SUNDAY HOMILY: ¡Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live Christ the King
Americans. The inordinate love for money and material possessions is a real problem in today's society.
This vice can be uprooted from our souls by living within our means, keeping within a strict yearly budget, avoiding unnecessary credit card debt, and by practicing the Biblical principle of tithing. The sin of avarice is rooted in a deep mistrust in God who provides all that we need for our daily existence.
Along with the traditional means that I mentioned that are necessary for the preservation of the virtue of chastity, uprooting the sins of gluttony and avarice are very useful in the cultivation of purity.
If we can control our eating and spending habits, we can then have a greater ability to control our sexual desires.
Sloth is another terrible vice that controls many people. Sloth proceeds from an inordinate attachment to sensual pleasure and it causes us to avoid suffering and effort.
In the spiritual life, sloth presents the greatest obstacle to spiritual progress.
If we do not exert ourselves with a strong will and firm character, we are putting our own eternal salvation in jeopardy. There is no room for laziness and complacency in the kingdom of Christ!
My dear friends, the spiritual life will always be a continual battle, but if we really love Jesus and his kingdom, we will always be able to proclaim the inspirational words spoken by Saint Paul, one of the greatest members of the kingdom: "I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4: 8).
History is filled with the details of many famous battles. One of these confrontations took place at the Alamo. On March 5, 1836, Colonel William Travis assembled his men in the plaza of the Alamo and told them that there was no hope that they would receive any help.
He drew a line on the ground with a sword to be crossed by all who were committed to stay and fight. Everyone crossed the line except for one man by the name of Moses Rose, who escaped over one of the walls surrounding the Alamo.
Today, more than ever, the kingdom of Christ needs convinced Catholics who will fight heroically for their King.
The kingdom of Christ on earth has always been known as the Church militant, not a Church of cowards.
The conflict between good and evil reached its culmination during the passion of Christ the King. Betrayal, disloyalty, fear and hatred came to overshadow the fidelity of a few disciples and the Lord's loving Mother.
The Cross is an essential component for membership in the kingdom of Christ. Those who belong to the kingdom of Satan do not want a king who tells them that they have to suffer.
They want Jesus to come down from the Cross.
Father James Farfaglia is a contributing writer for Catholic Online and author of Get Serious! - A Survival Guide for Serious Catholics. You can visit him on the web at www.fatherjames.org and listen to the audio podcast of this Sunday homily.
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Viva Cristo Rey! I saw the movie and knew about the Catholic persecution when I was a kid. The dark clouds of persecution are on the horizon and those clouds are drifting in our direction. I hope our Bishops can read the proverbial weather patterns because right now they are acting like it is sunny days and all things are happy.
Viva Christo Rey!
The story of the Cristeros really inspired me.
I like the movie "For Greater Glory" very much.
What do the atheists and anti-Catholics have to say?
These people gave their lives in some terrible ways for their faith.
And all these deaths were not even a full century ago.
Their deaths are a loud cry to the world; proclaiming Christ's name!
No matter what our enemies think, God shall be victorious in the end.
Viva!
Viva Christo Rey! Wishing along with you that the fire was blazing!!
As a child (I am now in my 50's) I read about Mexico's persecution of the Church and thanked God it was so much different in 1960's America. Our nun at that time told us to pray that we would not be around at the end of the world because things would be so bad. How things can change in less than half a century. We have a corrupt executive branch waging war against the Church in America. The Church, to retain her adherence to God and His laws, is close to having to close schools and hospitals, among other institutions. This would hit poor children and poor people more than others. The executive branch waging this immoral war under the guise of health care claims to be oh so concerned about the poor. This corrupt executive branch is headed by one who refuses to acknowledge God on Thanksgiving Day and who advocates killing children who survived the attempt to kill them in their mother's womb. This man also thinks he is right and God is wrong as to what constitutes marriage. So today I say "Long live Christ the King" and "Thank you, Catholic democrats for bringing the nightmares of my youth to reality by your votes."