News from the Church:
What Did St. Nicholas Look Like? - Scientists at a university in Liverpool unveiled what they say is the most realistic portrait ever created of St. Nicholas of Myra, the popular fourth-century bishop best known as the inspiration for the modern-day figure of Santa Claus.....Read more News from the USCCB: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and the Unborn, will be Celebrated Around the Country December 12, as Day of Solidarity with Immigrants - WASHINGTON— On Tuesday, December 12, the Catholic Church will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and the Unborn. Celebrations in dioceses across the nation will be held throughout the month of December to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. These events seek to honor the accomplishments, hopes, fears, and needs of all families who have come to the U.S. seeking a better life....Read More News from the Pope: Pope at Angelus: ‘Mary is ever-green oasis of humanity - (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis reflected on the mystery of the Immaculate Conception at his Angelus address on Friday, December 8th, as the Church celebrates the Marian Solemnity.......Read Mor
0 Comments
Church decorating for Christmas will take place on Sunday December 17th, 2017 after the 10 a.m. Mass. There is a saying “many hands help complete the task, to be completed in a timely manner”. In previous years, we were done by noon , with the fantastic volunteers, who gave their time and talent to make the church look great for our Christmas masses. It would be nice to have more youth help in the way of carrying items where needed. A sign - up sheet has been placed on back table, if you are able to give your time and talent in helping us. Thank you
Praised be Jesus Christ! “Since golden October declined into somber November, and the apples were gathered and stored, and the land became brown sharp points of death in a waste of water and mud. The New Year waits, breathes, waits, whispers in darkness.” As we descend into the darkest days of the year, one of my favorite T.S. Eliot quotes reminds us that it won’t be long and what now lies dormant in the earth will once again be summoned to life. As we continue our Advent meditation on what we can give to Our Lord as a fitting gift at Christmas, this week we consider myrrh. As you may already know, myrrh is a resin which can be extracted from trees found in Africa, Arabia and India. It can be burned as a type of incense, but was most commonly used in the process of embalming. Bodies buried with myrrh stayed relatively incorrupt, as the myrrh was able to dry up any moisture and prevent the generation of worms (disgusting, eh?!). This gift was given to the Baby Jesus as a prophecy – His parents and apparently the Magi were well aware that He was destined to offer His life as a sacrifice that would save us from our sins. Over the centuries many parallels have been drawn between the wood of Jesus’ manger and the wood of His cross. One of my favorite stories is completely fictional, but it is delightful nevertheless. It is the story of three little trees growing up on a mountain. One day they shared their dreams about what sort of future they were hoping for and the first admitted he was hoping to become a treasure chest filled with the world’s greatest riches. The second was the most adventuresome and confessed that he was hoping to become a ship carrying great kings and travelling through dangerous waters. Finally, the third little tree admitted that he would be happy to stay and grow on the mountain, one day becoming so tall that when people walked by they would raise their eyes to Heaven and think of God. Well, years passed and things didn’t turn out for the little trees the way they had hoped. The first tree was chopped down and made into a feed box for animals. The second tree did become a boat, but not a mighty sailing ship. No, he was made into a simple fishing boat, far too small to sail in the ocean – instead, he was taken to a little lake. The third tree’s dream didn’t work out either; he was chopped down, turned into strong beams, and stored in a lumberyard for years. The trees gradually forgot about their innocent dreams until one day a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. It was then that the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world. Years passed and the fishing boat was transporting a tired traveler and his friends across the lake. The traveler fell asleep immediately, but was later awakened by a terrible storm. The traveler stretched out his hand and said “Peace” and that was the end of the storm. It was then that the second tree knew he was carrying the King of Heaven and Earth. Some months later on a Friday morning the beams were yanked from the forgotten wood pile. Carried through an angry, jeering crowd, suddenly a man’s hands and feet were nailed to him. The third tree felt ugly, harsh, and sad. But on Sunday morning the third tree knew somehow everything had changed. From now on the third tree knew that people would forever look at him and think of God’s great love and this was more than he had ever dreamed possible. The story ends with this line: “ The next time you feel down because you didn’t get what you wanted, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.”
May God give us the faith that transforms death into life! Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Evening of Recollection * Led by Fr. Martin * Eucharistic Adoration and Reflection * The evenings will alternate between St. John and Christ the King parishes. Time: 6:30 pm - 8 pm Thursday – Dec 14th , 2017 Theme: Faith Seeks to Understand @ Christ the King in Spencer.
See more in this week's bulletin.
News from the USCCB:
USCCB Offers Advent And Christmas Online Resources For Prayerful Preparation - WASHINGTON— The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is offering online resources for prayerful preparation for Advent and Christmas. The daily suggestions for reading, reflection, and prayer during the Advent and Christmas seasons are now available online. In addition to a clickable online Advent calendar, with each click opening "doors" to a page of suggested reading, the online page also offers daily reflections, prayers, suggested activities and bilingual calendars that can be printed.....Read More News from the Pope: Pope Francis on need to respect all Myanmar's ethnic groups - (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis began his first full day in Myanmar on Tuesday with an unscheduled encounter at the Archbishop’s House, meeting with a group of 17 leaders from the different religious traditions present in the country......Read More News from the Church: ‘Peter Is Here’: What Every Catholic Should Know About Relics and the Human Body - “The soul does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.” (CCC 366)....Read more SHS High School Luncheon Bible Study: Every Tuesday meet in room 310 during your lunch period. Bring a hunger to grow in your faith 7 a bag lunch (or school lunch). We read, discuss & share God’s Word and the food. This year, we are reading 1Corinthians. This is a GREAT opportunity! Bring your friends!!
March For Life Pilgrimage 2018 - The March for Life pilgrimage will be Jan 17-21, 2018. All people 13 years of age and older are invited to be a witness to the dignity of life for the unborn, elderly, and those who society regards as useless. We’ll travel with a Diocesan group via motorcoach. This is for YOUTH & ADULTS. Cost is ~$330 for teens, $290 for chaperones. Deposit of $175 due by Dec. 1. Pilgrims will also get a hooded sweat- shirt. Fundraising options and need-based scholarships are available. (*$25 less if you have a hood from previous March) For more info please contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber Teen & Young Adult Retreat Team Looking for teens and young adults to help lead youth retreats. Living Stones is the name of the group and it rocks! Meet lots of great people, grow in your faith, and have tons of fun. If interested, contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber Pilgrims for Life Fundraiser – Need QUART Jars & Cloth The youth preparing to participate in the March for Life will again be making and selling delicious Jar Mixes. We need more QUART size canning jars as well as Christmas colored cloth scraps for covering jars. If you have some to donate, please contact Mr. Dan Kitzhaber Praised be Jesus Christ! Now that Advent has begun it behooves us to think about Jesus’ imminent birth and how we can best prepare ourselves spiritually. Maybe you’re reading the Infancy Narrative in Saint Luke’s Gospel or you’ve decided to cut out social media so as to have more silence for recollection and prayer. Others are going to daily Mass more often and making sure they’ve made a good confession. I wonder if anyone is praying the “Christmas Novena” that was in the bulletin last weekend? The goal is to be spiritually prepared so as to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christmas and all that it means for us and the whole world. The Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh – you know these were gifts that were usually given to honor a king or deity in the ancient world. A closer look reveals some deeper truths that can inspire us to take a step forward in our faith. For example, frankincense is “an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes , ” and symbolizes the potency of our prayers. Psalm 141 describes this beautifully: “ Let my prayer rise like incense before thee, (Psalm 141:2). The Eastern churches use incense with much greater regularity than we do and that makes its presence in our churches at Christmas and Easter all the more significant. Now the meaning of incense is sometimes misunderstood. I’ll never forget the story of the little school girl who came into church and smelled incense. She immediately turned to her friend and said, “ Do you smell that? Somebody died! ” Yes, incense is used frequently at funerals and fittingly reminds us of the separation of the soul from the body at death. For many people, the smell of incense is jarring and sometimes causes serious coughing fits. Personally, I think the vast quantities of incense that I’ve inhaled over the years has both maintained my health and improved my voice! In all seriousness, incense is meant to not only give praise to God, but to physically alert us to His Presence among us. The whole point of Christmas is the marriage that takes place between Heaven and earth. “ He Whom the World could not contain, Love imprisons here ” is the best inscription I’ve ever seen on a Tabernacle and it reminds us that at Christmas “ The Word became flesh and dwells among us ,” (John 1:14). We now call God “Emmanuel” because He truly is “God with us.” And while God’s Presence is mysterious and somewhat hidden, the use of incense reminds us that “Bidden or unbidden, God is present here.” For example, in the Mass Jesus is present in four ways: 1) preeminently in the Eucharist, 2) in the Word of God, 3) in the priest, who is in persona Christi capitis , and 4) in the people, who are members of the Body of Christ. The gift of incense from the Magi implied their belief that Jesus was destined to be a king and this was something that God Himself had revealed to them. What impresses us about the Magi is that they were so seized by the truth of Jesus’ birth that they willingly left the comfort of their daily lives to set out on an incredibly dangerous journey. They teach us that God deserves our best, but that reaching Him will cost us something. One of the first gifts we can give God is our presence at His sacrifice on the altar, in other words by attending Mass. Yes, it can be an inconvenience and we might have other things we’d rather be doing. Advent means He’s coming and we’re invited to meet Him every Sunday in the Mass. As G.K. Chesterton once pointed out, “ The Mass is long and boring, unless you really love God .” Maybe this Advent we can begin to love Him as the Magi did, even to the point of inconvenience and suffering. May God bless our efforts to prepare for His Son’s birth with deep faith, hope, and love!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Holy Day of Obligation
December 7, 2017 * Vigil Mass @ 7 pm December 8, 2017 * Mass @ 8:30 am Ministry Participants are needed for the Christmas celebrations here @ Christ the King Parish. Christmas eve. * Dec. 24, 2017 mass @ 4 pm and Christmas Eve.* Dec 24 Mass @ 10 pm and on Christmas Day * Dec 25 mass @ 10 am. Sign - up sheets have been placed on table in gathering room of church. If you will be attending any of these Christmas masses your help is greatly appreciated. God’s blessings Christmas Mass times @ St John’s in Mfld. are : Dec 24 * Christmas Eve. @ 4 pm / 6 pm / 8 pm Dec. 25 * Christmas Day @ 7 am / 9 am / 11 am Time again for the 2017 “Giving Tree” !!! The tree has been placed in the Gathering Room. Each year the Family Life & Social Justice Committee members and the families who receive the gifts are overwhelmed by your generosity. As a reminder: If you take a tag, please write your name and phone number on the sign-out sheet located near the tree. (this is so we can contact you if there is no gift returned for that tag we know who to contact) Also very important , please place the gift tag number on the top of the gift so that it goers to the right person / family. Please return your gifts, as soon as possible, so we can get begin to sort them. This really helps to get a headstart with the sorting according to the family / person receiving them. The latest return is Sunday- December 17, 2017, this helps to get the gifts to the families in a timely manner. Any questions please call Sue Toufar Connect with your Parish like never before! Get parish and diocesan messages, daily readings, Catholic news and more by downloading the free myParish app today! Text “app” to “88202” to download
|
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
Archives
February 2021
Categories
All
|