A Two-Edged Sword by Fr. Chris House
August 11, 2022
While the Gospel is always the “good news,” sometimes the passages that we are given for our mediation have that good news message somewhat hidden as is the case with this Sunday’s Gospel reading. There is a lament, almost an anxiety, in our Lord’s words that he has come to light a fire on the earth and how he wishes that it was already blazing.
A Two-Edged Sword
While the Gospel is always the “good news,” sometimes the passages that we are given for our mediation have that good news message somewhat hidden as is the case with this Sunday’s Gospel reading. There is a lament, almost an anxiety, in our Lord’s words that he has come to light a fire on the earth and how he wishes that it was already blazing. Most scholars agree that this fire that Jesus is speaking of is a reference to his sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, an event that cannot happen without the Lord’s “baptism.” Here our Lord is not speaking of the baptism that he received from John in the Jordan but rather the baptism of his passion and death which will lead to the unleashing of the power of Spirit in the world.
Jesus tells us that he has not come to establish peace on the earth, at least not the peace that the world wants him to give. The peace that Jesus gives is a two-edged sword. The Lord grants peace to all who seek him with sincere hearts, but his peace is not that of the world; his peace is not freedom from conflict but the ability to stand firm in the midst of conflict and division. To accept the Lord on his terms and not our own will surely lead to conflict with the world and those in it, possibly even with those who are nearest and dearest to us. To walk with the Lord means that we do not get to walk the smooth and easy path. To choose Christ means that he must come before all others, even ourselves and those who are most important in our lives. This is part of the hard cost of discipleship. Let us seek the Lord’s grace to be able to receive the same baptism of the Cross with him so that we may ultimately receive the promised gift of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This Monday, August 15th, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary body and soul into heaven. We remember that at the end of her earthly life, Mary fell asleep in the Lord having lived a life of total discipleship and, because of the that, our Lord Jesus took his mother totally to himself. While the Solemnity of the Assumption is a holy day, the obligation is lifted this year since it falls on a Monday; however, we will still offer Mass at 7:00AM and 5:30PM for those who wish to celebrate this great feast of our Blessed Mother.
Meeting for New and Current Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
A brief tutorial/refresher meeting will be held at 7PM on Monday evening, September 12th in the church. The meeting should last no longer than thirty (30) minutes. This will be a chance for everyone in these two ministries to “be on the same page” as well as for me to answer any questions. A reminder will be sent out to everyone in these ministries. If you are interested in joining one or both of these ministries, please contact Ann in the parish office. We are always in need of more liturgical ministers.
Back to School
This Tuesday our parish school will begin another wonderful school year. Let us pray for all students, teachers, and school staff in our parish at all levels and in various schools, asking the Holy Spirit to bless and guide them now and always.
Holy Land Pilgrimage
As most know, I was privileged to lead thirty-six pilgrims to the Holy Land in late June. Since many of you have inquired about the Holy Land or stated that you wanted to go but could not for various reasons, I have begun to plan another pilgrimage for the Holy Land for June of 2023, with an eye to a possible pilgrimage to Italy in 2024. I am planning this trip with Vicki Compton, faith formation director at the Cathedral and former director of the Office for the Missions for our diocese. This pilgrimage will be almost the same, but a few days will be taken off of Israel to allow for a few days in Jordan to see Mt. Nebo and Petra as well as for a few days in Egypt to see the pyramids and enjoy a cruise on the Nile. I hope to have more information in a few weeks.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House
Happy 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time! This Sunday’s gospel is rooted in the wedding traditions of Jesus’s time. The 10 virgins (bride maids) accompanied and assist the bride before the wedding. The groom and best man (friend of the bridegroom) prepared the wedding feast plus new home for the new couple. After the home and wedding feast were ready, the friend of the bridegroom and groom would go get the wedding party at an unknown hour. I wil expand more in the homily, but Jesus is reminding us that we always need to be vigilant and ready for His call in our lives. On Nov. 8, we will have our last talk of the Sacred Art Series. We pray that you have enjoyed this series and grown in appreciation of Sacred Art plus devotion to our Lord Jesus and His Saints. Reminder, our Pre-Advent Mission is coming on Nov. 15-16. Fr. Jayke and I wil be looking at Nativity Artwork and gleaning lessons from the artwork for Advent. Next weekend, Altar and Rosay wil be having the annual baked goods and frozen soup sale. Always a hit and treat. They wil have items available in the back of Church. Feast of Christ the King is coming up Nov. 21-22. We will have Parish Breakfast to celebrate our Parish Feast Day after 8am and 10am Masses on Nov. 22. Finaly, reminder that the baby bottles and envelopes for First Step Women’s Center are due today. Just drop them off in the back of Church or Parish Office. Worship Candlelight Adoration: Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 from 7-8pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship Annual School Fund Fund – over 62K raised Centennial Campaign $1.7 Milion in Pledges (175 households participating) $580,000 colected so far In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule November 6-7 and January 9-10
Happy All Saints Day! What a great joy that All Saints Day falls on Sunday this year. As I have said many times, the goal of the Christian life is friendship with Jesus Christ in the Church. The saints show us what friendship with Jesus looks practically. Today we rejoice and celebrate the saints’ witness to Jesus. Our 1st session of the Sacred Art Series went very well and had a nice turn out. Everyone is welcome to attend Nov 1 and 8. Fr. Jayke will talk on Nov. 1 about the painter Rembrandt. Thanks to all the men who came out for Cigar Night. It was a great night of fellowship that we will do again sometime. We also have Mass of Remembrance coming on Nov. 7 at 4:30pm. At this Mass, our beloved parishioners who passed away this past year will be remembered and prayed for. We will start Mass with a special procession with 1 family member representative carrying a candle forward to honor their beloved family member. The procession will take roughly 15 minutes. Our Pre-Advent Mission is coming on Nov. 15-16. Fr. Jayke and I wil be looking at Nativity Artwork and gleaning lessons from the artwork for Advent. Worship Candlelight Adoration: Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 from 7-8pm Mass of Remembrance: Nov. 7 at 4:30pm Mass Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship Annual School Fund Fund – over 60K raised Centennial Campaign $1.65 Milion in Pledges (170 households participating) $550,000 colected so far In Jesus our King , Fr. Mark Trac y Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule November 6-7 and January 9-10
Happy 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time! "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." This powerful line has confounded many over the years. The crowds seek to trap Jesus by him denying God or denying political authority. How we balance authority of God with authority of the state? A great book to read on this topic is by Archbishop Chaput titled Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life. Beginning in mid-January, Andrew Bilgri wil be doing his seminary internship semester with us similar to Dennis Trickey’s internship year. You can find Andrew’s bio in the buletin. We are excited to welcome him and have him be part of our Parish family. We have similar Parish Life opportunities coming up. We wil have Adult Faith Formation on Oct. 25, Nov. 1, and Nov. 8 after 5pm. Series wil be on Sacred Art presented by myself and Fr. Jayke. We also have a special men’s ministry opportunity coming up Oct. 24. I wil host a Cigar night for men to come together for faith and felowship around bonfire. We also have Mass of Remembrance coming on Nov. 7 at 4:30pm. At this Mass, our beloved parishioners who passed away this past year wil be remembered and prayed for. We wil start Mass with a special procession with 1 family member representative carrying a candle forward to honor their beloved family member. The procession wil take roughly 15 minutes. Worship Candlelight Adoration: Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 from 7-8pm Mass of Remembrance: Nov. 7 at 4:30pm Mass Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Fellowship Men’s Ministry and Felowship- Cigars and Brotherhood in Christ Oct. 24, 7:30pm-10pm. More details soon Stewardship Annual School Fund Fund – over 58K raised Centennial Campaign $1.7 Milion Pledges Received (175 households have participated) $300,000 colected so far In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule November 7-8 and January 9-10
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Happy 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time! As I mentioned last weekend, this weekend is our Paish Pledge Weekend for Centennial Campaign. If possible, we would like to collect all pledge cards this weekend. You can drop the pledge cards in the offertory, bring them to the parish office, or mail them. We will send a few reminders via mail in October about pledge cards, but this will conclude the public phase of fundraising for the campaign. From now on, I simply plan to keep you updated on Pledges amount, money collected, and project plan. On that note, we have received over 1.2 Million in pledges as of Sept. 28. Our current plan is to execute School Window and Lintel Projects in summer of 2027, gym roof in summer of 2028, and parish center roof in summer of 2029. I also very grateful for the Annual School Fund contributions this year. We have received over $48K so far. This annual fund will greatly assist with the unexpected needs from water main leak damages and water main replacement. Work on the Water Main Replacement will begin in early October will school remaining in session. Worship Candlelight Adoration– Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 at 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16,and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 27, and Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Fellowship Trunk or Treat hosted by PTO: Oct. 17 1:30pm-3pm Men’s Ministry and Fellowship-Cigars and Brotherhood in Christ Oct. 24 7:30pm-10pm. More details soon Stewardship Pledge Commitment Weekend : Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule October 16-18 and November 7-8
Happy 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our 2nd reading from St Paul is extremely powerful and beautiful in many ways. The 2nd part of today’s reading is one of the earliest Christological hymns that we have in the Church. The first Christians would have known the reference by St. Paul as being from a Mass hymn. And the words are extremely powerful in Jesus using his Divine power and authority to save us by pouring out His life in His ministry, death, and resurrection. This weekend, I wil be giving our State of the Parish Homily. In this homily, I lay out the past fiscal year numbers. I look at our financial numbers briefly (see buletin attachment), ministry numbers, and next steps. Last year, I looked at updating our Parish Vision and Mission while at the same time tackling some deferred maintenance items including Pre-K HVAC, Pre-K tuckpointing, Pre-K and K-8 playgrounds, and K-8 portions of tuckpointing. In this year’s State of the Parish Homily, I wil also be looking at our Centennial Campaign and explaining the Why, What, and How. I see the campaign as part of our ongoing stewardship that enables the great work of Christ the King to happened. FYI, we have received over 1 Million already in pledges. If you would like to return your pledge card, simply mail in, drop in offertory basket, or drop it at parish office. I also thank you for the Annual School Fund contributions this year. We have received over $40K so far. This annual fund wil greatly assist with the unexpected needs from the water main leak damages and water main replacement. Finally, I want to thank everyone who was able to participate in our first Family Formation. It was a great turnout filled with prayer, fellowship, and formation. We wil continue the service this Sunday and Oct. 4. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 at 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Cath o lic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship State of the Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule October 16-18 and November 7-8
Happy 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Gospel today at first sight seems pretty unfair with the last receiving the same payment as the first ones who worked since at 9am. We can be tempted maybe to think of people who make deathbed confessions or conversions to a priest and think they got out of jail free. They got to do so many bad things in life and got out of practice of faith their whole life like going to Mass, praying, virtue, etc. I had the privilege of hearing these deathbed confessions or conversions before and I would not describe it as getting a free pass. Often, they are stories of struggle and suffering and wasting life on things that did not matter. They regret not spending more time on relationships including with God. And that is one the central points of our Gospel today. The good life is life with Jesus in the vineyard, no matter what time we join. In relationship with Jesus is the privileged life and thank God he is unfair and keeps inviting us back to the vineyard. I want to give a brief update on our Centennial Campaign and School Annual Fund. I am humbled and grateful for your generosity to both. Our Centennial Campaign is receiving pledges now and we have received over $700K already in pledges. If you would like to return your pledge card, simply mail in, drop in offertory basket, or drop it at parish office. I was very pleased with our Campaign Receptions and Information Sessions. For the School Annual Fund, this is one of our yearly school fundraisers that we moved up this year due to water main leak. We receive donations for it from all kinds of folks including parishioners, school families, grandparents, alumni, friends of Christ the King, etc. The Centennial Campaign on the other hand receives pledges mainly from parishioners. We received over 25K so far in donations from the School Annual Fund. Finaly, Catholic Crash Course wil be Sept 20 and Sept 27 after 5pm Mass in the Parish Center. Anyone is welcome to attend. If you know anyone interested in OCIA, please invite them to these nights. Fr. Jayke wil connect with them and make a plan with them for OCIA. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 at 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 5:30pm Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 a fter 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship State of the Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule October 16-18 and November 7-8 PLEASE NOTE: There will be no morning Mass on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday while our priests are away for Convocation.
Happy 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Lord’s teaching in the Gospel today is pretty challenging. Forgiveness is always tough because something wrong has happened and a hurt has occurred. Forgiveness though is not about ignoring the wrong or hurt. Forgiveness is not about saying what happened was right nor about putting ourselves in the situation again. Forgiveness is ultimately about some type of reconciliation and healing, which looks different in each circumstance. We seek to forgive because Jesus forgives us and living in Him we are called to participate in the difficult work of reconciliation. Reminder, next weekend is the first Sunday of the Family Formation series after 10am Mass. Childcare and food are both provided. You can attend 1, 2, or al 3 sessions depending on your family’s availability. As I mentioned in my homily a few weeks, we are offering this series as way to support families in handing on the faith to their children. Finally, Catholic Crash Course wil be Sept 20 and Sept 27 after 5pm Mass in the Parish Center. Anyone is welcome to attend. If you know anyone interested in OCIA, please invite them to these nights. Fr. Jayke will connect with them and make a plan with them for OCIA. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship State Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time! I pray that you have a restful Labor Day Weekend. Our Lord’s instruction in today’s Gospel is hard to live by. It is always hard to have difficult conversations with someone often due to conflict and emotions running high. If you are like me, I can avoid conflict at times or want to speak about others behind their backs without having the difficult conversation with them one on one. Jesus’s instruction chalenges us in a good way to have the difficult conversations and trust that He will be present to guide us through them and make them fruitful. Our School Annual Fund launched earlier than anticipated this year to help with unexpected costs due to our Parish School experiencing unexpected water main leak during the first week of school. We have repaired the immediate needs, and school is back in session. We are working towards a long-term solution for the water main while keeping school in session. Many people have asked how I can help and the best way to help right to assist with the unexpected costs through the Annual Fund. h ttps://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship Centennial Campaign Information Session: Sept 8 at 6pm, Sept 9 at 12pm and 6pm State Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who assisted with Fr. Jayke’s Welcome Reception. It was a great time of fellowship welcoming him to Christ the King. He has already been an immense gift to our Parish Family. This weekend in our Gospel, our Lord Jesus reminds us that the cross and discipleship intertwined together. If we want to follow Jesus, we need to embrace the cross. I will preach on this theme at Mass and connected to our new Vision and Mission of our Parish including our Formation events coming up this fall. As I mentioned last weekend, our Parish School experienced unexpected water main leak during the first week of school. We have repaired the immediate needs, and school is back in session. We are working towards a long-term solution for the water main while keeping school in session. This water main issue was certainly an unexpected need, and we decided to begin our School Annual Fund earlier than anticipated to help with the costs. Many people have asked how I can help and the best way to help is to assist with the unexpected costs through the Annual Fund. https://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More of a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 31. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Finally, Reminder that there will be Candlelight Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament this Sunday, Aug 30, at 7pm. Worship Candlelight Adoration: Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 @ 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 @ 5:30pm Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon Sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept 27 after 5pm Mass Fellowship Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10 am Mass. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
