12/12/2021 Blessed Mary Our Hope, Peace, Joy and LoveDear parish family,
The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one I look forward to every year. As a MexicanAmerican this feast holds a very special place in my heart. As a child my parents instilled in us a deep love and devotion for Our Lady of Guadalupe. As children, we participated in a beautiful tradition of dressing up in Native Tarasco outfits to make our pilgrimage to the parish and present ourselves to her and give her our gift of love and gratitude through a bouquet of roses. This was no easy task for a young child to get up at 3 in the morning, if we wanted to make it inside the packed church, but we all did it with such love and joy. We participated in the “Mañanitas” and sunrise Mass, where the parish choirs and members of the community would serenade with traditional songs and the Matachines and Aztec dancers offer their dance as an expression of prayer. It made such an impact to see her surrounded in what seemed like an ocean of fragrant flowers, all gifts of hope, love and gratitude for the miracles that through the intercession of Our Lady have been granted. A fitting tribute to offer our gifts of time and talent to celebrate Our Holy Mother. As I have grown up I have been able to see past the deserved fanfare celebration. I recognize now how Our Lady has been our Advent countdown to prepare to welcome Jesus in our hearts and homes. Just like every week of Advent is dedicated to a virtue, through Our Lady we get to experience this as well. We come to her filled with HOPE, knowing that she will take our petitions to our God. We experience God’s PEACE as we are held in her comforting and loving embrace, knowing she has heard us and will be our advocate. We are filled with JOY, in the answer to our prayers. Even in those moments that the answer may not be what we wanted, but recognize God’s response to our prayers is perfect and better than what we could have imagined. We become enveloped in LOVE, in knowing we are valuable, seen and heard by our loving God and his mother. Knowing this only makes my love for Our Blessed Mother grow stronger. This Advent season let us follow Mary’s example and prepare our hearts to receive Jesus in our midst. She is the best example on how to love him. She left her image for us to be reminded she is with us, we are not alone as we face life’s challenges. She will be there to pick us up when we stumble and lead us back on our path. 12/6/2021 Deacon Isaac "ike" edie1945 - 2021 Funeral Liturgy
Saturday, December 18, 2021 11:00 am Padre Serra Parish 12/6/2021 john kelly1957 - 2021 Funeral Liturgy
Saturday, December 11, 2021 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Mortuary Pierce Brothers 12/6/2021 JoyDear Faith Family,
I always need reminders of what Christmas is about. Apparently, I am a walking version of a “Charlie Brown Christmas”. In the second week of Advent, the Gospel of Luke has no problem setting me straight. The author of the Gospel quotes the Old Testament Book of Isaiah and asks us to “prepare the way of the Lord”. I feel like I write this often, but I feel like it’s a good reminder. When we experience all the good things during Christmas (family, gifts, Starbucks holiday line, etc.) it is to help us to truly prepare for our God coming again in glory. Joy might be the most appropriate response when we experience our loving God. We should prepare our souls to react in this way. Subconsciously, the idea of the new heaven and the new earth from can cause some apprehension. We’ve seen so many movies and heard many songs with themes of the end of the world. These things are meant to make us uneasy. The unknown can be terrifying. But to experience change with joy is truly how we are preparing during Advent. While we may not know details, or when it will happen, we do know for certain that Christ will come again to make all things new, because He loves us. During Christmas, we not only celebrate the Incarnation of our God (which bears extreme celebration), but we also prepare for our future celebration of the second coming of Christ. Sometimes I forget that this beautiful season is not just meant to celebrate the past, or to revel in the present joys in our lives, but this season also urges us to prepare ourselves for the joys of the future. So yeah, Advent and Christmas is a big deal. There is a reason why millions of us travel just to spend time with family for Christmas. And I would say that when we immerse ourselves in the joys of family and friends, that it is actual preparation for our Lord coming again. If we really focus on why we celebrate, it will equip us to celebrate His second coming. Jesus coming home to us, again. I know this week we aren’t wearing pink (I’m sorry, rose), but the joy of the season should be pursued throughout this time. Because of this, we are also responsible to help others that are struggling to experience this joy. 11/28/2021 Be StillDear friends on the journey,
Jesus is of the past, the present and the future. We know from scripture that he has already come into our world in history and that he will come again at the end of time, though we do not know when. But every Advent is a time to renew ourselves to welcome Jesus in the present, at Christmas when he comes to dwell in our homes, consciousness, and hearts. As I read today’s gospel, I was struck by Luke’s use of the words drunkenness and anxieties, things that cause drowsiness and keep us from being alert. Recently I heard a simplistic explanation of depression and anxiety: depression looks to the past while anxiety looks to the future. Drunkenness, or any substance or addiction, masks the pain of our past. Anxiety thrusts us into the future worrying about things that have not happened yet and may not ever occur. Both keep us from living in the present, the only time we truly have. The Advent season is our opportunity to embrace the present. Stillness helps us to pay attention to where Jesus is active in our lives. Who or what has he set in your path as a messenger? Stillness allows us to be attentive to the stirrings of our hearts and minds. What might God be calling you to right now? Stillness affords us the opportunity to engage our whole being and senses to see the kindness in people, hear the music and sounds around us, feel the breeze on our skin, smell the seasonal scents, and taste the goodness of food and drink. Who or what needs your attention this week? Our parish offers many ways to be present in our relationship with God, to ready our hearts and homes, and to simply enjoy the season. On this first Sunday of Advent, I invite you to consider one or two of these spiritual activities:
|
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
|