First Sunday of Lent - March 10, 2019

Transcription

1 First Sunday of Lent - March 10, Addison Street, Berkeley, CA Phone (510) Fax (510) info@stjosephtheworkerchurch.org STAFF Rev. Kenneth Nobrega Deacon José Manuel Pérez, Permanent Deacon Gloria Maldonado, Parish Secretary, Safe Environment Coordinator Elizabeth Oishi Comly, Parish Events Coordinator MONDAY-FRIDAY Mass: 12:15 pm SUNDAY Mass: 8:00 am Confessions: 9:45 am Mass: 10:00 am Mass: (Spanish) 11:30 am WEDNESDAY EVENING Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: 6:00 pm 7:00 pm Confessions: 6:00 pm 6:45 pm MINISTRIES Baptism/Bautismos Deacon José Manuel Pérez Platicas: Los domingos. Para otro dia llamar a la oficina. Lectors/Lectores Chris Notti (English) Erika Guerrero (Español) Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Tita Brodt (English) Ruben Araujo (Español) PARISH OFFICE HOURS Monday thru Friday 9:00 am 5:00 pm (Closed 12 Noon 1:00 pm for lunch)

2 + + St. Joseph the Worker Beautiful Liturgy - Reconciliation - Healing THIS WEEK AT ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER SUNDAY MASSES - March 10, :00 am Fr. Laurent Okitakatshi 10:00 am Fr. John Gribowich 11:30 am (Spanish) - Fr. Francisco Figueroa - Esquer Sunday 8:00 am 10:00 am 11:30 am Monday 12:15 pm Tuesday 12:15 pm MASS INTENTIONS March 10th Steven Strid Myrna Gregory+ Carlos Gonzalez + and Gloria Ureña + March 11th Amy March 12th Marcello + and Ida Reggi + Holy Hour, Confessions and Rosary Prayer Group Every Wednesday evening we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 6:00 7:00 pm with Confessions available from 6:00 6:45 pm. The Rosary & Devotion Prayer Group meets at 7:00 pm, following the Holy Hour. All are welcome. Sant Egidio Community The Community of Sant Egidio meets every Thursday at 7:00 pm for prayer in our church chapel. All are invited to join for prayer and for some Christian fellowship. ILLUMINATE OUR CHURCH WITH DEVOTION AND PRAYERS. Wednesday 12:15 pm Thursday 12:15 pm March 13th Edvige+ and George Dallafiora + March 14th Sacramento Lopez Oregon + Would you like to have a Mass offered in honor or memory of someone? It is easy, stop by our parish office or Gloria Maldonado, our parish secretary at: gloria@stjosephtheworkerchurch.org If you have a particular date in mind, let us know and we will try and accommodate you. The suggested donation is $ Need A New Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation or Marriage Certificate? Sacramental certificates from St. Joseph the Worker can be obtained from our parish office usually within one or two business days. We kindly ask for a $25 donation for each requested certificate which will go towards the support of St. Joseph the Worker Church. Your votive candle is a silent but visible sign of prayer and devotion. Please contact Gloria Maldonado our parish secretary at (510) or gloria@stjosephtheworkerchurch.org

3 Dear Visitors and Guests: New Weekday Mass Schedule If you have been blessed by your visit to St. Joseph, please consider blessing our parish with a gift. Through generous donations by faithful people like yourself, we intend on restoring this historic church back to its former glory, little by little. You can make a safe, fast and easy one (1) time donation or a recurring donation with the ease of your smart phone through PUSHPAY. Follow these steps below: Step 1) Enter the number: Step 2) Enter the letters SJW in the message section. A SACRED TIME FOR HOLY PREPARATION On Ash Wednesday, we started our new weekday Mass schedule of 12:15pm Monday thru Friday in the Church replacing our old Chapel weekday Mass schedule. We believe because of current local demographics and a growing interest in our parish that our new schedule change will allow for a greater number of persons the ability to attend a simple, reverent "lunch time" Mass at St. Joseph. As part of our ongoing parish renewal, we plan with the support and commitment of our parishioners and the local Catholic community to begin offering Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament following the 12:15pm Mass in the near future. (details soon to follow). NEW MASS SCHEDULE From personal experience, I find it crucial to arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of Mass in order to decompress from the busyness of life and to quiet down the mind from worldly cares in order to properly focus on God and the Sacred Mysteries we are about to enter. Please do not arrive late to Mass. Thank you. Monday thru Friday: 12:15pm (10:00am on National Holidays) Saturday: Memorial Masses, XV Masses, Weddings, Special Masses, Baptisms. Sunday: 8:00, 10:00am, 11:30am (Spanish) Holy Days: Times will be announced and printed in advance. - Fr. Kenneth Nobrega

4 "Let us begin" And so it begins the holy and, for some, daunting, season of Lent. This is the season in our liturgical year when the Church encourages us to increase our prayer, fasting and almsgiving in order to enter more deeply into the mystery of our Lord s Passion and Death and to celebrate more fully His Resurrection. Our outlook as Christian disciples can help us embrace this season with enthusiasm and even joy. time devoted especially to prayer and fasting as a means of strengthening our spiritual muscles. Just before the launch of His public ministry, He is led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. In imitation of Jesus, we should ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into the desert, too the desert of our interior lives where our thoughts and desires reside. The First Reading, from Deuteronomy, presents a beautiful and positive way to approach Lent. The passage begins with Moses speaking to the people. He reminds them that the Lord saw their affliction and responded mercifully to their cry by delivering them from oppression in Egypt, and by bringing them to a land flowing with milk and honey. Moses teaches the people how they should respond to such a wonderful God. He instructs them to approach the Lord with these words: Therefore, I have now brought you the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me. In other words, Moses teaches the people to respond as grateful stewards for all that God has done for them. As grateful disciples ourselves, we can look at these 40 days as soil that God is giving us as a gift to grow closer to Him and become more like Him. We can choose to use each of these days intentionally to make a generous response to our God, who sent His own Son to deliver us from the affliction and oppression caused by sin. While our Lord was strong enough to withstand the temptations of the devil on His own, we most certainly are not! We must turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show us where we need to grow interiorly and then rely on the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance throughout these forty days of growth. We may discover we are weak in our knowledge of the faith and can devote these Lenten days to spiritual reading or Bible study. We may discover our prayer life has gone by the wayside and we must discipline ourselves anew and commit to a regular, daily time for prayer. Perhaps we have given in to selfishness and comfort seeking and we can determine to give up our favorite coffee drink or social media fix and find a project that serves the poor in our community. If these spiritual exercises hurt a little, that means we are doing them right! It means we will have some wonderful first fruits to present to our Lord at the close of this season; we will be prepared to enter into the grace-filled days of the Triduum and we will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be resurrected as a new creation with our Lord come Easter. Let us begin! Jesus, by His own example in today s Gospel, demonstrates the necessity of setting aside a period of

5 How Much Should I give? Many people recommend that Catholics consider working toward biblical tithing: 10% of your gross income. Fr. Kenneth Nobrega supports and recommends the venerable practice of tithing 5% to the parish church and 5% to worthy charities. Why Light a Votive Candle? A Votive Light is a "silent sentinel" and can burn for your special intentions or for someone who is in need of prayers. This is a thoughtful expression of your sentiments and best wishes for any occasion. Your Votive Light can be an act of faith and charity - the light is a symbol of the sacrifice you have made in behalf of someone else - and it is a silent reminder of your prayers for them. Unlike a regular purchase, a votive candle donation is an "offering" made to God through the intercession of the Saints which also helps support our St. Joseph the Worker Church's mission of beautiful liturgies, reconciliation and healing. Your prayerful votive offerings are "lighting up" our church with beauty and prayer. Thank you, and may God bless you. Please Contribute as much as possible to the material needs of St. Joseph the Worker so that we can continue to keep our doors open and be a refuge for those seeking spiritual help and healing. Your help in needed and important - Together we can restore our beautiful church to its original glory. Donate to St. Joseph the Worker TEXT: Safe, Fast, Easy. Thank you! joinfortify.com Parish Office Hours Gloria Maldonado, our office secretary is ready to welcome and assist our parishioners and visitors. St. Joseph the Worker Parish Office Hours are from Monday thru Friday 9:00am to 6:00pm (closed noon to 1:00pm for lunch).

6 A Prayer to Heal Stress Pray for Spiritual Protection During Lent With this Prayer - Philip Kosloski Heavenly Father, please grant me peace of mind and calm my troubled heart. My soul is like a turbulent sea. I can t seem to find my balance so I stumble and worry constantly. Give me the strength and clarity of mind to find my purpose and walk the path you ve laid out for me. I trust your Love God, and know that you will heal this stress. Just as the sun rises each day against the dark of night. Please bring me clarity with the light of God. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. OUR CHOIR NEEDS MORE SINGERS! "Defend us, O Lord, from all dangers of mind and body." Lent is a battlefield, one where we follow Jesus into the desert to wage a spiritual war against the temptations of the devil. It s not easy and opens us up to spiritual attacks that try to lure us away from the practice of our faith. As the season of Lent approaches, it s most appropriate to put on the armor of God and ask for divine protection in this regard. The saints and angels that surround us are ready to come to our aid and shield us from the buffets of this world. Below is a traditional prayer that can be prayed for this particular intention. Do you enjoy and sing well? Did you sing in a church, school or university choir? Call Sam Dorlaque at (510) or him at spdorlaque@sbcglobal.net for more information. Defend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all dangers of mind and body. And through the intercession of the blessed and glorious Mary, ever Virgin, Mother of God, of St. Joseph, of Thy Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy loving kindness grant us safety and peace; that, all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom.

7 Lent is the Perfect Time to Rediscover the Rosary - Francis Phillips His book includes many personal stories and anecdotes of people who have come to him for healing. He reminds them that Jesus is the supreme healer; that healing us was His mission on earth and is His mission today. He notes that it is almost impossible to come through childhood without some kind of trauma or injury that has lasting effects throughout the rest of our lives. Whether physical, mental, emotional or other kinds of abuse and despite the best efforts of good parents, we all emerge as adults in need of the transformative touch of Christ. Lent is upon us and along with it comes much advice from spiritual writers about how best to keep it. I don t see myself as a spiritual writer as much as a writer about spiritual books. There is a difference. If I can point a reader towards a book I think they may find helpful, then the exercise is worthwhile. On this note, and for those who find praying the Rosary hard work and who would like some guidance, I recommend Fr Dwight Longenecker s book, Praying the Rosary for Inner Healing (published by Our Sunday Visitor). Longenecker, a popular blogger and priest in the diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, also has a healing ministry; he accompanies, prays with and offers Mass for people who come to him with deep-rooted wounds which have stunted their spiritual growth. His book is an encouragement to pray the Rosary, entering into all the key moments and events of Jesus s life that we know from the Gospels, while at the same time praying for healing from those wounds in one s life that continue to fester. The author, who began as an Anglican minister before converting to Catholicism, discovered the Rosary himself while still an Anglican. His spiritual world had come crashing down and he felt in the dark. It was an elderly Catholic priest who encouraged him to say the Rosary and he found it changed everything. Longenecker is convinced that by entering into the wholeness of each stage of Jesus life [through the Rosary] we begin to share in his wholeness and health. Christ, he reminds us, is total and utter reality so if we lose touch with him, we lose touch with reality. This is why Our Lady, in her apparitions, is seen praying the Rosary and urging people to be faithful to this devotion; she knows that saying it regularly, while recollecting the particular Mysteries the stages of her Son s earthly life is the sure-fire way to come to know, love and follow him. Longenecker reflects that All the world s ills have the same root: self-centeredness. Most of the world s ills have the same cure: self-sacrifice in other words, learning to imitate Christ s own self-sacrificial life. Who better than Our Lady to lead us to Christ through the Rosary this Lent?

8 Questions and Answers about Lent and Lenten Practices made from animal fat are technically not forbidden. However, moral theologians have traditionally taught that we should abstain from all animal-derived products (except foods such as gelatin, butter, cheese and eggs, which do not have any meat taste). Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted. Q. Why do we say that there are forty days of Lent? When you count all the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, there are 46. A. It might be more accurate to say that there is the "forty day fast within Lent." Historically, Lent has varied from a week to three weeks to the present configuration of 46 days. The forty day fast, however, has been more stable. The Sundays of Lent are certainly part of the Time of Lent, but they are not prescribed days of fast and abstinence. Q. I've noticed that restaurants and grocery stores advertise specials on expensive types of fish and seafood on Fridays during Lent. Some of my Catholic friends take advantage of these deals, but somehow I don't feel right treating myself to the lobster special on Fridays during Lent. Q. So does that mean that when we give something up for Lent, such as candy, we can have it on Sundays? A. Apart from the prescribed days of fast and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the days of abstinence every Friday of Lent, Catholics have traditionally chosen additional penitential practices for the whole Time of Lent. These practices are disciplinary in nature and often more effective if they are continuous, i.e., kept on Sundays as well. That being said, such practices are not regulated by the Church, but by individual conscience. Q. I understand that all the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat, but I'm not sure what is classified as meat. Does meat include chicken and dairy products? A. Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs --- all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments A. While fish, lobster and other shellfish are not considered meat and can be consumed on days of abstinence, indulging in the lavish buffet at your favorite seafood place sort of misses the point. Abstaining from meat and other indulgences during Lent is a penitential practice. On the Fridays of Lent, we remember the sacrifice of Christ on Good Friday and unite ourselves with that sacrifice through abstinence and prayer. Q. I understand that Catholics ages 18 to 59 should fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, but what exactly are the rules for these fasts? A. Fasting on these days means we can have only one full, meatless meal. Some food can be taken at the other regular meal times if necessary, but combined they should be less than a full meal. Liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals. Q. Are there exemptions other than for age from the requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? A. Those that are excused from fast and abstinence outside the age limits include the physically or mentally ill including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant or nursing women. In all cases, common sense should prevail, and ill persons should not further jeopardize their health by fasting Addison Street, Berkeley, CA Phone: (510) Fax: (510) info@stjosephtheworkerchurch.org