5/10/2019 Good Shepherd![]() Dear Parish Family, Today is known as Good Shepherd Sunday because each year of the liturgical cycle on this 4th Sunday, the Gospel is always taken from the 10th chapter of John where Jesus speaks of himself as the “Good Shepherd.” Today’s Gospel challenges us to TRUST in God and never be despaired no matter the ugly events of our lives, because our Shepherd is always there to lead us to greener pastures. He knows us and our needs, much more than we know ourselves. That is why the responsorial psalm reminds us that “We are his people, the sheep of his flock.” That means, as a shepherd never departs from his flock or allows them to be endangered, Jesus will never depart from us or allow us to be endangered. As a shepherd leads his flock to greener pastures, Jesus is leading us to a better life here on earth and to an eternal life there in heaven. We must also be “listening sheep.” Jesus emphasized the qualities of his sheep when he said: “My sheep hear my voice... and they follow me.” As the sheep of Christ’s flock, do we listen to his voice in the words of the Sacred Scripture and in the teachings of the Church? Do we have compassion for the poor as he did? Do we pray as he prayed and do we have passion for the things of God as he had? Are we answering his call? ![]() This Sunday is also Vocation Sunday, when we pray for our priest and Church leaders who are caring for the souls, who go out and gather the lost sheep to bring them back to God’s loving embrace. And for all the many good shepherds in our lives, who are given the responsibility of caring for others. May we all be his good sheep, listening attentively to his voice, and follow his example of self-giving love. Inspiring others to follow him especially in the vocation of priesthood or religious life. On this Mother’s Day weekend I want to wish all the mothers who so diligently give of themselves in every way for their children, a bouquet of blessings. Siempre Adelante, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister 5/3/2019 The Gifts we are Given![]() Dear Faith Family, After two years of formation, our teens have finally received the Sacrament of Confirmation. For those who don’t know, the 2 year process involves classes, small groups, ministry work and a weekend retreat. The purpose of the process isn’t to just educate our teens, but rather, it is meant to be an opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ. While our program does conclude with Confirmation, in regards to the newly confirmed candidate’s faith, it truly is just the beginning. Throughout the classes we are taught that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are strengthened when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. But what are the purpose of these gifts that are given to us? In reality, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us to bring others closer to God. The gifts of Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom, Right Judgment, Courage, Reverence and Wonder & Awe are the best tools to share God with others. And as Dominic MaCaller reminded the newly confirmed at one of our sessions, the reality is that we are given these gifts already at Baptism, they are simply made stronger when we receive the Seal of the Spirit. Sometimes to fail to realize that as Baptized and Confirmed Catholics, our mission is pretty straight forward: “Make Disciples of all Nations”. The gifts that we have already equip us the passion and the direction to do so. We are not alone in this commission, God wants to be with us step by step as we accomplish it. I am so proud of our newly confirmed teens. Their willingness to break out of their comfort zones and to dedicate time to hear others is amazing to me. Holiness is needed to change this world and I’ve encountered so many holy teens within these last 2 years. There is no doubt in my mind that our Church had become stronger on Saturday. God Bless, Brett Youth and Young Adult Minister ![]() Dear Friends, In the first of this weekend’s readings, from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear an account of how many people came to faith in the risen Jesus Christ through the testimony of Peter and the other apostles, and through witnessing signs and wonders done in their midst “at the hands of the apostles.” In the second reading, John, caught up in the spirit on the Lord’s day, is told by one that he sees in a vision “like a son of man” to “write down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.” Again, testimony. And in the gospel, again, we hear of signs and wonders, and testimony. Despite locked doors, the risen Lord Jesus comes and stands in the midst of the disciples, saying “Peace be with you.” He shows them his wounds and gives them their mission: “as the Father has sent me, so I send you.” On Pentecost the fullness of the Holy Spirit is given to them and they are able to carry out their mission with astounding effectiveness, as is illustrated in today’s first reading. The thing is, it’s our mission too to preach the good news, to be, as St. Teresa of Avila said, Christ’s body to be his hands, his feet, his compassion on earth. By baptism we are part of an unbroken line of succession, going back to the earliest apostles who walked the earth with, and received the mission from Jesus himself, risen from the dead. But Thomas wasn’t there that night and he wasn’t going to believe on the testimony of his fellow apostles alone. In fact, in words he may later have regretted, he declares that he will never believe without seeing and probing Jesus’ wounds for himself. When I was younger and first heard this story, Thomas’ standing seemed to be portrayed as “less than” that of the disciples that were there: “blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” What we can never know, though, is how any of the other disciples might have reacted if they were the one absent that night. And what about us? Are we among the blessed because we have not seen yet have believed? I have always identified with Thomas and his obstinate insistence on evidence. What I love about this gospel story though is another sign and wonder: Jesus already knew Thomas’ heart when he appeared again and invited him to probe his wounds. The Lord knew what Thomas needed to come to belief and in his love provided it. Thomas went on to evangelize, faithful to the mission given by Jesus Christ. India was where he ended up, and the community of Christians he founded there still exists today. It is concentrated in the Indian state of Kerala, boasting an impressive eight million members, according to the Catholic Near East Welfare Association*. Not too shabby for one who doubted, eh? So take heart if you struggle with doubt and ask the Lord to give you what you need to be faithful to the mission. He will, though you may not immediately “see” it. Siempre Adelante, Dominic MacAller Worship Minister * This information courtesy of catholicexchange.com 4/12/2019 ​Holy Week![]() Dear Faith Family, Happy Palm Sunday! We are inching toward the celebration of our Risen Lord. Before we go into the miracle of the Resurrection though, it is always helpful to dive into Jesus’ Passion. Holy Week is an incredibly somber moment. It’s hard not to feel sadness when we dive deep into the experience of the suffering of our God. Our human instinct drives us the opposite way, as it should, but I want to express the importance of understanding the difficulties of Christ’s passion. We’ve heard the story a thousand times. God became man. Sometimes we hear it so often that it doesn’t strike us as much as it should. This is why Holy Week is so important. It’s not the idea of being masochistic or glorifying pain, but rather, when we contemplate the Passion of Christ, we recognize the motives behind it: God has always been willing to die for us. Personal suffering should not be pursued in our lives (I want to stress the importance of this), but we also know that sadness is inevitable at various times in our lives. We will suffer from loss and struggle in various forms — it’s a part of being human. The reason we dive into Jesus’ Passion so intently is to recognize that He was willing to be one of us, for us. So although it may feel somber to experience Christ’s Passion, the reality is, that through His suffering, He conquered death. We have such a unique faith that expresses that what we go through, (whether it is the highs of our lives or our lows) that Christ has experienced it and transformed it. When we exclaim that Christ conquered death, it is not just in the moment of His Resurrection, but through Christ, death is not the end. So throughout this week I invite you to remind yourself in prayer, that death is not the end and that is how God intended it to be. God Bless, Brett Becker Youth and Young Adult Minister 4/5/2019 Put Down Your Stones![]() Dear friends on the journey, Recently a Facebook friend posted about an “answered prayer” so I settled in to read the post, thinking it was going to be a heartwarming story. What I found was a tale of road rage in L.A. traffic in which he “prayed” that an impatient, somewhat erratic driver who passed him by would experience a flat tire. And what did he find a few miles up the road... the crazy driver in the shoulder with a flat tire! The acquaintance was quite pleased with his “prayer” and God for listening. I was really surprised by this post, thinking he really misunderstands the concept of prayer but then today’s gospel of the woman caught in adultery reminded me how dangerous and common a self righteous attitude can be. The scribes, Pharisees and Jesus know full well that, according to Mosaic law, adultery is punishable by stoning. In their righteousness the scribes and Pharisees are hoping to punish a guilty woman and testing Jesus to see if he will follow the law. They are ready to lob stones at her. But Jesus counters and says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” What happens next is hopeful. They all leave. The woman is untouched. Jesus forgives her and tells her to sin no more. How many times do we pass judgment on someone for something they have done wrong and hope they “get what they deserve?” How often do we hope a guilty person gets the worst possible punishment? Have we ever taken a little bit of delight in someone’s pain or punishment? This self righteous attitude is unproductive, dangerous, and sinful on our part. How can we possibly know what someone else is going through? Why was that guy driving erratically on the freeway? Why was that woman in such a relationship? Why is that teenager acting out? Why is our neighbor always so prickly? Why is that coworker always so difficult? Why is that kid such a bully? Why is that cashier so grumpy? If we’re really made in God’s image, then we’re inherently good. We’re all wired for good, but this life is not perfect. We make bad decisions. We choose the wrong actions and words. Sometimes we’re on the receiving end of another’s bad decisions, leaving us to perpetuate the harm and pain. God did not promise an easy life but he promises to be with us through the trials. God promises us forgiveness. When was the last time we asked for forgiveness? What did that feel like? We have two weeks left of Lent. Perhaps we can take this remaining time before Easter to reflect on our moments of self righteousness and then put ourselves in the place of the adulterous woman. Put ourselves in the places of our own guilt and shame and remember what forgiveness feels like. Instead of delighting in another’s guilt and misfortune, let us put down our stones and delight in another’s experience of Jesus’ care and compassion and God’s mercy. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Faith Life Minister |
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