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People who get to know me realize very quickly that I’m a fan of sci-fi television. It’s not uncommon for me to watch episodes from the Stargate or Star Trek franchises, even if I’ve seen them a dozen times.

Knowing this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ve been watching the TV series “V”, based on the 1983 TV series, about a race of malevolent aliens known as Visitors and humanity’s struggles against them. What is a surprise about this series is one of the characters: Fr. Jack Landry. V has probably the only major, regularly occurring character on TV today that is a Catholic priest shown in a good light.

Sure, priests show up on Law and Order and other shows, but rarely are they presented positively. Most of the time, they are either bad characters or more than willing to betray the priesthood. For example: unlike the priest in Hitchcock’s I Confess, I know of at least one episode of Law and Order where the priest breaks the seal of the confessional to save his own skin.

Fr. Landry on V is different. He doesn’t question his faith, but rather whether his faith leads him to fight the Visitors. As the New York Post puts it, Fr. Landry is a “heroic priest”, seeing his fight against the Visitors as part of his priestly service to the people he has been called to serve. The NY Post article has a great synopsis of the character and the actor, Joel Gretsch, behind the character, and is worth reading.

This is not to say that Fr. Landry’s task is easy. A couple episodes have included his struggle over whether or not any loss of human life is acceptable. There is a developing attraction between Fr. Landry and a female character, which is a risk for any priest, but so far it’s been completely hands off. His pastor has been fooled by the lies the Visitors have been broadcasting and is supportive of them, leading to some friction between the two priests, a very real aspect of priestly life.

While those of us who are priests aren’t called to fight against alien visitors bent on conquering our world, we are fighting against “powers and principalities” according to St. Paul. We are in a conflict against sin, evil, and the Devil. At stake is not only the lives of humans, but our eternal souls. In response, priests should be heroic: heroic in their prayers, heroic in their words, heroic in their actions.

Priests have gotten a bad name due to the sins of a few of our brothers, and with good reason: it should have never been allowed to become such a serious problem. But it happened, and we can’t change the past. We can only shape the future. As priests, we need to be as heroic in our ministries as the fictional character Fr. Jack Landry is in his.

Today, on this last day of Ordinary Time for this liturgical year, we celebrate the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As baptized Christians, Our Lord Jesus Christ is our King, but He is unlike any earthly king we might be familiar with. Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, humbled Himself to become human and die on the Cross for our salvation.

To see how far He allowed Himself to be humiliated, look at St. Paul’s words of praise in his letter to the Colossians and compare them with the heckling Our Lord received while He hung on the Cross from the Jewish leaders, Roman soldiers and one of the criminals. St. Paul writes, “For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.” (Col 1:16) Compare this with the leaders of the people, who said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God,” (Lk 23:35) or the Roman soldiers who said, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” (Lk 23:37)

These leaders mock the person who is responsible for their very existence. The authority they exercise which led to Jesus’ death came from Him. Jesus is higher than any created thing on Earth, in the Heavens, or anywhere else in creation. Despite His position, the Son of God and Word of God humbled Himself to become human, then even more humbly accepted the most humiliating form of death by being crucified. By giving His life, he opened the way of salvation to each of us.

This great sacrifice by Our Lord is not something we should take lightly, yet we often do. We might call Jesus “Lord”, a proper title for a king, but we don’t allow that kingship to rule our lives. How often are we more concerned about earthly rulers and politics over our Heavenly ruler? Do we take our allegiance to Our Lord for granted, or ignore it completely? Do we allow earthly values and ideals to rule or lives, or do we allow Our Lord to rule our lives?

We do have an allegiance to Jesus that we should not take lightly. When we were baptized, we entered into service of Christ the King to follow Him as He commands. St. Paul tells us, “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col 1:13-14) Most United States citizens take their allegiance to our country very seriously, many serving in the military to aid in defense of the nation, some even giving their lives as part of that defense. Are we willing to take our allegiance to Christ as seriously as our allegiance to the earthly government of the United States?

This solemnity of Christ the King should be a reminder for us that our allegiance to Christ must be higher than our allegiance to any earthly power, as Christ is the King above all kings and ruler over all rulers. He is the Heavenly King who fulfills the earthly kingship of King David. Just as King David was king over the earthly nation of Israel, Our Lord is King over the new Israel, established through His blood on the Cross.

We who have been baptized into Christ are part of that new Israel. Just as the Israelite people accepted King David as their king, may we who are members of the new Israel daily accept and give our allegiance to Our King, Jesus Christ the Lord.

In today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation, St. John writes, “I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.” (Rev 10:10) How often does this reflect our acceptance of God’s words to us? God’s Word seems sweet when we hear commands and readings that support what we think and do. However, it becomes sour when we are commanded to go beyond our comfort level or give up something we might hold dear.

God’s Word is always sweet, but it seems sour at times because of our pride. Instead of a willingness to follow God’s will without reservation, we stubbornly hold on to our prideful wills. Just like milk souring when mixed with lemon juice, God’s will seems sour when mixed with our own. So the next time God’s Word seems sour, you’re probably allowing your pride to sour it.

The Pew Research Center recently conducted a survey of Americans’ view of marriage, and the results should be seriously troubling for anyone who believes that marriage is more than just a social construct that grows and fades with passing fads. According to the results released today, 39% of Americans believe that the institution of marriage has become obsolete, thinking that cohabitation and single parenting are perfectly acceptable equivalents. Only 43% surveyed are concerned about the increase in cohabitation and unmarried couples raising children, as well as the rise in gay couples raising children. Likewise, large percentages no longer see marriage as essential for establishing a family, as 80% say that an unmarried couple living together with children is a family, and 63% say that a gay or lesbian couple living together with children make up a family.

As Catholics, these trends should seriously concern us. We do not believe that marriage can be made obsolete over time. Instead, we believe that marriage is the fulfillment of God’s creation of humanity as male and female. As Jesus said to the Pharisees, “From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Mk 10:6-9) Marriage is not merely a social construct that can be dispensed with when inconvenient or unpopular, but the fulfillment “of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man.” (CCC 1604)

As the Second Vatican Council put it in Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World), “The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws…. God himself is the author of marriage.” (GS 48, as quoted in CCC 1603) Look at that last sentence again: “God himself is the author of marriage.” Marriage is not something granted by the government to be changed according to legislative whims. Marriage is not something grounded in an outmoded cultural context that can be disposed without concern. Marriage was established by God for our good and the good of society: “The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life.” (GS 47, as quoted in CCC 1603)

What does all this mean for us as Christians in general, and Catholics specifically? First, those who are called to the married state need to live their marriages according to God’s will and out of true concern for the well-being and salvation of their spouse. Second, those of us who are not called to married life need to support and defend the marriages of our parishioners, family members, and friends. Finally, all Christians need to stand up and defend the divine institution of marriage against cultural attacks, including the ready availability of divorce, so-called gay “marriage”, and high levels of cohabitation, among other threats. I strongly encourage all Catholics to read, reflect, and pray over the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s section on the Sacrament of Matrimony, starting with paragraph 1601, and continuing through to paragraph 1666.

Looking at the results of the Pew survey, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the United States is in serious trouble.

I think today’s reading from the Book of Revelation sums up the problem with the Catholic Church in the US today:

“I know your works;
I know that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either cold or hot.
So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth.
For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’
and yet do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,
and white garments to put on
so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,
and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.
Be earnest, therefore, and repent.” (Rev 3:14-19)

The problem, as I see it, that too many Catholics are lukewarm in their faith. Sure, they might go to Mass once in a while, maybe, but most who were baptized Catholic don’t even do that. Many Catholics don’t even know what the Church teaches, or have received and accepted a false understanding of what Jesus teaches through His Church, and do nothing to correct that serious problem.

Danny Abramowitz, former NFL wide receiver and coach, has developed Crossing the Goal, a ministry to encourage men in living and developing their faith. He was on EWTN Bookmark with Doug Keck last Sunday morning, where he said (roughly paraphrased), “Men will work hard at sports, and encourage their children in sports and academics, but won’t do a thing with their faith.”

Being lukewarm in the faith is not only a male thing, but men seem to be more susceptible. More women work in parishes than men. More women volunteer in parishes than men. More women attend Mass than men. Some women even attend without their husbands because their husbands aren’t man enough to attend Mass just once a week, but that’s another post for another time.

For both men and women, being lukewarm is dangerous. Seriously dangerous, as in spend-eternity-in-Hell dangerous. Practicing the Catholic faith is about as urgent as breathing. We can go a couple days without food or water, but can’t go more than a few minutes without oxygen. Living our faith in Christ must be that serious.

As Catholics, we need to WAKE UP! We spend more time worrying about our stuff (something I’m very much guilty of doing) and taking our salvation for granted. We must not take the promise of salvation for granted. Contrary to the opinion of many Christian denominations and preachers, salvation is not a one-time-good deal. It’s something we seek every moment of our lives. We stop striving, we run the risk of not entering into salvation. It’s that simple. As St. John recorded in the Book of Revelation, “Be earnest, therefore, and repent.” Don’t wait, do it now.

Spoken as part of his presentation on defense of marriage at the USCCB Fall Assembly.

Let’s compare and contrast these two statements, shall we?

Statement 1: “Jesus didn’t ordain anyone.”

Statement 2: “If any one saith, that order, or sacred ordination, is not truly and properly a sacrament instituted by Christ the Lord; or, that it is a kind of human figment devised by men unskilled in ecclesiastical matters; or, that it is only a kind of rite for choosing ministers of the word of God and of the sacraments; let him be anathema.”

What’s the difference between these two statements? The first is a quote from a woman in Georgia who wants to become a woman deacon. The second is from the 23rd session of the Council of Trent, Canon 3 to be specific.

The first comes from a person who believes that Jesus did not institute the Sacrament of Holy Orders and very likely believes that Ordination is “a kind of human figment devised by men unskilled in ecclesiastical matters”, although she probably would never use those exact words. The second comes from a Council of the Church, and was guided by the Holy Spirit to clarify and defend the revealed Truth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, which do you think I’m going to follow?

One parish in Pittsburgh, PA, had a tradition of a “Printer’s Mass” at 2:30 AM on Sunday for those who worked for the newspapers. They could finish their print run at 2 AM and catch Mass before going home. Likewise, the delivery people could go to the same Mass, then start their rounds.

Although there’s not the demand from newspaper printers for a Mass that early, the parish is resurrecting the 2:30 AM Mass. Instead of printers leaving their work shifts, the Mass is aimed at those who were out at the bars until the 2 AM closing.

If there actually happens to be someone here in one of my parishes that’s interested in such an early Mass, I hate to disappoint you. It’s not going to happen. Might be better if you made and effort to get home before the bars close.

Iconography has long been practiced in the Eastern Churches, and truly presents to us a window into Heaven. Fr. Thomas Loya, Pastor of Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish and host of Light of the East on EWTN Radio, is an accomplished iconographer. Fr. Loya has made copies of his iconography available through Morning Star Books and Gifts. Check out Fr. Loya’s marvelous handiwork, and support him and his ministries by ordering one (or two, or more): Fr. Loya’s iconography.

As I mentioned last week, the end of the liturgical year brings about a focus in the readings on the return of Our Lord at the end of the world. It’s good to be reminded that Our Lord has promised to return one day, and that we need to be always prepared to receive Him. We do not know when that day will arrive, but we need to be always looking forward with joy to His return.

While Jesus did not specify when He would return, there are many groups throughout history that have tried to predict when His second coming would occur. Some have looked at significant events, such as wars or natural disasters, and used them to calculate a year or even a specific date for His coming. Other groups have chosen important milestones in the calendar, such as the year 1000 or the 2012 end of the Mayan calendar, as obvious times for the return of the Lord to occur.

Obviously, these groups have been wrong so far, and I’m confident that we will wake up on January 1, 2013 and realize that 2012 was also wrong. As Jesus put it in the Gospel today, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!” (Lk 21:8) The fact is that Our Lord has not revealed to us a specific date for His triumphant return. He will return at a time when He has preordained, whether tomorrow or a thousand years from now.

However, this does not mean that we can be lax in our preparations for His return. We need to realize that we have been in the End Times from the moment Our Lord ascended into Heaven. Our Lord truly could come at any moment, and woe to those who are unprepared! As the Prophet Malachi says, “the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch”. (Mal 3:19) We all know how quickly and thoroughly hay will burn, so we don’t want to let our pride cause us to be unprepared.

Some of the groups I’ve mentioned before have used the signs that Jesus mentions in the Gospel to make their false predictions. These signs – wars, famines, plagues, earthquakes, and so on – are not meant to be a checklist of things to watch for before He returns, but rather an exhortation not to become discouraged when we see these events in the world around us. Despite all these terrible events, we have hope in the return of Our Lord that we will one day no longer face death as part of our lives. Even if we are persecuted for Jesus’ name, arrested and punished for following Him, we need not fear the loss of this life as we will have a greater life after His return. This truly is our hope, and is what it means to be a Christian.

As we go through these End Times, just as Christians have for nearly 2000 years, may we seek to follow Our Lord with our whole lives, preparing for His return at the end of time. As Jesus tells us, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” (Lk 21:19)