World War I, changed its name from the German “Saxe-Coburg and Gotha” to “The House of Windsor.” And yet, Matthew in the very first chapter of his Gospel seems to go out of his way to remind us that Jesus’ ancestry

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) If there is no divine being above us we will be consumed by all that is around us. If Christ in His kingship is removed from our lives we will be at the mercy of any and all forces in this world that are more powerful than our own powers. In the world of philosophers those who reject God or the reality of God are known as nihilists who claim we exist in nothingness. What we think to be real is, they claim, only a construction that we have made in our own minds. The problem with nihilism is that it leads to anarchy, the complete loss of order in a world that they view to be essentially irrational. Tyrants come to power and thrive in such a world view. Our nation’s Founding Fathers recognized the threat and grip of tyrants when they wrote: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, tha

November 14, 2016 Christ the King Novena Prayer,  Day 4 Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray that You will reign in my mind. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will… [Mention your intentions here] As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgement of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that You may use me – a sinner – to bring others into Your Kingdom for Your glory. Christ the King, Your Kingdom come. Amen.

November 13, 2016 Christ the King Novena Prayer,  Day 3 Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray for the grace to fervently bring about Your Kingdom in my family and community. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will… [Mention your intentions here] As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgement of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that You may use me – a sinner – to bring others into Your Kingdom for Your glory. Christ the King, Your Kingdom come. Amen. Almighty ever-living God, whose will is to restore all things in Your beloved Son, the King of the universe, grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render Your majesty service and cease

November 12, 2016 Christ the King Novena Prayer,  Day 2 Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray for the grace to obey You before any civic authority. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will… [Mention your intentions here] As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgement of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that You may use me – a sinner – to bring others into Your Kingdom for Your glory. Christ the King, Your Kingdom come. Amen. Almighty ever-living God, whose will is to restore all things in Your beloved Son, the King of the universe, grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render Your majesty service and ceaselessly proclaim Your praise

November 11, 2016 Christ the King Novena Prayer,  Day 1 Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray for the grace to place You above the powers of this world in all things. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will… [Mention your intentions here] As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgement of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that You may use me – a sinner – to bring others into Your Kingdom for Your glory. Christ the King, Your Kingdom come. Amen. Almighty ever-living God, whose will is to restore all things in Your beloved Son, the King of the universe, grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render Your majesty service and ceaselessly p

This feast day was instituted by Pope Pius XI on December 11th, in 1925, within the encyclical letter Quas Primas . The Holy Father was responding to the fact that the world was becoming increasingly nationalistic and secular. Governments were claiming more and more allegiance from citizens and attempting to replace God. While nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights. – Quas Primas , 25 Pope Pius XI, therefore, created this feast to help the faithful to remember that allegiance to Christ is above any allegiance to government of a nation. "The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his

For those familiar with monarchy like those in Europe, the idea that Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth might seem odd. In Western monarchies, the king and queen are typically husband and wife. By this standard, Mary the Mother of God would have no claim to such a designation. That Catholics accord to her the title "Queen" has even prompted Protestant accusations that Catholics divinize the Mother of Christ. In ancient Middle Eastern monarchies, kings had numerous wives as well as concubines. The greatest kings of the Davidic Kingdom were no exception. The Bible names eight wives of King David and acknowledges many more – although the exact number is not known. 1st Kings 11:1-3 indicates King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Amid such rampant polygamy, to bestow upon a wife the honor of being queen would doubtless cause envy, disappointment and recrimination among those in the royal harem not chosen. Israel's kings had many wives, but only one mother. It was

In Matthew 2:11 it is written: "and on entering the house they [the wise men] saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Contrary to popular opinion, the wise men were not kings. They were, rather, according to several Church Fathers, men of intellectual renown and considerable means, most likely from the Orient. Whether such wealth was their own or it was bestowed by royalty, on whose behalf they acted, is the subject of debate. The wise men's gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, seem curious offerings to a child no more than two years of age [and perhaps far younger]. Both popular piety and Church Tradition suggest that the three gifts represent different dimensions or unique offices of Christ Incarnate. We Three Kings The verses of the carol "We Three Kings", while not altogether historically accurate, [ The wise men wer

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) It is no secret that there is widespread distrust of authority these days, a distrust of our basic institutions and their leaders that, in many cases, arises from understandable reasons. In reaction, personal individualism has been advocated to such an extreme that for many people the only acceptable authority is the individual self. The only authority that I will allow to tell me what is right and what is wrong is myself. Many are therefore uncomfortable with idea of Christ as ruler. With the exception of a fascination with England’s royal family we balk at the idea of kings and queens, believing them to be either oppressive or no longer relevant. The titles of “lord” and “king” for Christ are unsettling for some folks because they believe that such titles are borrowed from oppressive and irrelevant systems of government. I am troubled by all of this hesitancy because it casts Christ as b

The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI to remind the world, that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Universe. It occurs on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. The feast was instituted on December 11, 1925 with the encyclical Quas Primas . The Holy Father was responding to the fact that the world was becoming increasingly nationalistic and secular. Governments were claiming more and more allegiance from their citizens and attempting to replace God. Sign up for daily reminders to pray the Christ the King Novena . Pius XI expected three blessings to flow from the celebration of the feast: first, that "men will doubtless be reminded that the Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state"; second, that "Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public