Last Sunday’s great feast of Christ the King brings the Liturgical Year to a close. Next Sunday we begin the Season of Advent. Last Sunday readings emphasise the love of Christ the King. He came to establish a spiritual Kingdom and His weapons are goodness and care for every member of His flock. He went so far as to die for His sheep and undo all the evils of the human will. He is now the Mediator of the New Covenant and Redeemer of mankind. His Kingdom is one of truth, life and holiness. Each of us is called to participate in this Kingdom and Jesus wants to reign over our hearts and wills. The Divine Will is bilocated throughout all creation, in the sun, the moon, oceans etc and is present in all the Sacraments of the Church. Today is a special day for our Parish because candidates are making their First Holy Communion at St Anne’s in Bindoon and several receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Divine Mercy Shrine. I will then be travelling for Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral and participating in a large Eucharistic Procession around the city of Perth. This will be an important witness to the Kingship of Christ who will bless our streets and our city as He is carried in the Monstrance with great reverence by Priests of the Archdiocese and followed by a multitude of devout Catholics.
The coming of Christ around two thousand years ago changed the world. In fact, all time is measured from the date of his birth. Christianity formed Western Civilization. Slavery which was so common on the old world was eventually abolished, although in some non-Christian countries it still persists today. Hospitals, universities and the Catholic School system were established, great monastic communities and religious orders sprung up and there was a steady flood of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life. Missionaries were also sent throughout the world. However, especially since the twentieth century there has been a steady attack on families. This is through non-fault divorce, contraception, abortion and the flood of impurity through the television, cinema and now the internet. As the family is the bedrock of society, when the traditional family is attacked, society as-a-whole suffers, criminal activity increases and vocations dry up. We have been living through a demonic attack on the family. The answer to this is for families and people in general to return to the habit of making prayer a priority. All the difficulties which surround our daily lives can be used by God to help us grow in virtue and we will only be able to endure if we have a strong relationship with the Lord.
This reminds me of the story of farmer whose old donkey fell into a dry well. When the farmer heard all the braying from the donkey and realized what had happened, he decided that the old donkey was not worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he enlisted his neighbour’s help in simply burying the old donkey in the well. Initially, the donkey was very upset, but as the soil rained down on his back, the old donkey had a thought. He decided that every time a shovel of soil landed on his back, he would shake it off and step up and that is what he did. So, as the soil cascaded down the well the old donkey kept on shaking it off his back and to the surprise of the farmer eventually stepped out over the wall of the well. What was meant to bury him, actually helped him. Jesus has conquered sin and evil, so we as Christians too are able to conquer sin and evil, not by being exempt from trials, but by living them in the light of faith. Temptations, sufferings and injustices when united to the Cross of Christ the King are like shovels of soil that the devil throws at us to bury us, but God uses them to lift us up. The saints show us that holiness is possible, and the Church teaches that this is our common vocation. In the Church we have the means to grow in our personal relationship with Jesus, through making Sunday Mass the cornerstone of your week, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, daily recitation of the Holy Rosary and reading of the Scriptures. Let’s allow Jesus our King to truly reign in our hearts and lift us up, by dying to our own selfish will. Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever.