From Our Pastor: 34th Sunday In Ordinary Time

This Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. We as Americans have a twisting in our stomach at the idea of a King or Queen. We think of Kingship as the worst form of government but that’s only because we are looking at the bad and unjust kings. We must also remember there have been good kings and queens throughout history and some truly saintly. The kingship of Jesus Christ is even better than the good kings and queens of our day. St. Louis the King, St. Wenceslaus, St. Abgar, St. Stephen of Hungary, St. Ferdinand, St. Eric IX of Sweden, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Jadwiga, St. Helen, St. Olga, St. Tamar, St. Bathildis, etc just to name a few, are great examples of saintly kings and queens. Read their stories and the stories of other great kings and queen saints.

We hear today of the anointing of David, this great king which Christ is in the lineage of and is the fulfillment of David’s kingship making this line everlasting in the eternal reign of Christ our King. Through this kingship of Christ, you and I by our baptism, are made heirs to the throne. We are made beloved sons and daughters and therefore princes and princesses. Colossians says that He “has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.” BUT what does the kingship of Christ look like? One of sacrifice and suffering. We see Christ on His throne in the moment of the Crucifixion. This king who reigns eternal lays down His life so that we may be raised up. So let us harken to this cry of the good thief on the cross, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This should be our constant prayer so that one day we may hear, “Amen I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Make Christ the King of your heart.

I want to write to you about one more very important thing. As many of you may be aware, we Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools have been meeting for some time to discuss the future of our Catholic schools in Quincy and how we can be stronger together. We are in need of two representatives of St. Francis Solanus parish on the board of this future endeavor. It will be a voting board with input and a say. We will stagger the original members so that we don’t have turn over all at once, but I urge you to apply for this role and truly have a great impact on the future of Catholic education in Quincy. If you are interested in one of these two spots on this exciting committee, please submit a resume to me at the parish office by November 30. The resume can be a normal job resume, but also with a short cover letter explaining why you want to be on this board, and what gifts and skills you believe you bring to this work. I hope you prayerfully consider serving our parish and the greater community in this way as a good steward of what we have been given and a true disciple living out Christ’s call to serve. It can not be an employee of one of the schools. It also doesn’t need to be a parent of a school aged child, just a truly practicing Catholic, yes, which means you must be going to mass and living the faith. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. This is a very exciting work to be done.

-Rev. Steven Arisman