11/7/2021 Give Abundantly!Dear Parish Family, Today’s readings remind and challenge us to be generous, all is given to us by our God. When we share what we have (time, talent and treasures), our Lord blesses it once again, and multiples it. In the first reading a widow shares what little she has with Elijah, and she is rewarded with abundance. In the gospel, Jesus observes the poor widow who generously gives what little she has to the treasury. What is giving and generosity all about? Is it about how much money we have? Certainly not, it's not about the monetary value of what we give, but more of the value of which we ourselves give it. The two coins the widow gave may be insignificant in monetary value to most, but for the woman, it is all she possessed. This is why it was much more valuable than those who gave of their excess. The reminder to be generous is not just about money; we are to give of ourselves too in our time and in our talents. What is our contribution to building God’s Kingdom? When we give and do for others we are doing it for our God. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matt. 25:40 Let us think of some of the great saints’ lives as an example, such as St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who gave her life to Christ in countless small ways. She lived within the walls of her convent and had little interaction with the world. Therefore, from a worldly perspective, she gave very little and made little difference. However, today she is considered one of the greatest doctors of the Church thanks to the small gift of her spiritual autobiography and the witness of her life. Doing little things with great love. The same may be able to be said of us. In our busyness with what seems to be small and insignificant daily tasks, like cooking, cleaning, caring for the family and the like occupies our days. Or perhaps our employment takes up most of what we do each day. We may feel we have little time left for “great” things offered to Christ. The question is really this: How does God see our daily service? Even if we feel that we are not called or able to do “great things” from a public and worldly perspective, or may not even be visible within the Church. Yet God sees the daily acts of love we do in the smallest of ways. Embracing our daily duties, loving our family, friends and neighbors, offering daily prayers, etc., are treasures that we can offer God every day. He sees these and, most importantly, He sees the love and devotion with which we do them. So do not give in to a false and worldly notion of greatness. ![]() Do small things with great love and you will be giving an abundance to God in service of His holy will. Let us be generous like our God is generous with us. Siempre Adelante, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister 10/31/2021 You Are Not Far from the Kingdom of GodDuring the month of October, the Church asked us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life. In November we remember the dead. It is also Indigenous Peoples month. Recently those involved in parish ministry signed that we received and would comply with the guidelines of the Archdiocese for those adults who interact with minors. I offer an article, Young Women, #MeToo and Clergy Sex Abuse: Lessons from My Students,* in America Magazine. Written by Jessica Coblentz, an assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies and Theology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., she provides insight of the impact the changes made by the Church have had in the fifteen years since she was their age when the guidelines and training began. Hearing victims’ stories and the acknowledgment of their victimization were crucial to this process. I believe such action has brought us closer to what is meant by the Kingdom. I mention the article in the hope that such transformation of hearts by hearing and minds by recognizing the truth of oppression, violence, and the apartheid that instilled self-hate, despair, and death. My return to daily mass was greeted by the massive statue of St. Junipero while my heart and spirit were dealing with the discoveries at Kamloops Residential School in Canada. I pray for the intercession of our patron that we might receive the grace to know the stories of the women of Juarez, the Red Dresses of Canada, and the horse-whipped of Haiti. May the God of love inspire us to transformative love. The love God desires is not for him alone, but for all the people he has created. Jesus affirms God cannot be loved without loving his creation, his image in our neighbor. Jesus tells us to what degree and with what we are to love. Our strength and understanding include loving ourselves. May it be so for our neighbor. God in Deuteronomy teaches we write the law upon our heart such that our children will learn as we go about our daily life from the awakening to our sleeping. As Catholics, may they learn their call to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end.
10/30/2021 Mary Hopple1944 - 2021Funeral Liturgy
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish 10/24/2021 The Courage to SeeThe Courage to See Dear Faith Family, My favorite part about writing these letters, is that it gives me an excuse to really dive in the gospels with a different lens. This week’s gospel, for example, is interesting. When I looked it what reading would be proclaimed, the term “blind man” comes up very early. Obviously, whenever we see this term, we probably will know that it’s the gospel where Jesus heals the blind man and is able to see. While it’s good that we know these stories like the back of our hands, it can be a temptation to say “oh, I know where this is going” and stop reading. The temptation was there for me. I could’ve easily written a letter that explains that this miracle this proves that Jesus Christ is God (which is obviously true and life changing within itself), but I challenged myself to dive in further. One thing that really stuck out to me is that Jesus asks his disciples to call the person who is calling out to Him. And even though the blind man obviously yearning for Christ, he was still instructed to “have courage” to approach the Lord. This is interesting for two reasons. First, Jesus relied on his disciples to bring those to Him. Our parish takes discipleship very seriously, and the most important aspect of discipleship is bringing others to Christ. His disciples don’t shy away from their commission, and heeds to Jesus’ command to bring the blind man to him, even if they had no idea what Christ would do for the blind man. Secondly, it takes courage to do what Christ asks us to do. It’s obvious that the blind man knew that Jesus can perform miracles, it still took courage to approach Him. It’s like that in our lives sometimes. There are times when we KNOW what God is capable of, but we still need the courage to ask God to be God and to intervene/perform miracles. This is why scripture is interesting. Yes, we know the stories (the blind man). Yes, we know how they end (the blind now seeing). But sometimes we take that for granted. We know all the stories of the Old Testament and the miracles that Jesus performed, but when we dive in and meditate on scripture, it’s much more than a biography of God’s people, it’s an instruction manual.
10/20/2021 Elizabeth “Lisa” Alonzo1967 - 2021 Funeral Liturgy
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