"Detachment, Humility, and the Rosary" by Fr. Chris House

October 18, 2024

Apparently James and John, the sons of Zebedee, don’t get it. In last week’s Gospel, Mark recounted for us the story of the rich man who came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life; James and John were there. This man had lived a relatively good life by all accounts by keeping the commandments, but the Lord asked him to surrender what was most precious to him: his wealth. The Lord asked the rich man to place his treasure in the service of the poor, but the man was not able to detach himself from this one thing and this prevented him from following Jesus.

 

Detachment can be a very difficult virtue to master. As disciples, we are called to live in this world without becoming entrenched in it through anything that it offers, material or immaterial. Detachment does not mean that we do not value people or things in this world but that we value God and life with him over anything and everyone else. This Sunday’s Gospel passage follows immediately after the story of the rich young man, both in the tenth chapter of Mark. While the story of the rich man is a good example of the necessity for detachment from the material world, we see in the request made by James and John a good example for the need for detachment from immaterial things also.

 

"Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left," ask James and John. What then follows is our Lord’s admonition to his Apostles, and to us, not to seek glory as the world understands it. James and John most likely did not yet understand heavenly glory. For the disciple, ultimate glory is given through the cross: first through our Lord’s own suffering and death and, secondly, through our own willingness to accept our crosses daily as pathways to the Kingdom. The Lord invites his Apostles to humble themselves; humility embraces the virtue of detachment. It seeks the good of self after God and neighbor. Humility moves us to rely on God’s goodness and grace, helping us to understand that this life is not about us and that our will must be united with God’s will.

 

October is the month of the Rosary. If you want to grow in the virtues of humility and detachment, praying the Rosary is one avenue to help achieve this goal. The cornerstone of the Rosary is meditating on the mysteries of salvation as presented in the Lord’s life and in the life of Mary our Blessed Mother. In between those mediations is the praying of the “Hail Mary,” the Rosary’s principal prayer. Mary is the model of humility and detachment, and she remains for us, and the Church, a great intercessor to help us grow in those graces.

 

James and John continued to seek glory, but, through their own growth in discipleship, they came to seek the glory of heaven. They ultimately chose the Lord’s glory through their own crosses and sacrifices for Christ, the proclamation of the Gospel, and the building up of the early Church. We are also invited to seek glory, but not in any form offered by this world. At the end of her life, Mary was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven and given a share in God’s glory by being crowned Queen of the Universe. By holding nothing back from the Lord and by offering everything to him and for him, Mary gained ultimate glory from her son; a glory that can never fade, be lost, or taken away. The Lord Jesus offers the same glory to us if we are willing to carry our own cross, united with him.

 

Respect Life Month

 

October is Respect Life Month. We do not have to look far to find a sea of comments and opinions concerning the right to life but there is ultimately only one opinion, one truth that matters. Let us not lose sight of what God has said through his holy word: “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you (Jeremiah 1:5);” “can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you (Isaiah 49:15-16);” “you (Lord) formed my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).”

 

As Catholics, we must always stand for the unquestionable truth that human life is sacred and for the fact that it must always be defended, especially the life of the unborn who are the most innocent and the most vulnerable among us. Standing for this truth will not always be popular, but this is not about popularity, personal philosophies, or political ideologies, it is about a divine truth written into the natural law that life is sacred because life is both an act and a gift of God. As God’s people we are called to embrace the Gospel of Life in the face of a culture of death.

 

In all that we think, say, and do, we must strive to build a culture of life. In the Book of Deuteronomy, the Lord says to Moses and to the people “I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him (30:19).”

 

Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!

Father Chris House

 

Good Shepherd Sunday: Praying for Vocations

April 27, 2026
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

The Road to Emmaus and the Gift of the Mass

April 20, 2026
Happy 3rd Sunday of Easter! I pray that you are having a blessed Easter Season. Reminder, I am on military obligations for Annual Training, which is required each year for anyone in the Reserves. Typically, the Annual Training is during the summer, but my unit this year is attending in April. Know of my continued prayers while I am away and look forward to returning April 26. In our Gospel this weekend, we have the famous Road to Emmaus Passage. It is a particularly powerful passage only found in St. Luke’s Gospel. The two disciples in the passage are going the opposite direction of Galilee, where Jesus told his disciples to meet Him after His Resurrection. They are going the wrong way, and the Risen Christ interprets their journey. Through the Passage, we also see 4 parts of Mass, especially the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of Eucharist. We see the Liturgy of the Word clearly in the passage when Jesus beginning with Moses and all the prophets interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. At Mass, we have readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel with a homily. We see the Liturgy of the Eucharist present in the passage right after the disciples ask Jesus to stay with him. He then sat at table with them, took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them and they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread. At Mass, we do the same actions with the Priest representing Jesus celebrates the Mass. Please know of my continued prayers while I am away and look forward to seeing you next weekend at Masses. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule April 12-25 and May 16-17

Living the Message of Divine Mercy

April 11, 2026
Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! This Sunday concludes our Easter Octave celebrating Jesus’s victory over sin and death. Below is some information on Divine Mercy Sunday. We continue to celebrate Easter Season through Pentecost. Reminder, I am on military obligations for Annual Training, which is required each year for anyone in the Reserves. Typically, the Annual Training is during the summer, but my unit this year is attending in April. Know of my continued prayers while I am away and look forward to returning April 26. The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And, He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy. The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC: A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us. C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that all the graces of His mercy can only be received by our trust. The more we open the door of our hearts and lives to Him with trust, the more we can receive. This message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God's mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to The Divine Mercy had begun to spread. F.I.N.C.H. Jesus told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 300; see also 699). The five elements of the devotion (represented by the acronym F.I.N.C.H., for Feast, Image, Novena, Chaplet, Hour ) have attached to them some of the most powerful and extraordinary promises of any devotion. Spend time to learn more about the mercy of God, learn to trust in Jesus, and live your life as merciful to others, as Christ is merciful to you. For a full understanding of Divine Mercy, we recommend Divine Mercy Message and Devotion , by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC. Hear a 30-minute crash course by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC. https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message

Entering Holy Week with Intention

March 30, 2026
Happy Palm Sunday! It is hard to believe that Lent is wrapping up. I pray that your Lent has been fruitful and God’s grace has been transforming you to be more Christ-like. As we head into Holy Week, I always challenge myself that this week must be different. If my week is just another week then what is point. Below are 5 simple ways that I challenge myself to make Holy Week different and participate in the Pascal Mystery of Jesus’s Death and Resurrection. Fast 1 day this week until it hurts. Not for the sake of pain, but to recall love of Christ Jesus who bore our pain and poured out His blood. It could be food, drink, or tech, etc. Pray at least 1 time each the Sorrowful Mysteries of Rosary and Divine Mercy. Contemplate the depths of Jesus’s sacrificial love poured outin His Death. Do an act of charity/kindness for somebody you can’t stand. We all have somebody in mind – either at work or in our family. Do an act of charity for them to recall depths of Mercy that Jesus showed forth in His Death. Participate in some shape and form in the Pascal Triduum – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil. These 3 liturgies form one Mass contemplating the events ofJesus’s sacrifice on the Cross that continues in the Mass. Journey with a character from the Passion Story of our Lord. Maybe this year you are Mary surrendering something painfulto God, perhaps you are Joseph of Arimathea caring for the forgotten, perhaps you are Simon of Cyrene struggling with God's will, maybe you are Peter, Judas, or another apostle in the Story. Each year, we usually relate more with one person than another in the Passion Story. Chrism Mass is coming up on March 31 – 6:30pm at the Cathedral. Anyone is welcome to attend this beautiful Mass where allthe oils used in the Sacraments are consecrated by our Bishop and priests from our Diocese renew their priestly promises. Military Weekends April 12-25 and May 16-17 Holy Week Schedule: March 29-April 4 Holy Thursday: 5:30pm (Incense) Good Friday; 5:30pm Easter Vigil: 8pm (Incense)  Easter Sunday: April 5 8am 10am (Incense) (Please note no 4:30 or 5pm this weekend)

Rejoice! Celebrating the Fourth Sunday of Lent

March 15, 2026
Happy 4th Sunday of Lent! This Sunday, we celebrate Laetare Sunday marking roughly the middle point of Lent. Laetare Sunday shifts our focus to the coming liturgies of Holy Week and Easter Season. Laetare means rejoice in Latin and comes from the Entrance Antiphon at Mass which announces Rejoice, Jerusalem, and who love her from Isaiah 66. Holy Week Schedule is below for reference. Next Sunday, March 22nd at 2pm, Christthe King will host a Penance Service for our Parish plus Parishes of Blessed Sacrament and St Agnes. Anyone is welcome to attend. 6 priests will be available for the Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation. Our new Church project that we will be doing this summer is installing a Hearing Loop system. A hearing loop allows more hearing access for those with hearing aids. This hearing loop will be installed sometime this summer; we do not have a date yet. After installation, those who use hearing aids will just need to turn on telecoil in their hearing aids to use the system. If you would like to donate to the project, you can place a check in collection or drop something offto the office just put Hearing Loop in the memo. You can also donate online for the project by giving to the offertory and putting Hearing Loop in the note. Lent Information Stations of the Cross Every Wednesday 5pm Every Friday 12:05pm  Lent Penence Service March 22 at 2pm Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King and St. Agnes Hosted by Christ the King 6 Priests will be available for confessions Holy Week Schedule: March 29-April 4 Palm Sunday: Normal Mass Times Holy Thursday: 5:30pm Good Friday; 5:30pm Easter Vigil: 8pm Easter Sunday:April 5 8am and 10am (Please note no 4:30 or 5pm this weekend) Confessions Monday through Friday: 6:30am-6:50am Every Saturday: 3:00pm-4pm Every Sunday: 4-45pm Military Weekends April 12-25 and May 16-17

Third Sunday of Lent: Opportunities for Prayer and Formation

March 8, 2026
Happy 3rd Sunday of Lent! Thank you to Fr. Alex, Dcn. Scott, and Dennis offer their insightful reflections on God’s Mercy. Each night was a greattime of prayer, insight, and some fellowship on the last night at the social. Our Parish Mission leads well into a few different formation opportunities at CTK. Dcn. Scott will be offering formation reflections on the Sacrament of Confession weekly during Lent Feb. 25 through March 25th . We also are offering Life Everlasting on the 4 last things Feb 19th – March 19th . All are welcome to attend and more details in the bulletin. I will be out of town this week, if you need anything, please reach out to Parish Office. On March 9 at 7am in place of Mass, we will have Communion Service provided by Dcn. Scott. I want to thank you for your generous support of our 1st Annual School Fund Appeal that began Dec 2, 2025. We started with a modest goal this year of 25K and we have raised over 42K! The Annual School Fund Appeals runs through May, if you like to donate visit https://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm. We began this yearly appeal to assist with School Capital improvements and support teacher/staff appreciation including bonuses and quarterly lunches. All funds from the annual school fund stay at CTK school. For next year’s Annual School Fund Appeal will replace the teacher appreciation envelope and school fund envelope. Below is list of projects: Summer of 2026 Projects Pre-K and K-8 Tuckpointing Pre-K HVAC Pre-K and K-8 Playgrounds safety improvements School Security Cameras-Interior Lent Information Stations of the Cross Every Wednesday 5pm Every Friday 12:05pm Lent Penence Service March 22 at 2pm Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King and St. Agnes Hosted by Christ the King 6 Priests will be available for confessions Confessions Monday through Friday: 6:30am-6:50am Every Saturday: 3:00pm-4pm Every Sunday: 4-45pm Military Weekends April 12-25 and May 16-17

Second Sunday of Lent: A Mission of Mercy & Grateful Hearts

March 1, 2026
Happy 2nd Sunday of Lent! This Sunday, March 1 at 6:30pm, we bring our Lenten Parish Mission here at Christ the King on the Mercy of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Fr. Alex will speak the 1 night on the Mercy of God in the Sacrament of Confession. On March 2nd , Dennis will reflect on the Road to Emmaus from Luke 24 with Adoration and confessions being available afterwards. Finally on March 3rd, Dcn. Scott will reflect on a Parable from Jesus that reveals the Mercy of God with a social afterwards in the Parish Center. Anyone is welcome to attend these 3 evenings. I want to thank you for your generous support of our 1st Annual School Fund Appeal that began Dec 2, 2025. We started with a modest goal this year of 25K and we have raised over 41K! The Annual School Fund Appeals runs through May, if you like to donate visit: https://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm . We began this yearly appeal to assist with School capital improvements and support teacher/staff appreciation including bonuses and quarterly lunches. All funds from the annual school fund stay at CTK school. For next year’s Annual School Fund Appeal will replace the teacher appreciation envelope and school fund envelope. Below is list of projects: Summer of 2026 Projects Pre-K and K-* Tuckpointing Pre-K HVAC Pre-K and K-8 Playgrounds safety improvements School Security Cameras-Interior Lent Information Stations of the Cross Every Wednesday 5pm Every Friday 12:05pm Lent Penence Service March 22 at 2PM Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King and St. Agnes Hosted by Christ the King 6 priests will be avaialbe for confessions Confessions Monday through Friday: 6:30am-6:50am Every Saturday: 3:00pm-4pm Every Sunday: 4-45pm Military Weekends March 4-6 and April 12-25

Into the Desert: Our Lenten Journey Begins

February 21, 2026
Happy 1st Sunday of Lent! Our Gospel this weekend recalls Jesus 40 days in the desert after His Baptism. A time of prayer and fasting for Him before He began His public ministry which revealed overtime that He was the Messiah and Son of God. Throughout the Old Testament, time in the desert, recalls the Israelites 40 years in the desert before they entered the Promised Land. Jesus’s time in the desert is a foreshadowing then that He is going to lead a New Exodus through the desert to a New Promise Land. Our Lenten journey of 40 days intimates Jesus’s 40 days in the desert and prepares for Holy Week when we call the New Exodus and New Passover accomplished by Jesus Christ. This past week our 3rd graders received the Sacraments of Confirmation and 1st Holy Communion on Feb 17 at the Cathedral. We will celebrate them as a Parish on Feb 22 at 10am Mass. They will process in and receive Holy Communion first during Mass. We will have A Parish Lent Mission Sunday March 1, 2, and 3 at 6:30pm on the Mercy of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Fr Alex, Dennis, and Dcn. Scott will each take a night. Fr. Alex will discuss the Sacrament of Confession one night. Dcn. Scott and Dennis will each speak one night on a Parable from Jesus that reveals God’s Mercy. We will have a social on March 3 after the Mission. Reminder during Lent, we will use the Penitential Act Form B seen below. It is not commonly used at Mass, but is a nice option for Lent. Below is more information on Lent. Lent Information Stations of the Cross Every Wednesday 5pm Every Friday 12:05pm Confessions Monday through Friday: 6:30am-6:50am Every Saturday: 3:00pm-4pm Every Sunday: 4-45pm Lent Resources Lenten Companion by Ascension Press Exodus 90 and Magnify Halo App Lenten Parish Mission March 1-3 at 6:30pm More information to come Penitential Act The Priest then says: Have mercy on us,O Lord. The faithful reply: For we have sinned against you. The Priest: Show us,O Lord, your mercy. The faithful: And grant us your salvation. Military Weekends March 4-6 and April 12-25 

As We Prepare Our Hearts for Lent

February 7, 2026
Happy 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Hard to believe, but Lent is right around the corner. Ash Wednesday falls on Feb 18 this year. Below is some Lenten Information. I am away next this weekend on annually priestly retreat. I will be on retreat spending time with prayer with Jesus at St Meinrad from Feb. 5-11. If you need anything during that time, simply reach out to the office. During Lent, we will use the Penitential Act Form B seen below. It is not commonly used at Mass, but is a nice option for Lent. You might have noticed the 3 new planters outside of a Church. We installed those planters for security reasons after a security audit. It was recommended in our security audit to install a barrier to prevent easy access to our Church front doors. I pray that these barriers are never needed. Unfortunately, in our world today, extra security measures are required. We plan to add some flowers to the planters in the spring. Lent Information Lenten Parish Mission March 1-3 at 6:30 PM Ash Wednesday 7am Mass, 8:30am (School Mass), 12pm Penitential Act (Ash Service), 5:30pm Mass The Priest then says: Have Mercy on Us, O Lord Stations of the Cross The faithful reply: Every Wednesday 5pm For we have sinned against you. Every Friday 12:05pm The Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy. Confessions The faithful: Monday through Friday: 6:30am-6:50am And grant us your salvation Every Saturday: 3:00pm-4pm Every Sunday: 4-45pm Lent Resources Lenten Companion by Ascension Press Exodus 90 and Magnify Halo App Military Weekends Feb. 21-22 and March 4-6

United in Faith and Community

January 23, 2026
Happy 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time! This Sunday, Jan 25, we kick off Catholic Schools Week for our Parish School. At 10am Mass, some kids from our school will serve as lectors and greeters at Mass plus the Cougar Chorus will sing at Mass. Catholic Schools week each year is an opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of our Catholic schools especially their Catholic Identity. The National Theme for Catholic Schools Week this year is United in Faith and Community. This theme emphasizes the uniqueness of a Catholic School. Our uniqueness as a Catholic School flows from education and formation being centered around Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who unites us. At our Baptism, Jesus brought us into a bigger family, the family of God. Our faith in Christ unites then and calls us to community, to live as part of the family of God. We will celebrate Catholic School Weeks with a variety of activities that celebrate this theme of being united in Faith and Community through Jesus Christ. We will celebrate with Sunday Mass with kids in ministry roles, Eucharistic Procession at School on Thursday, and many other fun activities. Please keep us in prayer this week as we celebrate the uniqueness of being of Catholic School. Finally, one minor change that we will begin in February for Christ the King Parish is a new procedure for those receiving low gluten hosts. Anyone needing a low gluten host beginning in February will simply proceed to the priest distributing Holy Communion at Mass. The priest will have low gluten hosts in a special pyx. Military Weekends Feb. 21-27 and March 4-6
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