Holy Thursday-April 18, 2019 Mass @ 8 pm Good Friday--April 19, 2019 * Service at 1 p.m. Holy Saturday - April 20, 2019 * 8:30 p.m. Mass Easter Sunday - April 21, 2019 * 8 a.m. Mass Easter Sunday - April 21, 2019 * 10 a.m. Mass
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From the Church
To request such a blessing, up until now it was necessary for someone to go physically to the Office of Papal Charities, located within the walls of Vatican City, or to send them a letter or fax. But that was before: Now, the Papal Almoner has recently launched a new website where we can submit a request directly online. Read More... Did you know there is a free internet filter? My family has been using K-9 Web Protection for several years, and we have been quite happy with it. It allows you to filter out a number of different categories of content, and you can also set up custom times when internet access is allowed. You can download it at this link and set it up in just a few minutes. Be sure to keep your password safe. http://www1.k9webprotection.com/get-k9-web-protection-free
Praised be Jesus Christ! Saint Philip Neri lived in Rome in the late 1500s (he died in 1595) and is still one of the all-time favorites of the Romans. The movie about his life, “I Prefer Heaven,” is one of the best depictions of holiness that you’ll ever see. Neri was a man of profound joy, which undoubtedly was the fruit of his complete trust in the Lord. Neri came to Rome hoping to become a Jesuit, but God had other plans. Neri soon found himself serving the street children, helping them to believe that even though they had so frequently been rejected by others, there was a God who loved them perfectly. Neri’s life is one of great insight, as he once asked a person who had confessed gossip to go and scatter chicken feathers on a windy day. When the person completed the task and came back to Neri, he told the penitent to now go and collect them. When the penitent said such a thing would be impossible because the feathers had spread so far and wide, Neri said such is the damage that gossip causes others... only God can heal it. Neri had a big heart, which is literally due to what theologians sometimes call a “transverberation.” This is the rare experience of a holy person whose heart is pierced by a mystical grace given by God. Saint Teresa of Avila experienced it, as did Saint Philip Neri. When he died they performed an autopsy and discovered that a couple of his ribs had been broken and then healed irregularly so as to make enough room for his literally enlarged heart. It’s no wonder that Neri would often go into ecstasy while celebrating Mass: the servers grew accustomed to him levitating after the consecration, and so would snuff out the candles and go outside to play soccer. After an hour or two they would return in time to re-light the candles and witness Neri come back down to finish the Mass and continue as if nothing had happened. Truly, Saint Philip Neri was a remarkable saint. However, lest you think that we have nothing in common with such a man, we must remember that the joy he lived is something that is accessible to every human being. But the difficulty is that such joy comes from God, and too many of us forget this and try to manufacture it ourselves. Mother Teresa discovered that if she put Jesus first, others second, that there was always enough left for her. Are we putting Jesus first? When do we say our first prayer of the day? The goal is to get up, kneel down by our bed and say a humble prayer of thanksgiving for the new day while begging God for the grace to live it well. If we do this, we’re off to the best start possible. Another sign of spiritual growth is that we begin to make sacrifices so that we can pray more often. I’m writing this during the NCAA March Madness season and shutting off the TV and walking over to the Adoration Chapel is more challenging than I’d like to admit. What are you willing to sacrifice so as to put Jesus more at the center of your life? Prayer is a battle: a battle to make it a priority, and sometimes a battle to focus while we’re actually praying. But a life like that of Saint Philip Neri shows that the fruits of faithfulness are worthy of the sacrifices we must make. Saint John’s is hosting 40 Hours this week (beginning on Thursday, ending on Saturday), which commemorates the time Jesus spent in the tomb so as to save us. The church will be opened for all of that time and Jesus would love to visit with you. Bring your hopes and your hurts; bring in your heart those who are close to God as well as those who seem to have given up on Him. You’ll find a strength, a hope, and a joy that are not of this world. Jesus promised these things... how can you say no to this Man? Saint Philip Neri, pray for us, that we experience the joy God gives to those who serve with generous hearts! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Ministry help needed for “Holy Week”. Sign up sheets will be placed on long table, in gathering room of church the week of April 1st, 2019. The need is for:
Holy Thursday-April 18, 2019 * Washing of the Feet” 12 participants * Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament” from 9 pm until midnight * Ministry participants for the 8 p.m. mass * Good Friday-April 19, 2019 * ministry participants for 1 pm Service * Holy Saturday-April 20, 2019 * deco- rating the church for Easter @ 9 am * Holy Saturday * Minis- try participants for the 8:30 pm Mass * Easter Sunday- April 21, 2019 * Ministry participants for 8 a.m. Mass and 10 a.m. Mass. Your time and talent are needed to make this a memorable Easter in this parish. Thank you.
From the Church
Sister Maria Concetta Esu is an Italian nun who for almost 60 years has devoted her life to missionary work in Africa. In her profession as a midwife, Sister Concetta has delivered thousands of babies and at 85 her commitment to children, mothers and families continues. Read More... Please pray for the following intentions:
Praised be Jesus Christ! I hope Lent is treating you well. What Lent is all about is taking an honest look at what’s in our heart and soul and working to align our lives more with the will of the God who made us. That can sometimes be hard work that entails dying to bad habits and learning to humbly ask God for His forgiveness and His grace. Ash Wednesday commends to our attention the ancient practices of prayer, fasting and alms giving. Let’s begin with our favorite: fasting! A couple of weeks ago I began experiencing some rather significant pain in my back. Because I worried it might be a kidney stone or something worse, I went to Urgent Care. Everything checked out okay, and it turned out to just be back pain, probably triggered by shoveling copious amounts of snow. What didn’t check out okay was my weight – when I stepped on the scale I was aghast at what I saw. Maybe I should have seen this coming: Father Barry got me a pair of snowshoes for Christmas and written on each of them in bold letters is the word “TUBBS.” I guess I just didn’t want to believe he was talking about me. Well, it’s turned out to be a real blessing because I’ve had a little extra motivation for the fasting component of Lent. Now please don’t misunderstand: fasting is not a diet plan for vain people hoping to look good at the beach. Rather, it’s a spiritual discipline that liberates us from being dominated by our physical desires. As Saint Teresa of Avila pointed out, give the body what it wants and it just wants more. Jesus put it this way: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We do not live in a culture known for its fasting practices. When was the last time you were truly hungry? Jesus fasted to give us a method that leads to a deeper spiritual life and a greater freedom from the sometimes inordinate desires of our bodies. Moving on to prayer, have you visited the new Saint John Paul II Adoration Chapel? Adoration is an acquired taste, but just stopping for 10 minutes once or twice a week will help you to have a more genuine prayer life. Learning to adore Jesus for an hour at a time might take a while, but the spiritual fruits are abundant. For example, people who develop a deeper prayer life learn to recognize their own sinfulness more readily, which keeps them from being so quick to judge others. Moreover, people who pray regularly are more and more able to know God’s will for their life and this is a source of deep peace. Finally, a deeper prayer life reminds us that one of the most merciful things we can do for people is to pray for them. Jesus was praying as He died for us on the cross – when we pray, we are imitating the merciful love that Jesus brought into our fallen world. And finally, alms giving, which is a constant source of generosity and wisdom to those who engage it. Our parish food drives are impressively organized and garner a great amount of participation. Our mission outreach has been a source of pride as we’ve served Christ in many ways in our own community and abroad. The hope is that this spirit of giving will inspire our younger parishioners to do their part as impressively as our older members have done. As we celebrate this Laetare or 4th Sunday of Lent, we renew our efforts to grow closer to Jesus through prayer, fasting, and alms giving. And as for this scribe, it seems to be working: I’m down 8 pounds! May God’s grace, preeminently received in the Eucharist, change our hearts to be more forgiving! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin |
MASS SCHEDULE
Tuesday - Friday: 8:00 AM Saturday: 4:00 PM Sunday: 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM RECONCILIATION
Saturday: 3:15 - 3:45 PM OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Friday: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM Stay Connected with Our ParishWelcome from Our PastorWelcome to Christ the King Catholic Church! Ever since 1938 this parish has been assisting souls in their quest for deeper union with God. Our mission statement is essentially found in the stained glass window above the main altar: “For Christ our King.” Insofar as God made us and we belong to Him, we have come to... Read More
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