Romans, Chapter 1,
Verse 5-8
5 Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to
bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, 6 among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus
Christ; 7 to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace
to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because
your faith is heralded throughout the
world.
Christ has called all of us as Paul states to
holiness and apostleship.
"The apostolate of the laity derives from their
Christian vocation and the Church can never be without it." These words
come from the opening lines of the “Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity” (Apostolicam Actuositatem). This particular
document on the laity shows that the Church is dependent on the apostolate of
all people. But the term “apostolate” seems so daunting; clearly the word is
rooted in the idea of being an apostle. I tend to think back to the Twelve
Apostles, which creates a certain amount of anxiety. How can I even think about
living up to the great examples of these twelve? Yet they are our
example, and our apostleship is essential to the life of the Church. In the
Church we tend to use the word apostle quite a bit and in many different ways.
It appears in terms such as: apostolic, apostolate, and apostleship. To find a
secular answer, I looked up the word “apostle” in a Merriam-Webster dictionary.
In using a dictionary, my hope was that I might come to a better understanding
of what it means to be an apostle. The first definition that I came
across for apostle was "one sent on
a mission." This first meaning really helps expand the idea of the New
Evangelization in simple terms. The discovery of this definition led me to
formulate the following question: "What is our mission as baptized
Catholics?" This is a very important
question that has been the subject of major debate. A simple answer is that we
are called to go out into the world around us and proclaim the Good News of our
Lord, Jesus Christ. How this is accomplished is a decision that must be made by each one of us. We must find our own niche in the greater
mission of Christ. We have been given a divine mission that we must go out and complete.
Indeed we all are
called to be fishers of men; the Lord calls all; truly we are not powerless for
He gives us his very flesh that we may become Christ to everyone we encounter.
The most holy council, then, earnestly entreats all the laity in the Lord to answer gladly, nobly, and promptly the more urgent invitation of Christ in this hour and the impulse of the Holy Spirit. Younger persons should feel that this call has been directed to them especially and they should respond to it eagerly and generously. The Lord renews His invitation to all the laity to come closer to Him every day, recognizing that what is His is also their own (Phil. 2:5), to associate themselves with Him in His saving mission. Once again He sends them into every town and place where He will come (cf. Luke 10:1) so that they may show that they are co-workers in the various forms and modes of the one apostolate of the Church, which must be constantly adapted to the new needs of our times. Ever productive as they should be in the work of the Lord, they know that their labor in Him is not in vain (cf. 1 Cor. 15:58).
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the
Universe[3]
Things
to Do
- · A procession for Christ the King on this feast day, either in the Church or at home is appropriate for this feast. The Blessed Sacrament would be carried and the procession would end with a prayer of consecration to Christ the King and Benediction. Try to participate if your parish has a Christ the King procession. If not, try having one at home (minus the Blessed Sacrament).
- · Read Pope Pius XI's encyclical Quas primas (On the Feast of Christ the King) which shows that secularism is the direct denial of Christ's Kingship.
- · Learn more about secularism - read the Annual Statement of the Bishops of the United States released on November 14, 1947.
- · Being a relatively newer feast on the Liturgical calendar, there are no traditional foods for this day. Suggested ideas: a wonderful family Sunday dinner, and bake a cake shaped as a crown or King Cake or a bread in shape of a crown in honor of Christ the King.
- · A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King. A plenary indulgence is granted; if it is recite publicly on the feast of our Lord Jesus Christ King.
COURAGE FOR THE MODERN WORLD 2017
Authored by Mr. Richard H. Havermale Jr.This book is the continuation of my first book based on more than 365 references in the Bible to fear, dread, and that in fact our God encourages us to "BE NOT AFRAID". To do this we must be in the presence of our Lord and talk to Him. I recommend you develop the habit of spending 10-15 minutes a day with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel or if that is not available some other quiet place where you can be in the presence of our Lord. Read the daily entry and reflect on it asking our Lord and His mother to talk to your heart and reveal to you the will of the Father and then Do it. The layout of this book is to list and reflect on the books of the bible Sirach through Revelations. In the early part of September my search of the verses dealing with fear and being afraid was completed; so I asked the Lord what do I, do now. After some reflection I realize that the fruit of fear in the Lord is the Theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love which ultimately results in Peace of the Lord. As a consequence the month of September will deal with Peace, October with Love and the month of November will be reflections on Faith and Hope. After Thanksgiving for the season of Advent and Christmas this work uses a multitude of references that reflect the Christmas season. There are many theologians who state that the eighth deadly sin is fear itself. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. Saint John Paul II in his writings and talks also tells us to BE NOT AFRAID. In fear or anger we walk away from God. Our Lord, Jesus Christ taught us how to walk back toward God in His sermon on the mount through the Beatitudes. Each of the beatitudes is the antidote for the opposite deadly sins.
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