2 Former Students & Law Enforcement

One former student said thank you to me, while to another who is a former student and now a police officer I said thank you.

"Prepare for the Return of King Jesus!" (Homily #201b)

 

12 p.m. Mass

10 a.m. Mass

[Homily #201a begins @ 27:00 minutes.]

[video by St. Catherine's Catholic Church, Vallejo, CA]

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“Prepare for the Return of King Jesus!” (Homily #201)

by Deacon Dennis Purificacion

Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe

Nov. 21, 2021

In the book trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, the author J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic who brought his Christian Faith into his artwork.  This book was eventually put into a three-part movie with the third and final part subtitled “The Return of the King.”  One main character, Aragorn, the rightful king, returns to claim his throne after an evil illegitimate ruler has taken the throne by a great deception.  By the end of the movie, Aragorn, the true king Aragorn returns to his restored kingdom.

Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, Jesus the true King stands before Pontius Pilate.  Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  Pontius Pilate represents all those in the world who seek the truth in a time when truth is censored or suppressed.  Jesus eventually replied, “You say I am a king.  For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  If we love the truth, we will seek Jesus.

Like the character from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Jesus too will return one day.  This is called the Second Coming of Christ or in Greek the Parousia, and we do not know when this will happen.  In today’s Second Reading from the Book of Revelation, it is written, “Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.” 

I

The return of Jesus the King reminds us of 4 Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell.  Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.  At the moment of death, there is a Particular Judgement of the soul.  The soul then enters into one of three states: Heaven, Purgatory or Hell.  Those in Purgatory are both joyful and sad, in the sense that they are joyful that they will be with God fully one day, but there are also sad because they are not yet with God and have to still be finally purified of any venial sins and forgiven mortal sins.  November is the month to alleviate the suffering of those in Purgatory.  As much as the flowers, social media photos, and the memorials are beautiful, there is nothing more that the holy souls in Purgatory appreciate more than offering Mass for them, saying the rosary in the state of grace, or an act of charity for them.  St. Bernardine of Sienna said that Purgatory is like waves of the sea where the pain comes and goes, but it is unlike Hell where the pain is permanent, and Purgatory is temporary.  St. Faustina said the souls in Purgatory call Mary “Star of the Sea” because she visits them and relieves them with refreshment.

At the Second Coming of Christ when Jesus the King returns in glory, all those in Purgatory transition to Heaven.  Those souls in Heaven will resurrect with a glorified body, while those souls in Hell will resurrect with a damned body.  This is not the Particular Judgment, but it is called the General Judgment where Jesus the King will come again to judge the living and the dead.  Yes, Hell is a real place yes, it is eternal, and yes there are souls in Hell now.  Yes, the devil is real.  Heaven is your true home.  CCC 1039?? So that’s an explanation of Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.

And that’s why we should prepare for the return of our King Jesus.  Prepare for the return of King Jesus!  We can prepare for the return of King Jesus in 2 ways.  The first preparation is our earthly preparation, and the second is our spiritual preparation.

II

For the earthly preparation, I remember attending this wonderful workshop from the Diocese of Sacramento for about hundred deacons and their wives.  The workshop focused on end-of-life care issues and medical ethics from the document Ethical and Religious Directives.  There were issues like having advanced medical directives, creating a will, palliative care, and talking to your family about what you want done toward the end of your life, your material assets, etc.  It’s your choice.  It can be a difficult topic to discuss but we are finding that it helps the family to have a plan.  Perhaps with the upcoming holidays when family gathers, it may be a good time to bring up these issues.

In Catholic medical ethics, the Principle of Informed Consent and the Principle of Medical Privacy should be upheld whereby the patient should be fully informed of the benefits and side effects or injuries of medical treatment.  When dealing with minors, parents are the first educators of their children, not the government or even the Church, so parents and guardians themselves decide what is best for their children’s needs.

Catholic Cemeteries also has a program where one can purchase a burial plot beforehand so that the grieving family is less concerned about financial issues when someone dies.  Annie from Catholic Cemeteries is a good resource to talk to.  Tell her I sent you to her.

And then there are the human psychological needs like either forgiving someone of a very hurtful pain before death, or asking someone for forgiveness for the hurt we caused them before we die.  We want to have things in order and cannot assume that we will have time for them.  Given the global situation, preparation is critical now!

III

So those are some earthly preparations we can make before the King returns.  For the spiritual preparation, there are things before the moment of illness such as Confession and practicing our Faith.  And then, I don’t know if you know this, but there are 3 Sacraments involved with the Last Rites: Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Communion also called Viaticum.  Do not wait last minute to call a priest. 

Finally, as part of spiritual preparation, I want to raise awareness of what a “consecration” means.  Consecration can also be called entrustment.  It means dedicating something specifically for the service of God.  After the 12pm Mass, we will have a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament with a Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Consider making the 9 consecutive First Fridays.  Related to this is the 5 consecutive First Saturdays.  This is where a person goes to Confession and receives Communion for 5 consecutive First Saturdays with the intention of doing penance.  I also very respectfully here call for the Pope and bishops to consecrate or reconsecrate (whatever the case may be) Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as the antidote to the current global situation.  Spiritual preparation also means works of charity and sacrifices for those in need.

 

So, to summarize: Let’s prepare for King Jesus!  We can do earthly preparation, and we can do spiritual preparation.  As the Responsorial Psalm says, “The Lord is King; he is robbed in majesty.”  

I didn’t mention that in that Lord of the Rings: Return of the King movie, there is a popular line that King Aragorn said.  He said, “My friends, you bow to no one.”  This reflects how you in glory united with Christ the King will too receive a crown of holiness where we share in the Kingdom of Christ the King, a Kingdom of truth, justice and peace.  

Viva Christo Rey!  Long live Christ the King!

 

Comforted Family Member of Fallen Officer From South Bay

He wore a shirt for his brother-in-law.  I offered my condolences and prayers, along with some other words of comfort.

Attended VPD Operation PEACE 2nd Annual Virtual Community Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: November 3, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: Brittany K. Jackson, Public Information Officer - Vallejo Police Department - VallejoPolicePIO@cityofvallejo.net

VALLEJO PD TO HOST 2ND ANNUAL VIRTUAL COMMUNITY DAY NOVEMBER 10, 2021 FROM 6:00PM - 8:00PM

VALLEJO - The Vallejo Police Department is cordially inviting you to attend our 2nd Annual “Virtual Community Day” on Wednesday, November 10th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The event serves as a platform to host courageous conversations and establish positive and meaningful relationships with members of our community. The day will also bring greater awareness to the programs, services and resources available to the public.   Attendees will hear from community leaders, officers, social services providers, non-profit agencies, and families impacted by gun violence in the City of Vallejo. Panelists will cover several topics including:   ·     Operation PEACE: One Year Later ·     Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention ·     Healing Sisters Circle & Support Group (highlighting mothers who have lost their children to gun violence in the City of Vallejo)   We invite the Vallejo community to join this discussion, share your ideas, and join in the effort to building lasting partnerships. Click here to register via Zoom or join us on Facebook live!   To get involved with our Operation PEACE Community Taskforce (OPCT), click here to complete the sign-up sheet.   For media inquiries, please contact Public Information Officer, Brittany K. Jackson by email at VallejoPolicePIO@cityofvallejo.net. or by phone at (707) 651-7147.   ###

RIP Deacon Jose Revelo

Deacon Jose Roberto Revelo

Nov 26, 1942 - Nov 2, 2021

https://www.twinchapelsmortuary.com/m/obituaries/Jose-Revelo/Memories

Seasoned VPD Chaplains Said Thank You

I'm not sure what I said, but some Chaplains thanked me during a recent meeting.

I am grateful to be among them.

Out of 9 VPD Chaplains, I am the only Catholic right now.

"Blessed be the name of the Lord!" (Job)

From Lauds (Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours)

READING
Job 1:21; 2:10b

Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,
   and naked I shall go back again.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
   blessed be the name of the Lord!
We accept good things from God;
   and should we not accept evil?

Served By Listening During VPD DOJ Listening Session

I attended a VPD DOJ listening session this evening, as part of my chaplain-deacon ministry.  About 50-60 were in attendance.  

One of my former students from high school, Charles, was in attendance and sent me a message and said hello.  We joked around with each other for a bit and exchanged emails.  He said he wants to bridge a gap between VPD and the community.  

Then, for my small breakout group (Group 2), I didn't talk.  Someone else moderated.  One of my former high school students, a VPD officer, was mentioned during the breakout.  There were alot of critical comments about VPD.  

This evening, I simply listened to everyone's comments.  And that's how I serviced law enforcement chaplaincy and the citizens of Vallejo this evening.