9/3/2022 The Honest StruggleDear friends on the journey, Two weeks ago visiting priest Fr. Pat Travers shared about the Tijuana Mission Outreach program. Something he said about the readings struck me deeply. He said, “Salvation depends on the favor of God and the honest struggle to follow his ways.” Honest struggle. This got me thinking. Taking seriously our Christian life and discipleship involves honest struggle. Today’s gospel from Luke in which Jesus outlines the radical cost to be his disciple. Simply put, Jesus is telling us we are to put our relationship with him above all other earthly relationships, accept our crosses of human suffering as well persecution for our faith, and surrender our possessions. This is a lot to understand, process, and live out. Frankly, this is a lot to ask of us. We have two options upon receiving Jesus message: • Hear it and move on with our day and week, or • Listen and really absorb it, chew on it, pray on it, and struggle with it. The great thing about the parish family is that we can struggle together, not only with scripture but also with spirituality, our individual faith and life journeys, and our Catholic tradition. A gift of the pandemic was the increased use of technology to keep us connected. Born in July 2020 was Gospel Hangout: two weekly one-hour virtual hangouts on Zoom (Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings) where the previous Sunday’s gospel is proclaimed and then discussed. We are not scripture experts but each of us share our learnings, experiences, trust in the Holy Spirit’s guidance and honest struggle because we genuinely desire to be better disciples. We sign off with more insight, something new to reflect on, a challenge, and oftentimes a new viewpoint. I love these people and they have enriched my faith journey. Please join us or let me know how I can help you begin your own Gospel Hangout. Our parish is blessed to have other opportunities to understand scripture as food for our discipleship journey: Monday’s Bible Faith Share, Tuesday’s Living Liturgy with Paul Ford, Wednesday’s deanery Bible study. Plus many other ministries provide the space for honest struggle: spirituality groups for men and women, prayer opportunities, support groups, service ministries, fellowship activities, formation events and much more. ![]() The next three Sundays is our Ministry Fair. Stop by after Mass to discover all we have to offer you and all that can be enriched by your presence, your honest struggle. We are better together. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Faith Life Minister Our first reading has such a pithy ending, and is so pertinent for those of us who live in California. The double threat of wildfire and insufficient water constantly confront us. If only our careful husbanding of water in our homes, even if it’s only a small portion of the overall water use in the state, could preserve us from wild fires into the future. But that’s off message.
The real point here is the effect of water on burning flames, blotting out access to oxygen and extinguishing the fire, while dissipating its lingering heat. It’s a lovely metaphor for the parallel effects of the generous support of the poor blotting out, literally wiping away our offenses. What a gift it is to have God’s pardon. What could we possibly do to earn it? In Sirach’s time, sacrifices were possible if sins were committed unwittingly (Lev 4), but there was no confession or reconciliation, no rituals for the forgiveness of deliberate sin, except to stone the sinner. Even Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Lev 16), seems directed at ritual impurity, rather than moral offenses. So what is a poor sinner to do? – Well, give alms. So, as we now have the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the forgiveness of sins, should we still give alms? Absolutely! Many passages in the New Testament actively encourage almsgiving. When speaking on the value of doing good acts and praying in secret, Jesus simply presumes we are giving alms for the poor (Matt 6:2-4). When addressing the evils and bad inclinations that can pour forth from the heart, He directs us, “Give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41). When encouraging us to rely with greater trust on God, He instructs us to sell our belongings “and give alms” (Luke 12:33). In Acts 10:2, Luke recounts for us a story about a good man, Cornelius, a Gentile who is judged devout and God-fearing, in part because of his generous distribution of alms (Acts 10:2). Later in Acts (24:17), Paul defends himself to the governor, Felix, detailing his motive for returning to Jerusalem, which was to bring alms. There are so many ways to give alms. The parish’s special collections all aim at the care of different poor populations. Giving to the United Way also counts, as does supporting health care exploration – I’m thinking breast cancer research, in particular, but there are many other worthy efforts. Dear Parish Family,
Many years ago, I was asked what seemed to be a very simple question with a logically simple answer: Do you consider exercise to be important and valuable to maintain good health? My imitate response was, yes, it’s very important. Then came the follow-up question, which I still to this day continue to discern. If I consider exercise important, as I say, then is exercise part of my daily life, a Value (I make time for it, regardless of what I have going on in my life), or is it an Ideal (As long as I do it once a week/month/year, it is good enough; if I’m in the mood; in a few years when I really have the time)? This subject of this question can be substituted by any other topic which we can consider important to us. However, the underlying question is the same. I think our Gospel reading this week is asking us a similar question. Do we wish to enter into God’s kingdom? Do we want God’s Salvation? The invitation is there for all of us; however, the response to this invitation, only each one of us can answer for ourselves. Is it a value or an ideal? How important is our relationship with our God, and how much time do we dedicate to him? Do we know about him, or do we Know him? We do not want to reach the gates of heaven and have our God say he doesn’t know us. We must strive to always be recognizable to our Lord. How do we do this? In love, prayer, and action, as we go out into the world and all our daily activities. As we truly “Put On Christ” (Romans 13:14), all will recognize us as followers of Christ (Christian) and to whom we belong. No matter where we think we may be in this faith journey, there is always room to grow. Here are a few suggestions to consider:
Dear Faith Family,
Today’s Gospel is one of my favorites. When a pregnant Mary encounters Elizabeth, the latter is overjoyed and her son (the unborn John the Baptist) leaps with joy because of the encounter. At surface level, this is a cute story about family reuniting and celebrating the upcoming birth of the Savior of the World. While it is indeed true (it’s pretty darn cute), it also is a strong callback to the Old Testament. What John the Baptist does, closely resembles how King David would act in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. In the book of Exodus, when David would “dance before the LORD with all his might,” the Ark of the Covenant was believed to have contained the living God. Jesus, present in Mary, the New Ark, received a similar reception from John the Baptist. We are also blessed to have Arks scattered around in parishes across the world that hold the living God. What does this mean for us? While I may not be advocating for a dance session in front of the tabernacle, I do believe that it is vital for us to look at God with a joyous heart. If we truly believe that God opened the gates of heaven for us, how can we not be joyous? If we truly believe that God wants to encounter you, simply because He loves you, how can we not be moved? Sometimes when we think of the disciples of the New Testament and various saints, we think of solemn people who kept their emotions in check. People that were beyond human inclination and had a hyper fixation on God. The reality is, these holy men and women were joyous, first and foremost, even in the face of fear and persecution. The joy that God brings truly can overcome all things. Our faith is quite unique. We have a God who was willing to become man, just to be with us. I truly believe a proper response to this love, is joy. This obviously may look different for each person, but I know it’s a common denominator for all those who pursue the living God. If you struggle with understanding the joy that God brings, I invite you to spend more time with Him. Add more intentional time to pray and listen to God. 7/29/2022 Moving Past VanityIf I remember correctly, my plan to convince my wife went something like this: “I can absolutely justify borrowing the money. That device will meet all my future needs. Just think, all the parts are individually replaceable. I know it’s big, but it’s also extremely fast for a 1985 model.” Unfortunately, even the best computer ever made was never updated as I had planned. Five years later and every five years thereafter, we purchased a new laptop that outpaced, outlasted and surpassed even what I thought was the most impressive of all systems at the time. Most of us can substitute some material possession in this story that over time becomes less appealing. We buy the next ‘one thing’ we believe will provide the answer, but it does not. Whether bigger, faster, newer, or for some other reason, we are continually seeking more. A reflection on Ecclesiastes might help us find what we really need. “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity.” The book begins and ends with these powerful words. The phrase itself conjures images of the superficial, the meaningless, or futile. The author leaves little to the imagination. There’s nothing wrong with liking our belongings or appreciating something new. Even so, our material possessions cannot take the place of our call towards greater holiness. We do, however, need a reminder from time to time. Fortunately, there are some strategies we can implement to anchor our focus beyond vanity. Consider the following as lifestyle opportunities:
![]() Our relationship with God is the antidote to vanity. A complete investment in the Lord does not weaken over time. Ours is to choose well and know that even the smallest of steps can make an enormous difference. Endless Blessings, Deacon Luc and Diana Papillon |
Blessed Sacrament Chapel HoursSunday - Friday, 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday, 2:00 - 9:00 pm Office HoursMonday through Thursday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Saturday 3:00 pm - 6:15 pm Sunday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm Vertical Divider
|
Telephone(805) 482 · 6417
(805) 987 · 8100 FAX For emergencies requiring
|
For eNews you can trust.
Staff Login
|