Corpus Christi Blog

Parishioner Elena’s Spiritual Journey with the ChristLife Series

12-31-2017What's Your Story?Elena Rodrigues

Dec. 11, 2017

Dear Fr. Chad,

Sharing my personal spiritual journey starting from Discovering Christ, then Following Christ and Sharing Christ, has been on my mind, especially with the retreat we last had with David Lins. Please accept our sincerest gratitude for shepherding us through these spiritual journeys.

I decided to share in the hope that it will encourage our community members to start their special spiritual journey as my husband and myself did. It strengthened our belief of God’s existence and brought hope to lost souls and those in despair, (just as we once were) to find PEACE, LOVE and JOY!

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Jesus comes in history, mystery, glory

12-25-2017HomiliesFr. Chad King

Welcome to one of the most important celebrations of our entire lives- we celebrate the Son of God, being born in our world and dwelling among us, I am so glad that you chose to come today!  The other day I was listening to Catholic Radio- AM1310.  One of the hosts, talking about Christmas said that Jesus comes in 3 ways- He comes in history, mystery, and in glory. Together, let us reflect on these 3 ways, what they are and how they are connected.   

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A Historical Look at Eucharistic Adoration

12-24-2017Weekly ReflectionMatt Henry, Director of Music & Liturgy

Eucharistic Adoration has existed since early times. From the 3rd century, the early hermits (solitary monks) reserved the Eucharist in their cells. The immediate purpose of this reservation was to enable the hermits to give themselves Holy Communion. But these hermits were too conscious of what the Real Presence was not to treat it with great reverence.

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Growing in the Spiritual Life

12-17-2017HomiliesFr. Chad King

Two weeks ago, I was on a personal retreat- where I learned more about the 3 stages or ways of the Spiritual life; which some of the Saints, like St. John of the Cross, Theresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, and Francis de Sales, among others, describe to us. The first is the Purgative way, in which we are purged and purified of our sins, particularly our serious mortal sins. The second is the Illuminative way, in which God illumines and shines His light upon our hearts, minds, and wills in a deeper way and we are lifted, raised to higher level in our Spiritual life. And third stage, the Unitive way, is in which our entire hearts, souls,   and spirits, and even our wills are one with God's, we are perfectly one and united with God. This Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive way are the 3 stages that every person will have to go through in order to enter Heaven. We are all called to go through these on earth, but most people will finish up in Purgatory. For in Heaven, everyone is perfectly one with God.

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Adoration

12-17-2017Weekly ReflectionMatt Henry, Director of Music & Liturgy

As director of liturgy, my job is to advocate for the sanctity and efficacy of the Mass; to limit obstacles to our worship and advance opportunities to enhance worship; to honor the Church’s profound and meaningful history and traditions; to highlight the beauty, sanctity, and real presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is the center of the Mass: God truly present in the consecrated Body and Blood of our Lord.

Our parish offers perpetual adoration: the opportunity to spend time with the real presence of Jesus in the adoration chapel. As director of liturgy, I want to invite you to consider investing in a Holy Hour each week, so that you can continue to build a closer, more intimate relationship with Christ through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This relationship will spill over into the Mass and enrich our liturgy and enhance your worship.

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Celebrating Advent as a Family

12-10-2017Weekly ReflectionBy Maruška Healy

from www.foryourmarriage.org/celebrating-advent-as-a-family

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: "Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment… But we cannot pray 'at all times' if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it" (CCC 2697). We come before the Lord with a desire for 'a new heart' when we find time for prayer throughout our day. The Church invites us to pray in many different ways. We can recite the Rosary, pray the liturgy of the hours, learn about the lives of the saints, celebrate the liturgical year through feast days, lift up our hearts in song or silence, and above all participate in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. If we take time to pray at "specific times," our home will be filled with prayer at "all times."

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Life in the Spirit

12-10-2017HomiliesFr. Chad King

Today in our Gospel we encounter the strange figure of John the Baptist. Someone you and I would deem to be a little- Ok a lot- weird, after all he dressed in camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey. But there, in the desert wilderness, is this strange man standing on his soapbox calling people to repentance. You and I would probably pay no attention to him. And yet our Gospel says that “people of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to meet him”. It is natural, and in fact, important for us to ask why would John go and preach in the wilderness and baptize in the Jordan river- why not go to where the people lived? And secondly, why in the world would so many people go all the way into the desert just to hear a man preach repentance and be baptized by him in the Jordan river? To understand the answer to these questions, we need to better know who these people were.

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Who was Saint Nicholas

12-03-2017Weekly ReflectionChristi Deg

This coming Wednesday, December 6, is the feast of Saint Nicholas — a real man who lived long ago. He was born during the third century in Patara, a Greek village at the time in what is now the country of Turkey.

Nicholas was the only child of wealthy Christian parents who both died due to an epidemic when Nicholas was very young. He was raised by his uncle, the Bishop of Patara, who eventually ordained Nicholas as a presbyter (priest).

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Waiting is for our good

12-03-2017HomiliesFr. Chad King

Ready or not, we enter into the new liturgical year with the season of Advent, in which we await and prepare for the coming of our Savior. The word Advent- means ‘coming’. So, in this season we not only remember Jesus’s first coming, but also, as we heard in the Gospel, we are called to keep watch for when our Messiah will come back, a second and final time, at an unknown day or hour. Perhaps it is helpful to share with you what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about what we are celebrating in this season. Paragraph 524 says, "When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation of the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming". Therefore, by remembering and entering into the preparation for the first coming, we are renewing and increasing our desire and preparation for the second coming of our Lord.

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