Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: November 22, 2015
Dearest Parishioners and Friends,
This weekend the liturgical year comes to a close with the Solemnity of Christ the King. His Kingship will be most clearly manifest at the end of all time, but each year the Church recognizes and honors Him in this world, and so we pledge our loyalty to Him and His ways. It’s not always easy to be a follower of Christ the King, but no one else can promise us the reward that He does! In a special way I always treasure the prayers and special music of this feast – look for Robbie to improvise on the famous chant “Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat”* at some point! – which help us get a glimpse of Christ’s royal glory even amidst the darkening autumn’s grey weather and leafless branches.
I hope you have plans for a wonderful Thanksgiving week. Now of course don’t wait until you say grace on Thursday to begin telling God how grateful you are for His bounty: here at the Cathedral we celebrate a special “Thanksgiving Vigil Mass” at 5 pm on Wednesday, November 25. You’re invited not only to come but also to do something special: bring your bread and wine! As part of the Mass I will be offering a special simple blessing over the loaves of bread and bottles of wine which you’ll be sharing as part of your family’s Thanksgiving feast. (It also makes a nice display during that Mass, since we typically get all sorts of breads in all shapes and sizes!)
As a Parish we are thankful for a lot, both obvious and hidden. Externally, we’ve now enjoyed our renovated and expanded Hall and parking areas for a full year, our attendance and income is continuing to trend upwards, and we have exciting plans to fix up the outside and inside of our venerable Cathedral building. In our hearts and souls we’ve become more loving, giving, prayerful and holy, too. Thanks be to God for it all!
Even before then you also might join me at First Presbyterian Church on North Boulevard on Sunday evening, November 22, at 6 pm for the annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service sponsored by “the downtown churches.” As the most religious of our country’s secular holidays, Thanksgiving is a perfect time for people of different religious backgrounds to give prayerful thanks together to the one God who blesses us all. Our Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian and Presbyterian friends share our gratitude to God; why not come and share an hour of song and prayer together as we begin our special week of giving thanks?
Finally, I know it’s no surprise to you that next weekend on November 28/29 a new liturgical year begins again for the Church, with the season of Advent this year providing us with almost four full weeks of preparation for Christmas.
Advent has always been for me a favorite time, but I admit it was easier to celebrate it and appreciate it “in the good ol’ days,” when I was studying to be a priest. Within the seminary community, whether at St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana, where we shared liturgy and attitudes with the monks, or in northern Belgium where I studied at the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven, Advent was special. Christmas decorations were minimal and gift-giving pretty low-key. Daily prayers and Mass texts highlighted the expectations of the Chosen People for their Messiah, and the special roles played by so many, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. Our music drew upon the treasury of classic hymns and chants which anticipate salvation, rather than carols which assume Christmas has already come. Even on a personal basis, those were good days: long, quiet evening prayer-walks in the woods, in darkening light and sometimes (in Belgium!) snow-flurries, had a way of helping me appreciate my need for God and look forward to the light of His grace.
Ah, those were good times! As you can probably tell, now when I want to appreciate Advent in the midst of today’s hustle and bustle, I let my memories put me into a nostalgic mood! It never fails to work!
But seriously, each one of us should take extra time in the coming weeks to focus prayerfully on the significance of Christ’s coming. It will make our celebration of His birth more special, and also increase our own sensitivities: to our sins, to our hopes and that of the world, to those who have been Christ-bearers to us, and so forth.
Yours in the Lord,
* “Christ overcomes, Christ reigns, Christ commands”
