"Persistence in Prayer" by Fr. Chris House
October 14, 2022
This Sunday, St. Luke recounts for us Jesus’s parable of the dishonest judge. He tells us that while this judge fears neither God nor anyone else, there is a widow who is an exception.
Persistence in Prayer
This Sunday, St. Luke recounts for us Jesus’s parable of the dishonest judge. He tells us that while this judge fears neither God nor anyone else, there is a widow who is an exception. We do not really know anything about this woman. We might think of her as tough and tenacious but that is purely conjecture. We know that she is persistent in her appeals to this judge. We also know that she is not being unreasonable because Jesus tells us that all she is asking for is justice.
And what is justice? The traditional philosophical definition for justice is rendering to each what each one deserves. Once again, in light of that definition, we can argue that this widow is being completely reasonable. Jesus tells us in this parable that the judge, while not moved by justice, is moved by fear of physical harm from the widow. It is because of that fear that he will ultimately render a just decision for the widow and the widow’s persistence will pay off.
This parable is an analogy for prayer. In light of that I pose the following questions for all of us: Do I pray? Do I pray frequently? Why do I pray? Do I truly believe in the power of prayer? I ask these questions in light of Jesus’s comments following the parable. God wants our prayers. He wants us to approach him with faith and trust in his love for us. The last statement is key regarding this parable; again, God wants us to trust in his love for us.
The dishonest judge is motivated by fear to answer the woman’s pleas. God is not motivated by fear or our perception of merit or because he owes us anything. God hears our pleas and he answers us because of one great fact and that fact is that he loves us with a love that is total and unconditional. God truly does hear and answer every prayer; sometimes he does so in the way that we want him to and sometimes not, but even in those times our prayer is answered with the gift of his grace that will help us to accept his will over our own.
Now, for the last question: do we believe this? So often we allow fear, disappointment, anger, a false sense of self-righteousness, and many other things to hamper our trust both in God’s great love for us and that he will always act for our ultimate good. As I read this passage from Luke, I find a certain sadness in Jesus’s last question: but when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Jesus fully comprehends the greatness of the Father’s love for us. Are we willing to let go and trust in that love?
Let us be persistent in our prayer, never fearing to approach the Lord with humble and faithful hearts, knowing that our God is a God who loves us and who is always attentive to our pleas. Prayer may not give us what we want but it will give us grace and the more grace that we are open to receiving the better people, the better disciples we will be.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House
Happy 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time! I pray that you have a restful Labor Day Weekend. Our Lord’s instruction in today’s Gospel is hard to live by. It is always hard to have difficult conversations with someone often due to conflict and emotions running high. If you are like me, I can avoid conflict at times or want to speak about others behind their backs without having the difficult conversation with them one on one. Jesus’s instruction chalenges us in a good way to have the difficult conversations and trust that He will be present to guide us through them and make them fruitful. Our School Annual Fund launched earlier than anticipated this year to help with unexpected costs due to our Parish School experiencing unexpected water main leak during the first week of school. We have repaired the immediate needs, and school is back in session. We are working towards a long-term solution for the water main while keeping school in session. Many people have asked how I can help and the best way to help right to assist with the unexpected costs through the Annual Fund. h ttps://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm Worship Candlelight Adoration – Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Catholic Crash Course: Sept 20 and 27 after 5pm Mass Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Stewardship Centennial Campaign Information Session: Sept 8 at 6pm, Sept 9 at 12pm and 6pm State Parish Homily: Sept 25 and 26 Pledge Commitment Weekend: Oct 3 and 4 In Jesus our King, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who assisted with Fr. Jayke’s Welcome Reception. It was a great time of fellowship welcoming him to Christ the King. He has already been an immense gift to our Parish Family. This weekend in our Gospel, our Lord Jesus reminds us that the cross and discipleship intertwined together. If we want to follow Jesus, we need to embrace the cross. I will preach on this theme at Mass and connected to our new Vision and Mission of our Parish including our Formation events coming up this fall. As I mentioned last weekend, our Parish School experienced unexpected water main leak during the first week of school. We have repaired the immediate needs, and school is back in session. We are working towards a long-term solution for the water main while keeping school in session. This water main issue was certainly an unexpected need, and we decided to begin our School Annual Fund earlier than anticipated to help with the costs. Many people have asked how I can help and the best way to help is to assist with the unexpected costs through the Annual Fund. https://www.ctkcougars.com/support-ctk/annual-fund.cfm If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More of a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 31. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Finally, Reminder that there will be Candlelight Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament this Sunday, Aug 30, at 7pm. Worship Candlelight Adoration: Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 @ 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 @ 5:30pm Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon Sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept 27 after 5pm Mass Fellowship Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10 am Mass. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Gospel today is the foundation for the Papacy. As we know, St. Peter was the first Pope, and every Pope draws their line back to him. St. Paul outside the walls in Rome has portrait of every pope back to St. Peter. Something important to remember about the Office of the Pope is the does not replace Christ Jesus, but rather represents Him. St. Peter is entrusted with the kings (symbol of authority), but he does not create the key or lock. Jesus creates and defines both. Office of the Pope is simply to protect and not change the keys,namely the deposit of faith revealed in Scripture and Tradition. This weekend, we will have a Welcome Reception for Fr. Jayke after 10am Mass. He has been a wonderful addition to Christ the King. Let’s show him a warm welcome as he continues to settle in here at Christ the King. We also will have our Volunteer Luncheon next Sunday on Aug. 30. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 31. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Worship Candlelight Adoration–Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon Sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept 27 after 5pm Mass Fellowship Fr. Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10amMass. Flyer and RSVP coming soon. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule September 11-13 and October 16-18
Happy 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our Gospel today is often misinterpreted these days with Jesus been seen as practicing racism towards the Canaanite women. This interpretation though is not recognizing the language of the time. Jesus is making a play on words with the word dog which was often a word used to describe Gentiles, nations not Jewish. Isreal’s mission was to bring the nations (Gentiles) into the covenant. Gentiles were brought into the new covenant though Jesus. The women correctly understood this mission of Jesus and Jesus praises her for her faith and persistence. Next Weekend, we will have a Welcome Reception for Fr. Jayke after 10am Mass. He has been a wonderful addition to Christ the King. Let’s show him a warm welcome as he continues to settle in here at Christ the King. I am excited to announce as part of our stewardship efforts on campus that we be beginning our Centennial Capital Campaign. I never dreamt of doing a campaign in my 2nd year here at Christ the King, but our school windows and lintels are in critical need and need to be replaced next summer. You wil receive information in the coming weeks via mail with more details. My campaign letter is also in this buletin. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the buletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 24. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Worship Candlelight Adoration –Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon Sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept 27 after 5pm Mass Fellowship Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule August 13-16 and September 11-13
Happy 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time! I am excited to announce as part of our stewardship efforts on campus that we be beginning our Centennial Capital Campaign. I never dreamt of doing a campaign in my 2 year here at Christ the King, but our school windows and lintels are in critical need and need to be replaced next summer. You will receive information in the coming weeks via mail with more details. My campaign letter is also in this bulletin. I want to say thank you to everyone who assisted with the sendoff reception for Dennis Trickey and Colin Taylor. We pray for both as they head back to Seminary. Reminder this weekend, we will have our Annual Missionary Appeal coordinated through our Missions Office. Sr. Catherine will be here Aug 8-9 to share about her Religious and their Mission. She will speak at al Masses right before Mass starts. For more information see the bulletin. We also have blessing of backpacks this weekend at 4:30pm and 10am Masses. Dates are earlier due to my military schedule. For the Volunteer luncheon coming up on Aug 30. This luncheon is simply our way of saying thank you. We will offer a meal after 10am Mass plus a gift. Anyone who volunteers at Christ the King is welcome to attend. Volunteers would include service teams like funeral luncheon team, Altar and Rosary, parish nurses, Good Samatarians, PB & J, auction team, money counters, etc. plus Mass ministries like Choir, Ushers, etc. Please sign-up for food count purposes, sign-up will be released soon. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 24. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 @ 7pm Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 @ 5:30pm Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass . Afternoon sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Begins Sept. 27 Fellowship Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass. Flyer and RSVP coming soon. In Christ's Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule August 13-16 and September 11-13
Happy 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who assisted with Dcn. Scott’s Farewell Reception. It was a great time of fellowship as we move into his assignment at St. Boniface in Edwardsville. This weekend, we will have a sendoff reception for Dennis Trickey and Collin Taylor. Dennis will be missed and has been a great gift to Christ the King. He will be back for visits. Collin Taylor is a parishioner and is entering his first year of seminary. We are immensely proud of him and he will be back for visits during seminary breaks. Next weekend, we will have our Annual Missionary Appeal coordinated through our Missions Office. Sr. Catherine will be here Aug 8-9 to share about her Religious and their Mission. She will speak at all Masses right before Mass starts. For more information see the bulletin. Next weekend, we also will have Blessing of the Backpacks at 4:30pm Mass and 10am Mass. We moved the date up due to my military schedule. The Blessing will take place at the end of Mass. For the Volunteer luncheon coming up on Aug 30. This luncheon is simply our way of saying thank you. We will offer a meal after 10am Mass plus a gift. Anyone who volunteers at Christ the King is welcome to attend. Volunteers would include service teams like perishing nursing, Good Samatarians, PB & J, auction team, money counters, etc. plus Mass ministries. Please sign-up for food count purposes, sign-up will be released soon. If you are interested in joining Pastoral Council, we are looking for 2 new members. More a description on the Pastoral Council, please see the bulletin. If you are interested, simply submit a letter of interest to Erin by Aug. 24. Term for pastoral council is 2 years with an option for a second term. We continue our Stewardship this summer with the tuckpointing ongoing, Pre-K HVAC, and Playgrounds. Our new School Annual Fund assisted with some of these projects and raised over $58K. Those projects are finishing up. We also repainted the parking lot lines. We will be doing some maintenance on the Gym Floor over the next 2-3weeks. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Aug 2, Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 after 5pm Mass. Afternoon sessions to be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4 after 10am Mass Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 OCIA: Dates to be released soon Fellowship Dennis Trickey and Collin Taylor Send Off: Aug 2 after 10am Mass Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass. Flyer and RSVP coming soon. In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule August 13-16 and September 11-13
Happy 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Our 1st reading today praises the gift of Wisdom. Through the Bible, wisdom is praised as a gift from the Holy Spirit. From the biblical perspective, this gift of the Holy Spirit allows one to understand Divine truths and apply them concretely to their lives. Through this understanding and application, the wise person makes sound decisions through following the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Let us pray then each of us can know the Holy Spirit’s prompts correctly and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. Reminder, we will be installing the Hearing Loop in the Church on July 28-30. During that time, we will not have access to the Church for Mass, Adoration, and Confessions. I apologize for the inconvenience. We will offer Daily Mass those days at 7am in the Sacred Heart Chapel with no 6:30am confessions. Please use the St. Joseph Choir Door to enter those days. We continue our Stewardship this summer with the tuckpointing ongoing, Pre-K HVAC, and Playgrounds. Our new School Annual Fund assisted with some of these projects and raised over $58K. Those projects are finishing up. We also repainted the parking lot lines. We will doing some maintenance on the Gym Floor over the next 2-3 weeks. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Aug 2, Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: this fall after 5pm with meal provided. Dates will be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: 3 sessions coming up this fall after 10am Mass with meal provided Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Fellowship Dcn. Scott Farewell Reception: July 26 after 10am Mass Dennis Trickey and Collin Taylor Send Off: Aug 2 after 10am Mass Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciate Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule August 13-16 and Sepatember 11-13
Happy 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time! Thank you to everyone who assisted with Totus Tuus! It was a great week of worship, formation, and fellowship for our youth. As you can see below, we have some exciting events coming up soon. To assist myself and parish staff with these events, I am excited to announce that Michelle Ofreneo Zata and Amanda Cagwin have hired as Parish Engagement Coordinators. These positions are part-time and they will be coordinated many things including women’s ministry, family formation events, and welcoming new parishioners. I am excited for them as they begin his ministry partnering with me to provide parish engagement opportunities. We will be installing the Hearin Loop in the Church on July 28-30. During that time, we will not have access to the Church for Mass, Adoration, and Confessions. I apologize for the inconvenience. We will offer Daily Mass those days at 7am in the Sacred Heart Chapel. Please use the St. Joseph Choir Door to enter those days. Reminder, that we are doing a new Parish Directory. Sign up information is around Campus and in the bulletin. Please sign up for photos, they are free for the directory. It will be great to have a new one as Fr. Jayke comes on board. We continue our Stewardship this summer with the tuckpointing ongoing, Pre-K HVAC, and Playgrounds. We also will be repainting the parking lot lines. Parking lot needs work, but we do that in due time after several big projects are completed on Campus. Worship Candlelight Adoration – Aug 2, Aug 30, Oct. 4, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6 Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: this fall after 5pm with meal provided. Dates will be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: 3 sessions coming up this fall after 10am Mass with meal provided Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Fellowship Dcn. Scott Farewell Reception: July 26 after 10am Mass Dennis Trickey and Collin Taylor Send Off: Aug 2 after 10am Mass Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciate Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule July 18-19 and August 13-16
Happy 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time! This weekend, we welcome Fr. Jayke White to our Parish for his 1st Weekend. We will have a Welcome Party for him on Aug 23 after the 10am Mass. We will be installing the Hearing Loop in the Church on July 28-30. During that time, we will not have access to the Church for Mass, Adoration, and Confessions. I apologize for the inconvenience. We will offer Daily Mass those days at 7am in the Sacred Heart Chapel. Please use the St. Joseph Choir Door to enter those days. Reminder, that we are doing a new Parish Directory. Sign up information is around Campus and in the bulletin. Please sign up for photos, they are free for the directory. It will be great to have a new one as Fr. Jayke comes on board. In the bulletin as well, you will see some new funeral policies for our Diocese. They were promulgated by Bishop Paprocki on July 1. Bishop met with all the funeral directors and Pastors of our Diocese this past year to explain the changes. Below you will find worship, formation, and fellowship events coming up. Dates to be released soon! More similar types of events are being planned as well. We continue our Stewardship this summer with the tuckpointing ongoing, Pre-K HVAC, and Playgrounds. We also will be repainting the parking lot lines. Parking lot needs work, but we do that in due time after several big projects are completed on Campus. Worship Candlelight Adoration – dates will be released soon Marian Candlelight Masses: Dec 2, 9, 16, and 23 Formation Adult Faith Formation Series: this fall after 5pm with meal provided. Dates will be released soon Family Faith Formation Series: 3 sessions coming up this fall after 10am Mass with meal provided Pre-Advent Mission: Nov. 15-16 Fellowship Dcn. Scott Farewell Reception: July 26 after 10am Mass Dennis Trickey and Collin Taylor Send Off: Aug 2 after 10am Mass Fr Jayke White Welcome Party: Aug 23 after 10am Mass Volunteer Appreciate Luncheon: Aug 30 after 10am Mass In Christ’s Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Fr. Mark’s Military Schedule July 18-19 and August 13-16 Totus Tuus Mass is open to all parishioners 11:15
Happy 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time! I pray you had a wonderful July 4th . Thank you to everyone who assisted with the Farewell Reception for Fr. Alex. It was a great time and great send off for him. He enjoyed his time with the Parish and School. Fr. Jayke White will be here for Masses next weekend, July 11-12. We have another transition happening at Christ the King as well this summer. Dcn. Scott Keen as of July 1 will be assigned as Deacon at St. Boniface Parish in Edwardsville. It is sad to see him go and he will be missed. I am excited for him as well because he will be closer to his son, daughter-in-law, and new grandson. Please keep Johnna and Dcn. Scott in your prayers during their move away from Springfield to be closer to family. Reminder that we are doing a new Parish Directory. Sign up information is around Campus and in the bulletin. Please sign up for photos, they are free for the directory. It will be great to have a new one as Fr. Jayke comes on board. In the bulletin as well, you will see some new funeral policies for our Diocese. They were promulgated by Bishop Paprocki on July 1. Bishop met with all the funeral directors and Pastors of our Diocese this past year to explain the changes. Quick reminder that Totus Tuus is coming up at CTK. The Totus Tuus team will be here July 11-17. They will be with us for Sunday Masses. The team will run junior high and high school program July 12-16 and will run 1 -6 program July 13-17. See flyer in bulletin for more information and to sign up. Finally in coming weeks, I will be releasing some exciting Worship and Formation opportunities that we will be having this fall. Save the Dates July 11-12: Fr. Jayke White first weekend Masses July 26: Dcn. Scott Farewell Reception. He will be preaching 8am and 10am Mass Aug 2: Dennis Trickey Going Away Party and Collin Taylor Send off after 10am Mass Aug 23: Fr Jayke White Welcome Party In Christ's Mercy, Fr. Mark Tracy Military Schedule July 18-19 and August 13-16
