November 20th, 2022

Christ the King

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

Today we celebrate the last week of the liturgical year—Christ the King Sunday is the final week of the year, so next Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, is the beginning of a new liturgical year. We begin the year awaiting Christ’s coming at Christmas, and we end it celebrating His kingship over all creation.

This Advent we’re introducing new music for our traditional music Masses (5:30pm Saturday Vigil Mass & 11:30am Sunday Mass). We’ve been using the same Mass setting throughout the whole year without variation. Mass settings are the music for the common parts of the Mass—the Kyrie (Lord have mercy…), Gloria, etc. In order to bring more variety and to represent changes in liturgical seasons, we’ll sing new Mass settings for the Advent and Christmas seasons, which we’ll also use in Lent and Easter Seasons too. The settings we’ll sing are medieval Dominican Mass settings that are strikingly beautiful. We use them at the Dominican House of Studies, but there are very few other places where they are still sung, mostly because they are difficult. I look forward to hearing them again and to bringing more beauty into our prayer life together at St. Joseph’s.

We also have Thanksgiving this week, a great time to give thanks to God for what He has given us. Amidst all the hustle and family time remember to give thanks to God.

Mass Tidbit

The Gospel is the last of the readings in the Liturgy of the Word and it is preceded by the Gospel Acclamation, which is usually sung. It contains a short piece of Scripture that is tied to the Gospel reading. It begins and ends with a couple Alleluia’s, except during Lent, when that word is not uttered from Ash Wednesday until the Easter Vigil (at least in the liturgy).

At the Gospel Acclamation everyone stands. It’s normal liturgical practice for people to stand when the Gospel is proclaimed. This stance shows the importance of the Gospel, even above other parts of Scripture, which we hear while seated.

Because of the importance of the Gospel there are many signs surrounding its proclamation at Mass, which we’ll explore next week.

God Bless,
Fr. Boniface