The King's Corner

Image Source Every once in a while I come across a newspaper article with a message that's so hard to beat.  In fact, this one made me think, "Wish I had thought of that."   I refer to the article "Brokenness lets us see where true beauty lies" by Mary DeTurris Poust published in the February 14-27 issue of the National Catholic Reporter.  Being a lover of sea shells and especially found of conch (whelk) shells be they Queen from Turks and Caicos or Channeled and Knobbed from Cape Cod waters, I found her use of broken conch shells to make a critical point about beauty and our pursuit of physical and spiritual perfection to be ingenious and so very appealing.  She begins by marveling at the broken conch's "twisting, turning, spiraling in that gorgeous and mysterious way that sea shells do." She then says, beautifully: "We are all shattered in one way or another.  We are all incomplete, missing pieces here and there.  But we are all be

Communication is one of the most important elements of human success. Whether it is communicating with Our Lord in prayer, communicating with our spouse in marriage, communicating with our colleagues at work or just communicating with the clerk at the grocery store, being heard and understood is vital. Here's a short video of two individuals having a clear and concise dialogue about world affairs. If only all problems could be solved this easily! In Christ, enjoy Deacon Brendan Brides

For the majority of my life I have considered myself a proud American who happens to be Catholic.  We've been a great and powerful nation that throughout a relatively short history has fought battles to defend less powerful nations; almost always for the sake of freedom and democracy.  These days, after having recently completed 5 years of Formation for the Permanent Diaconate, I think of myself more and more as a proud Catholic who happens to be an American.  I know that throughout her 2000 plus year history, the Church has battled for religious freedom, for our right to make moral choices, and she has defended those innocents who cannot speak or fight for themselves.  The Catholic Church has a rich history of reaching all corners of the Earth to bring salvation through the Word of God.  She has built hospitals and schools, fought slavery, poverty, and hunger, all in Jesus' name. In just a few weeks we begin our Lenten season with Ash Wednesday.  As a teenager in the ‘

Cardinal Tomas O’ Fiaich (Fee) was the primate, or head man, of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland from 1977 to 1990. In 1987 he attended a Synod of Bishops in Rome at which it was hoped that, among other things, the true role of the laity could be determined. In an effort to emphasize the importance of the continued involvement of the laity, he stood up and made what has become known as one of the shortest and yet most profound addresses ever made to any Synod of Bishops. His eminence stood and said; “Paddy O’ Shea went to Mass each Sunday and when he died he went to Hell for what he did each Monday” . Cardinal O’ Fiaich is pointing out that there is more to salvation and being a follower of Christ than just fulfilling the Sunday obligation of attending Mass. Partaking in the Sacrament of the Mass is an intrinsic part of our faith. The Eucharist is described in the Catholic Catechism as being the source and summit of Christian life. Reception of Christ in the Eucharist is

Photo by - Tracy Teppler Have you ever wondered if you are on the right track in your life? I have, in my younger days, my idol in life was John Wayne as Sergeant Striker USMC; so naturally I joined the Marine Corps.  I loved every moment of being a marine.  I was "Gung Ho", and become a sergeant in record time. Once I achieved this goal I could fulfill my real wish which was to marry Joanne. I had achieved my first goal which was becoming sergeant, and I had married Joanne. Now it became, where do WE go from here? I joined the Coast Guard and achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. It was while I was in the Coast Guard that I met an Army Chaplain who allowed me to be a Eucharistic Minister and encouraged me to look into the Diaconate .  Through the meeting of that Chaplain it sparked my desire to look deeper into my spirituality, being married I also became aware that this journey was as a couple. Other opportunities, such as Marriage Encounter and Cursil

In light of this "glorious" weather we're experiencing, perhaps it could be an opportunity to reflect on the presence of Christ in nature. Joseph M. Plunkett , while interned in Kilmainham Jail, just outside Dublin, for his part in the Easter Rising against the occupying forces in 1916, reflected on this question. Now in his prison cell, awaiting his demise, Plunkett reflected and wrote: I see his blood upon the rose And in the stars the glory of his eyes, His body gleams amid eternal snows, His tears fall from the skies. I see his face in every flower; The thunder and the singing of the birds Are but his voice—and carven by his power Rocks are his written words. All pathways by his feet are worn, His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea, His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn, His cross is every tree. Deacon Brendan Brides

In our house you would get a scolding for not putting your plate in the dish washer, in our house you would be in big trouble for traipsing across the kitchen floor in dirty boots and in our house you would risk excommunication if you left a wet towel on the bed! All homes have house rules and regulations. The rules may be a little more lax if you live by yourself but never the less you most likely would have some self-imposed rules in place to live by.  In society we have rules and regulations also only now we call them laws. They serve the same purpose: they ensure a harmonious organized way of living plus, they try to guarantee respect and equality for everyone. Three thousand years ago Moses received the moral laws from God, the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, are broken down first, into three laws which tell us how to act morally towards God and then the last seven which tell us how to act morally towards each other.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time February 16, 2014

Thirty years ago had someone told me:  thirty years from now you'll be an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church, you'll be married (and ordained) and serving at a parish called Christ The King in the town of Mashpee, you'll live in a town that has the same name as two slices of bread with edible stuff in-between (Sandwich), you'll be writing on a blog which can be accessed through the World Wide Web on a computer which looks like a small television screen and it can be accessed from almost any corner of the world at any hour of the day or night I probably would have said: Yeah, that sounds about right! ..... or maybe not. The future is quite fascinating as it evolves into the present even in a single life time. What I find even more fascinating is the fact that the Catholic Church has seen so many futures become the present and then the past in so many life times and still two thousand years after the birth of Christ the faith is alive and well. These are exciting

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.  This triggered a 50 year old memory of visiting the Shrine as an 18 year old young man. I can still see the very tacky town in my mind.  I was turned off by the commercial nature of the place.  But I can still sense the peace and serenity that happened once we went into the Shrine itself. Two things stand out in my memory:  bathing in the water of  Lourdes and the candle light procession   I did not know what to expect in the baths.  It was a very "solemn" experience  You wrap a cloth around your waist and you step into a  bath.  Then an attendant tips you backwards and your whole body goes under the water.  Now I can see it as a dying and rising experience. At night there is a huge procession of the sick who are pushed in wheelchairs by volunteers from all over the world.  Others hold candles and sing Ave Ave over and over again.  It was really a moving spiritual experience. So on February 11 my memories of Lourdes

Lots of things go on behind the scenes here at Christ the King.  One of those is our Ministry of Hope. This is performed by volunteers who meet with a family who has lost a loved one.  They are the "face" of the parish who help a family plan for a funeral mass.  You can see the book they give folks on our web site, www.christthekingparish.com/Funeral.Mass . Sometimes the family is very familiar with the liturgy for a catholic funeral, other times the ministry of hope person helps them to know more about the funeral mass.  The family is encouraged to select readings from scripture, assign readers to proclaim the readings, and to indicate who will bring up the offertory gifts.  Someone may want to offer some brief reflections on the deceased after communion. If so, some guidelines are explained  The family is given a loaf of banana bread or something similar.  It is meant to be a gesture of our solidarity with the family.  No one sees all of this happening except the family i

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time February 9, 2014

I don't know about you but I love Pope Francis.   He has changed the tone of  the papacy.  He lives with other priests, not in the Apostolic Palace.  He doesn't use fancy vestments,  wear red shoes or ermine trimmed capes.  His "exortation", The Joy of the Gospel, is full of great quotes.  Among them are There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter (6)  I prefer a Church that 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 (49)  I hope that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: "Give them something to eat: (49) On his birthday he invited several homeless persons to eat with him.  He embra