This weekend, with the Solemnity of Christ the King, we reach the triumphant end of our journey through the Church’s year.  Throughout this past year, though scripture, we have been on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and have visited many different landscapes as we heard anew the stories of Jesus and his life among us.

Sure, there have been the open plains of our day-to-day life when we have heard the extraordinary stories of what Jesus said and how he reached out to those who had come off second best in life.

But there have also been the shadowy valleys of temptation, betrayal and death on the cross, wilderness times of despair and devastating suffering.  There’ve been mountain tops of breath-taking excitement: resurrection, ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  For the past couple of weeks, the scenery in scripture has been that of the Kingdom of God and the imminent return of Christ as King and Judge.

But this Kingdom of God that we continually hear about is not some cute phrase consigned to the pages of scripture.  It is also not some abstract, pious term that is devoid of meaning.  The reign of Christ and the Kingdom of God is real!  Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we are reminded that the Kingdom of God is a space.  It exists in every one of our Sunshine Coast homes where parents and children love each other.  It exists in our Parish schools when our children learn about and experience the wonder of God’s creation.  It exists in our community when we move from just thinking about ourselves to making sure that the weakest and most vulnerable are looked after.

If the Kingdom of God is a space, it is also a time.  It happens precisely whenever someone feeds a hungry person, or shelters a homeless person, or reaches out to someone on the fringe of our community.  There is a concrete experience of the Kingdom of God when our two St Vincent de Paul conferences, the volunteers of our Friday night Community Meal for the Homeless, Vulnerable and Disadvantaged, not to mention Stella Care Pantry and Siena Soul Food volunteers and all the other Parish Groups, do what they do best – show practical care to someone or some family in need.  Our outreach to a family in turmoil or our response to a simple cry for understanding and acceptance is also a practical experience of the Kingdom of God.  It happens when anyone of us here in our Sunshine Coast parish family joins in the great struggle to bring peace and forgiveness, erase ignorance, and pass on the faith.

We are continually surrounded by practical examples of the Kingdom of God breaking in upon our experience.

Next weekend, with the first Sunday of Advent, we will begin another new Church year.  Like the one which is now ending, we will each be on our own unique journey.  We, too, will walk through plains of ordinary day-to-day living, through our own valleys of shadow and up to our own high places of good news, joy and excitement.  There’ll be times in the journey when we’ll get lost or discouraged, confused or simply stuck!  Those are the very times when we’ll need this vision of Christ the King to give purpose and meaning to our journey, just as it gives purpose and meaning to the Church’s journey of faith.

Wishing you every blessing as we begin next week the journey of Advent

Fr Peter Brannelly

Stella Maris Parish Office

Adjacent to the Stella Maris Church – Office Hours 9am—2pm Weekdays

T: 5443 3488

E: [email protected]