Endings and Beginnings

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” said the Lord God.

Today is the Feast of Christ the King of the Universe. It wasn’t until this year that I noticed the ‘of the Universe’ part of the Title on my Catholic calendar. When I read this I thought of photographs from the Hubble Telescope we had seen at a performance of our Philharmonic. With the majesty of The Planets swelling in the background the audience was awed by a universe we intellectually may know is there, but to see it! I know the word amazing is over used, but these photographs are amazing. Our universe is amazing. To wrap my brain around the idea of Christ the King of the Universe is more than I can do. I have to accept this glorious and creative authority on faith.  The church window behind the altar of my parish of St. Vincent’s includes the symbols of Alpha and Omega. I look at these every time I attend Holy Mass in that building. These symbols never cease to fill me with awe. I am so grateful there is such a feast to honor this aspect of our God. Amazing !

This final week of the Church Year is kind of like New Year’s Eve for me. I say the last week of rosaries with the saints who have been my 2012 companions for each mystery. I also bid ‘thank you and farewell’ to the saint who has been my constant Saint Companion this year. St. Faustina wrote of this idea of a Saint Companion and I have been participating in this for several years. When December 1^st rolls around I pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit and then reach into my bag of names of saints and receive the gift given to me.  St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was my choice on December 1, 2011. What a gift she was to me! Frances Cabrini was a woman of great and selfless service. I have not been called to that kind of active lifestyle. I am a Carmelite, not a Franciscan! But her connection to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? That I could do. And I ‘assigned’ her to the Third Sorrowful Mystery to pray with me for my intentions of the day. In December of 2011 I had no idea I would be writing the NaNo novel, but here she appeared to grace my project. I named a character after her. I am grateful for the year we have spent together. I also look forward to the surprise of my saint companions for the new liturgical year.