29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA Tel. No. (415) The Most Holy Trinity May 27, 2018

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ST. BRENDAN CHURCH Share these articles with your friends online at www.stbrendanparish.org. 29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. No. (415) 681-4225 www.stbrendanparish.org The Most Holy Trinity May 27, 2018 Should You Curb Your Ambition?

The wife of Isaac and daughter-in-law of Abraham, Rebekah was a strong woman in every respect.

1 ST. BRENDAN CHURCH Share these articles with your friends online at 29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA Tel. No. (415) The Most Holy Trinity May 27, 2018 Should You Curb Your Ambition? This week in our new summer message series, Wonder Women: Female Heroes of the Bible, we meet one of the four matriarchs of the Old Testament. The wife of Isaac and daughter-in-law of Abraham, Rebekah was a strong woman in every respect. Though quiet, humble, and willing to serve, Rebekah also had a sharp mind with strong opinions and was not afraid to voice and act on them. But the ambitious dreams she held for Jacob, her favorite son, eventually drove her to deception and manipulation. Rebekah s betrayal, however, ultimately accomplished God s plan. Therefore, was her deception justified in the end? Was her ambition precisely the driving force needed at that point in salvation history? Ambition derives from the Latin ambitio, which literally means going around canvassing for votes. An ambitious person therefore seeks power, honor, and recognition. Ambition is not wrong in itself. God gave us an ego to accomplish things through an inner drive to succeed. It becomes problematic only when proper ambition, as Aristotle termed it in his Nicomachean Ethics, exceeds the golden mean and spills over into greed or unhealthy ambition. To discern whether your ambition is healthy, consider the end, the means, and the intent. 1. Consider the End. The moral quality of ambition rests in part on the objective pursued. If your goals align with God s, then your determination to achieve that purpose will honor God. Otherwise, you should rethink your plan. Rebekah s duplicity was the conduit to the development of the ancient Israelite nation. The end she pursued therefore was good. 2. Consider the Means. The ends, however, do not justify the means. Rebekah used dishonesty to defraud her eldest son of his birthright. In Catholic moral tradition, lying is an intrinsic evil that can never be justified. Assuming Rebekah did in fact lie, could God have achieved his own ends without the falsehood? 3. Consider the Intent. The difference between proper and blind ambition often emerges in the motive of the one acting. Though many seek power and prestige, Saint Paul tells us that our only ambition should be to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). Was Rebekah s conduct based on her desire to promote her favorite son or to fulfill God s prophesy and the higher purpose that Jacob, and not his brother Esau, would be the father of the twelve tribes of Israel? Rebekah was by no means perfect. Heroes rarely are. Even in their weakness, however, God never fails to bring about his plan through the imperfect people he chooses, like you and me. Fr. Roger Gustafson

2 Making Church Matter Welcome Aboard! If this is your first time to Saint Brendan or your first time to church in a long time, we re glad you re here! We are a cozy community of believers who seek to find our way in life by following Jesus together, and we want you with us on the journey. Explore some possible next steps for you below. We re here to help. If you have any questions, stop by our welcome desk located at the entrance to the church, check out our website at or just give us a call. Become Part of Our Church Family Come aboard and navigate life with us. As a member, we ask that you take steps to grow in your discipleship. In fact, STEPS is an acronym for how to become a better disciple of Christ. As a member, we'll ask that you consider: S - Serving in a ministry T - Tithing & Giving E - Engaging in a small group P - Practicing prayer, including regular Sunday worship with us S - Sharing your faith by inviting your friends and neighbors to church If you think you're ready to become part of our church family, stop by our welcome desk at the entrance to the church before or after any Weekend Mass. Serve in Ministry & Mission We know many things compete for your attention. But we also know you ll never really be happy until you begin serving others and putting your love to work. There are so many opportunities to make a difference: Help make Sundays an irresistible celebration by joining our Sunday Liturgy Support Ministry. Help children, teens, and adults on their journey of faith by joining our Faith Formation Ministry. Keep parishioners and visitors connected to one another by joining one of our Parish Life Ministries. Take the love of Christ to people who are suffering by joining one of our Outreach Ministries. Whatever God is calling you to do, take that next bold step in faith. Explore our website for more information or just call us. We re happy to get you connected!

Featured News & Events CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATING 8TH GRADE CLASS ATTENDING THE FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOLS St.

Convent & Stuart Hall Schools 2 San Francisco University High School 1 Lowell High School 1 Lick-Wilmerding High School 1 Drew School 1 NIGHT

Please join the Experienced Navigators, our over 50 group, for a supper club dinner and cabaret entertainment at Villa D Este Restaurant, 2623

Early Registration Now Open Fall Children s Faith Formation Classes As you prepare for summer break, consider registering your child for Faith

stbrendanparish.org to register online. NARADA S GREAT GOSPEL SHOW Friday, June 29, 7:00 p.m. Let s get together for a concert at St.

3 Featured News & Events CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATING 8TH GRADE CLASS ATTENDING THE FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOLS St. Ignatius College Preparatory 13 Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory 8 Archbishop Riordan High School 4 Mercy High School (Burlingame & SF) 3 Convent & Stuart Hall Schools 2 San Francisco University High School 1 Lowell High School 1 Lick-Wilmerding High School 1 Drew School 1 NIGHT OUT WITH THE EXPERIENCED NAVIGATORS Monday, June 4, 6:15 p.m. Please join the Experienced Navigators, our over 50 group, for a supper club dinner and cabaret entertainment at Villa D Este Restaurant, 2623 Ocean Avenue in San Francisco. For more information, call Tony Fernandez at (415) Early Registration Now Open Fall Children s Faith Formation Classes As you prepare for summer break, consider registering your child for Faith Formation next fall. The first session of the new year begins on Sunday, August 26. Early registration now open. Visit our website at to register online. NARADA S GREAT GOSPEL SHOW Friday, June 29, 7:00 p.m. Let s get together for a concert at St. Brendan produced by Billboard Magazine s top ten record producer of all time, Narada Michael Walden, who has produced 57 #1 hit singles. Those of you who attended Narada s concert at St. Brendan last Fall know this is an event you won t want to miss! Please note that this concert is being filmed for national television.

The Good News The Man Behind The Woman: Jacob Each week during our summer message series, Wonder Women: Female Heroes of the Bible, we highlight a male figure in the life of our feminine champion.

4 The Good News The Man Behind The Woman: Jacob Each week during our summer message series, Wonder Women: Female Heroes of the Bible, we highlight a male figure in the life of our feminine champion. This week s man is Rebekah s son, Jacob. The patriarch Abraham had a son named Isaac, who in turn had a son named Jacob. Jacob s twelve sons made up the twelve tribes of Israel that eventually became the nation of Israel. In many of the psalms and other parts of the Scripture, God is referred to as the God of Jacob, because it was through Jacob that God first formed his human family. The name Jacob means to supplant, scheme, or cheat. Jacob was always thinking about how he could get more in life. He had an older twin brother named Esau, with whom he fought even in the womb. Their mother, Rebekah, called out to God, who told her that there were two nations in her womb, that one would be stronger than the other, and that the older would serve the younger. Esau turned out to be an athletic, hairy, man s man, while Jacob was a smooth-skinned, quiet momma s boy, who liked to stay indoors. Isaac s favorite was the tough-guy, Esau, while Rebekah s favorite was Jacob. As the first born son, Esau had a birthright that entitled him to spiritual, moral, and political authority over the family once he received his father s blessing. When Isaac s death drew near, he asked Esau to bring him a final meal and receive the blessing he was entitled to from birth. Rebekah overheard this and conspired with Jacob to steal his father s blessing away from Esau. She covered Jacob s forearms and neck with animal fur and gave him Esau s smelly clothes to wear, so that his father, who had become blind, would believe he was Esau. Soon after, Esau returned from the hunt and discovered the fraud. Rebekah overheard Esau comforting himself with thoughts of killing Jacob and warned him to escape and hide at his uncle Laban s house far away. On his way, Jacob stopped at a shrine to sleep and dreamed of a ladder leading to heaven and God promising to bless him. Jacob then spent the next twenty-one years in exile, away from his home and family. Over time, he amassed wealth by managing Laban s property, but tensions with his uncle eventually led him on the long journey back home. About a day away, he sent gifts ahead of him to Esau, in an attempt to smooth his return, but soon heard that Esau was advancing with 400 men. Afraid, Jacob stayed awake all night fighting with a man, who turned out to be God. At break of day, Jacob then received God s true blessing and was renamed Israel, which means to wrestle with God. Working, planning, and scheming will not produce the life for which we long. We were not meant to arrange for it, but to receive it from our heavenly Father as a blessing. To the extent we desire God s blessing in our marriages, businesses, and lives, we must renounce scheming, strategizing, and always attempting to get what we want on our own. Instead, our role simply is to cling to God, as Jacob did, and receive his abundant blessings.

Stewardship Stewardship is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God s gifts and shares them generously in love of God and neighbor.

A steward recognizes that God is the source of all life and every blessing and that all gifts of time, talent, and treasure come from God. A steward is grateful for those gifts.

Called to be charitable with every blessing, human beings nevertheless struggle to be truly generous.

5 Stewardship Stewardship is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God s gifts and shares them generously in love of God and neighbor. Stewardship is not about money or fundraising. It is a spirituality. It is a way of life. A steward recognizes that God is the source of all life and every blessing and that all gifts of time, talent, and treasure come from God. A steward is grateful for those gifts. A steward takes care of and increases those gifts and freely gives back the first and best portion of those gifts to God. Generous Like The Trinity At the heart of stewardship is generosity. Called to be charitable with every blessing, human beings nevertheless struggle to be truly generous. Out of fear, we often are tightfisted and stingy when it comes to sharing our time, talent, and treasure. Trinity Sunday, however, is the celebration of divine generosity towards the human race. On this day, we remember God s radical love revealed in the Father who rescued his chosen people from slavery, displayed in the Son who gave his life in a sacrificial death on the cross for us, and poured into the hearts of believers through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we could become adopted sons and daughters of God. We know that God is love and love, by definition, is generative, overflowing, and ever-expanding. Therefore, the essence of God is the generous outpouring of self directed towards a second divine person that we call his Son. In a display of unrestrained love beyond compare, the Father gives of himself to the Son without counting the cost, and the Son returns that love reciprocally, generously commending his life and all that he is and does to the will of the Father in loving obedience. The Holy Spirit is the result of that generous love and the bond between the Father and the Son. The exchange of love within the community of God is shared with all of humanity. And since no one is excluded from the expansive love of God, Jesus commands the apostles in the gospel today to go out and make disciples of every people and nation. Shouldn t such unstinting generosity call forth a mutual response in us. How can we make a return to the Lord today? Father Roger Gustafson, Pastor 91% 2018 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal Goal $128,445 Amount Pledged or Paid $ 116,780 Whatever financial blessings God has given you, we invite you to make a planned, proportionate, and sacrificial financial commitment to this parish and to the poor that will continue throughout the year. The biblical standard is a tenth of our income, before taxes or anything else is taken out, half to the Church and half to the poor. It s a huge step and takes trust, but we can never out give God. SECOND COLLECTION NEXT WEEK: ST. BRENDAN SCHOOL SUNDAY COLLECTION May 20, 2018 GOAL $ 9,500 TOTAL $ 8,760 Under $ 740

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SAINT BRENDAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Church School Convent 29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Rectory

stbrendanparish.org 940 Laguna Honda Blvd. San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. (415) 731-2665 www.stbrendansf.

(415) 681-3465 MASSES Sunday: 7:00, 8:00, 9:30,11:30 AM Mon-Fri: 6:30 & 8:15 AM Saturday: 8:15 AM 5:00

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Wednesday: 7:00-8:00 PM Saturday: 4:00-4:45 PM BAPTISMS & WEDDINGS For

STAFF Pastor (415) 969-6788 Fr. Roger Gustafson FatherRogerGustafson@gmail.

org Member & Volunteer Care (415) 969-6813 Sr. Angela Furia, FdCC srangela@stbrendanparish.

8:15 a.m. Weekend Angela Lioy (D) David L.

dlakatta@stbrendansf.com Parish Manager (415) 969-6815 Lisa Rosenlund lisa@stbrendanparish.

8 SAINT BRENDAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Church School Convent 29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA Rectory Phone: (415) Mon - Thurs: 8:30 am - Noon, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Sun: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Laguna Honda Blvd. San Francisco CA Tel. (415) Canossian Sisters 234 Ulloa Street San Francisco CA Tel. (415) MASSES Sunday: 7:00, 8:00, 9:30,11:30 AM Mon-Fri: 6:30 & 8:15 AM Saturday: 8:15 AM 5:00 PM Holy Days: 6:30 AM, 8:15 AM and 6:00 PM CONFESSIONS Saturday: 4:15-4:45 PM Wednesday: 7:15-7:45 PM EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Wednesday: 7:00-8:00 PM Saturday: 4:00-4:45 PM BAPTISMS & WEDDINGS For information, please see our website at or call us at (415) STAFF Pastor (415) Fr. Roger Gustafson FatherRogerGustafson@gmail.com Parochial Vicar (415) Fr. Peterson Tieng Ext.214 frpete@stbrendanparish.org Member & Volunteer Care (415) Sr. Angela Furia, FdCC srangela@stbrendanparish.org Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday MASS INTENTIONS (May 28-June 3, 2018) Weekday 6:30 a.m. 8:15 a.m. Weekend Angela Lioy (D) David L. Alvers (D) Barbara Dollard (D) Evangelization & Faith Formation Manolito Jaldon (415) manolito@stbrendanparish.org Music Ministry (415) Mario Balestrieri School Principal (415) Dianne Lakatta dlakatta@stbrendansf.com Parish Manager (415) Lisa Rosenlund lisa@stbrendanparish.org SAT 8:15 a.m. SAT 5 p.m. SUN 7 a.m. SUN 8 a.m. SUN 9:30 a.m. SUN 11:30 a.m. Raymond Aguirre (L) Carmen Cardoza (D) People of St. Brendan Parish Loretta Tribulato (D) Angela & Giuseppe Tardio (D) Deacon Joseph Dat Nguyen Finance Manager (415) Venetia Hui Gatus venetia@stbrendanparish.org Administrative Assistant (415) Maeve O Reilly maeve@stbrendanparish.org

29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA Tel. No. (415) August 19, 2018 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

ST. BRENDAN CHURCH Share these articles with your friends online at www.stbrendanparish.org. 29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. No. (415) 681-4225 www.stbrendanparish.org August 19, 2018 Twentieth