Parish Priest's Corner

My dear friends in Christ,

In September of 2015, I went to Washington D.C. for Pope Francis’ visit to the United States. This was the second leg of the Pope’s visit, as he went first to New York, then to Washington D.C., and subsequently to Philadelphia. The D.C. part of his visit was mainly for the Canonization of Saint Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Canonization Mass was scheduled for 4:30 pm. From the historic nature of the visit plus the media coverage, it was obvious that it would be a crowded event. With hopes that I would get a good spot in the Basilica I arrived at the entrance gate at 8:00 am, but it was obvious that many others had the same thought as there were at least five thousand people ahead of me. With all the security screening, it took about two and half hours for me to get into the Basilica. At noon, the church and the arena outside were already packed to the brim. People waited, and around 3:00 pm you could tell from the looks on their faces that many were tired.

However, around 4:00 pm there was a sudden wave of change in the crowd at the Basilica. From the giant TV screens mounted in the church for this event, we saw the Pope get out of the Popemobile and onto the steps at the entrance to the Basilica. As soon as the majestic entrance doors were opened and the Pope took his first step into the Basilica, the pipe organ bellowed magnificently, the choir went transcendentally angelic, and the atmosphere in the church was electric. The exhausted faces of the people turned into unstoppable choruses of “Papa Francesco!” It was as if the Holy Spirit renewed the faces of everyone in an instant. As the Pope made his way down the central aisle to the sanctuary, there were deafening shouts and applauses. I had never witnessed anything like this before. It was a great feeling that indeed the Vicar of Christ was in our midst.

My dear friends in Christ, please think about the people’s eager anticipation at this event. An eager anticipation of what? The arrival. Yes! The arrival of the Pope. We’ve all been in situations like this, so it’s not too great a stretch to say that today’s Gospel talks about the eager anticipation of the arrival of the Kingdom. Throughout his Gospel, St. Luke talks about the Kingdom of God as being present anytime Jesus is around, for a kingdom must have a king. Christ the King, who is also the Prince of Peace, brings the Kingdom with him, and he reigns from the cross.

That sounds a little strange to the modern ear, no doubt. When I think “kingdom,” I think of medieval castles and the gallantry of knights and noble ladies. But Jesus’ kingdom is not like that. His kingdom can only be seen by faith. Today’s second reading tells us that “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). What we hope for is that all of us as members of the Kingdom of Christ will experience peace brought about by the shedding of his blood on the cross. The world also needs peace, and that peace begins with you as a child of the Kingdom of Peace. This kind of faith is what is needed to see the Kingdom of God here and now today, right where we are. It is this kind of faith that evoked that eager anticipation of the Pope’s arrival.

When we allow ourselves to really live by faith as described in the second reading, then we begin to see the Kingdom living within you and me and all around us. Who doesn’t want more of that, especially in today’s world?

May the peace of Christ always reign in your heart.

Fr. Anthony Ahamefule
Parish Priest