Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - JULY 15, 2018

Transcription

1 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - JULY 15, Addison Street, Berkeley, CA Phone (510) Fax (510) info@stjosephtheworkerchurch.org STAFF Rev. Kenneth Nobrega In Residence: Rev. Raphael Okitafumba Deacon José Manuel Pérez, Permanent Deacon Gloria Maldonado, Parish Secretary, Safe Environment Coordinator Elizabeth Oishi Comly, Parish Events Coordinator MONDAY-SATURDAY Mass: 9:00 am 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 Tuesday thru Friday 9:00 am 6:00 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 - July 15, :00 am Fr. John Gribowich 10:00 am Fr. Bruce Lamb 11:30 am (Spanish) Fr. Francisco Figueroa - Esquer On Wednesday Evenings Holy Hour, Confessions and Rosary Prayer Group Every Wednesday evening we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 6:00 7:00pm with Confessions available from 6:00 6:45pm. The Rosary & Devotion Prayer Group meets at 7:00pm following the Holy Hour. All are welcome. Sant Egidio Community The Community of Sant Egidio meets every Thursday at 7:00pm for prayer in our church chapel. All are invited to join for prayer and for some Christian fellowship. Sunday 8:00 am 10:00 am 11:30 am Monday 9:00 am Tuesday 9:00 am Wednesday 9:00 am Friday 9:00 am MASS INTENTIONS July 15th Concepcion Zabala + Marcelo Yoc + Humberto Martello + July 16th Manuel Rodriguez + and Belia Parra + July 17th Clinton Wong July 18th Clinton Wong July 20th Philip Larrabee + Dear Visitors and Guests: 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. 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. 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 $10.00.

3 In God We Trust. In God We Trust has been the official motto of the United States for more than 50 years declared so by unanimous votes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in 1956, and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Most of us are aware that this declaration and motto have been challenged in courts through the years, but it is sending a message to us as Catholics that is similar to the messages in the Holy Scripture on this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our First Reading is drawn from the Book of Amos. In effect, that is what he maintains in our Second Reading from Paul s Letter to the Ephesians. St. Paul may not say it directly, but that trust is implied when he says in this reading, In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Amos is one of the Minor Prophets however, he is said to have had a great influence on Isaiah, with whom we are more familiar perhaps. Like the other prophets, as well as each of us, God called Amos, a sheepherder and farmer. Any response to the call of God requires a combination of courage and trust in the Lord. In today s reading, Amos says, I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel. Although we may not be called to prophesy, we are indeed called by God, and one of the driving forces in our lives should be to discover, pursue and follow that calling. Yet, just as it did for Amos and many others, it will require our total trust in God. After his dramatic conversion, St. Paul submitted his life to serving God. He trusted the Lord implicitly. Paul faced insults, rejection, and trial after trial, but he remained content with his life. Why? Because he surrendered his will to the Lord. Paul learned that God always has our best interests at heart. Paul would have each of us ask Who is in charge of your life? Paul is telling us that our trust is based on our view of life in general. He makes it clear that God s guidance and help works in our lives, but we must cooperate with that by hearing the word of truth, accepting it, and believing in it. Paul consistently tells us that his view, and ours as well, is of eternity, not of the things of this earth. Jesus confirmed to His Apostles how trust in God was paramount with His instructions to them in today s Gospel from St. Mark. Jesus understood full well that if His apostles did not trust God and did not convey that trust to others, they could not effectively tell others to trust in God. That is why He told them to travel lightly, because that assured that they had to trust in God for everything. Our belief as Catholics is that Jesus Apostles did exactly what He told them to do. At the same time, though, this can be quite the challenge for even the most committed and active Catholic. We can hear Jesus Word over and over, but until we actually follow it and live it out through stewardship, we are not truly fulfilling our calling. That is why we say that stewardship requires action on our part. We can not only talk the talk. We must also walk the walk. We need to show others that we understand it and embrace it by how we live our lives. As stewards, we must vividly demonstrate that we completely and wholeheartedly trust in God.

4 Need A New Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation or Marriage Certificate? Prayer for my children to Our Lady of Perpetual Help 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. Please contact Gloria Maldonado our parish secretary at (510) or gloria@stjosephtheworkerchurch.org Illuminate our church with devotion and prayers. Virgin Mother, my Mother, come to the aid of my children! May your blessing accompany them, guard them, and defend them. May it encourage them, sustain them in every difficulty, and in every place. When they go off to work or to play, when they move from place to place, at every step they take, Virgin Mother, my Mother, watch over them. When they face challenges and suffering, when the Evil One tries to seduce them with the attractions of pleasure, of violence, of temptation, of bad example, Virgin Mother, my Mother, watch over them. Virgin Mother, watch over them and preserve them from every evil. Your votive candle is a silent but visible sign of prayer and devotion. 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 Tuesday thru Friday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (closed noon to 1:00 pm for lunch). When they approach the Sacred Banquet to be fed with the Bread of Angels, with the Word that was made flesh in your womb, Virgin Mother, my Mother, bless my children. When at night they prepare to rest so as to rise again with new energy, watch over their slumber and make each new day a step toward their eternal Homeland. Virgin Mother, my Mother, bless my children, descend over them, in the day and in the night, in moments of joy and moments of sadness, in health and in sickness, in life and in death. Bring them to live with you forever in eternity. Amen.

5 Croatia's World Cup soccer coach clings to the rosary as he finds success Catholic News Agency On Sunday, Croatia s soccer team will play France in the championship game of the 2018 World Cup, after running victoriously through a string of soccer powerhouses in the tournament. Here s one reason Catholics in the US might be rooting for the small Central European country: Croatia is a deeply Catholic country, and the coach of its national team, Zlatko Dalic, is a man of sincere faith. Dalic said recently that his current success is due to his faith in God, and that he always carries a rosary to hold onto in difficult times. Dalic spoke about his faith on Croatian Catholic radio when the World Cup began. Everything I have done in my life and in my professional career I owe to my faith, and I am grateful to my Lord, Dalic said. Croatia got a ticket to the final match of the World Cup after defeating England 2-1 in a game that went to overtime July 11. "I can be very happy with my life, Dalic said, adding that "without strong faith and that motivation, it would be very difficult to achieve it." "When a man loses any hope, then he must depend on our merciful God and on our faith," he said. In that sense, Dalic explained that "I always carry a rosary with me" and "when I feel that I am going through a difficult time I put my hand in my pocket, I cling to it and then everything is easier. Regarding the expectations of the Croatians for the success of their selection at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he indicated that "I know what our people expect, how many people love Croatian football and our team." He stressed that finding the good in life always brings satisfaction, happiness, a result. Man must always be honest with himself and with others. " Before the July 11 game, Dalic said of his Cinderella-story team: we do not fear anyone, not even England." The coach is 51 years old, married and has two children. During his youth he played on Croatian soccer teams, among them Hajduk Split, Inter Zapresic and Varteks Varazdin. In 2000, he finished his career as a professional soccer and started coaching Croatian teams. In 2010 he went to Saudi Arabia to lead the teams of Al-Faisaly Harmah and then Al-Hilal. A year later he moved to the United Arab Emirates to be the coach of the Al-Ain club. In October 2017 he was appointed head coach of the Croatian national team. Diocese of Oakland Deacon Ordination Of Peter Akapoj Lawongkerd John Anthony Pietruszka Javier Ramirez Mark Steven Ruiz The Most Reverend Michael C. Barber, SJ Saturday, August 4, :00pm St. Joseph the Worker Church, Berkeley

6 Eucharistic Adoration Can Save The World! Could You Not Spend One Hour With Me? By, Fr.Louis Guardiola, C.P.M. Have you ever been lonely? Have you ever felt depressed and suicidal? Do you think that no one cares for you or understands you? Do you think you can t go on? Jesus loves you, Jesus understands you, and Jesus cares for you from the infinite depths of His Divine spirit and Sacred Heart. Jesus waits for you to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus understands your loneliness and despair. Jesus was betrayed and abandoned on the cross by His best friends, the Apostles, in His hour of supreme need and trial. Let us not do what the Apostles did, but share our needs, our concerns, our weaknesses and put our troubles before Jesus and His Sacred Heart that eternally throbs with love for you and me. Put your troubled sons and daughters, spouses, brothers and sisters, friends and grandchildren, each one before Jesus Himself and dedicate them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and by extension to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Jesus is there, body and blood, soul and divinity, really, truly and substantially present before us. Jesus listens to us on His Eucharistic throne with a human ear and loves us with His Sacred human Heart. Jesus is your God-friend. Jesus is my God-friend. Jesus will never betray you, Jesus will never hate you, Jesus will never separate Himself from you, and Jesus totally understands you. Jesus is your best friend; Jesus is my best friend, forever loving us with a love that is not of this world. God is love, and He who abides in love abides in God and God in Him. When we adore Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus dwells in us, lives in us in a very special way. We directly experience the comforting, consoling rays of His healing love and heart. He gives us directly the strength to go on, the courage to face our problems and the wisdom to know how to resolve them. Remember that the greatest saints and orators like St. Thomas Aquinas and Bishop Fulton Sheen did their most inspired work before the Blessed Sacrament. It was Bishop Fulton Sheen who established in the minds of the American clergy the necessity to spend one hour a day before the Blessed Sacrament to not only maximize, but also even to continue to persevere in their priestly vocation. Do you recall the joy you experienced when in your loneliness an estranged son or daughter of yours came to visit you? The same joy a parent experiences from an unexpected visit is multiplied infinitely when we as His adopted sons and daughters in baptism visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus told the Apostles, Could you not spend one hour with me? in the garden of Gethsemane during His passion. Jesus tells us today, Could you not spend one hour with me, in this hour of the Church s passion, this hour of scandal, dissensions, divisions, abortion, international terrorism, apostasy, etc., etc. Remember, fellow members of the Eucharistic Body of Christ: The Church is Christ. The Church is Jesus Christ extended into space and time. I firmly believe that in Eucharistic adoration, whether it be one day a week, 40 hours or Perpetual Adoration, your hour of Eucharistic power, your hour of adoration, your hour of conference with the Lord of lords, the King

7 of kings, really, truly and substantially present on His Eucharistic throne can and will change the world. I firmly believe that if every one of the billion plus Catholics in the world spent an hour one day a week before the Blessed Sacrament, every major crisis, every major scandal, abortion and acts of international terrorism would stop! Think about that! of life through Eucharistic adoration. Jesus asks you as He asked the Apostles, to spend one hour with Him, to become an Apostle of the Eucharist, a member of His Eucharistic army. If you do, you will never be alone again. Instead, you will grow day by day more holy, more convicted, more assured in your faith, more steadfast in the knowledge that you are a member in solidarity with Jesus Christ Himself and millions of Eucharistic adorers throughout the world. When you spend one hour with Jesus you walk with Him as two of the disciples did on the road to Emmaus. When you spend one hour with Jesus, you walk arm in arm with the other members of the mystical Eucharistic Body who happen to adore Him throughout the world at that same hour. There is power in numbers. We have the numbers and we have the Eucharistic power. We have the power of the very enfleshed love of God Himself, who redeemed us and the world, whose power of the resurrection continues today through the Eucharist that can and will totally transform the world. When we become Eucharistic adorers, we form an army, a Eucharistic army armed with the power of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood, soul and divinity, the real, true and substantial presence of Jesus Christ that transformed the world in the Resurrection and continues to do so today through the Holy Eucharist. When we become Eucharistic adorers, we form an army, a Eucharistic army armed with the power of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ Himself. When we become Eucharistic adorers, Jesus unleashes through us His very real grace and presence outward to the entire world, so that the world itself can become a holy tabernacle of the Lord. Can you not spend one hour with Jesus for the salvation of the world? We do not ask you to sign your life away. Indeed, we ask you to sign your name in the book Come and pray to Jesus. Recite your favorite prayers, do some meditative reading or just bask in the healing rays of Jesus before you. St. John of the Crosssaid, One moment of pure love is more precious in the eyes of God and more profitable to the whole Church than all the good works put together. Imagine what an hour can do! Allow Jesus to work through you. By your presence, your prayers and your sacrifice, have Christ s grace reach through you into your family, into your parish, into your community, into our country, and even into purgatory. There are different levels of commitment to Eucharistic adoration. If after choosing a day, an hour, you have to change it or even volunteer as a substitute, that s possible. The Lord has given us 168 hours in the week. Surely we can give one back to Jesus.

8 The Holy Mass is a Sacrifice Never Forget That Once we realize the depth of this mysterious exchange, our appreciation for the Mass and our appropriation of its benefits will increase. - Fr. Dwight Longenecker Last weekend when we celebrated Corpus Christi I got thinking again of the strangeness of the Mass. Here we say we offer the sacrifice of the Mass. In this modern, techno-whiz-bang of a world, in this scientific, rationalistic society, we still go through the ancient and arcane practice of making a sacrifice? Yes we do, and we use this language without apology. Yet when you stop to think about it, how strange is this? One of the universal practices of humanity around the world in ancient times is the ritual of sacrifice. The reasons and methods of sacrifice are complex and varied, but what remains is that in virtually every religion, in every part of the world, in one way or another, a sacrifice was offered. Sometimes the sacrifice was linked with the scapegoat idea the terrors and trials and problems and fears of the people were projected onto the sacrificial victim, and as it was killed the problems and sins were done away with. The sacrifice was sometimes simply a ritualistic way to get rid of the tribe s enemy. In battle the enemy was captured and then ritually sacrificed. Another element of the sacrificial system was an attempt to placate the gods so they would provide the necessary weather conditions for a good crop. Sacrifices were also offered as a way of giving the gods a gift of something precious. There were also identifications with the mysteries of life and death, the underworld, redemption, release and the idea of an exchange of victims to effect justice and peace. Catholicism is the one religion in the modern world today that still offers a sacrifice on a regular basis. I believe Hindus still offer sacrifices at a low level of making offerings, and there may be some other obscure sects in the Middle East who do, but the Catholic Church is the only religion that still maintains a full sacrificial system through the mystery of the Mass and does so worldwide at every altar, every day. Why is this? Why have sacrifices pretty much died out everywhere, yet it remains within Catholicism? Because the cross of Christ is the one, full, final sacrifice. On the cross the sacrificial systems of the world were fulfilled. All was completed. The Mass is the daily remembrance of that one, full, final sacrifice. Through the mystery of the Mass we bring that completed sacrifice into the present moment and apply it s graces to our needs today. This is why the concept of the sacrifice of the Mass must not be minimized or lost. The Mass is not primarily the family fellowship meal. It is not primarily the gathering. It is not just a time to sing hymns, hold hands and hear a homily about how to be nice people and make the world a better place. Instead it is a solemn ritual. It is the one full final sacrifice alive again and again and day after day, presented to God in an unbloody manner. Once we realize the depth of this mysterious exchange, our appreciation for the Mass and our appropriation of its benefits will increase Addison Street, Berkeley, CA Phone: (510) Fax: (510) info@stjosephtheworkerchurch.org