Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Here in the United States we sometimes associate kings with the abuse of power and control and it is hard for us to think about a suffering king or a selfless king – a king who cares so much that he literally dies for his people. When Pope Pius XI instituted this feast he wanted to address a world that was, and still is, suffering under the illusion of false gods, the gods of consumerism, exploitation, racism, and mass injustice. He envisioned Christ as a “King of Peace who came to reconcile all things” who came not to be served but to save and serve all. This feast is meant to help us understand that we are all called to truly be Christ’s hands and feet.
This time of year is a time of dying, but this reality doesn’t have to be terrifying. As the leaves fall from the trees and have died, as the days grow shorter and the hours of darkness increase, we are very much aware of the change of seasons and the cycle of life. But as was inscribed in the haunting song of Bette Midler’s THE ROSE: “Just remember that far beneath the winter snow lies the seed that in the spring becomes the rose.” So too, just remember beneath the adversity we face in the Church and in the world, far beneath the winter snow there lies a seed planted in our hearts that in the spring becomes the rose of God’s love.
The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of Christian faith, the source of our hope, the cause of our joy. In the light of a resurrection faith, we seek to place God first in our lives. On this Stewardship Commitment Sunday, we are inviting you to reflect on the spirituality of stewardship. It means we wish to place God first in our lives. It means we live a life of gratitude, conscious of the many blessings that are part of our lives. We are inviting you to make a stewardship commitment of time and talent.