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NOVEMBER 25, 2018 THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING FROM THE PASTOR S DESK Dear Brothers and Sisters, There s nothing like ending on a high note! Today with the whole Church we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, which also marks the end of the Church's liturgical year. Next week is "New Year's Day" in the Church, the first Sunday of Advent. The Church gives us this feast of Christ the King because what we mark today is the culmination of everything we have been discussing over the course of the past 51 weeks, all of which has been geared toward the conclusion, toward the fact, that Jesus Christ is truly King of the Universe. We celebrate this feast with great joy, because we, by God's grace know this reality that our King is our Good Shepherd who loved us so much that he laid down his life for us. In today s Gospel from John, we see the King of the Universe being interrogated by a Roman Governor. Pilate was the representative of Rome. His palace, his garb, his demeanor radiated the power of the Roman Empire. Jesus was a commoner, a nomadic preacher and carpenter. There was nothing about him that would cause a powerful man to be fearful. But who was king and who was subject? Pilate by human standards was indeed a powerful man to be feared; he was the king of his world. Jesus on the other hand, was not powerful and was certainly not feared by most people. The religious and secular leaders of the day feared him because he was a threat to them and their way of life. They realized that Jesus actually did have power; power to expose them as the hypocrites that they were. Pilate asks Jesus Are you a king? and Jesus replies You yourself say that I am a king. For this I have come, to testify to the truth. To testify to the truth. That is what true royalty is about. This Feast of Christ the King is about testifying to the truth. It is about integrity. There is a great scene in the play A Man for All Seasons that fits so well here. Henry VIII is trying to coax his second in charge, Thomas More, to agree with him that it is proper for him, the King, to divorce his wife Catherine. After the King made all of his arguments, Thomas More asks the King, Why do you need my support? Henry VIII replies with words we would all love to hear spoken about us, Because, Thomas, you are honest. And what is more to the point, you are known to be honest. There are plenty in the Kingdom who support me, but some do so only out of fear and others only out of what they can get for their support. But you are different. And people know it. That is why I need your support. In the presence of integrity, Henry VIII knew who King was and who was subject. Thomas More and so many others followed Jesus in being people of integrity and standing up for truth. The powerful Pilate could have Jesus tortured and killed, and he did, but Pilate himself remained a prisoner because he lived a lie. And Jesus remained a King because he testified to the truth to his last breath. This Gospel, this Solemnity of Christ the King reminds us that each of us was born for this same reason, to testify to the truth. And what is the truth? Jesus Christ is the truth, and the way, and the life. Jesus, who came to give witness to the truth, now says to each of us, "Follow me!" How do you respond? May God bless you, Monsignor Hurley
THE GIVING TREE: Our parish is once again collecting gifts for patients at the Delaware Psychiatric Center. Look for the tree near St. Joseph s Altar. Please take a tag (or several) and return items unwrapped by December 9. Thank you for your generosity and continued support in this project. GOD IS ON THE AIR - NEW TIME! Listen to Catholic Forum every Sunday morning at its new time - 6:05 a.m. on WDEL 101.7 FM, 1150 AM and www.wdel.com. After it airs, listen online anytime at www.cdow.org/catholic- Forum, or search Catholic Forum on Apple, Spotify, or iheartradio podcasts. Next Sunday, December 2 nd, tune in to hear part one of a fourpart Advent series with Father Rich Jasper. For photos, information regarding upcoming guests, links and more, Like Catholic Forum on Facebook at www.facebook.com/catholicforum. VOCATION REFLECTION Today the Book of Revelation tells us that Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. By virtue of our baptism, each of us is called to be a faithful witness to the wonderful things our God has done for women and men. Are you being called to give witness as a religious or as a priest? Are you willing? Let s talk. Call or write Fr. Norm Carroll, Diocesan Director of Priestly and Religious Vocations (302-573-3113; vocations@cdow.org). Please visit our website: www.cdow.org/vocations! MASS INTENTIONS Monday, November 26 6:00pm Patricia McCaffery Tuesday, November 27 8:00am Joana Flores Matlusky Wednesday, November 28 8:00am Vincenza Cafini Thursday, November 29 8:00am Anna & Herman Schweiger Saturday, December 1 5:00pm Joseph Brennan, Sr. Sunday, December 2 8:00am Mass for the People 10:00 am Albert Kastner Flowers on the Blessed Mother s Altar In Loving Memory of Joseph Brennan, Sr. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY Marriage Moments: What does it mean to be a king, or queen, or president, or indeed anyone with power? Look at your spouse today and see beyond the power struggles of who is in charge or most right. Recommit to sacrificing your life for your beloved. Parenting Pointers: Where indeed is there forgiveness today? Is there anyone you or your child need to forgive to make peace in the family or with your neighbor (or your enemy) before the season of peace can begin? LAST WEEKEND S OFFERTORY Will be printed next week due to early deadline for this weekend s bulletin. STOCKINGS FOR SOLDIERS This is a great way to show our appreciation for our soldiers overseas while they are away at Christmas from their families. The soldiers really appreciate their stockings stuffed with so many useful items. We will meet again on Thursday
evening November 29th at 6PM. You and/or your family are welcome to volunteer. We will meet in front of the church and carpool to the site. If interested, contact Ernie Shepherd by email at ernest.shepherd@comcast.net or 598 4148. RING THE BELL "Ringing the bell for Salvation Army" at the Walgreens where Total Wine is located on Route 7 and Milltown Rd. shopping center plaza. This is a great spot and it is a great way to get in the Christmas spirit and help people in need at the same time. The dates are December 5th through the 7th, Wednesday through Friday between 1 and 7 PM with 1 hour slots for individuals or families to ring the bell. The contact person to sign up with, is Michael Botsford and his email is mabotsford@yahoo.com or 559 8677. BRICK BY BRICK A brick in the memorial walk is not just another brick. It shows your love for a special loved one, dear friend or event. Make this special dedication for your loved one. To order visit the St Thomas website: www.sainttom.org or call the rectory. You can also own a piece of history, another brick from the wall. The original Church, school/gym bricks are still available. You can own one for a donation to the Saint Vincent depaul society of St. Thomas, helping the needy in our parish. Contact the rectory to order and pick up. collection basket. We assist requests in the St. Thomas parish area. If you need financial assistance, call the rectory and follow the prompts to leave a message, a representative will contact you. For assistance, to volunteer your time and talents or for further information, please call the parish office at (302) 658-5131 x6. THE ADVENT WREATH The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Savior. Three candles are purple and one is rose. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead. ST. VINCENT depaul SOCIETY Seems like everybody has their hands out for money. Most requests are extremely justified. We simply don t have the money to donate to all these requests, so we pick and choose the ones we feel are most needed. We at Saint Vincent depaul Society of St. Thomas have the same dilemma. We receive no funding and have no fund raisers except for your donations. So, after all is given and you have some spare money, please consider us. Drop your donation in an envelope marked Saint Vincent depaul in the