Dear Friends,
What a tremendous outpouring of love and support we experienced as we celebrated last weekend’s Ministry Fair. It was like a mega fiesta, in which all our ministries were present in full array. I was moved by the pride and joy on the faces of the ministry teams as they showcased the offerings of their ministries.
I thank all who made the effort to visit each of the ministries, thereby helping us thank God for keeping our parish active and vibrant. There must have been quite a lot of you there: the Coffee and Donuts team had to make a few extra runs to the store as the goodies were being gobbled up at such a fast pace!
What a privilege it is to be part of this amazing family! I praise God every day for all of you!
I am very happy to present to you this weekend the State of the Parish! Thank you for your active participation in the various facets of our life together. Thank you for your generosity in supporting all that we do. And I thank each of you most of all for your presence in our family. And last but not least, I thank our Finance and Parish Councils, who provide me with wise advice.
At this time, I am also very happy to announce that the Diocesan Finance Council has approved our request to build a Rectory for the Priests here on campus. This weekend I will be showing you the floor plan.
We are thrilled to see so many of our children taking an active part in our 9:00 am Sunday Mass. Have you noticed them? They greet you as you enter; they offer the welcome address; they read the Scripture for us as lectors, lift up the Prayers of the Faithful, provide the offertory collection for our children, and pray the Anima Christi after Communion. And, added to all this, they sing in the choir! I am so grateful to the parents and grandparents for supporting us in our endeavor to foster in our children a loving desire to serve the Lord and our community.
I offer a personal invitation to our parents with children age 3 to 5. Bring them to the 9:00 am Mass and encourage them to engage in our worship. It is my deep desire that they learn to participate in the Mass with joy. We are especially encouraging children to join our 9 a.m. Mass children’s choir, now called the Youth Choir. We want children of all ages, from 9 to 15 years old.
I am very happy to share with you this good news: Michael and Andrea Oliva have begun a new podcast with the title Jesus Within Us. I am so proud of them for how they are on fire with love of and from God. Michael and Andrea also lead our Kerygma Healing Ministry. Kudos to these two faith-filled people. Listen to their weekly podcast and see how Jesus works within us.
We are also happy to announce that Ricky Martinez has become our new Maintenance Department team member. At the same time, Joe Cardamone is rejoining the team to assist in maintaining our parish campus. I welcome them both and thank them for their services.
The Scripture readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, again challenge us. The Letter of St. James contrasts the behavior of those who are wicked with those who are wise. (3:6-4:3) Wisdom offers copious blessings, while wickedness elicits conflict and destruction, war and death. St. James speaks of the wise as having a gift “from above,” which are the fruits of righteousness (right relationship with God). He challenges us to sow and cultivate the fruits of righteousness with and in peace.
In this very divisive time in our nation, when passions are running high on both sides of the political spectrum, how can we bear the fruits of righteousness? In Chapter 9 of the gospel of Mark, Jesus invites us to be as humble as children. (9:30-37) When his disciples were too preoccupied with concerns about their own grandeur, thereby failing to understand the crucial teachings of Jesus, he placed a child before them. In an attempt to refocus their priorities, he said: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” (Mark 9:37) In this, Jesus sends a clear message: the antidote to selfish ambition and wicked desires is an open and docile spirit. Let us be open to the copious blessings that come from above by being docile to the Holy Spirit.
Have a Blessed Week!
With love,
Fr. John