Knights of Columbus Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (10/28/2024)

Worthy State Deputy, Worthy Past State Deputy, Worthy Chapter President, and Brother Knights,

I bring you greetings from our State Chaplain, Bishop Mulvey. He was the keynote speaker at our  Deacon Convocation on October 5th. It was good to see him and catch up with him. Please keep Bishop Mulvey in your prayers as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

I also bring you greetings from our Associate State Chaplin Fr. Chen. As you may know, his father, Mr. Kun-Ming Chen, went home to our Lord and was laid to rest on October 26th. Please continue to pray for the repose of his soul and for consolation for Fr. Chen and his family. Here is the link to Mr. Chen's obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/port-lavaca-tx/kun-ming-chen-12025541.

I want to share with you all a little bit about living a Sacramental Life, which was the topic of the last Cor meeting and the title of one of the “Into the Breach” videos. Grace is a gift from God that allows us to take part in His divine life through His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus, in the Holy Spirit. Sacramental grace prepares us for spiritual warfare, especially the Sacrament of the Eucharist. When we go to Mass, it is like stepping out of the battlefield and into the castle of the King. There, we are strengthened and encouraged by the word of God. We are nourished by Lord Jesus Christ with spiritual food. And then, we return to the battlefield refreshed, equipped, and strengthened by grace. Therefore, GO TO MASS and bring your family with you.

As Catholic gentlemen, fathers, Knights, and leaders of our families, the "domestic churches," we should lead our families to the Sacraments. When we were baptized, God freed us of original sin. We become His adopted sons and daughters, We become the many parts of the One Body of Christ, the Church. And, not only does Jesus calls us, but he commissions us to carry out the mission of the Church, to go forth and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20). It starts with our families, the "domestic churches," because (as Saint John Paul II prophetically said) as the family goes, so goes society, so goes the world.

Therefore, as Catholic gentlemen, fathers, Knights, and leaders of our families, we must carry out the responsibilities of the three offices of our Lord Jesus Christ: Priest, Prophet, and King. As Priests, we are called to sacrifice for our family and lead them in prayer and to the sacraments. This is can challenging for us as men but, with God, nothing is impossible and so we tap into the graces of the Sacraments that we have received. As Prophets, we are called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our families and teach them Gospel truths and the teachings of the Catholic Church that we hold to be true. If we do not, then the world will lead our children astray and away from God and the Church. 

Finally, as Kings, we are called to virtuously leading the family in words and actions. Our State Deputy shared that he and his wife have an important role in the lives of their grandchildren. Let us learn from their example and have active roles in the lives of our children and grandchildren. A grandfather came up to me after Mass on Sunday and shared that he had been away from the Church for many years. It was his grandchildren that brought him back to the faith and not he wants to participate in the life of the parish as much as he can. This is why recruitment is so important for our Order. It is to welcome men to the Order, help them be part of a community of faithful believers, and walk with them as they grow in their faith and take part in the life of the parish.

We have a wonderful opportunity to bring our families to Mass this Friday for All Saints Day (Nov. 1st - a holy day of obligation). Then, All Souls Day (Nov. 2nd) is a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and pray for the souls of the faithful departed in our families. Beautiful traditions of the Church that helps us to grow in our faith and reminds us that we are not alone, we have our family here on earth, but we also have the Communion of Saints in heaven.

Vivat Jesus!

Here is a link to my previous report from the Chapter meeting in August:

• Knights of Columbus Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (8/26/2024) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/08/knights-of-columbus-austin-chapter.html 

Deacon Phúc’s challenges for all Knights for the month of November

• PERSONAL & FAMILY: Home altar for deceased loved ones and pray for them through the month of November.

• COUNCIL: Sons in the Son: Restoring our sonship through consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe https://www.kofc.org/un/en/who-we-are/our-faith/sons-in-the-son.html. Sign up for this 40-Day of Reflection from Nov. 2nd to Dec. 12 and do this consecration with your families.

Finally, you are invited to attend the upcoming ACTS Retreat for men, sponsored by St. Louis King of France. here is the link for more information: https://st-louis.org/acts.

Also, here is a resource for women, published by the State of Texas, and is available on the Texas HHS web-site: https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/women-children/a-womans-right-know. The book is called, "A Woman's Right to Know."