From The Bishop

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly called the Feast of Christ the King, helps us to focus on the Reign of God. At every Mass we recite the Our Father and pray, “thy Kingdom come.” This reminds us that the Kingdom of God lies before us and is part of our vocation to eternal life. In the Gospel for this Feast, St. Luke (23:35-43) presents us with a scene from the crucifixion. Jesus offers eternal life to the criminal who asks for mercy: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” We believe that those who die in God’s grace and friendship are perfectly purified and are welcomed in heaven. Heaven is to be in God’s presence for all eternity. Those who are not perfectly purified at the moment of death are assured salvation; however, they must undergo purification that will lead to holiness and perfect friendship that is needed for heaven. Our belief in purgatory expresses the great mercy of God. If at the time of death we are not ready for heaven, God offers us an opportunity to be purified of the effects of sin in our lives. As long as we are open to receiving God’s mercy we will be saved. If we reject salvation then we experience eternal separation from God, which is hell. So we condemn ourselves by rejecting Divine Love and Mercy. God gives us every opportunity to be saved; however, if we die in mortal sin without repenting, we will be separated from God forever. Jesus offers us great hope because we are sinners. As long as we repent, even at the moment of death, we will be saved: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise”. I wish to conclude with a beautiful quote from Pope Benedict regarding God’s Kingdom and eternal life. “His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us. His love alone gives us the possibility of soberly persevering day by day, without ceasing to be spurred on by hope, in a world which by its very nature is imperfect. His love is at the same time our guarantee of the existence of what we only vaguely sense and which nevertheless, in our deepest self, we await: a life that is ‘truly’ life.” (Spe Salvi 31)