"Actions More Than Words" by Fr. Chris House
September 29, 2023
This parable reminds us that our faith is not merely about words or intentions but it must also be rooted in our actions.
Actions More Than Words
Jesus tells of a father who had two sons in this Sunday’s Gospel reading. The father approached the first son and asked him to go and work in the vineyard. The first son, initially reluctant, eventually had a change of heart and went to work in the vineyard. The second son, on the other hand, immediately agreed to go but did not follow through with his promise. Jesus then asks the crowd, "Which of the two did the will of his father?" The answer is clear: the first son who, though initially resistant, ultimately obeyed his father's command.
Jesus gives this parable in response to intense questioning from the Scribes and the Pharisees who are attempting to discredit Jesus’s authority. In response, Jesus points out those who claim to be righteous did not respond to John the Baptist’s call to conversion just as they were not presently responding to the same call from Jesus himself. Who did respond? Those who were thought to be the worst of sinners.
This parable reminds us that our faith is not merely about words or intentions but it must also be rooted in our actions. It's not enough to say we believe in God and His teachings; we must live out our faith through our deeds. We see in the first son a reflection of our own journey of faith. There are times when we may initially resist God's call or commandments. We may struggle with doubt, fear, or reluctance, but it's what we do in the end that truly matters. Just as the first son had a change of heart and obeyed, we too can turn our hearts back to God and follow His will.
On the other hand, the second son, who readily agreed to go to the vineyard but failed to do so, serves as a warning to us. It's easy to make promises and profess our faith, but if our actions do not align with our words, our faith remains superficial. Hypocrisy can be a stumbling block to our spiritual growth and a hindrance to our witness as Christians. We must ask ourselves are we like the first son, sometimes hesitant but ultimately obedient to God's call? Or are we like the second son, quick to make promises but slow to act on our faith?
What is the “good news” for us this Sunday? Jesus says in the Gospel that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God, even before the self-declared righteous. Our past sins and mistakes or initial reluctance in our discipleship do not define us but rather our willingness to turn back to God and live out our faith in action; this is the pathway to eternal life.
Faith Formation – The Mass
Next week I will be beginning to present a series on the theology of the Mass by Bishop Robert Barron. Each session will have a video presentation by Bishop Barron of approximately twenty-five minutes with discussion and questions afterwards. The Mass is where heaven and earth come together, literally, in the re-presentation of the saving sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Please consider joining me for this series. Even if you cannot make all the sessions, I believe you will still find your faith enriched by any participation. Sessions are October 4th & 18th and November 1st, 8th, 15th, & 29th, in Roesch Hall at 11AM and 7PM. All are welcome.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House
This weekend, my last weekend here at Christ the King, I would like to reiterate what I said in my announcement I made back in April. I have so much to be thankful for in the last two years. So many great experiences, lessons, and people. Christ the King is where I came shortly after my ordination and where I have begun to learn the ropes of the priesthood. In that regard, I have to say I am grateful to both Fr. Chris and Fr. Mark for their guidance and example. Above all, I am grateful for all of the relationships I have made in my time here. I am reminded of what Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, the rector of St. Meinrad Seminary told me at my first Mass. He reminded me to frequently look out to the people in my midst. That is what I have tried to do, and it is what I hope to try to do in the future. I have joked several times in the past few weeks about two things: that there are no people more excited about my move to Effingham than my family and that I used to laugh about priests using the word “bittersweet” when they move to a new assignment. I know the first is true since I will only be about a 30 minute drive from my family. Regarding the second, I can count myself in the number of priests who say moving is bittersweet. Yes, there are many exciting things ahead for both myself and for Christ the King. But it is difficult to move away and say goodbye as well. Which is why I repeat what I have said before. As Christians, we are always united together as the mystical Body of Christ. I will see you in the Eucharist. Rev. Alex McCullough Parochial Vicar Save the Dates June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr Jayke White Welcome Party Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule July 18-19 and August 13-16
Happy 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Happy Father’s Day to all our fathers. Fathers like our mothers are so immensely important in our lives. I was blessed with a wonderful father and mother. My father was a constant and reliable rock for our family. He did a great job showing us God the Father’s love in his constant care for us. He also displayed the Father’s love through positively challenging us grow. We will conclude Masses this weekend with a special blessing for fathers. Fr. Alex’s last weekend with us will be next weekend June 27-28. We will have a going away party for him after 10am Mass. He has been great gift to our Parish family. He has also been a great gift to me personally. He helped immensely during my first year with many tasks and showing me around Campus. Please keep him in your prayers as he moves to Effingham. Please keep Fr. Jayke White in your prayers as well. He will be with us for Weekend Masses for the 1st time on July 11-12. Quick reminder that Totus Tuus is coming up at CTK. The Totus Tuus team will be here July 11-17. They will be with us for Sunday Masses. The team will run the junior high and high school program July 12-16 and will run the 1st-6th grade program July 13-17. See flyer in bulletin for more information and to sign up. Finally, thank you to everyone who has assisted and coordinated the PB & J ministry. If you would like to donate to this ministry, we are especially in need of Peanut Butter and Jelly. If you would like to donate either of those items, just drop them off in the basket in the back of Church or at the Parish Office. Save the Dates June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr Jayke White Welcome Party In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule July 18-19 and August 13-16
Happy 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who helped make the Corpus Christi Procession a great success. Thank you as well to all who participated in the Corpus Christi Procession. It was a great day for our Parish Family celebrating and worshiping Jesus in the Eucharist. I greatly enjoyed interacting with everyone at the social, it was a great time of fellowship together as a family. As you can see on campus, we are seeking to live out the value of stewardship from your generosity. The value of stewardship is about using our gifts to build up the Kingdom of God and supporting our parish/school. Through your support, we are seeking to be good stewards on our resources in taking care of our buildings this summer through tuckpointing, new Pre-K HVAC, and Pre-K and K-8 playground renovations. These projections were partly funded through the School Annual Fund and School Auction. I am deeply grateful to your generosity in supporting our parish and school. Our School updated their vision and mission to more align with our Parish. You can view a sneak peek of the updated school vision and mission on the School’s Facebook page. Finally, thank you to everyone who has assisted and coordinated the PB & J ministry. If you would like to donate to this ministry, we are in need of Peanut Butter and Jelly especially. If you like to donate either of those items, just drop them off in back of Church or at the Parish Office. Save the Dates June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr. Jayke White Welcome Party In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi! This great Solemnity was instituted in the mid-1200s to celebrate the Institution of the Eucharist outside of Holy Week. On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in which Jesus instituted the Eucharist, but after Holy Thursday procession we somberly recall our Lord’s betrayal in the garden. Corpus Christi celebration outside of Holy Week allows us as Catholics to celebrate Jesus’s institution of the Holy Eucharist with more festival celebrations. To honor Corpus Christi Solemnity, we will have Eucharistic Procession immediately following the 10am Mass with a social afterwards in the Parish Center. We will process around Campus to 3 altars. We will process immediately after Mass from the Church to the 1st Altar by the Parish Center. The procession will last roughly 30-40 minutes. We will conclude the Procession back in Church with Benediction. This Eucharistic Procession lines up well with our update Vision/Mission/Values. An important value of any Catholic Parish is worshipping the Holy Trinity through Sacraments and prayer. Eucharistic Procession are a unique way to worship Jesus in the Eucharist outside of Mass. You probably noticed another one of our values being lived out through some school construction. The value of stewardship is about using our gifts to build up the Kingdom of God and supporting our parish/school. Through your support, we are seeking to be good stewards on our resources in taking care of our buildings this summer through tuckpointing, new Pre-K HVAC, and Pre-K and K-8 playground renovations. These projections were partly funded through the School Annual Fund and School Auction. Finally, our School updated their vision and mission to more align with our Parish. You can view a sneak peek of the updated school vision and mission on the School’s Facebook page. Please note there will be incense at these Masses: June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Holy Trinity Sunday! This great Solemnity emphasizes the uniqueness of Christianity. Jesus as our Lord revealed that God is Trinity, one Godhead in three Persons. St John summed up Jesus’s revelation up beautiful when he said God is Love. God is a communion of Love between the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. We live at communion with God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit when we live in our baptismal and confirmation identity as sons/daughters of God, disciples of Jesus, and temples of the Holy Spirit. Reminder that next weekend is the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi. We will have a Eucharistic Procession immediately following the 10am Mass. Anyone is welcome to join the procession even if you attend a different Mass that weekend. We will process around Campus to 3 altars. We will process immediately after Mass from the Church to the 1st Altar by the Parish Center. The procession will last roughly 30-40 minutes. We will conclude the Procession back in Church with Benediction. A social will start at Parish Center right afterwards with light lunch. Please RSVP for food count purposes to the Parish Office. Thank you in advance to all the staff and volunteers who are making this procession and social possibly. It will great celebrating Jesus in the Eucharist and having fellowship with another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 3 0 : 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Pentecost Sunday! This Sunday every year, we celebrate Jesus keeping His word and sending the Holy Spirit to be with us and guide in following Him. After His Ascension, the Father with the Son sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church represented by the Apostles and our Blessed Mother. The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church today in following Jesus as the Way, Truth, and the Life. On this Pentecost Sunday, I am excited to announce Collin Taylor has been accepted by our Diocese as a Seminarian. Collin will begin Seminary formation in August at Bishop Brute Seminary in Indianapolis. Collin became Catholic about 2 years ago at CTK and has been a parishioner since his conversion. You will see Collin around at CTK learning the ropes from Dennis Trickey, he will be wearing black cassock when he serves Mass like Dennis. Collin will be serving this summer as a missionary for Totus Tuus throughout the Diocese. I am very proud of Collin. He is a great young man who loves Jesus and we celebrate him entering seminary with sendoff on Aug 2 Mass after 10am Mass. Please keep Collin in your prayers as prepares to enter seminary and begin formation to become a priest of Jesus Christ. Please note, May 25 is Memorial Day and Daily mass will be at 8am that day. Save the Dates June 7: Corpus Christi Procession after 10am Mass with Social Afterwards June 28: Fr. Alex McCullough Going Away Party after 10am Mass July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 23: 4:30pm May 24: 10am May 30: 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule June 12-14 and July 18-19
Happy Ascension of the Lord! We are coming to the close of another Easter Season with Pentecost being celebrated next weekend. The Ascension of our Lord celebrates Jesus returning to the right hand of the Father. He brings the human nature that he assumed and joined to His Divine Nature into Heaven. From His Heavenly throne after Ascension, he leads the Church through the Holy Spirit working with the Magisterium. The Pope serves as Vicar of Christ. Vicar means representative not replacement thus the Pope represents Jesus on Earth and seeks to lead us closer to Christ Jesus the Head of Church. Jesus thus directs the operation and strategy of the Church through the Pope and the Bishops united to the Pope. This past week at our Parish Grade School, we had our 8th Grade Graduation, Baccalaureate Mass, and Awards. As they head into high school, we the pray the Holy Spirit guides to know the love of Christ and root their lives in Him as they continue through educational journey. Congrats to them and they will be missed at CTK. Finally, reminder, that our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Please note that there will be incense at these Masses: May 23: 4:30pm May 24: 10am May 30: 10am June 6: 4:30pm June 7: 10am Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14
Happy 6th Sunday of Easter! This weekend, I will be preaching on and announcing our new Parish Vision, Mission, and Values. This Vision and Mission builds upon our rich tradition and a lot of the values are already being lived out in our Parish. As I mentioned last week, this vision and mission will be a roadmap for us moving forward and will shape our priorities. In our society this weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Mothers are a true gift from God and reveal God’s love in a unique way. My own mother has help me discover the unconditional love of God in many ways and I am truly grateful for her sacrificial love for the years. I pray you have a Blessed Mother’s Day weekend, we will offer a blessing for mothers at the end of Masses this weekend. Finally, reminder, that our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14
Happy 5th Sunday of Easter Sunday! Reminder that next weekend, I will be preaching on our new Vision, Mission, and Values on the Weekend of May 9-10. This new Vision, Mission, and Values was one of my goals during my first year as Pastor built on orienting, observing, and then acting. I mentioned in October during the state of the parish homily that I was going to review the Parish/School Vision and Mission plus Values with staff and councils. This new Vision, Mission, and Value will provide a roadmap for our Parish moving forward and we will focus our energies and priorities as a staff around forming disciples of Jesus our King through Worship, Formation, Fellowship, Stewardship, and Evangelization. One new Worship and Fellowship opportunity that we will do this year at CTK is Corpus Christi Procession. Our Corpus Christi Procession will be on June 7 after 10am Mass. We will have a social event afterwards in the Parish Center. More details to come closer to the date. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy
Happy 4th Sunday of Easter and Good Shepherd Sunday! It is good to be back. Military training overall went very well. I had some individual chaplain training and training with my unit. Both training courses were informative and useful. Now looking forward to enjoying the rest of the Easter Season in the Parish and finishing out the school year strong. In our Gospel this Sunday, we hear the famous Good Shepherd passage from John 10. This shepherd image has builds on many themes from the Old Testament. King David was a shepherd before he was King of Israel. Ancient Kingship was tied to shepherding because the king was to guide, provide, and protect his people. Jesus fulfills this theme of ancient kingship by providing, protecting, and guiding his people. This Sunday is also called Good Shepherd Sunday, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, especially Priesthood. Let us lift up in prayer our Seminarians and ask Jesus to send us more seminarians to walk in His path of Priesthood. Let us especially pray for Dennis Trickey this Sunday. He has been a tremendous blessing to our Parish and School. He will be with us through July. In August, he will reply to seminary for 2 more years before becoming a priest. Finally, I mentioned when I first arrived at CTK that the goal my first year was orient, observe, and then act. I mentioned in October during the state of the parish homily that I was going to review the Parish/School Vision and Mission plus Values with staff and councils. Through a review process, we have updated our Parish/School Vision and Mission. We will release them soon and I will be preaching on them the Weekend of May 9-10. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule May 16-17 and June 12-14
