Homily given at the 8:45 a.m. Mass on Sunday, February 23, 2014, the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Fr. Ed Fride, Pastor, Christ the King Catholic Church. Jesus calls us to treat each other with dignity and respect, since all bear the image and likeness of God. It requires a supernatural love, agape love, that is impossible for us on our own. We can love everyone in that way only by giving Him our lives and receiving the power of His love through the Holy Spirit.

Key words: dignity, respect, love, agape, Holy Spirit

The first talk in the Life in the Spirit Seminar, given by Jack Lynch on Friday, February 21, 2014, at Christ the King Catholic Church as part of the Upper Room Ministry. Jack introduces the Life in the Spirit Seminar, presents an overview of prayer for a new Pentecost from popes of the last 50 years, describes how it relates to God’s love for us, and offers a personal testimony.

Key words: Holy Spirit, Upper Room, Life in the Spirit Seminar

The first talk in the Walking in the Spiritual Gifts class, given by Fr. Ed Fride, pastor of Christ the King Catholic Church. This talk was given on Friday, February 21, 2014, at Christ the King Catholic Church as part of the Upper Room Ministry.

This course is designed to inspire and equip participants to walk in the supernatural charisms as a way of life, especially to evangelize and to build up the body of Christ. It expands on last year’s Advanced Charisms Course.

In the opening talk in this course, Fr. Ed speaks about the charismatic gifts listed in I Corinthians 12 and why they are especially needed in the Church today. 

Key words: charismatic, charisms, Holy Spirit, Upper Room

The Life Night on February 9, 2014 was all about the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders.  We talked in-depth about what the Church means when she says that the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, and how the Sacrament of Holy Orders is a gift of order to the Church.  After this talk, the teens discussed ways to more fully enter into the Mass and gain an appreciation for the awesome power present in the Blessed Sacrament.

On January 30, 2013, Brad Schmidt gave a presentation to parents of 6-12 grade students about the issue of sexual purity among teens, and how parents can better equip their sons and daughters to deal with temptation in a healthy way. This is an updated version of the talk originally given in May of 2011.

The handout, listing online resources for parents and teens, as well as some guidance about how and when to address these issues is online at http://www.ctkcc.net/?p=940064. This handout also includes things to look for to help identify if this is an issue in your family.

Homily given at the 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, February 16, 2014, the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Dcn. Lou Russello, Christ the King Catholic Church. Today's first and second readings focus on wisdom. God's wisdom is objective and perfect. It will never fail you when you put it into practice.

Key words: wisdom, Scripture, trust, surrender to God

Homily given at the 8:45 a.m. Mass on Sunday, February 16, 2014, the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Fr. Ed Fride, Pastor, Christ the King Catholic Church. Jesus gives us the choice to follow Him. We must freely choose to do so.

Key word: Evangelization

Homily given at the 8:45 a.m. Mass on Sunday, February 9, 2014, the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Fr. Ed Fride, Pastor, Christ the King Catholic Church. On this World Marriage Weekend, Fr. Ed reminds us that the Catholic approach to Marriage is a great gift to us and to the world. Our approach to Marriage should be a light to the world. It's a gift that must be nourished by prayer.

Key word: Marriage

Homily given at the 8:45 a.m. Mass on Sunday, February 2, 2014, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, by Fr. Ed Fride, Pastor, Christ the King Catholic Church. The Lord Jesus, the Light of the World, was presented in the Temple. We should present Him to the world, which is in darkness and in desperate need of His Light.

Key word: Presentation, Evangelization

The Life Night on February 9, 2014 was all about the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.  In addition to learning more about what the Sacraments accomplish, the teens explored ways to live out the graces from those Sacraments in their daily lives.