August 19, 2018 Open Mind Open Heart Open Door I AM THE LIVING BREAD PARISH CALENDAR

Transcription

1 August 19, 2018 Open Mind Open Heart Open Door I AM THE LIVING BREAD PARISH CALENDAR Aug St. James Festival Aug 20 KofC Business Meeting 7:30pm Aug 23 Bishop Begin Assembly 3546 Bus. Mtg 7:30pm Aug 26 Little St. James Coronation Night Aug 28 Pastoral Council 7:00pm Sep 1-2 Bake Sale Knights of Columbus Sep 3 KofC Officer s Meeting 7:30pm Sep 7 First Friday Devotions Sep 8 Our Lady of Vailankanni Festival 7:00pm Sep 9 KofC Novena Prayer for the Unborn after 10am Mass Sep 13 Fatima Devotion Sep 10 St. Vincent de Paul Meeting 7:00pm Sep 17 KofC Business Meeting 7:30pm Sep 25 Pastoral Council 7:00pm Sep 27 Bishop Begin Assembly 3546 Bus. Mtg 7:30pm Oct 5 First Friday Devotions Oct 6 Bake Sale - MOMs Oct 20 Dinner Dance at MTC Oct 26 International Rosary Dec 9 Parish Christmas Party Devotion Schedule on the Flap People found His teaching hard to accept, They left Him one by one very upset. How can He give His flesh for us to eat? Some thought He was a false Teacher and cheat. The crowd could only think of earthly food, By miracle He gave them fish and bread. People had plenty to eat and to spare, Their stomachs full, they were all in good cheer. They sought Him again on the second day, Food was their main concern, Jesus would say. Warned them to work for food imperishable, To grasp His teaching they were unable. They could not fathom the Bread from heaven, Nor did they understand Him as God s Son. Mary and Joseph were His parents they knew, He couldn t be great, the conclusion they drew. The twelve apostles, too, were ready to quit, They thought it was hard for them to commit. Peter saved the twelve with the right answer, Jesus is the Eternal life, they knew for sure. Jesus, the Eternal Manna, is our Bread, For our souls as we spiritually tread- Toward our everlasting blessedness, With God our Father where there s no sadness. Questions: 1. If you were to be in the crowd listening to Jesus, how would you have reacted? 2. What is your reaction now? What do you believe is the Eucharist? Reflections: Jesus had a perfect setting in which to teach people a very important, and at the same time, a very controversial subject: I AM THE LIVING BREAD. The day before He talked about it, He had fed five thousand + hungry people. They had come from far and near and some of them had walked many miles to listen to Him. In their eagerness and hurry to come and listen to Him, they likely had forgotten to bring food with them. It may also be that the teaching of Jesus was so inspiring and interesting that they remained with Him longer than they had previously anticipated. They were hungry and without provisions and Jesus knew it. Ever compassionate and loving, He did not want to send them home with empty stomachs. He fed them by multiplying bread and fish. They could not believe what they saw, as they never witnessed anything like that in their lives. The multiplication of the bread became a hot topic among the villagers. Emotionally (Continued on page 2) Fremont Blvd Fremont, CA office@sjapostle.net

2 Message from Father Antony (Continued from page 1) charged, they wanted to make Him their king. In unison they acclaimed Him as the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world (John 6:14). They searched for Jesus again in Capernaum. When they found Him, they told Him how much they had missed Him and how much they yearned to listen to Him. Rabbi, when did you get here? Knowing their hearts and thoughts, Jesus told them that they were looking for Him not because they saw the power of God working through His Son; instead, He challenged them, saying they were only looking for more food and seized the opportunity to instruct them on Living Bread, which is everlasting and imperishable. He said, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst (John 6:35). At this, the people grew angry and began to murmur and grumble against Him, asking, How could He give us His own Body and Blood? Their thinking was limited to their earthly experience, and they could not understand the spiritual dimensions that Jesus had miraculously opened to them. Jesus had literally appeared before them, opening eternity and the gates of heaven for mankind, and they failed to recognize this immeasurable gift from God. Sensing the confusion and uncertainty among even His chosen apostles, He asked them if they too would leave Him, as the people had just done. If it were not for Peter, their spokesperson, they might have left Him. Peter s immediate intervention was, To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have to come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God (John 6:69). They stayed with Him and, through their simple action and partnership with God, helped mankind form a connection with Jesus, the Bread of Life. By their example, we now have a model to follow, and remaining with Jesus is our calling. We can experience Jesus in the Eucharist we receive during Mass and, just as importantly, with the graces open to us through Eucharistic Adoration. We, like the people who met Jesus, struggle to understand and accept the presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Our intellect cannot explain the change that takes place during the Eucharist when bread and wine are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, ceasing to be bread and wine once this happens. As St. Thomas Aquinas observed, Christ is not quoted as saying, This bread is my body, but rather This is my body (Luke 22:19). We can understand only through the eyes of faith. The only reason Jesus gives Himself to us in the Eucharist as spiritual nourishment is because He loves us. Eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ unite us to the person of Christ through His humanity. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in Him (John 6:56). There are many Eucharistic miracles reported from all of the world. A recent documented account of a Eucharistic Miracle took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1996 under the leadership of Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis: At 7:00 in the evening on August 18, 1996, Fr. Alejandro Pezet was saying Holy Mass at a Catholic church in the commercial center of Buenos Aires. As he was finishing distributing Holy Communion, a woman came up to tell him that she had found a discarded host on a candleholder at the back of the church. When he went to see, Fr. Alejandro saw the defiled Host. Since he was unable to consume it, he placed it in a container of water and put it away in the tabernacle of the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. On Monday, August 26, upon opening the tabernacle, he saw to his amazement that the Host had turned into a bloody substance. He informed Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who gave instructions that the Host be professionally photographed. The photos were taken on September 6. They clearly show that the Host, which had become a fragment of bloodied flesh, had grown significantly in size. For several years the Host remained in the tabernacle, the whole affair being kept a strict secret. Since the Host suffered no visible decomposition, Cardinal Bergoglio decided to have it scientifically analyzed. One of these scientists was Dr. Frederic Zugiba, the wellknown cardiologist and forensic pathologist. He determined that the analyzed substance was real flesh and blood containing human DNA. Zugiba testified that, the analyzed material is a fragment of the heart muscle found in the wall of the left ventricle close to the valves To whom shall we go? To whom do we go? To the almighty dollar? To our earthly comforts? To gurus or charismatic political leaders? To sin? Do we elevate ourselves and try to make ourselves God? Look in your heart: no matter where you go, you can never fill the hunger in your heart, which can only be satisfied with the presence of God. This is why Jesus calls Himself the Bread of Life. As he sent the crowds home satisfied with food in their stomachs, he is ready to send you home with your heart filled with eternal life, and to send you home to the Lord one day, united to Him through His Body and Blood. How will you answer His challenge? To whom shall you go? I would like to end with something Mother Teresa of Calcutta said about the Eucharist: Eucharist is the presence of Jesus and this presence becomes a present to us when we receive Him in the Holy Communion. If we meditate on this great mystery we will deepen our Eucharist devotion. Our Sunday participation in the Holy Mass will no longer be an observance of the Sabbath. Rather, it becomes the fountain of our spiritual nourishment. (If you haven t had the chance to visit a Eucharistic Miracle exhibit, I highly recommend it. You can read many of the accounts online at the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association website. Click on the English tab and scroll down until you see Miracles by Country. Each of those hyperlinks opens to a PDF document of various documented, Church-verified accounts of Eucharistic Miracles). CHRISTIAN LIFE PROGRAM FOR WOMEN HANDMAIDS OF THE LORD and Fr. Antony Vazhappilly invite all WOMEN -single, married, single mothers, widows, separated or divorcedto a Christian Life Program (a renewed understanding of God's call to women) on September 16 - November 18, 2018, Sunday at 1:30 pm at St. James, the Apostle Catholic Church, Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA FREE ADMISSION with FOOD. If you desire a deeper, intimate, personal relationship with God, seek a more vibrant spiritual life, wish you had a community to share your faith and life issues with, this faith renewal program might be the answer. COME, SEE and LEARN about how this life renewal program has touched the lives of women worldwide. Contact Persons: Donna Sitchon # Virgie Bitz # , Minna Verdeflor # , Elena Cruz # , Lorraine Buhay, # , Onnie Nepomuceno # Unless you eat the esh the Son Man and drink his blood,

3 DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A CATHOLIC? Are you a Catholic who would like to complete your Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion)? Please join us to discuss how we can help you. RCIA meets on Sundays at 10 am starting on August 26th. Everyone is welcome. If you are interested, contact FrancesAnn at fammck@aol.com or QUEEN OF THE HOLY ROSARY LIBRARY The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose are sharing their impressive and inspiring Religious Studies Library with local area parishes. The Library collection includes 20,000 books on Bible study, prayer, spirituality, liturgy, saints, ethics, social justice, ecotheology and environmental responsibility, theology, and preaching. These are available to parish staff, parish volunteers and interested parishioners. Due to limited staffing, you need to call to make an appointment to visit the Library. COLLECTIONS AUGUST 11/12 $ CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT $ Donation Envelope Users: Please put the amount of your donation in the space provided. It really helps reduce the time spent in counting. Your not folding your cash donations is much appreciated by the counters on Monday. Thank you! KNIGHT S CORNER Would you like to join the Men in Blue Blazers? The Knights of Columbus of St. James the Apostle Council No is accepting applicants. A prospective candidate must be a practicing Catholic and at least 18 years of age. This is a great opportunity for single and married men to serve God and the parish s community activities, set an example for its youth and make families closer to God. If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Cesar Nepacena, , ladylim@sbcglobal.net. Also, ask a Knight! Thank you. We are men of faith & men of action. you do n have life within you. John 6:53

4 WORSHIP SCHEDULE Monday-Saturday Mass: Rosary 8:10am, Mass 8:30am Saturday Mass: 5:00pm Sunday Masses: 8:30am, 10:00am, 12:00noon Holy Days of Obligation: Masses 8:30am & 7:30pm Confessions: Saturday 4:00pm or by appt. Every Friday Adoration: 9:00-10:00am First Fridays: Adoration 9:00 am-6:30pm Sacred Heart Novena 6:30pm Benediction 7:15pm Healing Mass 7:30pm Our Mother of Mass & Novena, Perpetual Help: Wednesdays, 7:30pm DEVOTIONS Weekly: Bible Study Divine Mercy Chaplet: In the Small Chapel: Legion of Mary Eternal Life Bible Study Charismatic Prayer Meeting Wed. 9:30 am (Kitchen) Thurs, after morning Mass Tues 9:30am Thurs. 7:30pm 2nd & 3rd Fridays 7:00pm Monthly: Divine Mercy Cenacle 7:00pm, 2nd and 4th Prayer Meeting Mondays (Small Chapel) Our Lady of Vailankanni First Saturday 7:00pm Respect for Life Rosary Second Sunday 11:00am Grotto Sacred Heart 6:30pm 1st Friday Enthronement (formal ceremony to make the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as the King of the house), please contact: Cora Surla (510) ; or Tessie Ricafort (510) PARISH OFFICE HOURS M-F 9:00AM TO NOON REGISTRATION IN THE PARISH Warmest welcome to all who worship in our Community. If you are not registered in the Parish, please complete a registration form available at church entrance or at the Parish Office. ANOINTING OF THE SICK Please call the Parish Office when a parishioner is home-bound or hospitalized to arrange for Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick. MARRIAGES AND BAPTISMS Please contact the Parish Office at least 6 months in advance for weddings and 3 months in advance for baptisms. BAPTISMS To have your child baptized, please make an appointment with Father Antony. Come to the St. James Parish office or call the Parish Office at For more details, please go to the Church website (Parish Info) or contact Marcial Vasco Baptism Preparation/Training class: First Saturday of the month from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm in the Small Chapel. Baptism Celebration: Last Saturday of the month 11:30am-12:30pm in the church FUNERALS We recommend using Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services / Holy Sepulchre Cemetery and Holy Angels Funeral and Cremation Services. You may contact Shirley X 133. MOTHER TERESA CENTER RESERVATIONS. Contact our Facility Manager & Event Coordinator Larry Bellamy ( , MTC@sjapostle.net) or leave a message at the Parish Office. (No prices or quotes are given over the phone or in an .) Fr. Antony Vazhappilly, Pastor Ernie Dandan, Deacon

5 Still time to buy your tickets to win the car. Drawing Sunday evening at 7:00 pm. Mother Teresa Center Reservations. Contact our Facility Manager & Event Coordinator Larry Bellamy, , or leave a message at the Parish Office (No prices or quotes are given over the phone or in an .) St. James Bulletin and Website since 2007 Submission deadline is two weeks before publication date. articles to: bulletin@sjapostle.net. Send information for the webpage to: webmaster@sjapostle.net Carolyn Fiori... Editor Facebook: Search St. James the Apostle Church, Like the page. IF posting pictures, you must get consent from the people in the photo (per Oakland diocese Safe Environment). Please, NO tagging pictures.