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Christ the King Parish

Springfield, IL

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“And He shall reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 11:15


Since 1963, Christ the King Parish has been a source of God’s love and grace for the west side of Springfield, and the greater community. Through love of God and neighbor in prayer, service, formation, and hospitality, we seek to be active coworkers with Christ our King in building-up his kingdom. We hope that you will find this website helpful. Please contact us for further information or assistance.

God bless you!


11 Oct, 2024
In this Sunday’s Gospel from Mark, we hear the story of a rich young man who runs up to Jesus and asks Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus lists the commandments, and the young man responds that he has kept all of these since his youth. Then, looking at him with love, Jesus tells him, “You are lacking in one thing: Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The man goes away sad because he has many possessions. This Gospel invites us to reflect on what it means to follow Jesus and the cost of discipleship. The rich young man was sincere in his desire for eternal life. He followed the commandments, lived a morally upright life, and wanted to know what more he could do. But when Jesus asked him to give up his wealth, the man became sad because his attachment to his possessions was too great. Jesus uses this encounter to teach His disciples that wealth and worldly attachments can be obstacles to entering the kingdom of God. He says, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” This statement would have been shocking to the disciples, as wealth was often seen as a sign of God’s favor. Yet, Jesus challenges this thinking and emphasizes that it is not the possessions themselves, but the attachment to them that can hinder our relationship with God. Jesus invites the rich young man to let go of his possessions, not as a punishment, but as a way to free his heart for a deeper relationship with God. His wealth had become a barrier between him and the kingdom. Similarly, each of us has something that may be holding us back from fully following Jesus. It might not be wealth, but it could be pride, fear, selfishness, or a lack of trust in God’s providence. The Lord Jesus calls each of us to examine our hearts and to ask ourselves, “What is standing between me and God? What am I holding on to that prevents me from giving myself fully to Christ?” Letting go is difficult, but Jesus assures us that whatever we give up for His sake, we will receive back a hundredfold. This is a promise not of material wealth, but of the rich and abundant life found in a deep relationship with God. The disciples are understandably confused and ask, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus responds, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Salvation is not something we can earn by our own efforts or merit. It is a gift of God’s grace. What seems impossible for, such as letting go of our attachments, living selflessly, and putting God first in everything, is made possible by God’s transforming grace. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom echoes this theme of choosing what is most important in life. The author prays for wisdom and declares that he prefers her to scepters and thrones, considering riches as nothing compared to wisdom. The wisdom of God leads us to true understanding, helping us to see life from a proper perspective, and guiding us to seek the things that truly matter, things that last into eternity. This Sunday’s readings challenge us to examine our lives and ask ourselves what we value most. Are we willing to let go of anything that prevents us from fully following Jesus? The rich young man went away sad because he could not part with his wealth, but Jesus offers us a different path: a path of freedom, joy, and eternal life, if we are willing to trust Him and let go of what holds us back. Let us ask God for the wisdom to see what truly matters and the courage to follow Christ wholeheartedly. Let us pray for the grace to respond to Jesus’ invitation with open hearts, trusting that with God, all things are possible. Pilgrimage Information Meeting This coming May I will be co-leading a Marian pilgrimage to Portugal, France, and Spain with Father Michael Friedel from Blessed Sacrament Parish. Flyers are available in the parish office for anyone who is interested. Father Michael and I will be having an information meeting on Sunday, October 27th, at 1:30PM in the lower meeting room of the parish office at Blessed Sacrament, 1725 South Walnut Street. Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead! Father Chris House
04 Oct, 2024
This is a challenging Gospel to succinctly comment on in a bulletin article or a homily. Along with being pastor of CTK, I also serve as vicar judicial of the diocese which means that I sit as head of the diocesan tribunal in the name of the bishop so this Gospel has special pertinence for my ministry. Mark’s Gospel this Sunday gives us Jesus’s teaching on divorce; Mark’s account is the oldest of the four Gospel writers concerning marriage. What does Mark’s text teach us as the Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus using the Mosaic Law? The Pharisees ask Jesus if divorce is lawful; we must be attentive to the phrases that follow. Jesus asks the Pharisees what Moses commanded while the Pharisees reply with what Moses permitted . Jesus preaches against divorce, and since it was only allowed by Moses, Jesus cannot be condemned as speaking against the law. Jesus easily thwarts the attempt to entrap him but he goes further in his discourse on the question of divorce, not just giving a simple “no” to the question. Jesus, invoking Genesis, speaks of man and woman becoming one flesh in marriage. We see in the Old Testament that marriage is symbolic of the covenant relationship between God and his people. In the New Testament, St. Paul speaks of marriage as a sacramental sign of Christ’s relationship with the Church. The marriage bond is sacred because it is a living sign of God’s love that is both irrevocable and self-giving. Jesus then goes further in Mark’s Gospel stating that whoever divorces their spouse, and marries another, commits adultery. The Church understands and teaches that marriage between two persons who are baptized, Catholic or not, takes on the quality of indissolubility (unless non-consummated), meaning that no power under heaven can undo what God has joined; no external power can undo the union and neither party in the marriage can withdraw their consent. Marriages that are between a baptized person and a non-baptized, or between two unbaptized, are still seen as valid by the Church, but, in certain very limited circumstances, can be set aside if one party leaves the marriage. Concerning the question of divorce, the Church sees it as a civil matter. The Church recognizes that a civil divorce can have civil effects but the act of divorce itself does not affect a person’s status in the Church; however, divorce and remarriage outside of the auspices of the Church does affect a person’s status in the Church. In reading this you might be saying to yourself “well, annulments in the Church are just Catholic divorce;” actually, no. First, we often use the wrong term. An annulment is a declaration that dissolves something. An ecclesiastical tribunal (church court) in examining marriage cases does not grant annulments but may issue what is called a declaration of nullity by which a marriage is declared to have been null and void from the beginning due to either an impediment to the marriage itself or due to invalid consent on the part of one or both parties in the marriage. The nullity process in a tribunal does not look to assign blame or guilt to anyone regarding a failed marriage, but looks for what the truth of the matter is and whether or not a valid marriage bond was created at the time of consent between the couple. I cannot stress enough that those who have suffered a divorce are not “second class citizens” in the Church and they should not be treated as such. A person who is divorced is not barred from any aspect of the Church’s life, sacramental or otherwise; this is a wide-spread misunderstanding among Catholics that has caused great pain and alienation for some. Yes, if a Catholic is divorced and remarried outside of the Church without a declaration of nullity then they are to refrain from Holy Communion, but the Church can work with them in the hope of regularizing their situation. If you have any further questions on divorce, marriage nullity, or remarriage in the Church, please do not hesitate to contact me, Fr. Alex, or Deacon Scott. Praying for the Victims of Hurricane Helene Many of us have been shocked with the news and images that have come not just out of Florida but in other states as well especially North Carolina concerning the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene and the subsequent flooding. One commentator said earlier this week that you do not expect the situation to be getting worse several days after the storm but that is what has happened in many parts of the southeast coastal region. While nothing has been announced yet at the time I am writing this, generally the bishops of the United States will call for a special collection. Let us continue to pray for the recovery of those who have been affected by Helene. Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead! Father Chris House
27 Sep, 2024
Sin, Despair, & Hope As October approaches, this is the usual time of the year that I make time to watch the movie The Exorcist ; some may find that odd but as its director, the late William Friedkin, said of the movie, it’s more of a theological thriller than a horror movie. This year I’ve decided to go for the book instead of the movie. I first read the book when I was in seminary at Mundelein in 1998, at the time of the 25 th anniversary of the movie’s release; as with many stories, the book is more detailed (and frightening) than the movie. The story, written by William Peter Blatty, focuses on a twelve-year-old girl who is possessed by a demon and the investigation that ultimately leads to two Jesuit priests performing a major exorcism for her deliverance. The book itself was inspired by actual events concerning a Lutheran boy in Silver Spring, Maryland whose family turned to the Catholic Church for help. The quest for help eventually took them to the Jesuits in St. Louis, Missouri where the boy (a girl in the book and movie) was delivered from the power of demonic forces after a major exorcism in 1949; the process of exorcism took weeks to perform. One of the most striking scenes in the movie is when the two Jesuit priests take a break in the midst of performing the needed exorcism. During this break, the younger priest, who has been having his own crisis of faith, asks the older priest why a twelve-year-old girl; the older priest responds “to make us despair.” At the beginning of the Scriptures in the Book of Genesis we see that it is the devil who tempts us to turn inward on ourselves and away from God; that is the definition of sin. Daily we are tempted to serve ourselves, our wants, our desires, to be the ultimate end in ourselves. Let’s be clear: the devil does not make any of us sin; we make the choice ourselves even though the devil may give the invitation. Sin directly separates us from God when a sin is ours, when it is the result of our own action or inaction. Sin can also attempt to separate us from God when it is the sin of someone else and we are moved to despair. This phenomenon can be especially profound with the reality of sin in the Church. We see evil committed by others and some run the danger of losing hope and falling into despair, which then can ultimately lead us to despairing of the goodness and love of God. The Lord gives us strong words in this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark: if your hand, foot, or eye are going to keep you from entering into heaven then get rid of them. The Lord Jesus is telling us that there is nothing in this life, be it material things, relationships, pleasures, behaviors, whatever, that are worth risking the gift and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven. We are also warned sternly to be on guard that we do not lead anyone else into sin because the punishment for that will be severe. Our sins separate us from God and they can also be a catalyst to separate others from him too. We must be on guard to seek the good, to seek the things of heaven, to seek God in all that we do. Personal sin can lead us to despair by falling into the trap of believing that we are unforgivable. The reality of evil itself can lead us to despair by questioning why God would let such things happen. As disciples, we are called to never lose hope: hope in the power of God’s mercy and forgiveness in our own lives and in the lives of others; hope that the grace of God can effect true change in our lives through conversion; hope in the fact that God is alive and at work in the world and that his sacred act of our redemption is on-going. When faced with the power of sin, when tempted to lose hope because of evil in the world, let us always remember the words emblazoned under our Lord in the image of Divine Mercy: Jesus, I trust in You ! A Prayer for First-Responders This Sunday, September 29 th , is the feast of the Archangels Ss. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. It is customary on this day to remember those who serve in our community as first-responders, be they police, fire, or other emergency personnel. For them, I invite us all to offer the following prayer: Merciful Father, I ask you through the Archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, to watch over and protect all of the men and women who so generously devote themselves to helping others. Grant them courage when afraid, wisdom when they must make quick decisions, strength when weary, and compassion in all their work. When the alarm sounds and they are called to aid both friend and stranger, let them faithfully serve you in their neighbors. Through Christ our Lord, Amen. Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead! Father Chris House
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Saturday Vigil: 4:30pm

Sunday: 8:00am, 10:00am, 5:00pm


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