This weekend we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. In the gospel passage Christ says before Pilate that his kingdom is “not of this world.” In the end Christ is crucified under the sign King of the Jews (mistakenly throughout history this sign is thought to be a joke but in actuality it is his official offence for death). Jesus does not claim that his kingdom is of this world. The idea that his kingdom is “not of this world” doesn’t mean that it is in another location but that it’s origin and nature is divinely different. Christ’s kingship is certainly in this world—the authority comes from heaven and down to the earth. Christ is creating a new kingdom, here and today, one that makes our worldview radically different. And it is this weekend that we specifically celebrate with our RCIA inquirers and confirmation candidates in the rites of acceptance and enrollment.
In the rites of acceptance and enrollment we as a parish take on the responsibility of these people. At the RCIA rite of acceptance the RCIA inquirers stand before the Church stating they are wanting to become members of the Catholic faith, they want to be part of the kingdom of Christ. At the rite of acceptance our RCIA candidates have their sponsors present. These sponsors take a physical and active role in the rite by making the sign of the cross on their ears, eyes, lips, heart, hands, shoulders, and feet. While it may feel that all of the action of the rite is happening at the front of the church with the candidates, the rest of the assembly should not feel their role is passive. The congregation also speaks along with the sponsors and takes ownership over the RCIA candidates. It is our obligation as a Catholic parish to walk with our candidates by praying for them, reaching out to invite them to ministry events, helping them feel welcomed, and celebrating with them when they are fully initiated into the faith at the Easter Vigil.
At the rite of enrollment for our confirmation candidates, again it may feel that the majority of the action happens at the front of the church. And again, we as the congregation are not simply passive members in this rite. We claim to assist these 101 candidates on their journey to confirmation in April. Unlike, our RCIA candidates, our candidates should have a good understanding of the Catholic faith. They know that confirmation is not officially “saying yes” to becoming Catholic (they are already Catholic because they were baptized). This is not a graduation ceremony they are preparing for in the spring. Our candidates are preparing to be filled with the Holy Spirit after being anointed like the priests, prophets, and kings of old. Through their confirmation they will be able to pray like priests, preach like prophets, and lead the world like the ultimate king, Jesus Christ. They are preparing to help bring about Jesus’ kingdom alive here on earth and this is what the congregation is promising to help our candidates journey towards at the rite of enrollment.
Please continuously keep our RCIA and confirmation candidates in your prayers. We will have bookmarks of our confirmation candidates names to pick up at the Masses this weekend. I invite you to write a letter to one of the candidates and drop it off at the rectory with their name on it. The office of religious education will get it to our candidates. If you are interested in writing a letter for one of our RCIA candidates please reach out to me at [email protected] for names. May the peace of Christ the King be with you as you head into the Thanksgiving week.