From the Pastor:
This Sunday we look to Christ as King of heaven and earth. This brings us great consolation and even excitement. The excitement is related to knowing that the time is coming when God will be the only authority and power that exists. When that day comes, then we will truly sing: the battle is over, the strife is done, Christ has victoriously triumphed… God will gather all those who desire what is good, true, and beautiful around Himself as one family, which we call heaven. There will be perfect harmony between everyone in heaven because each person has been purified of anything contrary to God, and thus perfectly live God’s teachings and commandments. They have become like God. What an amazing thought!
The consolation of Christ the King is that the struggle between good and evil will be forever ended. There is great comfort in knowing there will be lasting joy in the goodness of God. Justice and mercy will prevail. To those who desire and work for the good, God’s justice will complete what is lacking, as is evident by Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:1-11). There in the Beatitudes, we are told that the pure of heart will see God and those who mourn will be comforted. The humble and contrite person, who desires to do the will of God, will experience complete joy and fulfillment in heaven. I encourage you to reflect on the full passage to enjoy God’s message in a greater way.
As we look ahead to Thanksgiving this week, consider reflecting on the many reasons you have to be thankful. I think all of us can be better at this. God blesses us every day but so often we don’t see that. Not seeing the daily blessings of God means we are missing God Himself! We definitely don’t want that to be our situation. The world today has many problems, some are very serious problems, but that should not blind us of the blessings that we enjoy, no matter how small they might be.
One of the most powerful daily reminders I have to be grateful and thankful is the preface prayer during the Mass. This is the prayer the priest prays before the Eucharist prayer. There are many different options the priest has for this prayer, but every one of them begins with these words: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord… These are powerful words to reflect upon. We have that opportunity each time to come to Mass and are attentively praying along in our hearts with the prayers of the Mass.
How often have we thought that it is our duty to not only give thanks to God, but to always and everywhere do that? The prayer reminds us that doing so is right and just. Then the prayer goes even further in saying that this giving thanks to God, always and everywhere, is our salvation! Wow, who would ever have thought that giving thanks to God is so important and to our salvation. Doing so will positively affect a person’s life more than they can imagine!
With much thanks,
Fr. Miller
From the Tri-Parish Finance Department
Paula Nestor
Department Manager
God’s blessings to you and yours during this Thanksgiving week! We would like to take this opportunity to call your attention to Giving Tuesday which is on December 3 this year. Giving Tuesday always takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It began before the pandemic for the purpose of bringing the focus back from the commercialization of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to charitable giving during the Christmas season.
Both of our Catholic Schools, St. Mary and St. Peter, participate annually through Richland Gives, which is sponsored by our local Richland County Foundation. It is designed to encourage Richland County residents to contribute to local non-profits for the benefit of our area. For the first time, Resurrection Parish is participating this year through iGiveCatholic, which was recommended to us by the diocesan Office of Mission Advancement.
Please refer to the graphics in this bulletin for more detailed information for your parish. Giving actually began on November 18, but the primary day is December 3. The Richland County Foundation provides cash prizes if certain giving levels are achieved, and were hoping your gift can help St. Mary School and St. Peter School win some of the cash prize money. Spread the word to your family, friends and colleagues!
All donations are secure through the Richland Gives and iGiveCatholic websites. You can scan the QR code with your phone to be linked directly to their websites. Every donation (minimum is $10) is tax-deductible and non-refundable. Donations may only be made via credit, debit, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
Giving Tuesday is a special day for us to give back and give thanks. What better way to thank God for His continued blessings to our three parishes. Thank you for your continuing generosity!