Christ the King Parish

I met with Fr. Brian Joyce this morning. He was very happy and relaxed. After two weeks of therapy, Fr. Brian has shown significant improvement both in his physical and emotional states. He told me that he was sleeping better. I could understand every word he spoke to me and we had a more or less normal conversation. His right leg is moving, but his right hand is still immobile. Your prayers are working. Nearly 10,000 persons on Facebook assured him of their prayers. As the Gospel of today states, the finger of God (power of God) is at work in our midst. Thank you Lord.      Fr. Paulson
 

If you'd like to ACT with us, please donate! We can funnel your donation in several ways:
1.Online Giving through our website at www.CTKph.org by scrolling down to the bottom of that page (See photo in post)
2. By calling into our office manager, Robin, at 925-682-2486.
3. By mailing a check to CTK, 199 Brandon Road, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, with a memo, Sonoma Napa Fire Disaster Relief. 
4. Using the QR code pictured below as a link to our CTK online giving.

More updates and ACTION opportunities will be posted soon! 
May God bless you in your ACTION. 
Fr. Paulson Mundanmani

Dear Friends,


As I am writing this letter, I am listening to the news of the tragic shooting in Las Vegas. I pray that the Lord give strength and comfort to families affected by this senseless tragedy. Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to families affected by this shooting.

 

"Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas, Pope Francis sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy. He commends the efforts of the police and emergency service personnel, and offers the promise of his prayers for the injured and for all who have died, entrusting them to the merciful love of Almighty God."
   
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State

 
I read an article today by Thomas Reed, a Jesuit where he stated that Pope Francis is telling the church leaders that they have been burying the lead. What is the lead? "Jesus has saved you." In his interview in America, he says, "The proclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives. Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing."
In other words, for too long the church has led with rules and regulations, with condemnations and exhortations, and buried the love of God in the 25th paragraph. That means when you meet a gay person, you don't start with "you're a sinner." No, you say, "God loves you, and I love you."
When you come home for Thanksgiving dinner, you want to be hugged; you want to feel your mother's warmth, affection, and love. For too long the church has been like a nagging parent who before you cross the threshold scolds you for all the things you did wrong last year.
I felt so happy reading this article in the context of the news that broke out a week ago that several dozen Catholic scholars and clergy have charged Pope Francis with spreading heresy. The heresy charge crystallizes some church leaders’ deep anxieties about Pope Francis, especially his teachings and impromptu statements about how to apply centuries-old Catholic doctrine to the complexities of modern life. I think that is the point. How does Jesus approach folks in his life – a promiscuous agape, love unrestrained and unrestricted.
 
On another positive note, one of Italy’s best-known sociologists of religion says more than half the country’s pastors report an increase in attendance at Mass and the sacrament of reconciliation that they attribute to a “Francis effect,” and that “hundreds of thousands” of Italians have returned to the practice of the faith because of the new pope. “It’s a massive, and even spectacular result,” said Massimo Introvigne, one he believes cannot be attributed to a passing “media honeymoon.” I believe conversion and change happens once you begin to encounter God. 
 
Let us pray for the pope. Let us also pray for those who have concerns about his leadership. And let us not forget the lead - “Jesus has saved you.”
 

“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.”

Pope Francis 

Fr. Paulson
 

Weekday
8:00am
Saturday
8:00am, 5:00pm (vigil)
Sunday
7:00am, 8:00am, 9:15am, 10:45am, 12:15pm, 6:00pm - Youth Mass
Holy Days
8:00am, 7:00pm
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
First Friday - 4:00pm-6:00 p.m. 
First Friday Mass
8:00 am, 6:00pm
Reconciliation:
Saturdays, 3:30-4:30pm