Building His Kingdom Together

Claudia Costilla

I was born in Mexico and raised in San Juan, Texas known as (the Valley). My mother and father are the pillars of our family and they had to be with seven children. They did an amazing job raising us and always making sure we had a faith life and went to church.

After college, I decided to take a break and visit my younger brother who at the time was studying at OSU. This was my first time to Ohio and everything seemed so different including the catholic parish. A few days before my trip came to an end, my brother asked if I would consider moving here and living with him. Now, you have to understand I was glued to the hip with my family back home and this decision was not taken lightly. Ultimately I decided to stay and that decision changed my life forever.

Sunday came around and I knew I had to go to mass, so I did some research and after one visit, decided to attend Christ the King. Immediately, as I walked in, the hospitality group made me feel welcomed, I finally heard a choir in my language like back home and the homily was touching. After mass, the priest introduced himself and little did I know he would have such an impact on my life today.

One day my mother called and asked where I was volunteering, I responded "nowhere". She was very upset, as Mexican mothers get from time to time. She knew I had been an active volunteer back home and I needed to get involved. That night I prayed to God for some guidance and he answered. A few weeks later I was attending evening bible studies twice a week, started singing in the Spanish choir and became a PSR teacher. Through my involvement, I met great people who became a big part of my life.

Life as I knew it was great, but two years after moving here, I was involved in a horrible hit and run car accident. A drunk driver hit my car from behind and I spun out of control. At the moment I thought this is it, I'm going to die and I closed my eyes and prayed to St. Francis to protect me. Once I gained consciousness I was in the back of the ambulance headed to the hospital, but I was ALIVE. Life as I knew it would never be the same. The months of coming to physical therapy were difficult. Day-to day tasks became hard to accomplish and I felt helpless. I felt as if God had abandoned me with this life-altering tragedy, but little did I know he had put people in my life to help me. I didn't have family here other than my brother, but my friends from church were always here to help me. They lifted me when I thought life had no more meaning.

My friends urged me to attend mass again and I listened. I went back and I poured my heart and soul in front of the altar. I told God at the time, you gave me a second chance and now I give you my life to serve you and build your kingdom. Again, he answered that prayer and put me to work. I got involved with the parish council, youth group, ministry of the rosary, PSR and I am a (CERS) missionary servant of the word with the sisters. I love being part of every ministry.

I understand now that God has given me fulfillment, purpose, and joy in life. I am not perfect, I am still a sinner, but God loves me despite my flaws and imperfections. He has shown Himself to me in his word and through prayer. I thank God for the parish of Christ the King, for Father David Schalk, the community that has given me a place to call home and people I call family.

Leon Mbenza

Five years ago Leon Mbenza and his wife Brigitte landed on U.S. soil from the Democratic Republic of Congo with their two young children, Patrick and Esther. Two years later, in search of job opportunities, they found a place to call home in Columbus where their family would soon grow from four to six.

Leon and Brigitte discovered Christ the King through a group of friends who welcomed them to the neighborhood. Together, they started a French Catholic community, which continues to grow to today. Along with sharing life together, they gather to celebrate French Mass once a month with families of other nationalities, including Cameroonian, Burkinabe, and American. Leon says Christ the King has offered them unmeasured hospitality and that they all feel very much at home in the parish.

Leon shares his own reflections on what it means to build Christ's Kingdom together:

"In the beginning, God says 'let us make man in our image.' Man and women he created them. It is from this biblical passage on creation that we draw an understanding of the concept 'Together'. From the creation of man, God through his goodness, already gives us a lesson in what we can call union. Pope Benedict XVI declared that building God’s Kingdom together is the primary mission of every Christian. This can only be done in a spirit of unity as the saying says, "unity is strength." It is only in unity that Christians can create a dynamism of receiving the living word from the gospel creating a spirit of communion and brotherhood.

Thus, Scripture clearly teaches that a true, stable and lasting union can only be built on the one and solid foundation of authentic unity according to God like in the Gospel according to John when Jesus prays that all may be one (17:21). The union seen from a biblical perspective uncovers and undermines our frequent tendency to selfishness and individualism: 'everyone for himself'. It is only by living in unity and communion that we can hope to build the Kingdom of God, for we can only succeed when we combine the efforts of each in proclaiming the Gospel and performing works of faith.

The Church, the Family of God, is the place par excellence where all faithful come together to confess their faith, to show their devotion and to participate in their own way in building the Kingdom of God. My family and I have chosen to build up the Church, God’s Kingdom on earth, through our involvement in the creation of the French Catholic Community at Christ the King and through our participation in Eucharistic activities such as the choir.

The Church is also in each family that children learn the first notions of their own attachment to God; which is the first universal foundation of Christian life, hence the name of the Christian Family. To help build the Kingdom of God in our family, we have chosen a Christian education for our children to help them grow in a society that is evolving at a troubling speed. We want to pass on to them what we inherited from our parents, to make sure that they have a future worthy of sons and daughters of God. As a family we have been inspired by the book of Joshua 24:15 "Me and my house, we will serve the Eternal." Over time, we have noticed that our children ask to go to Church every Sunday, they usually pray before eating, sleeping, reciting prayers like Our Father, Hail Mary, the Glory be."

The Ayala Family

Jessica, Ramón, Enrique, and Isabel Ayala

Four years ago, after getting into a big argument with my husband, I felt so desperate and hopeless, that I went into my garage with my face soaked with tears and got on my knees, begging God to find a solution to keep my family together and help us keep the peace in times when our differences pull us apart. Later that night, my husband Ramón told me that he thought it would be a good idea if we started to go back to church. That Sunday we were running late to get to a different church so we decided to go to Christ the King because it was closer. We felt comfortable and really enjoyed the Mass. During that Mass, Father Schalk’s homily spoke to both of our hearts. Afterward, they announced there would be a guest speaker and a retreat in the basement. We looked at each other and knew this was what we needed and God had put us there for a reason, so we went. After the guest speaker preached on the family, someone prayed with us. I looked to my side and found Ramón sobbing. He said he felt the Holy Spirit touch his heart and had never felt anything like that before. We hugged our children and each other and promised to give each other a fresh start and to put God first. As we started attending Mass regularly and becoming more involved in activities like Bible Studies with the Sisters, we started to see a difference in our relationship and our kids. They were happier.

Having received so many blessings from God, we feel called to help build the Kingdom of God by sharing our lives and our faith with others. Over the years, we have been grateful to be involved with many different opportunities at Christ the King. We are part of the CERS group that works with the Sisters. We also assist with the rosary ministry, the Hispanic Marriage ministry, and men’s and women’s retreats when possible. I belong to the Parish Council and enjoy serving on the Alpha leadership team as well.

Ramón says he feels called to lead and serve in whatever way he can within the parish and to share his faith with others outside of the parish. My son Enrique is on the new youth ministry leadership team and has experienced renewal in his own faith. He said, “I feel called to help build God’s Kingdom by reaching out to other kids at school I see struggling with family problems and other major things going on in their lives. In today's world there are so many teenagers struggling like I did. My faith gives me the strength and desire to reach out and offer my friendship and just be there to listen.”

There are so many opportunities at Christ the King to get involved with and to work towards building a better community and creating healthier, happier relationships. If we want to build the kingdom of God we must start with our families first with God at the heart and center of everything. I love being a member of Christ the King! I really enjoy the fellowship and friends we have made along the way. Those friends we now call family.