Christ the King Parish

As I was leaving India for Pleasant Hill, trying to put behind the sorrows of the loss of my friends, I was dealing with yet another adversity.

My oldest brother, Jose was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer. At that time, we were not sure of the extent of his sickness or the treatment. I was informed over the weekend that he has stage 4 lymphoma which means that cancer has spread to an organ external to the lymphatic system.

My nephew called me yesterday from Sunshine Coast in Australia to let me know that he will be flying to India to be with his father for two weeks. According to him, the cancer has spread to the lungs and the liver. My brother has been experiencing fatigue, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, fever and other symptoms.

I have not known anyone in my family with cancer before except for an uncle who had stomach cancer recently in his eighties. More and more, I have come to recognize the frailty of human life.

On my return from India, after a completing a graveside service at Queen of Heaven cemetery, I decided to meet Donna Bradshaw, who is our parishioner and in charge of Grief Ministry at CTK who works at the cemetery accompanying families who have lost their loved ones.

It was important for me to confront my own mortality, and what I wanted when that happens. Recognizing mortality will help you to take stock of your life and open your eyes to the opportunities ahead. More importantly, it will help you to take care of the multiple paperwork such as your will, advanced medical directive and funeral.

I have decided that when I die, I would like to have a vigil with rosary followed by a Mass of Christian burial in a borrowed casket. After that I would like to be cremated and placed in a simple urn in one of the niches in the chapel in Queen of Heaven.

Donna Bradshaw is a very compassionate and loving parishioner and she told me she will get back to me at the earliest with more information. Queen of Heaven cemetery has evolved into a sacred space with wonderful staff who understand the pain people go through.

I know I am sharing with you very personal information, and that is because you are my family.

Fr. Mathew had great plans about the future, and where and how he wanted to retire. It is truly revealing that God had a different plan for my friend. Over the years I have grown very comfortable with who I am and my own human frailties.

I can’t begin to explain why your loved one passed away or why your child has cancer or why you or your loved one received such a dismal diagnosis.

But I agree with you that it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t seem right, and it certainly doesn’t feel like God cares.

But I know that when you believe in God, He can help you accept the adversity, and find comfort and meaning.

In 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9, we are told, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

We are not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do. We are at times spiritually terrorized. But God hasn’t left our side. God is in control. The more we come to terms with this truth, the easier our struggle against serious or chronic illness will be.

As Lynn Eib who had experienced the pain of cancer in her own family remarked, “You can relax knowing Someone else is in charge – Someone much more intelligent, powerful and vigilant that we are or could ever hope to be.”

I want you to know that’s exactly how I feel in my pain and struggle with my brother’s diagnosis and the loss of my friends.

In this context, I would like to inform you that we will be launching a new ministry at CTK – ‘Faith-based support Group for cancer survivors or their loved ones.’ It is scheduled to commence in January 2020, and this ministry will be led by a cancer survivor himself.

Jim Weber, recovered from cancer and wants to help others who are struggling with similar situations. He attended a support group for years, and has worked with many cancer patients. More information will be in our bulletin in the coming days.

Thank you for being my family and praying for me.

Fr. Paulson
 

Dear Friends,

I would like to thank you for your prayers and wishes during the past weeks. It has been a difficult time, and exhausting to say the least. I was eager to get back as I felt my real family was here, where I feel loved and energized in ministry. Thank you.

It has been a tough time for the State of California with the devastating fires that have literally changed our landscape and destroyed people’s lives, their dreams and hopes, for some forever. This time, the fire came dangerously close to some of our homes and neighborhoods. I am so grateful they were contained fast, and we are all safe. I asked myself, “If I had ten minutes to evacuate, what are the essential things that I would pack up and leave? On a practical note, it is good to think about the essential things that one would carry in case of a disaster like the one we are facing from time to time, to keep them organized and easy to pack in a few minutes.

It is also important to embrace a new perspective in the context of natural or manmade disasters. California fires are probably insignificant when compared to the misery and destruction in our world today. We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record in our world. An unprecedented 70.8 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 25.9 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also millions of stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement. In a world where nearly 1 person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution, governments need to work together. Churches and religion should redefine their priorities based on ground realities and embark on ‘New Pathways.’

The recent Amazon synod was considered controversial by many, because the challenges posed by the realities that the synod fathers were addressing seemed to threaten the foundations of our faith and doctrine. Unfortunately, some were only worried about change of traditions and doctrines as we have come to know them over many centuries with no regard to the suffering of peoples or the very survival of faith in these far-flung areas without priests. Rabbi Alan Lurie remarked, “There seems to be a belief that ‘faith’ is the rejection of the world as it is; a retreat into fantasy and wishful thinking.” Nietzsche wrote, “Faith means not wanting to know what is true.”

Even though it has become common to think about faith in this way, Pope Francis is challenging us to embrace Jesus’ perspective. In the first century, the historical Jesus’ outlook on realities and traditions caused chaos and uproar, which eventually lead to his death on the cross. In his classic book, “Stages of Faith” James Fowler provides a deeper insight: “Faith is a person’s or group’s way of moving into life. It is our way of finding coherence in and giving meaning to the multiple forces and relationships that make up our lives.” From the beginning of his papal ministry, Pope Francis has emphasized the Church’s need to move forward. “The Church cannot remain inactive within her own closed circle, focused on herself, surrounded by protective walls and even less can she look nostalgically to the past. The Church needs to throw open her doors, knock down the walls surrounding her and build bridges, going out into the world and setting out on the path of history. In these times of momentous changes, the Church must always walk next to everyone and especially those living on the margins of humankind; an “outgoing” Church.” (Cardinal Hummes, Amazon Synod)

That is why the Church prays using the words, “Send forth your spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.” So we must not fear newness, we must not fear Christ, the new. As a Church, we should always be in search of ‘New Pathways.’

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, 12:00pm, 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

prayerline@ctkph.org