FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK……

November 23, 2003

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ, the King.  Our worship today is filled with sounds of jubilation and praise as we honor our King & Lord, Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin and death through His own death and resurrection and ushered in His Heavenly Father's Kingdom --- a kingdom of justice, peace, and unity --- into a world of violence, injustice, and division.  Our liturgy today is also marked by a sense of hope --- hope for a better world to come as we continue to promote God's Kingdom in our own circles of influence at work, at home, in school, among our friends, in the neighborhood, and, yes, right here in our Parish Community this coming holiday season.

Today's celebration is a perfect example of why the Sunday liturgy is so vitally important.  It provides the impetus for the work that needs to be done in the week ahead.  As I mentioned last week, that's why I've chosen, as your pastor, to take advantage of the next six weeks to renew our Sunday worship here at the Old Mission.  I mentioned that our renewal will have as its chief goal what Cardinal Roger Mahony, D.D. in his pastoral letter "GATHER FAITHFULLY TOGETHER" refers to as "full, conscious, & active" participation by all of us in our Sunday worship.

This week I'd like to concentrate on that first element of our chief goal --- full participation.  This means that we come to Sunday Mass ready to put all of ourselves into it --- body, mind, heart, & soul.  It means that we have put some prior preparation into it beforehand --- whether reading the Scripture texts that will be proclaimed, or fasting, or spending some quiet time before Mass begins to get ourselves properly focused.

I remember when I was a young boy growing up in Sacred Heart Parish in Covina, California, in the mid 1950's, Sunday Mass was held in what is now the church hall.  A newspaper vendor had a news stand across the street from the auditorium.  Often times the hall was crowded and people had to stand outside the main doors.  Many times I would see people standing outside the front doors reading the newspaper while Mass was going on inside.  I imagine they thought that just being physically present and being able to hear the worship in the background was sufficient to fulfill their Sunday "obligation" to attend Mass.  This is an example of what is NOT "full" participation in the Sunday Liturgy.  As we honor Christ, our King, let's take this opportunity to make a commitment to make the effort to participate more fully at Mass by doing some of the things mentioned above.  We'll be blessed, and we'll be a blessing to others as well for doing it!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Raymond J. Tintle, OFM
Pastor