4/20/2023 Encountering Jesus in the UnexpectedDear friends on the journey, This weekend’s readings offer a number of themes, but one in particular stands out for me. At the core of this theme is the message of recognizing Jesus in the unexpected. When two disciples are walking to the village of Emmaus after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, a man joins them on the road. Little do they know this so-called stranger is in fact Jesus himself. I imagine he would be the last person they expected to run into. Jesus certainly did not jump in saying, “Tada, here I am, people.” He did not get angry over their inability to recognize him. He simply walked alongside them and patiently accompanied the disciples as they processed the events of the previous three days. Doesn’t Jesus do that with us too? Jesus accompanies us on our road of life, a quiet, gentle and patient presence. He never abandons us but sometimes we get so busy that we are unable to see him at all, much less in the unexpected, or when life circumstances cause us to question his presence anc concern. How could Jesus let us suffer or grieve? Sometimes he shows up in the presence of others who accompany us. Here at Padre Serra, we have a number of pastoral care ministries in which Jesus is present, accompanying those in difficult, painful situations and very much in need of caring support. We have a number of support groups, each begun by a parishioner who had a need, saw a need, and wanted to address it. At the Holy Spirit’s prompting, each founding leader prayed, surveyed, and stepped out to help others dealing with the same concern. Having had the privilege to sit in on a few support group gatherings, I can tell you that Jesus is present through the gathered community. He is quietly listening as each person processes his or her respective circumstances. He is present in the prayers for courage and strength and in the sharing of practical ways to get through. His presence is palpable. If you, or someone you know, is dealing with a death, a divorce, a cancer diagnosis, living with chronic pain, or the role of caregiver, please know you are not alone.
Visit our website for the details or contact me directly: [email protected], 482-6417 x322. I care. Our parish family cares. Jesus cares and is right here, especially in the unexpected events of our lives and in the unexpected places and people, offering his love and healing. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Pastoral Associate 4/14/2023 Divine Mercy SundayDear Parish family, Christ is Risen. Rejoice! Alleluia! On this second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, we are reminded once again of God’s immeasurable love for us. In our Gospel, we hear about Jesus appearing to his disciples who were hiding in fear. At the sight of the Lord they must have had so many mixed feelings, elation to see Jesus is Alive, fear of how could this truly be, shame and fear as they betrayed and abandoned him. However, our Lord greeted them with gentleness: “Peace be with you.” There was only love and mercy. Even when Thomas needed proof to believe this was truly Jesus, he patiently and lovingly offered his wounds to be touched so that he would believe. This is our God, a God of Mercy, who gave his life for our salvation; and if that was not enough for us, our God continues to be available to us and giving us his Mercy. Allow me to share the following reflection from Pope Francis: [Reminding us of Jesus’ words to Saint Faustina:] “’I am love and mercy itself; there is no human misery that could measure up to my mercy’ (Diary, 14 September 1937). At one time, the Saint, with satisfaction, told Jesus that she had offered him all of her life and all that she had. But Jesus’ answer stunned her: ‘You have not offered me the thing is truly yours.’ What had that holy nun kept for herself? Jesus said to her with kindness: ‘My daughter, give me your failings’ (10 October 1937). We too can ask ourselves: ‘Have I given my failings to the Lord? Have I let him see me fall so that he can raise me up?’ Or is there something I still keep inside me? A sin, a regret from the past, a wound that I have inside, a grudge against someone, an idea about a particular person... The Lord waits for us to offer him our failings so that he can help us experience his mercy.” Our God wants us to give all of ourselves to him, our weaknesses and our doubts. Those parts of ourselves that we don’t even want to admit to ourselves because of fear or shame. Our Lord will take our brokenness and heal, and transform us, make us new creations. Family, it is now our turn to pour all of ourselves out to our God, for he is patiently waiting for us. Jesus, I trust in you. Siempre Adelante, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister 4/7/2023 He is risen! (...and so can we!)We’ve had abundant rain storms, one after another, filling our dry creek beds, and causing the Arroyo Calleguas, at the bottom of the hill, to run for days and days. And our hillsides are greener than they’ve been for years. They’re covered with lupine, morning glories, poppies, giant coreopsis and black-eyed-susans. It has been wonderful to see our hills so alive, after so many years of dry gold earth tones. And what a gruesome drought it was! The barrenness of the dry years may be a kind of metaphor for our hearts. We’ve come out of a hard stretch. In the Covid years, we’ve lost some people who were dear to us. And our world can be wearying: Our country can be so divided. It’s like dry and barren soil. Our economy has so many pressures on it. It’s like an oak tree, dying by the inch. Our climate seems to be warming. It’s like a shadeless, shelterless Santa Ana windblown ridge line. Our news is so often negative and filled with violence. We can count on the news being alternately dark and angering. But can we allow these grim realities to be the only story of our time? Why would we? Easter invites us to reevaluate everything. As so many elements of life have returned to our new normal, we just might want to reconsider how we might even press on to something better than normal. Our Christian response to what Jesus has done in laying down His life, only to pick it back up again, is to renew our own lives, and the soul of the world around us. We have to be the rain! We are alive with a God-given purpose, redeemed by Jesus, loved by the Father, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to affect the world around us, to bring a weary world to hope and life in God – in essence, to do for the world what the rain has done for our countryside. And it’s happening. There are so many people doing good things, beautiful things, but we won’t find their stories in our news programs. The hungry receive food, here in Camarillo – check out the St. Mary Magdalen Pantry and Many Meals, both of which are sustained by Padre Serra Parishioners. The homeless are sheltered and taught new trades and financial management skills – investigate the RAIN project here in Camarillo, financially supported by Padre Serra Parishioners. Children are learning that they are beautiful, and important, and beloved by their Creator – check out the faith formation program staffed by volunteers from Padre Serra Parish. The infirm and the sick are being visited and comforted – being uplifted by the efforts of Eucharistic ministers of Padre Serra Parish. The grieving, those with enduring pain, and the dear, but often worn out, caregivers are receiving care – look into the Padre Serra support groups. There is a lot of quiet good happening, and it is, indeed, life giving and as hill-greening as our winter rains. Be a part of this goodness, this God-ness. May this Easter may be a time of renewal and life for you and your families! Fr. Patrick Pastor 4/4/2023 Donald Michael Atwater
3/31/2023 Hosanna!Dear Parish Family, Holy Week is always a tough pill to swallow. Whenever we hit the deepest and most challenging parts of Lent, the temptation is to absorb the intensity of Holy Week and turn that into personal shame. This is not the intention of Holy Week. God wants to let us know that there is nothing that separates us from His unending love. Holy Week has this special ability to help us really dive into the minds of those who experienced it first-hand. From the common people, to the Romans, to Jesus’ own disciples, we understand the perspectives of all those who experienced our Lord’s passion in person. At Padre Serra we especially hit this tone with our unique and beautiful Passion Narrative. There were a lot of mistakes made at the time of Christ’s passion. Mistakes that would sever any normal human relationship. If we were to deny or have hand in the execution of a loved one, it would be hard to maintain that friendship. God is above our sin and does not deter his love for us. From the crowds forming to smear Christ’s name, to the Apostles ignoring Jesus’ instructions and even denying a relationship with him in the face of danger, these actions lack courage in the face of fear and deny unconditional love for God. Somehow, these actions still hold no weight in light of the Resurrection. We are Easter people for a reason. We don’t hold this title because we are perfect, but rather, our imperfections are irrelevant under the scope of Christ’s death and Resurrection. Christ indeed conquered death; this especially means that Christ has conquered sin. Even our sin. Grace is powerful, indeed. I’m not advocating apathy in regard to our sins, nor am I advocating shame. What I am expressing to you is that the Hope of the Resurrection is greater than all those things. The virtue of Hope is interesting because it is the trust in God’s promises, not the worldly “hope” that things work out, but rather, with this virtue, we have absolute certainty in God’s promises. We are spoiled Catholics. I only say that because we already know what was promised has been fulfilled. For generations people awaited a savior, not knowing the time or place, or even what will be done if he were to come. We know the story. We know the outcome. We know that our God has died, has risen and will come again. We know that God has opened the gates of Heaven. Let’s live our lives knowing the truth of the Resurrection, knowing that eternal paradise is awaiting and knowing that all this wasn’t done on accident, but for us. Hosanna in the Highest! Brett Becker Youth and Young Adult Minister |
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