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Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 17, 2021 -- THREE Spiritually Speaking Christ invites everyone to His kingdom By Fr. Thankachan Joseph In the Catholic Church, usually the 34 th Sunday of the liturgical year concludes with the Feast of Christ the King, instituted by Pope Pius XI. This Sunday’s readings describe the enthronement of the victorious Christ as the King in heaven in all His glory. Christ rules as King by serving others rather than by dominating them. His authority is rooted in truth, not in physical force, and Fr. Thankachan His kingdom is based on the beatitudes. Joseph The first reading from the apocalyptic Book of Prophet Daniel came to importance during a hostile torture of Jews in the second century BC, when it reinforced the faith of the harassed chosen people of God and rises again in the sixth century BC during the captivity of the Jews in Babylon (the Exile). This week’s selection (7:13-14) speaks of the promised Messiah. In his vision, Daniel saw God seated on a throne with millions of people serving Him. Into His presence came a human figure (“one like a Son of Man”) to whom was given “dominion and glory and kingship, that all should serve him... his kingship is one which shall never be destroyed” (v.14). He would be the King of Kings and the Lord of Glory, and His kingdom would last forever. The New Testament Book of Revelation has the same apocalyptic character as the Book of Daniel, although that element is not very evident in today’s short selection (1:5-8). Its readers were being persecuted, and the author wanted to reassure their faith. This reading also explains how the risen Christ will come amid the clouds as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. The Book of Revelation prophesizes that at the end of time, everyone will see the Lord Jesus, even those who have pierced Him. The Gospel of St. John explains that the Kingdom of Jesus is not a kingdom of this world but a kingdom in the world to come, life after death, life with Jesus forev- er—or life rejecting Jesus forever. We must choose His Kingdom, or we shall live forever in the domain of Satan. The phrase “Kingdom of God” occurs in the Gospels 122 times, 90 of which are spoken by Jesus. Today’s Gospel presents the first part of the trial conducted by Pilate, who questions Jesus about His kingship. In His dialogue with Pilate, Jesus implies that Pilate does not understand the spiritual or transcendent nature of Jesus’s kingship (“My kingdom does not belong to this world”). Jesus admits that He is a King but declares that His Kingdom is not of this world but is a larger and eternal kingdom. His authority is rooted in truth, not in physical force. Jesus came to bear witness to the truth: about God and His love, about us and about who we are called to be. What are we to meditate and take to heart? 1) We need to assess our commitment to Christ the King today. Let us remember the truth that He is not our King if we do not listen to Him, love Him, serve Him and follow Him. We become His subjects when we genuinely answer His loving invitation: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). By cultivating in our lives, the gentle and humble mind of Christ, we show others that Jesus Christ is indeed our King and in charge of our lives. 2) We need to give Jesus control over our lives. Christ must reign in our lives; we must give Him sovereign pow- er over our bodies, our thoughts, our heart and our will. In every moral decision we face, there’s a choice between Christ the King and Barabbas. Whom do we choose? 3) We need to follow Christ the King’s lesson of hum- ble service to the truth. Christ has come to be of service to others. Hence, we are called to His service - service to the truth. Servant-leadership is the model that Christ the King has given us. 4) We need to obey the law of love of Christ the king. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Jesus expects a higher degree of love from His followers: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Let us resolve to give Him the central place in our lives and promise to obey His commandment of love by sharing what we have with all His needy children. Do You Have Something to Share? Our newly updated website makes it easy to: •Submit news •Submit birth, engagement and wedding announcements •Send us photos •Submit letters to the editor •Place ads •Start a new subscription ~ Letters to the Editor ~ The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the right to edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net. Unite in favor of independence Small businesses try to navigate through Covid To the editor: Advocates for Com- mon Sense and Liberty (Sons of Liberty) began long before the birth of the American Republic. Per- haps the finishing touches were penned by Robert Paine beginning on January 9, 1776, with the anon- ymous pamphlet “Com- mon Sense.” The pamphlet advocated the American colonies to unite in favor of independence from En- gland. At the time Paine wrote “Common Sense” most colonists considered themselves aggrieved Brit- ons. “This new world hath been the asylum for the per- secuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither they have fled, not from the ten- der embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants as well.” (Common Sense, 1776) Paine’s 47-page pam- phlet sold over 500,000 copies and provided the moral, civil and spiritual foundation to convince the aggrieved colonists to declare independence from their oppressor. The ‘Sons of Liberty’ was a loosely organized clandestine political or- ganization active prior to “Common Sense” which advanced the rights of col- onists to resist the oppres- sion and tyranny of King George. The ‘Sons of Lib- erty’ believed “the colonists are by the law of nature free born, as indeed all men are, white or black.” The American Re- public presently faces the very same “cruelty of the monster” and the “same tyranny which drove the To the editor; With everything going on in this crazy world, we are all trying to navigate through, reading statistics, listening to the news, de- bating with your friends/ family/neighbors over who believes or does not believe what. We are exhausted as a nation. Who is telling you the truth, who is forcing your mind to be one way or the other? Who can you turn to anymore? I know for me, the daily routines are getting harder and harder, it can get overwhelming with the amount of information we are thrown. I, myself have written a few letters to the editor, trying to help not only my- self, but my fellow man, from the dehumanization that I feel we are all under. I have made points in prior papers, with facts, statistics and major research. So today, I am reaching out to you as a small business owner, navigating through Covid-19. We all have said, just get through this (what they are throwing upon us this moment) and things will get better. After almost 2 years now, I can honestly say I do not see how it is getting better. Inflation is out of con- trol; gas prices are skyrock- eting, jobs are jeopardized. And as a small business, we feel every penny, pain- fully. While the news is “feeding the agenda” this causes us to suffer from the customer base who is not willing to use their own common-sense. I tru- ly miss some of you who no longer come in. While the Covid-19 card is being played in our world, this is affecting every factory, every worker, every truck driver and every business. The list is endless. I have said many times, and will continue to believe, Covid-19 in a sick way has been my blessing in dis- guise. You may say “what?” “how?” It has taught me to grow as a person, to stand harder on my own two feet, it has taught me to adapt. I no longer take for granted the life I have been blessed with. I spend my days fig- uring out how to make my first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants as well.” The ‘Sons of Lib- erty’ became a well-orga- nized paramilitary political organization, shrouded in secrecy, that eventually overcome the tyranny of the British government. It is documented that only 5 percent of the Amer- ican colonists actively supported the American Revolution. Those Patriots that risked their lives, their families, their fortunes, their heritage were ful- ly convinced their cause was ordained of God, the one and only God of the Holy Bible. Patrick Henry warned, “Guard with jeal- ous attention the public lib- erty.” Tyranny is pursuing the liberty of the American people. Advocates for Com- mon Sense and liberty is a loosely organized body of eastern Oregon citizens committed to guarding and preserving our liberty and way of life blessed unto us by our founding forefathers. This battle will not be won without risking our lives, our families, our fortunes and our very heritage. I thank God for those with courage and commit- ment to battle for our Re- public against the tyranny (vaccine mandates) and sophistry (CRT) of those powers that oppress us. Never forget the price of our liberty (paid for by vet- erans, forefathers, political prisoners) when you are forced to accept a foreign substance in your body or your child’s or a mask over your face. Soon, very soon, those vaccinated will be forced to take a booster and then another booster, and another…to keep their pa- per copy of the new liberty. Stuart Dick, Irrigon Primary election filing deadlines set According to Bobbi Childers, Morrow County Clerk, deadlines for candi- dates filing for a position in the primary election is March 8, 2022. The first day candidates could file was September 9. The election will be held May 17, 2022. Two nonpartisan posi- tions are open in Morrow County; county commis- sioners, positions two and three. In a county non- partisan race (Nonparti- san Office – County ORS DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5PM 249.031), a candidate does not run as a member of a political party. County nonpartisan offices include justice of the peace, coun- ty clerk, county assessor, county treasurer, and sher- iff; it may also include county commissioner. ORS 249.002. Those interest- ed should check with the county clerk for specific qualifications. Check the website at https://sos.oregon.gov/ elections/Documents/coun- ty-city-district-candidates. pdf for more information regarding filing. dollar stretch further, what can I do to make my busi- ness better and stay around longer. I have had to stop relying on my vendors, as most of the time they are unable to provide me my essentials, and have had to spend my time searching, scouring and coming up with solutions, running from one store to the next trying to find anything. And this is perpetuating the problem in the world. By my vendors losing a cus- tomer, it is a major snowball effect. I know you feel the pressure too while you are shopping. Why? While our government is playing around with our minds, our money and our livelihoods, they are destroying so many people on such a personal level. How many nights have you stayed awake wondering, panicking over where or how you are going to take care of your bills, find and afford the next meal for your family? As a business owner, my answer is nightly. My product, the cost of goods, my staff, the list goes on and on for us. I know people say, it’s just a mask, it’s just a shot. We are no longer in a stage of “for the greater good.” We are in a stage where our government wants our businesses to fail which allows them to keep con- trol of the businesses that rely on them. We need to open our factories, open our ports, start supporting peo- ple with jobs. Our nation is in trouble. We are truly blessed to be a part of this community. We will always stay loud and stand proud. Because, as hard as it is sometimes, you and I are not alone. We want to thank each and ev- ery one of you who has pa- tiently been by our side. We will fight, we will conquer this. And please, when you think it’s just a mask, just a shot, remember, it’s our livelihood, it’s our belief in the freedom of choice. The next meeting will be November 21 at 3 p.m. at Two Old Hags Pizza. You are not alone. Hope you can join us. Dawn Brosnan www.heppner.net Weekly deadline for all news and advertising is Monday at 5pm. 188 W Willow, Heppner • 541-676-9228 Print & Mailing Services *Design *Print *Mail Sykes Publishing 541-676-9228 I WANT YOUR STORY! Do you have a community project? Have you started a new, interesting hobby or business? Have you or someone you know hit a significant milestone? Is there something you feel needs to be shared with the community? I want your story! I would love to share it with the Heppner Gazette-Times' readers! Contact Giselle Call or text cell# 541-914-2157 (PLEASE leave a message if I don't answer!) office# 676-9228 email graphics@rapidserve.net
