11/11/2023 How Much Oil Is In Your Lamp?In Matthew’s Gospel today Jesus offers the allegorical parable of the ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom who “was long delayed.” At midnight, five of the wise virgins “trimmed their lamps” to meet the bridegroom and enter into the wedding feast which Paul says in today’s Letter to the Thessalonians is “the Lord Himself.” Our messiah has come and will come again. Will we be wisely prepared with the “oil” of our life’s good works? Or will we be left out like the five foolish virgins who had insufficient “oil” only to hear the bridegroom say, “I don’t know you.” Matthew’s parable today about the timing of the parousia (Jesus’ second coming) is asking that question. Will we be ready? Some early Christians lived with concern about how soon Jesus was to return for fear of the end times approaching. Our lives are distanced from Paul’s time of the early Christian’s impatience and concern of Jesus’ return. Over the years cultural and world events have given spiked concerned interest and even fear for the end times coming soon. Our faith is to be lived in hope not fear trying to forecast the end of times. We should instead ask ourselves are we living, serving and believing in the Christ of our faith with our oil lamps filled. We are to inventory our gifts and talents going forth using them by word and example no matter the day. Jesus is the hope to light our path wherever we go. It is with a smile of hope we seek balance and clarity to continue forward filling our lamps with the oil of our good works. I find endless opportunities to fill my lamp with the oil of good works whenever and wherever I am to offer kindness, a smile, prayers, a kind word, assistance, support, or just a presence to care. Then I ask myself ... how much do I answer the opportunities to fill my lamp? ... to the poor, the stranger, the lost, the pained, the ill, the immigrant, the Jews, the poor and those of different faiths, ethnicities, appearances, or ideologies, or the homeless, the homebound, the handicapped, the sexually abused, the infirmed, the dying, the suffering, the mentally compromised, the lonely, and policemen, first responders, military men, the over-worked, and Padre Serra parishioners, to PSP staff, charities, Pro Life and the Church, to priests, nuns, teachers, the unemployed, or those who have hurt us, to drivers in a highway hurry to cut us off, to others challenged to find a parking space, or those needing to cut in line at the checkout stand, or to Sharon, Kelsey, Adrian, Jennifer, grandkids, siblings, and Maddie, to the environment, trash collectors, custodians, elected officials, and to on/off freeway ramp flower merchants, fieldworkers, nurses, hospital workers, doctors, St. Vincent de Paul and Emmaus Men ... the list of opportunities is endless but I find hope expressed in an Enya song ... “My life goes on in endless song Above earth’s lamentation I hear the real, though far-off hymn That hails a new creation.” What opportunities do you have to fill your lamp with the oil of your good works? Ask yourself ... how full is your lamp? Siempre Adelante, Deacon Jack Redmond 11/3/2023 Genuine DiscipleshipDear friends on the journey, For several weeks now our gospels have been focused on Jesus’ ministry in Judea and Jerusalem. His teachings and miracles have created considerable tension with the Jewish religious leaders who feel challenged by Jesus’ authority. Jesus has not backed down to this point and in today’s gospel, he calls out the scribes and Pharisees about their own preaching that is not backed up by their practice. They seem to have the proverbial “do as I say, not as I do” attitude. As important as those words were then, they are equally important for us today. Jesus challenges us to gauge our own attitude of “walking the talk.” He invites us to reflect on our religious integrity by asking ourselves: Do my words and actions match up? In what area of my life might I be a hypocrite, preaching but not acting accordingly? Am I condemning those who cast judgment on others all the while judging my next-door neighbor’s yard ? Am I quick to point out others who complain and in the next breath grumble about a relative’s behavior? There’s the old joke about Catholics who have just gone to Mass and navigate the parking lot like the devil. Am I outwardly appearing to be a good Christian but lack the true motivation? Or am I simply unaware that a deeper relationship can exist with God? I call this being religious but not spiritual. I realized this was my early Catholic faith experience, until about twelve years ago when I had an “aha” moment that I was “doing” all the right things but lacked a true personal relationship with God. In reality, it happens to all of us but, as Christian disciples, we are called to a higher standard, to move beyond just following the commandments, rules, and checking the boxes, nor concerning ourselves with saying the right words, wearing the tassels, and having the titles. Living out our faith goes beyond just words or rituals. Living out our faith is about how we connect with others and lead by example. Today’s second reading from I Thessalonians gives us a model to live out and share our faith through loving relationships, like a mother’s care for her children, through heartfelt, genuine connections with others. Discipleship is not a one-time agreement. Rather it is a life of humble servanthood, a lifelong journey of mini conversions and aha moments that stretch us, that bring about spiritual growth, and that deepen our personal relationship with God. Discipleship is the ongoing review and adjustment of our lives to align ourselves with Jesus’ teachings and example That strengthened relationship with God will then be authentically reflected in our words, actions, and relationships. True faith shines in our actions, our care of one another, and our commitment to living by the values we profess. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Pastoral Associate 10/28/2023 The Two Greatest CommandmentsDear Parish Family, A moral life is vital when we take upon the responsibility of discipleship. It was one of the many ways we express the impact that our God has had on our lives and probably one of the more meaningful ways, as well. While it may be easy to express that a strong morality is necessary, sometimes it may be hard to decipher what a Catholic moral life may look like (and yes, morality has nuance). How do we know if we really are living a life that Christ commands of us? Simply, we must listen to him, especially in this Sunday’s gospel. The Sadducees were putting Jesus to the test, hoping to catch Him in some type of error. When they asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest?” they were hoping to catch him making a mistake within a nuanced answer. What did Jesus do? He condensed all the commandments into two commandments: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” They tried to catch him within the nuance, but Jesus brilliantly shows the Sadducees what a moral life looks like in a nutshell. Simplifying and clarifying how God wants us to live our lives. He didn’t change or even water down the law, but he made it digestible for all people. Yes, a moral life may seem complex at times, but we must always be conscious of the idea that God is the designer of what morality looks like. God intends for us to live this way, because it is a glimpse of heaven and it helps us acquire a taste for the afterlife, where we love God for all eternity, with all our neighbors that we love. Even within this Gospel, Jesus states that the first commandment is like the second commandment. What does that mean? The best way to love your neighbor, is to love the Lord, your God. They are inseparable. One who is learning to truly love God, will truly learn to love their neighbor (and even their enemy) as well. Thank you all for being an example of this in our parish and out in the world. You truly are disciples who take your God’s commandment at heart. God Bless, Brett Becker Youth and Young Adult Minister 10/21/2023 Keeping things in their proper perspectiveDear Parish Family, In today's Gospel, the religious leaders of the time plotted to entrap Jesus in his speech. They thought they would trick him into saying something unlawful against the Romans or against the strict Jewish laws by questioning him about the payment of taxes. At the time, Herodians, Jews who collaborated with the Romans, favored the payment of taxes, while the Pharisees taught scrupulous observance of the Mosaic Law and opposed Roman occupation. They wanted Jesus to side with one of them and at the same time expose him to the breaking of either the Roman laws or the Jewish religious laws. In a single question, his opponents asked him to choose between the ideal of a religious life separate from the dominant culture or a life so fully immersed in that culture that religious practice and identity are lost. I want to rephrase this question to something that perhaps you or I could be asked today. Are you Catholic first and American second or American first and Catholic second? How would you respond to this question? Do we follow the laws of the land, or do we only follow the laws of our faith? Can we do both? Jesus did not fall for their tricks. His response is perfect: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Jesus reminds us of the importance of keeping things in their proper perspective. Do we attach ourselves to worldly things at the expense of the love and honor that we owe to God? We are part of this country with many just laws that align very well with our religious beliefs. Yet others, though on the surface seem ideal and extremely popular for the greater society, are unjust and destroy human dignity. As participants of society we have a responsibility to actively participate in the common good, a moral and ethical act that affirms the dignity of each and every human person. To the best of our ability, we should live a life of a “good participating public citizen” without compromising our faith and our souls. In other words, let us look to do good, and live out our faith in every facet of our lives, at work, school and homes. It is possible to do both. Blessings, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister 10/13/2023 There are Hints in the ScripturesDear Friends, It has been mentioned before that there is a link between the First Reading from the Old Testament and the Gospel on any given Sunday. That link is very clear this weekend with the prophet Isaiah describing the feast the Lord himself will provide for all peoples and the Gospel parable where Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast for the king’s son. Isaiah’s description of the joys and delights that await the faithful on the Lord’s mountain is often proclaimed at funeral masses, and appropriately so – a reminder of what awaits us when we are finally reunited with those we have lost and with the Lord when he will “wipe away the tears from every face” can strengthen our faith and hope when we are grieving a loss. The wedding feast in Jesus’ parable has more complexities. The invited guests twice refuse to come and they come to a bad end after mistreating and killing the king’s servant messengers. (Can this be a reference to the Chosen People rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ?) We know the story. The king sends servants this time out not to the invited guests, but to the main roads to invite everyone they find to the feast. (Is this a prophecy of the universality of the church – where not only the Chosen are invited in but the Gentiles as well; in other words, everyone?) Then comes the part that is mysterious to me: “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.” What are we to make of this? I, for one, have to get beyond my preoccupation with “fairness” and literal-mindedness: How can someone who was drafted into the feast from the highways and byways be expected to be properly dressed for it? And how is it that the other guests, similarly gathered from the great “unwashed herd” are somehow properly dressed? It leads me to think about what the wedding garment symbolizes (if I do succeed in getting past my literal-mindedness). Maybe it is an interior disposition, an attitude of humility and receptivity without any worry about who else was brought in with me? I’ve heard some say that the missing wedding garment is simply love. In any case, if the feast on the Lord’s mountain is for all peoples as the first reading says, and the proper garment is love, then I guess I’ll have to just depend on God’s mercy and providence to somehow get me there. There are hints in the scriptures that that may be a safe bet. Siempre Adelante, Dominic MacAller Worship Minister |
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