9/2/2023 St. Phoebe: A Model of DiscipleshipI commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is [also] a minister of the church at Cenchreae, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a benefactor to many and to me as well. – Romans 16:1-2 Dear friends on the journey, Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Phoebe, a great example of faith and service and a model of discipleship. She was the diakonos (minister) entrusted by St. Paul to deliver his letter to the Roman Christian community. Not much is known about her from this single biblical mention but it is clear God called and sent Phoebe. With tremendous courage, she answered God’s call to minister with charity to the growing first century Christian community. Having earned Paul’s respect and trust for her ministry and hospitality in Cenchreae, Phoebe was sent with the good news to Rome. Through our baptism, we too are called and sent. At our baptism, we not only became members of the Body of Christ, we became sisters and brothers in a spiritual family, a community of believers on our pilgrimage to God. In this family, we celebrate the joys and support each other in sorrow. We learn together and from each other. We worship in unity and serve the greater community together. Like Phoebe was sent with the good news, our baptism calls and sends us out to be Jesus for the world around us — in our homes, schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. We are laborers in God’s vineyard, teachers and proclaimers of the gospel in word and deed, and ministers for justice, peace and the common good. Now is a good time to examine how you are living out your baptismal call and discipleship. Consider St. Phoebe as a companion in your reflection. Are you feeling confident or struggling in a particular area? Are you yearning for a deeper relationship with Jesus? Are you needing nourishment and inspiration? Are you hungering for more knowledge and understanding? Are you feeling called to service and action? Are you in need of more fellowship? Are you desiring to take a step further in your spiritual life? If you’re ready to take the next step in discernment or action, I invite you to our Ministry Fair the next three Sundays, September 10, 17 and 24 ![]() After Mass, get your coffee and donut and visit the leaders and volunteers who will share about our ministries for children, teens and adults — basically everyone from 12 months to 112 years — and everything available for your prayer life, spiritual growth, faith formation, and ministries for worship, outreach and social concerns, community building and fellowship. Come find ways to encounter Jesus and be his disciple. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Pastoral Associate 8/26/2023 The Rock of the ChurchDear Friends, My ability to quote chapter and verse from the bible is limited, but I’ve always remembered this short verse from today’s gospel: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church.” This verse was firmly planted in my mind at an early age in the same way other historical facts take root in a young person’s mind. My understanding of the verse was not deeply theological or spiritual in my early life, but I knew it meant that Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church. I often turn to The Catechism of the Catholic Church for greater understanding, and I love what Paragraph 748 of The Catechism ends with, “The church has no other light than Christ’s; according to a favorite image of the Church Fathers, the Church is like the moon, all its light reflected from the sun.” As the Catechism often does, it helped my understanding by tapping my imagination. To see the light of Christ reflected by the Church is a beautiful image. The Church provides the introduction and the infinite path to grow in our relationship with Christ. In 2006, Benedict XVI spoke to the youth in Krakow. He encouraged them to meditate on the themes of building their life on a foundation of rock and not to be swayed by the shifting sands of their own worldview. This message of encouragement from Benedict XVI is applicable across time: “There is only one rock on which it is worthwhile to place everything. This rock is the one to whom Christ said: You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church (Mt 16:18).” The worldwide Catholic Church has many beautiful church buildings (including our own Padre Serra), but the Church is not our beautiful buildings; it is the people who gather to encounter Jesus in our Catholic faith. We are the Church, and Christ calls us to reflect his light on the world around us. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church has assembled a rich body of work that authoritatively proclaims Christ’s teachings. ![]() To be Catholic is to be part of the body of Christ. As members of the body of Christ, we are each called to bring the light of Christ to the world. Siempre Adelante, Manuel Leon Business Manager 8/18/2023 Living the Mission![]() Dear friends on the journey, On July 29, I attended a jubilee Mass and celebration to honor four Sisters of Notre Dame (SND) for their collective 240 years of service to their religious order! The afternoon turned out to be a happy reunion with several sisters who taught me in elementary and high school. This joyous occasion also included the ceremony of commitment for three associates of the Sisters of Notre Dame, one of whom is my friend and our fellow parishioner, Patricia Guzman. Did you know our parish has several lay associates of religious orders? Do you know what an associate is? An associate is a layperson (man and woman, married or single) who, after formation and a formal non-vowed commitment, embraces the order’s particular mission, charism, and spirituality, and lives them out in their respective jobs, families, and faith communities. Patricia joins Padre Serra parishioners and associates Sherry Reynolds, Bruce and Heidi Kelly, Caroline Waltman and Pat Yost, all who live and serve the Sisters of Notre Dame mission to proclaim God’s goodness and compassionate love for people of faiths and cultures. These good folks are involved in a variety of parish ministries that include adult formation, Catholic education, feeding the hungry, visiting the homebound, prayer and adoration, and more. The Sisters of Mercy have influenced parishioner Julie Ames’ life, first in her education from kindergarten through nursing school in San Francisco and then as an associate since 1985. She lives out their charism to “serve the poorest of the poor” in volunteer ministry and in her nursing career in Ventura County. Rooted in the Franciscan spirituality, Gary and Chella Freeberg are associates with St Camillus Spiritual Care Center in Los Angeles with Fr. Chris Ponnet and other Catholic chaplains whose “mission is to accompany people in the midst of suffering with holistic healing and hope.” They can be found at our parish’s monthly Pax Christi gathering and other ministries devoted to living the corporal works of mercy. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) are very active here at Padre Serra with Sisters Carol, Barbara, Pat, Lois, Jill, Lana and Barbara and associates. Denise Ginty has been an associate for seventeen years and currently serves as the CSJ Director of Associates. Gwen Ripplinger has been an associate for six years. In the Camarillo Associate group, Denise and Gwen are mentoring three candidate to live out the CSJ charism “to achieve unity—of neighbor with neighbor and of neighbor with God.” You might know Denise or Gwen from their ministry to neighbors like Landings, our ministry for returning Catholics, or in women’s ministries. ![]() Please join me in thanking these lay associates who go beyond the parish to live their baptismal call and Jesus’ mission in this way and then bring those spiritualties and charisms back here for the betterment of our community and ministries. If you were or currently are an associate with a religious order, I’d love to hear from you. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Pastoral Associate 8/12/2023 Of Practice and ClarityReflecting on our first reading, I began to wonder ... what was it that enabled Elijah to hear the Lord’s voice beyond earthquake and fire into the whispering wind? The answer may lie firmly in his commitment to serve God continually even in the midst of conflict or challenges. No matter what was going on in his life, Elijah spent time with the Lord listening intently. He had learned the art and discipline to hear His call. I suspect that practice also played a role; an example can help us to reach a similar connection in our own lives. For over 10 years, Diana and I sat in front of the television on Wednesday nights and enjoyed Dancing With the Stars. We watched as celebrities with little if any dance training, practiced and improved their steps competing for the coveted mirrored ball trophy. They adapted their styles, fought through difficult dances, sometimes complained, and doubted their abilities. They ultimately delivered something absolutely beautiful. Both of us appreciated the tremendous efforts and continued growth that existed in less than perfect scores. While practice did not create the innate beauty of the dances nor the desire to participate in the first place, it did make it easier to achieve over time. The same can be said of our spiritual journey not unlike Elijah’s. We have within us the presence of the Holy Spirit eager to share her love, support, and guidance. Ours is to prepare ourselves to recognize the invitation and act upon it in trust no matter the circumstances faced. Our own lives are filled with occasions to place God at the forefront of our decisions. These exist at every turn but are at times difficult to discern. By adding simple but powerful practices, we are afforded opportunities to hear His call and voice more clearly. Similar to enthusiastic dancers, putting the Lord’s will first does not mean we have to follow a prescribed formula. We can, however, benefit by displaying continuity in our practices both collectively as well as individually. This can be done communally by breaking bread with a friend, attending daily and weekly Mass, sharing a bible study session, or praying together. We can follow Jesus’ example by stepping away alone for time to pray and encounter our intimate moments with God. Silent retreats, personal reflections, morning, and night prayers are wonderful ways to achieve this. ![]() How we chose to participate may be as varied as opportunities presented us. Nonetheless, just know that whatever we select will indeed allow us to gain greater clarity even in the softest of voices. Endless Blessings, Deacon Luc and Diana Papillon Dear Friends, We celebrate the Lord’s Transfiguration every year on the second Sunday of Lent, but in some years, the feast falls on a Sunday in Ordinary Time and replaces the liturgy of that Sunday. This is that year, and we have a chance to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ Transfiguration. One difference between the annual Lenten encounter with this event and the one we’re celebrating this weekend is the congruence between all three of our Scripture readings. The first reading from the book of Daniel (named not for its unknown author but for its hero), date about 200 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, has, when heard in context with the gospel, two compelling passages which seem clearly to point towards Jesus’ transfiguration 200+ years later:
It always strikes me as remarkable when an ancient prophecy is so clearly fulfilled in Jesus! As you’ll recall, in the Gospel, Jesus takes his closest disciples (friends) Peter, James and John, up the mountain with him and they witness his Transfiguration and hear the voice of the Father identifying Who Jesus is (my beloved Son) and what the disciples are to do (listen to him). The first thing Jesus tells the disciples is “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And, while the second reading is often only loosely related to the first and to the Gospel, on this feast, it is very closely related. Most notably, it’s written by one who was there at the Transfiguration – Peter, himself: We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ![]() What is the prophetic message to which Peter refers? It is the Paschal Mystery that we celebrate every Sunday in the Mass: the saving Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Word Made Flesh, the Morning Star, Emmanuel, God-With-Us. Siempre Adelante, Dominic MacAller Worship Minister |
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