Corpus Christi Blog

God is so good!

04-03-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Chad King

In this Year of Mercy, on this Divine Mercy Sunday, I wanted to share with you how good God has been to His people of Corpus Christi through the Discovering Christ series and Lenten Parish Mission. I share it to give glory to God for outpouring His love and life so generously, as well as to open our hearts to appreciate and desire the goodness of God even more.

You might remember in December I advertised an Evangelizing series called ChristLife to help individuals come to know and form a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through His Church. ChristLife is a three-part series — Discovering Christ, Following Christ, and Sharing Christ. Each series includes seven weekly meetings and a day-long retreat.

There were about 85 total parishioners who consistently took part in the first Discovering Christ series which began in January and ended a little before our Lenten Parish Mission. Personally, I am very pleased with how the first Discovering Christ series went and am particularly grateful to the team who helped to plan and facilitate it. A good sign for me of the success of the series was that almost everyone who attended the first two sessions kept returning each week. Now we are looking forward to the Following Christ series, which is just beginning. As your Pastor, I am so proud and thankful that so many people not only desired to see what the Discovering Christ series was like, but continued to make it a priority when I know they could have chosen to do so many other things. More importantly, I am so thankful for the apparent fruit that is being born in the hearts of those whowere a part of it. To helps see these fruits, we conducted a survey. Here are a few of the comments:

"I liked the small group discussion sharing and the retreat ROCKED! I also enjoyed the other speakers and the videos." (facilitator)

"I liked the community spirit. Learning about the discovery of Christ in my life. Seeing the importance of a prayer life, and discovering the importance of the Holy Spirit! The retreat day was so awesome. I feel closer tothe Holy Spirit." (facilitator)

"I appreciate this opportunity to grow closer to Jesus Christ, to the Holy Spirit, and to this community. The retreatespecially was inspirational and so informative. Kristin Bird, retreat speaker is dynamic." (participant)

"The small group discussion was very helpful to process the talks. The retreat experience was very moving." (participant) It is apparent that every part of the series was beneficial. The meals helped to build community with parishioners who, for the most part, didn't know each other. The presentations helped to open and inspire the hearts. The small groups proved to help foster closeness with God and each other. For many, the retreat brought about a real encounter with the love and mercy of God. I am so pleased that not only is this series fruitful for Catholics who already come to Mass every Sunday, but I trust it is also going to be helpful in bringing non-active Catholics and non-Catholics to come to know and fall in love with Jesus Christ and His Church. I am confident God will use this to not only deepen your faith in Him, but also bring many others back into communion with Him and His Church. The next Discovering Christ series is a little ways away, beginning in January 2017, but I encourage you to put it in your heart and the back of your mind for when the time comes. Later, I am hoping to offer the series twice a year. Meanwhile, please pray that God will continue to deepen the love and faith of those beginning the Following Christ series now, as well as the upcoming Sharing Christ series.

In next week's bulletin letter I plan on sharing what God has done in the hearts and lives of parishionersthrough the Parish Mission that took place a couple of weeks ago.

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