The high-priests and the leaders of the Jewish people were incensed and enraged that the people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem as the King. Yet, such a worldly honour is truly no great honour for the Son of God. Jesus is God and is the King of all of His creation. The rulers of the people had nothing to fear from Jesus concerning worldly power or authority. In fact, Jesus even submitted to the authority of Pontius Pilot; telling us that all power and authority comes from God. Jesus was obedient to this authority — obedient even unto death.

Jesus had no desire for worldly power, honour or glory. He (Our King) shows us the most profound humility and submission. Our King showed Himself a true, good, and loving Father, Who laid down His life for His children. The instruction of Christ to everyone in any position of authority, seems to have been missed. From fathers and mothers, to priests, presidents and kings, the message seems to be clear: we must love those whom God has placed under our care. We must love them as Christ has loved us. The principal duty of kings and rulers is to love their subjects with a self-sacrificing love. They should be ready to lay down their lives with Christ, so that their children (subjects) may live. Authority over others is not so much an honour or a privilege as it is a burden and obligation.

We must constantly remind ourselves that one day we will have to give an account of all those God has placed under our charge. The clear understanding of this obligation should fill us with a certain amount of fear. Yet, we should take courage in our duties and obligations — knowing with St. Paul that we can do all things in Him Who strengthens us. With the comprehension of what is expected of us we need to humbly pray to God, without ceasing for the grace to live up to our obligations. We need to pray that those whom we must watch over will never offend God but may ever render honour, glory and praise to God our King.
The name "Christ" means, the anointed One. In the past, kings and priests were the only ones to be anointed. Christ is both our King and our Priest. Not only is He our Priest, but He is also the Victim that is offered by the Priest. We should see in this that all those whom God has placed in a position of authority, need to rule as Christ and in the Name of Christ, they need to seek the sanctification of their subjects as Christ our Priest does, and lastly, they need to sacrifice themselves as Christ our Victim has sacrificed Himself.

We, who have been baptized, have been anointed. We have been incorporated into the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. We all partake of the anointing of our Head, Jesus Christ. We are all called upon to seek and become holy and worthy members of Christ in the true Catholic Church. The virtues of humility and love appear most clearly in Christ the King; they are, therefore, the virtues that all of us — from the highest to the lowest — must strive after and perfect in ourselves. He did not seek worldly honour, glory, prestige, or power. "I am a King, but My kingdom is not of this world." Christ our King came to do the Will of His Father in Heaven. We, in a similar manner, must seek to do first and foremost the Will of God. We must be ready, willing, and able to sacrifice everything that we have and even our very lives rather than every deny, betray, or even offend our Divine King.

Every offense that we commit against Him, actually harms — not Him — but ourselves. We thrust a sword at Jesus (through sin) and it strikes and cuts us — separating us from His Mystical Body; and as every severed limb, we are left to wither and die. It cannot harm God; it is only ourselves that are made to suffer. It cannot kill Christ; sin only brings death to ourselves.

We are called upon to be one with our King, because we are anointed members of His Mystical Body. Today, we honour Him as our Head, Our Lord, Our King, Our God; but to truly render the homage that is due to Him, we must conform our own lives to His. We must, as St. Paul instructs us, put off the old man with all our sins and put on the new man in Christ Jesus.

Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and give to God the things that are God's. We are composed of both body and soul and so we have a dual debt: one to God and the spirit and one to the body and the world. The world as it is, is in disorder. This world that is in disorder is not our home. It is a wonderful and amazing place with many good things in it, but it is not meant to be our permanent home. There is a disorder that was placed here by Original Sin. We are designed to enjoy a perfect place and so we have this burning desire within us to find or make this perfect place.

Caesar represents to us the government or the world in this fallen state. We owe much to this world (even as imperfect as it is). Therefore, we must expend some of ourselves in labours and efforts to support, maintain, and improve this world and society. At the same time, we must realize that nothing in this world is permanent (It will not always be this way.) Everything is passing away. Thus, while this world is a gift from God and is important to Him and to us, we must realize that it can only hold a secondary place in our hearts and minds.

The first place in our hearts and minds belongs to God and our eternal home in Heaven. This is the only thing that can fulfil our heart's desire. Our hearts have been created for God and this perfect place called Heaven were all is in order and all is love. Therefore, our greatest efforts and time should be focused towards this rather than towards our current world.

We must build up treasure for heaven rather than for here. All the treasure in this current world is to be lost (consumed by rust, moth or thief). It is all passing away. The treasure built up in Heaven is permanent and never to be lost and will constitute an eternal joy for us. The stateliest mansions that we build up in this world for our bodies are nothing but refuse compared to the heavenly mansions that await our souls in eternity with God.

We must never lose the focus upon this heavenly mansion while we are absorbed in obtaining and maintaining an earthly shelter and existence for our bodies in this world. All that is in this world as the wise man says is, vanity. "Vanity of vanity and all is vanity". It is all fleeting and empty and cannot satisfy us no matter how much or how refined it may be. If we spend all that we have and all that we are in pursuit of this, we will have wasted everything and gained nothing because it is all vein. What will it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul?

Perhaps we should then be inclined to spend all that we have and all that we are in pursuit of the eternal? This would seem to be a grand idea, but we cannot escape this world so easily. God has commanded us to care for our bodies and to work this earth. We cannot just foolishly rush off into eternity. This earth is a trial in which we can show God how much we love Him by loving one another even in the midst of this imperfection.

Anyone can love that which is perfect but it takes humility and faith to love that which is less perfect. The devils could easily have worshiped and honoured Christ in His divinity; it was His humanity that created the obstacle for them. Their pride refused to love someone less than spirit (Someone beneath them). This is exactly what we are commanded to do when we are told we must love one another as Christ has loved us. There are many who may be (at least from our own defective perspective) beneath us, and we must love them just as we love ourselves. This test trapped all the devils in Hell, and it will drag us down too if we follow their evil example.

The goods of this world are not for hording. God has given some more and others less so that we might have the opportunity to love one another and prove this love by giving and receiving freely in all simplicity and humility. We can take nothing with us, and it does no good to anyone amassed in piles. We must render to one another the things of this earth for their earthly existence.

This is not all; we must likewise render to one another the spiritual gifts of God. Because God has everything and is in need of nothing that we might be able to offer Him, He has commanded us to offer this to one another in His name. We render to God what is His when we love Him and keep His word by loving one another and practice not only the corporal works of mercy but also the spiritual ones as He commanded us to do.

Approaching the end of the ecclesiastical year, Mother Church uses the liturgy to prepare us for the Last Judgment. First, she warns us that life is a warfare, as Job realized (Offertory). She warns us against the “deceits of the devil,” trying to destroy our riches of Divine Grace. She warns us also “against flesh and blood.” as explained in the Epistle, which also describes what the well-equipped Christian must wear for this war.

But God will be “our refuge” (Gradual). Consoling too are the words of Mardochai (Introit), confiding in God even when his beloved people faced destruction. Our second preparation consists in forgiveness of all injuries suffered during this life-struggle, even as we, relying on Divine Mercy, expect the forgiveness of all debts to the Divine Justice (Gospel).

The Prayer, Secret and Communion are in line with these sentiments of struggle against flesh and devil and of the exercise of charity toward our neighbour.

Today is Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Virg., great Saint of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, who in-tensely loved the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and, even before entering the Visitation Convent, had been favored with visions of Our Lord.

After entering the convent at Paray-le-Monial, Our Lord made his desire to establish the Devotion to the Sacred Heart known to St. Margaret Mary. She suffered opposition on many fronts in carrying our the wishes of Our Divine Saviour. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XV  in 1920. Put your trust in St. Margaret Mary, entreat her to draw you closer to the Sacred Heart. Honour the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with Devotions and attendance at the Votive Mass of the Most Sacred Heart each First Friday where possible. Drawing near the Sacred Heart just brings you one step closer to Heaven. Although not commemorated in the Sunday Mass using the 1962 missal, pray to the Saint to help you draw closer to Our Lord

The purpose of the liturgy is well understood by reflection on the weakened condition of the ruler's son "at the point of death" (Gospel). He represents the condition of modern society worn out by the fever of passion, unable to help itself until faith in God returns. A humble confession of sin is the secret of obtaining God's "mercy" (Introit) and "pardon" (Prayer).

The Epistle, referring to the dying days of late autumn bids us "redeem the time" we may have lost in the preparing during the spring and summer of life. Nevertheless, if we but return to God with "all hope, in due season" He will fill us with "blessing" (Gradual); for our Holy Sacrifice will be a healing "medicine" against eternal death (Secret) while the Holy Sacrament will now help us to live as God commands (Postcommunion).

When the centurion received "blessings," especially of faith, he immediately propagated the faith in his "whole house" of relations and workmen. In this day of religious ignorance, God expects us to be lay apostles out of a sense of gratitude and to be ready to "speak religion" in and outside the house.

Sunday 10th October is the Feast of St. Francis Borgia C., who entered the Jesuit Order after the death of his wife and family, and was second successor of S. Ignatius, known for his humility. Although not commemorated in the Mass using the 1962 Missal, pray to the Saint for strength and humility in facing the world these days.

This month is dedicated to both Blessed Virgin Mary of the Most Holy Rosary and the Holy Angels. The First Sunday by right belongs to Our Lady, and the preferred Mass is the Votive Mass of the Most Holy Rosary, as on the feast of October 7, with commemoration of the XIX Sunday After Pentecost.  

The Rosary consists of a chaplet of roses, so to speak, dedicated to Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and earth. She gave the beads the name “Rosary.” As we pray the Rosary, our mind should concentrate on the mystery of Our Lord’s life and death and resurrection His work was something with which the Blessed Virgin was intimately associated.
 
The Our Father, Apostle’s Creed and Glory be are also said, and the 150 Hail Mary’s, the Angelic Salutation, take the place of saying the 150 psalms.
 
Although the Rosary has been around for many centuries, The feast of the Holy Rosary was instituted by Pope Pius V to celebrate the anniversary of the defeat of the Turkish fleet at the battle of Lepanto on the first Sunday in October 1571, which ended the threat of Muslim domination of the Mediterranean and was ascribed in part to the prayers and processions of the Rosary confraternity in Rome. Pope St. Pius V had asked that the fate of Europe be placed in the hands of Our Lady and had requested all Christians to pray the Rosary and besiege Heaven with the cries for help and Divine Intervention.
 
We should ask Our Lady to intercede and turn back the challenges before us and restore peace under her Most Immaculate Heart. She has assured us that in the end her Immaculate Heart will triumph! Have faith and pray the Rosary daily.