Reflections from St. Ann DC

Msgr. Watkins gives the history of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe instituted by Pope Pius XI in the wake of the First World War's devastation to call the faithful's attention away from earthly contestations and back to the true and rightful ruler of our lives: Christ the King.

Remember Jesus' words—a powerful reminder today that the world is fleeting, and what is of God is eternal: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).

Christ dwells in us as the building blocks of something grand—His Kingdom. What does your building look like?

Let's learn more about All Souls, All Saints, and St. John Henry Newman in this week's homily.

Pray with us.

Persistence may be hard, all things in life are hard. In Exodus, Moses is tired and weary but he is supported by Aaron and Hur to fulfill what the Lord wants. Then, Jesus in the gospel of Luke also speaks on persistence and to pray unceasingly without being weary. Jesus was weary on the cross with no assistance but he still cried out to his father that “thy will be done”. His sacrifice and his permanent patience is the reason we come to mass, to praise, to adore and to unceasingly embrace our God who came down to Earth for our sins.

Those who are grateful are happy. God is at work. He has his ways of communicating with us no matter what. We're only able to see a fraction of what He is doing.

People often ask how can a good merciful God allow for all the evil in our world to happen? The apostles experienced this question, asking Jesus to increase their faith, as people of faith can understand the evil of the crucifixion which was necessary as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Being grateful to God is how people are able to put the evil of the world into perspective, having faith that grows like a mustard seed.

In this week's homily, Fr. Maximo Stock explains the five pieces of advice that the rich man should have considered taking that could have helped him break through indifference and connect with others. Take a listen.

In today's homily, His Eminence Cardinal Wuerl preaches the importance of Catholic Charity and how we, unlike the wealthy gentile in today's reading, must find humility and recognize the sin of greed in ourselves before it is too late.