Where is Your Treasure? by Fr. Chris House

August 5, 2022

Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Where Is Your Treasure?

 

Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

 

Unless you happened to buy a Lottery ticket in Des Plaines a few weeks ago, I am assuming that none of us won the $1.3 billion dollar jackpot. It’s probably just as well. Many of us fantasize about the fun and the ease that such a windfall could provide for us and, of course, all the good things that we could do with all that money. It’s a nice day dream that, should it become a reality, has the real possibility of becoming a nightmare. A jackpot could buy many things, nice things, but just that…things and things of the world, which are all finite and thus have the potential to lead us to great sorrow.

 

In last Sunday’s first reading from Ecclesiastes, we heard the emptiness that Qoheleth felt regarding the vanity of the things of the world as well as their finite nature. This Sunday’s readings continue to invite us to look beyond the things of this present life, placing our faith and hope in that which is eternal. Jesus tells us this Sunday that our heart will be wherever the things are that we place value in. Again, we are faced with the question: is my treasure here in this life or is my ultimate fulfillment yet to be revealed in heaven?

 

The world does not place much value, if any, on faith, at least not in faith in something other than itself. Sadly, neither do many Catholics. Faith is paid a good lip-service by many, but is it a priority in our lives, something that is worth spending our time and energy on to cultivate? For the true disciple, faith is more precious than gold because, as the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, faith is the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. If our faith is in the things of this world, the realizations of our hopes will come to nothing. If our faith is in God and the things of heaven, then what we will come to know will exceed all expectations and that same faith will give us glimpses here and now of those greater things still to come.

 

You know the old saying, only two things are certain, death and taxes. Some people manage to avoid taxes, but no one can avoid death and standing face to face before God. So where is our faith placed; where is our treasure? If our faith is in God, and if we have placed God as our greatest good, then we can go forward in true hope. If this is not the case, then it’s time to reprioritize our lives.

 

 Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!

Father Chris House

 

May 8, 2026
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
May 1, 2026
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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 
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