Christ the King Parish, Worcester

Christ the King Parish, Worcester (Official)

06/05/2026

Saint John Henry Newman took the episcopal motto Cor ad cor loquitur (“Heart speaks unto heart”), understanding that the Lord saves us by speaking to our hearts from his Sacred Heart. It was in the Holy Eucharist, the greatest form of praise to God, that Saint John Henry Newman cultivated his deepest encounter with the living heart of Jesus. Let us pray with Saint John Henry Newman so that we might hear the Sacred Heart speak to us when we praise and adore Jesus in the Eucharist.

06/05/2026

Friday, June 5th
Gospel & Reflection

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 12:35-37

How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: / The Lord said to my lord, / ‘Sit at my right hand / until I place your enemies under your feet.’/ David himself calls him ‘lord’; so how is he his son?” The great crowd heard this with delight.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection (Give Us This Day)
Cross and Crown

In this scene Jesus has no opponents. He simply raises the biblical question about the Messiah as the Son of David. The whole matter involves Psalm 110:1, which employs the word “lord” twice: God, “the Lord,” speaks to the newly anointed king, “my lord.” Since David was believed to have composed the psalms and since the Messiah is a Son of David, a royal figure, one must conclude that the Messiah has to be more than David and a son of David since David speaks of him as “my lord.” While there was no normative notion of a Messiah at the time of Jesus, there was a tradition that anticipated a Davidic Messiah who would crush Israel’s enemies and establish a holy people. Obviously, Psalm 110:1 easily lent itself to such an expectation. For Mark, although Jesus is properly hailed as the Messiah and the Son of David, he possesses a dignity that far surpasses these titles. He is Lord and, therefore, on a level with the God of Israel.

The abundant use of royal language in Mark must force disciples to pause and evaluate such language. While Mark and his community acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of David, they must situate the use of these titles in the shadow of the cross. His inscription reads “The King of the Jews” (15:26). But on this royal throne he has two bandits as attendants, one on his right and another on his left. The chief priests and the scribes taunt him, urging “the Messiah, the King of Israel” to come down from the cross so that they may believe (15:32). The centurion, however, observing the manner of his death, acknowledges that he is truly “God’s Son” (15:39). Cross and crown are inseparably linked both for Jesus and modern followers.

John F. Craghan, adapted from Gospels of the Weekday Lectionary

John F. Craghan is professor emeritus of religious studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. He is North American editor for Scripture in Church (Dominican Publications) and is the author of numerous books.

06/04/2026

Thursday, June 4th
Gospel & Reflection

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 12:28-34

There is no commandment greater than these.

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection (Give Us This Day)
Loving with All

Couples married for any length of time know that love requires compromise, understanding, and sacrifice—loving with all your heart cannot be conditional or halfhearted but must be total and complete. We stress over our finances, our careers, our security—but loving with all your soul sees beyond the metrics of our lives to realize the light of God’s grace illuminating our lives no matter what darkness we face.

We need to build bridges with empathy and respect if we’re going to bridge the chasms that divide us—loving with all your mind is to begin to see others as God sees us: as God’s beloved daughters and sons. Being a mom or dad is easier some days more than others—those “other” days demand loving with all your strength, especially when your strength has been sorely tested, challenging you to dig deep in order to forgive, to lift up, to mend.

We cannot love God with half a heart, with just a part of our consciousness, with a smidge of spirit, with whatever energy is left over at the end of the day; to truly love our neighbor as ourselves demands that we offer all that we have and all that we are for their good. We cannot “love with all” if we set limits on our compassion or try to section off the faith parts of our life from the working parts. “Loving with all” means connecting every aspect of our lives—from the products we buy to the way we vote, from our care for our children to our treatment of those responsible to us—with the justice and mercy of God’s Kingdom in our midst.

Deacon Jay Cormier

Jay Cormier, a deacon serving in the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, teaches at Saint Anselm College and Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary.

06/04/2026

In his prayer intention for June, the month dedicated the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Leo XIV encourages us, “Let us pray together that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from His Heart, learn to have compassion on the world.” As we begin this Novena to the Sacred Heart, we join the Holy Father in that prayer.

06/03/2026

Join us in praying the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from June 3 -11 as we prepare for the Consecration of the United States of America to the Sacred Heart.

06/03/2026

Currently President and COO of EWTN News, Maria Montserrat Alvarado will succeed Paolo Ruffini in November, continuing the path of reform and renewal ...

06/03/2026

Wednesday, June 3rd
Gospel & Reflection

Gospel Acclamation John 11:25a, 26

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;

whoever believes in me will never die.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 12:18-27

He is not God of the dead but of the living.

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants. So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection (Give Us This Day)
Tending the Flame

Discernment regarding one’s vocation as a priest, brother, or sister necessitates a clear sense of call, as does the invitation to consider marriage, parenting, and other vocations that build up the Kingdom. Today we hear St. Paul remind his young friend, Timothy that God saved each of us and called us to a holy life. He asserts that the promise of life in Christ Jesus is made possible through grace. It demands a whole-heartedness that flows from intentionality.

The grace to seek consecrated life felt abundant early in formation as I radically reoriented my relationships to work, time, resources, and presence. It didn’t take long, though, for the vibrancy to dim. I moved from one stage of candidacy to the next, into the novitiate, and then on to first vows and renewal. I made myself busy with processes and structures. This is a common temptation, like we see with the Sadducees in the Gospel, to forget the big picture of God’s great love and to fuss with the minutiae or get lost in the mundane.

Thankfully, newer Sisters of St. Joseph across the United States and Canada convene a peer-led group called “Tending the Flame” to nurture our respective calls in the context of our shared charism. We pray. We fellowship. We walk together. Perhaps in the same way that Paul did for Timothy, these women help me “stir into flame the gift of God.” May you find companions to help you do the same.

Sr. Bethany Welch

Bethany J. Welch, SSJ, PhD, serves as the justice, peace, and integrity of creation coordinator for the U.S. Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph, and accompanies newcomers, college students, and others seeking authentic community.

06/02/2026

Tuesday, June 2nd
Gospel & Reflection

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 12:13-17

Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection (Give Us This Day)
Whose Are You?

The message of today’s Gospel has often been reduced to “pay your taxes and love God,” but this lesson does not seem sufficient to cause the “utter amazement” experienced by the questioners. Perhaps a deeper dive can help us share in this amazement.

First, the questioners are not acting on their own. They are agents of the powerful sent to trap Jesus in an age-old grumble—the payment of taxes to a foreign despot claiming divine right. These men reveal their primary allegiance by both flattering and taunting Jesus as an idealistic fool. They call him truthful and godly because he does not concern himself with the opinions of others or with status, which is only a tell of their own value system. They attempt to expose him as a political revolutionary or a compromised prophet, but they only set their own trap. The vexing question of paying Caeser’s tax is a dangerous one in the political climate of imperial occupation.

Jesus calmly responds with a remarkable request. He asks for a denarius. He does not possess one himself. It is tangential, even irrelevant, to his message and identity. By asking about the coin’s image, Jesus turns the question from what they possess to who possesses them, showing that what we own can own us. Giving our allegiance to external symbols of value, fixating on their loss or accumulation, can become the determinate of self-worth, stability, and our assessment of others.

Caeser is not God. Money does not determine worth. We are not valued or owned by externals. As Peter writes, we await a new heaven and new earth where all false allegiances will pass away.

Jesus dispenses quickly with superficial value, moving us to the essential question of the Gospel: Whose are you? Our inestimable value is given by God. It cannot be lost or gained. It is given freely, without cost or taxation. The only repayment required is allegiance to our true self, where the image of the living God is imprinted on us forever.

Robert Choiniere

Robert Choiniere is the Executive Director of Ministries for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, California. He is also the author of The Engaged Parish: A Practical Guide to Creating a Community of Spiritual Discernment.

06/01/2026

Monday, June 1, 2026
Gospel & Reflection

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 12:1-12

They seized the beloved son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture passage: / The stone that the builders rejected / has become the cornerstone; / by the Lord has this been done, / and it is wonderful in our eyes? ” / They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection (Give Us This Day)
A History of Love

This is a beautiful Parable, which begins with a dream, a project of love: that man who plants the vineyard, sets a hedge around it, digs a pit for the wine press, and builds a tower. [But] this story, which seems like a love story, which should trace the steps of love between God and his people, instead appears to be a history of failures.

What, then, will the master of the vineyard do? He will come and place his people before the judge. On this subject, Jesus says a word that seems somewhat out of place: “Have you not read this scripture: The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” That history of failure turns around, and what was rejected becomes strength. Thus, the prophets, the men of God who spoke to the people, who weren’t listened to, who were rejected, will be his glory. And the Son, the last one sent, who was truly cast out, judged, not listened to and killed, will become the cornerstone.

It is here, then, that this history, which begins with a dream of love and seems to be a history of love, but then seems to end in a history of failures, ends with the great love of God, who draws forth salvation from rejection; by his outcast Son, He saves us all.

Pope Francis, adapted from The Holy See Daily Meditations, June 1, 2015

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, was the archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 until his election as pope in 2013. As pope, he proclaimed a Gospel of joy and peace, of care for the poor and for the earth, “our common home.” He died in 2025.

05/31/2026

Monsignor Sullivan's Sunday Homily

One aspect of my priestly ministry is caring for the sick. It’s important and I love it. I appreciate it when parishioners let me know when someone is sick so I can arrange to visit, bring them the Eucharist or anoint them.

None of our local hospitals can tell us if our parishioners are there, so I depend on family members or friends to let me know when someone is in the hospital so I can visit.

I also bring Holy Communion to shut-ins at home, offer Masses at the Jewish Home and Tatnuck Park, respond to their emergencies, and visit other nursing homes in the area because our parishioners are in many of them.

And I’m very grateful that some of our lay parishioners bring Holy Communion to the Jewish Home and Tatnuck Park.

Care for the sick is vital.

Well, that said, I wish to speak on a related issue today, regarding those who are terminally ill.

The bishops of the four dioceses in Massachusetts - Boston, Worcester, Fall River and Springfield - have asked every Catholic priest in the state to speak this weekend on the danger of Physician Assisted Su***de. Every year the Massachusetts Legislature gets closer to passing assisted su***de into law.

Physician Assisted Su***de is already a reality in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Most of us, I’m sure, don’t want Massachusetts to be the 14th state.

You may recall there was a Massachusetts ballot referendum on assisted su***de in 2012. Through an enormous effort, largely led by the Catholic Church, but certainly shared by other Christian churches, the Orthodox Jewish community, Latinos, and many with disabilities, it failed to pass. But that was fourteen years ago and the climate has changed.

The point of our addressing Physician Assisted Su***de today is the hope that each of us will contact our local senators and representatives and ask that they not support what is called, “An act relative to End of Life Options.”

There’s a special flyer in today’s bulletin which gives the assigned numbers of these bills, both in the House and Senate. We’ve also listed the contact information for those senators and representatives who serve those living in the City of Worcester by the zip code in which you live.

I hope you’ll join me in contacting them to express opposition to the bills.

For those of you not living in the city it’s easy enough to find the contact information for those who represent your district. A website is listed on the flyer.

Physician-assisted su***de is one of the most pressing moral issues of our time. It’s often masked in the language of “compassion” and “dignity.”

For all of us the desire to ease the suffering of our terminally ill loved ones is a deeply human instinct. However, as followers of Jesus, we must carefully note the difference between eliminating suffering and eliminating the one who suffers.

We’re called to be compassionate. The root meaning of the word “compassion” is to “suffer with” another. It calls for solidarity. True compassion helps to alleviate pain but also stands by the side of the vulnerable. But it doesn’t put lethal drugs into their hands or abandon them in despair.

When some societies suggest that the only answer to considerable pain is death, those societies fail. The solution is to pour our resources, our love, and our medical expertise into advanced palliative care and pain relief. “Incurable” illness should never mean that personal care should end.

Human life is a gift from God. God gives life and God takes it. Assisted Su***de is wrong because every human being has intrinsic dignity and immeasurable worth.

The most profound injustice of Physician Assisted Su***de is that it violates that human dignity. For our legal system to be just, the law must respect this dignity in everyone. It does so by taking all reasonable steps to prevent the innocent, of any age or condition, from being devalued or put to death.

Here’s another factor.

Where Physician Assisted Su***de is happening the evidence reveals the sobering truth that physical pain is rarely the primary reason people request su***de.

The vast majority cite a fear of losing their independence. Or there’s a fear of being a burden on their families. Or they worry about no longer enjoying life.

What a tragic reality it is when a society decides to even recommend su***de rather than address the isolation, anxiety, and loneliness of the vulnerable!

Physician Assisted Su***de has led now to euthanasia in many places, where others now make the decisions of taking life.

There are thousands of cases of euthanasia. It began with Physician Assisted Su***de. We see that in Canada and several European countries. Once we cross the line that taking a human life can be a medical solution, the criteria for putting people to death expands, threatening the elderly, the depressed, and the disabled. It’s become a real “slippery slope.”

Our lives belong to the Lord. They are not ours to dispose of at will.

The suffering of others is always real. That should never be denied. But as members of the Body of Christ, we are called to be in communion with one another and carry each other’s burdens. It is not a burden to love, serve, and accompany the dying.

I believe, and the Church does, that we should actively oppose any legislation that takes life. We should ensure that our brothers and sisters nearing the end of life are surrounded by the loving care of a community that embraces them as equal to every other human being.

Let us pray for all who face the twilight of their earthly lives. God bless the healthcare workers who assist them! And we pray that our legislators, rather than voting this into law, will act with wisdom and justice and promote better healthcare for all.

Please join us in contacting our representatives. Thank you.

Address

1052 Pleasant Street
Worcester, MA
01602

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