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News for December

Mass Schedule

November 28, 2024

7 AM Spanish
10 AM Bilingual

December 9, 2024

7 AM Spanish
9 AM English
5 PM Bilingual
6:30 PM Spanish

December 11, 2024

10 PM Vispera

December 12, 2024

12 AM Mariachi
6 AM Spanish
7 AM Spanish with Mariachi
9 AM Spanish
11 AM Spanish
5 PM Bilingual
6:30 PM Spanish with Mariachi

*The Church will remain open the entire night.

Did You Know?

Child pornography and artificial intelligence, part 2

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has opened the door to generating incredibly realistic images. Often called “deepfakes”, we have seen these images crop up on social media. In January 2024, explicit images of Taylor Swift, created by AI, were posted online, and viewed over 45 million times before they were removed. In the same way, AI technology can be used by child abusers to create and share explicit imagery. For more information, read the VIRTUS® article “Artificial Intelligence – Deepfakes and Child Abusers” on https://lacatholics.org/did-you-know/.

Prepare for Eternal Life

1st Sunday of Advent

“To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.”Ps. 25

Many people plan for their retirement from work, sacrificing a portion of their salary throughout their lives to ensure they have some extra money when they retire. This is wise, even though we cannot be certain we will live to enjoy that retirement. We could pass away before reaching that moment, and we don’t know how long we will stay or in what condition we’ll be.

However, knowing for sure that the end of our life in this world will come at some point, we should be making plans to reach eternal joy and not condemnation. Jesus both asked and warned us about this. We must be prepared to enter God’s Kingdom when our time comes to leave this world, which could be today or even this year. Do I sincerely believe I am prepared for that?

What does it mean to be prepared? I would say it involves already living by the values of Heaven—those Jesus Himself lived and taught. This means being detached from everything, free from idolatry, with our hearts set on God as our first love. It means being one of His disciples who listen to Him daily, follow Him, and deny themselves. It involves avoiding attachments to our own will or to human approval, seeking only God’s will.

This makes us citizens of Heaven, guided by the Spirit, a light to the world, and leaven in the dough, a gift from God and a blessing to others. This is what God desires for us.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”Matthew 25:34-35

“Be like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table, and will come and serve them.”Luke 12:37

“But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”2 Timothy 4:6-8

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”Matthew 24:45-47

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850 -1917) dreamed of being a missionary. She first served Italian immigrant populations, from New York to Chicago, and across the U.S. She is the first United States citizen to be canonized and is the Universal Patron of Immigrants.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Jer 33:14-16/Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 (1b)/1 Thes 3:12—4:2/Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Monday: Is 2:1-5/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9/Mt 8:5-11
Tuesday: Is 11:1-10/Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17/Lk 10:21-24
Wednesday: Is 25:6-10a/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6/Mt 15:29-37
Thursday: Is 26:1-6/Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a/Mt 7:21, 24-27
Friday: Is 29:17-24/Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14/Mt 9:27-31
Saturday: Is 30:19-21, 23-26/Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6/Mt 9:35—10:1, 5a, 6-8
Next Sunday: Bar 5:1-9/Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3)/Phil 1:4-6, 8-11/Lk 3:1-6

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 1st Sunday of Advent
Tuesday: St. Francis Xavier, Priest
Wednesday: St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Friday: St. Nicholas, Bishop
Saturday: St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Next Sunday: 2nd Sunday of Advent

Seek First the Kingdom of God

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

“The Lord is king; He is robed in majesty.”Ps. 93

Let Him reign in your life, in your mind, heart, and strength, in your family, in your work, in your relationships, in your time, in your relaxation, in your hobbies, in your decisions… By obeying Jesus, we are truly His disciples—those who listen to Him, trust in Him, and follow Him. Only by doing so can we benefit from His wisdom, His way, His truth, His healing, and His divine life. If we ignore Him, we do not follow Him, and we remain lost in our selfish disorder, in our clumsiness and darkness, depriving ourselves of the greatest gift Christ came to make available to us.

We are told:

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”Matthew 6:33

This is what the Christian life is about: letting Jesus reign in my life—in all the areas mentioned above. It means guarding the life of the soul, spiritual health, and fundamental values, to live in a Kingdom of love, joy, peace, kindness, and other fruits that Christ wants everyone to see clearly in you.

Only by doing so can we be a blessing to others and bring Christ into the world, allowing Him to continue loving and working through us as He desires. This is what it means to be prepared to die, to have eternal life, and to be ready for His second coming. How is this done in everyday life? How can we put spiritual values before material ones? Always choose to attend a retreat rather than simply going on an outing; go to Mass before anything else. Choose to do good for someone who needs you, rather than passing by for something less important.

We must love the truth and defend it at all costs, recognizing and immediately rejecting the deceits of the evil one. Do not give ear to foolish voices, whether they come from outside, from another person, or from your own mind. Turn a deaf ear, as we want the voice of our Good Shepherd to prevail always-the only voice that leads us to green pastures and peaceful waters, giving us the fruits of the Spirit that we would not want to lose for anything in the world.

Always prioritize the values of the gospel, the spiritual and eternal over the material and temporary. A good deed that earns you treasures in heaven is worth more than a high salary if it only serves to inflate your ego, making you feel like the owner and lord of things instead of a steward who offers help to those in need, thus practicing the charity that truly enriches you.

Letting Jesus reign means allowing Him to guide us always and in everything; this will make us a source of love for everyone-friends and enemies alike. Guided by Christ, we can love as He loves, even sinners. This is the fruit of the Spirit and the living experience of the Kingdom of God, something that no Christian should be without.

St. Andrew of Crete

St. Andrew of Crete was born in Damascus and was mute until he received his First Communion at age 7. He went on to be an influential archbishop and hymnist in Crete. His most renowned work, the Great Canon, is chanted during Lent in Eastern Orthodox churches.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Dn 7:13-14/Ps 91:1, 1-2, 5 (1a)/Rv 1:5-8/Jn 18:33b-37
Monday: Rv 14:1-3, 4b-5/Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6/Lk 21:1-4
Tuesday: Rv 14:14-19/Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13/Lk 21:5-11
Wednesday: Rv 15:1-4/Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 7-8, 9/Lk 21:12-19
Thursday: Rv 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a/Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5/Lk 21:20-28
Friday: Rv 20:1-4, 11-21:2/Ps 84:3, 4, 5-бa and 8a/Lk 21:29-33
Saturday: Rom 10:9-18/Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11/Mt 4:18-22
Next Sunday: Jer 33:14-16/Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 (1b)/1 Thes 3:12-4:2/Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

Observances for the Week

Sunday: Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Monday: St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr
Thursday: Thanksgiving Day
Saturday: St. Andrew, Apostle
Next Sunday: 1st Sunday of Advent

New Testament Quotes from the End of Times

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“You are my inheritance, O Lord!”Ps. 16

“But the Spirit clearly says that in the latter times some will abandon the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared…”1 Thessalonians 4:1

“Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”2 Thessalonians 2:3

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.”2 Timothy 3:1

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”2 Peter 2:1

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts.”2 Peter 3:3

“Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”1 John 2:18

“We are from God; the one who knows God listens to us; the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”1 John 4:6

“In the last times there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly desires.”Jude 1:18

“For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many…”Matthew 24:5-12

“And they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”2 Timothy 4:4

“That wicked one, whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved…”2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

“…what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; I do not want you to be participants with demons.”1 Corinthians 10:20

“But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”2 Timothy 3:13

St. Justin Martyr

St. Justin Martyr (c. 100 – 165) was a second century apologist. His detailed texts show the depth of the Catholic tradition and were meant to dispel rumors of the early Church practices during the Roman persecution. An eyewitness account of his martyrdom still survives today.

Mary and the Saints

Question: Why do Catholics pray to Mary and the saints?

Answer: One of the statements of faith we make when we pray the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed is that we believe in “the communion of saints.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that this communion (another word for community) includes all the faithful on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and the blessed women, men, and children who are in heaven. This teaching is grounded in our belief that, through Baptism, we are united with Christ and to one another with bonds that are stronger even than death.

And so from the time of the early Church, Christians have turned to other believers for prayers and assistance, including those who have gone before us, confident that God hears the prayers of all of His children. While we ask the saints (and one another) for prayers and support, we remember that the saints join us in prayer. But it is God who blesses and sanctifies us.

When we think of Mary and the saints in heaven, we have to remember that we can turn to them for intercession and assistance because they were faulted, limited human beings, just like us. This means that they are able to understand our struggles, doubts, fears, joys, and hopes. But as we learn their stories, we can also begin to recognize that they stand out in the history of the Church because they persevered in their commitment to follow Christ. Whether they were ordained, vowed religious, martyrs, husbands, wives, or even children, they show us that holiness is possible. We can not only follow their example but also benefit from their prayerful support.

Our devotion to the saints and gratitude for their witness, prayers, and protection should also be an inspiration for us, especially when we become aware of the needs of others or when others ask us to pray for them. We are called to share the blessings we receive. This is also part of our own journey of growing in holiness.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Dn 12:1-3/Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 (1)/Heb 10:11-14, 18/Mk 13:24-32
Monday: Rv 1:1-4; 2:1-5/Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6/Lk 18:35-43
Tuesday: Rv 3:1-6, 14-22/Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5/Lk 19:1-10
Wednesday: Rv 4:1-11/Ps 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6/Lk 19:11-28
Thursday: Rv 5:1-10/Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b/Lk 19:41-44
Friday: Rv 10:8-11/Ps 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131/Lk 19:45-48
Saturday: Rv 11:4-12/Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10/Lk 20:27-40
Next Sunday: Rv 11:4-12/Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10/Lk 20:27-40

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: The Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles; St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Virgin
Thursday: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Friday: St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Saturday: St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr; St. Columban, Abbot; Bl. Miguel Agustin Pro, Priest and Martyr
Next Sunday: Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Does God Punish?

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Praise the Lord, my soul!”Ps. 146

Many times, we hear preaching in the Church that God’s justice will be revealed after this life, interpreting the biblical text that repeatedly states that God will reward each person according to their deeds, with heaven, purgatory, or hell.

We hear that it is not that God rewards or punishes in this life, but rather that each person reaps what they sow or what the context of this world gives them; that God did not come to take away the cross, but to give meaning to it. Therefore, we should never interpret the cross or tribulation as God’s punishment, because we say He is love.

Can we be so sure of this interpretation? Could it be that God already, even in this life, places corrections along our path? Let’s look at some passages that might suggest this:

“…Moreover, you have forgotten the encouragement addressed to you as sons: ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are reprimanded by him; for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’ It is for your correction that you suffer; God treats you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”Hebrews 12:5ff

“I rebuke and discipline those whom I love; therefore, be zealous and repent.”Revelation 3:19

“Sin no more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.”John 5:14

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”James 4:6

“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life.”Galatians 6:7-8

Even if these passages refer only to life after this one, the reality is that in this life we already suffer the consequences of not giving God the first place. This results in missing out on many blessings, fruits, and gifts of the Spirit, causing us to suffer more due to sin. IN SIN LIES PENANCE, because sin leads inevitably to suffering, destruction, and death, as Scripture makes clear.

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools. They even replaced the glorious, immortal God with images of all that is fleeting: images of men, birds, animals, and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them up to their secret passions; they indulged in impurity and dishonored their own bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!”Romans 1:22ff

St. Gemma Galgani

St. Gemma Galgani (1878-1903) was an Italian layperson who lived an intense prayer life. She experienced ecstasies, was reported to levitate, and received the grace of the holy stigmata. She is called the “Daughter of the Passion” because of her deep union with Christ’s passion.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: 1 Kgs 17:10-16/Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)/Heb 9:24-28/Mk 12:38-44 or 12:41-44
Monday: Ti 1:1-9/Ps 24:1b-2, 3-4ab, 5-6/Lk 17:1-6
Tuesday: Ti 2:1-8, 11-14/Ps 37:3-4, 18 and 23, 27 and 29/Lk 17:7-10
Wednesday: Ti 3:1-7/Ps 23:1b-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6/Lk 17:11-19
Thursday: Phim 7-20/Ps 146:7, 8-9a, 9bc-10/Lk 17:20-25
Friday: 2 Jn 4-9/Ps 119:1, 2, 10, 11, 17, 18/Lk 17:26-37
Saturday: 3 Jn 5-8/Ps 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6/Lk 18:1-8
Next Sunday: Dn 12:1-3/Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 (1)/Heb 10:11-14, 18/Mk 13:24-32

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: St. Martin of Tours, Bishop; Veterans Day
Tuesday: St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Wednesday: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
Friday: St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Saturday: St. Margaret of Scotland; St. Gertrude, Virgin
Next Sunday: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

News for November

Mass Schedule

November 28, 2024

7 AM Spanish
10 AM Bilingual

December 9, 2024

7 AM Spanish
9 AM English
5 PM Bilingual
6:30 PM Spanish

December 11, 2024

10 PM Vispera

December 12, 2024

12 AM Mariachi
6 AM Spanish
7 AM Spanish with Mariachi
9 AM Spanish
11 AM Spanish
5 PM Bilingual
6:30 PM Spanish with Mariachi

*The Church will remain open the entire night.

Office Closed

Offices will be closed for Thanksgiving on November 28 and 29

Financial Report 7/1/2024 – 11/12/2024

	Income	Expenses
Rides	$39,551.70
Donations St. Jude	$ 1,313.00
Raffle St. Jude	$98,205.00	$ 7,000.00
Booth Rentals	$18,700.00	$11,011.00
Food	$76,035.00	$32,382.04
Loteria/Games	$ 8,918.00	$ 1,799.50
Permits		$ 3,624.49
Sound System/Entertainment		$15,000.00
Security, Cleaning, rentals restrooms, etc.		$22,001.06
Utilities: Electricity, water, water trash		$67,137.09
Insurances		$70,308.29
Building and Ground Supplies		$10,944.58

Office Closed

In honor of our veterans, office will be closed on Monday, November 11th.

Did You Know?

Child pornography and artificial intelligence, part 1

Many child abusers maintain a “collection” of pornographic materials, including images, either real or fake, of their victims or intended victims. Abusers will often manipulate these images for their own purposes — for example, cropping or editing a photo or a video in a suggestive manner, or adding other elements to create a preferred image. While this is not new behavior, it has become increasingly more dangerous with the introduction of artificial intelligence. For more information, read the VIRTUS® article “Artificial Intelligence – Deepfakes and Child Abusers” on https://lacatholics.org/did-you-know/.

Do You Love God First?

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

“I love you Lord, my strength.”Ps. 18

What is the first commandment in your daily life? What takes priority in your life? What love or passion do you dedicate the most sacrifices to? For some, it’s money; for others, health, appearance, food, sports, or even their own ego, and they dedicate hours, sweat, and tears to these. For others, it might be their possessions, pleasures, pets, etc.; whatever they dedicate the most sacrifices to becomes their god-idol.

Few offer their time, effort, and sacrifices to love God above all things, as asked in the first commandment, which means doing His will (John 14:15ff). Some might respond that family is the cause of their efforts and sacrifices. Would that be acceptable to God? Is it legitimate for a Christian? We can say yes, as long as they love from the love of God, maintaining their love for God and His divine will first. Otherwise, it would be a disordered and very limited love, lacking the discernment of God’s will for them, which is the way to truly love them.

“If you love your father or mother more than me, you are not worthy of me.”Matthew 10:37

But if we love them while respecting the priority of God’s love, we will have true love for them, seeking God’s will in them, thus truly loving them (1 John 5:3).

“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself…”Mark 12:28

Many settle for not killing or stealing, thinking that is enough, while forgetting the most important dimension, the vertical one, of the first commandment, and our obligation to God, which they often neglect, as if God were not our head and we did not have to do His will. This is the path Jesus lays out for us to be His disciples and to lead us on the path of life, so that we may have His complete joy (John 15:11).

“Listen, therefore, Israel, and take care to observe what will bring you happiness and prosperity…”Deuteronomy 6:3

The first thing is to love God; the main reason for our life is to know and love Him by doing His will. ONLY IN THIS WAY, open to His Spirit through faith, WILL WE HAVE TRUE, DIVINE LOVE to properly love everyone, as Jesus loved us and asks us to love each other, with the freedom of the children of God, so that we can truly love and thus give Him glory and please Him.

“A new commandment I give to you: That you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples.”John 13:34

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Dt 6:2-6/Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)/Heb 7:23-28/Mk 12:28b-34
Monday: Phil 2:1-4/Ps 131:1bcde, 2, 3/Lk 14:12-14
Tuesday: Phil 2:5-11/Ps 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30c, 31-32//Lk 14:15-24
Wednesday: Phil 2:12-18/Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14/Lk 14:25-33
Thursday: Phil 3:3-8a/Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7/Lk 15:1-10
Friday: Phil 3:17-4:1/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5/Lk 16:1-8
Saturday: Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12/Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9/1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17/Jn 2:13-22
Next Sunday: 1 Kgs 17:10-16/Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)/Heb 9:24-28/Mk 12:38-44 or 12:41-44

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time; Daylight Time Saving Ends; National Vocation Awareness
Monday: St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Tuesday: Election Day
Saturday: The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Next Sunday: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sins Against the Truth

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”Ps. 126

Jesus is the truth (light) because He reveals the truth, which is incompatible with lies (darkness). Therefore, all followers of Jesus should be lovers of the truth, and in this world, this requires a daily search and a constant effort of discernment. The darkness of lies constantly seeks a crack through which to enter our minds, contaminating them and distancing us from the beauty and splendor of the truth. He came to GIVE SIGHT TO THE BLIND.

In this search and discernment, we have the Spirit of truth, which is why Jesus called it that. It is the truth that makes us free from the darkness of sin, which is always rooted in lies. Therefore, we must love and seek it continuously. This task will lead us to avoid the following common mistakes against the light, through which many lies and deceptions infiltrate, always bringing division and destruction.

ASSUMING: It is daring to believe in something of which one cannot be sure yet accepting it as true. In a very high percentage, we let error enter and make mistakes by assuming.
BELIEVING IN SUSPICIONS: Any idea or possibility can come to mind, and often negative ideas and erroneous suspicions arise. Many easily accept them uncritically as true.
GOING WITH PREJUDICES: Similarly, prejudices based on someone’s skin color, way of speaking, being, or dressing often lead you to make erroneous judgments that you should not accept as true or allow to influence you.
ACTING AS A FORTUNE-TELLER: We think a lot, and many ideas and possibilities come to us, but we must accept our limitations and not act as fortune-tellers, as errors will be more frequent than correct judgments.
CREDULITY: Many naively believe everything at first glance, and unfortunately, there are lies everywhere, sometimes without ill intent, but due to the same credulity that led them to swallow these lies whole and spread them. We should not believe without sufficient grounds.
BEING UNCRITICAL: Many do not discern the truth because they do not contrast it with a critical sense that we should have, so as not to accept absurd, irrational, and ridiculous beliefs that many easily accept, offending the truth and allowing lies to enter.
NOT SEEKING IT: “You will find me if you seek me with all your heart,” says God. Likewise, the truth is found only by those who love it and seek it sincerely, without bias or prejudice, contrasting voices and ideas from diverse angles.

In summary, we must apply the wise saying: to foolish words, deaf ears. This foolishness do not only come from others, but very often arise from our own minds, which we should disregard and ignore out of love for God and our neighbors.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Jer 31:7-9/Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3)/Heb 5:1-6/Mk 10:46-52
Monday: Eph 2:19-22/Ps 19:2-3, 4-5/Lk 6:12-16
Tuesday: Eph 5:21-33/Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5/Lk 13:18-21
Wednesday: Eph 6:1-9/Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14/Lk 13:22-30
Thursday: Eph 6:10-20/Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10/Lk 13:31-35
Friday: Rv 7:2-4, 9-14/Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6/1 Jn 3:1-3/Mt 5:1-12a
Saturday: Wis 4:7-14/Ps 25:6, and 7b, 17-18, 20-21/Rom 5:17-21/Mt 11:25-30
Next Sunday: Dt 6:2-6/Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)/Heb 7:23-28/Mk 12:28b-34

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles
Thursday: All Hallow’s Eve
Friday: All Saints
Next Sunday: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time; Daylight Time Saving Ends; National Vocation Awareness

Good Works That Please God

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.”Ps. 33

We live in a world where being a Christian means going against the current of the world, against trends, because evil is often more attractive than good. The world has turned its back on God, preferring darkness to light. This is why we see evil glorified in movies that present villains and murderers as heroes and idols to emulate.

For this reason, we need to refocus on God, to love the values of heaven, and to recognize the worth of all that is good, as we see in the lives of the saints and many Christians. We already know the 14 works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual. These are good works we can do for others, for both their bodies and their souls. Let’s look at some examples of good works within everyone’s reach, through which we store up treasures in heaven, our only true possession and achievement in life.

Attending Mass and retreats is a great good work, both for ourselves and for others. If we sanctify ourselves, we can help others in many ways to bring out the best in them.
Staying away from temptation and from situations that could lead to sin or cause someone else to stumble. This alone is a good work, as it prevents someone else or yourself from falling into sin.
Avoid falling into the trap of “an eye for an eye”, resentment, and revenge. A great good work is to overcome evil with good. Don’t allow harsh words or harmful actions to come from you; instead, speak and act in ways that build others up, even toward those who don’t treat you well.
You can always offer good advice, starting with your own family, just as mothers naturally do with their children from the moment they are born. The guidance and motivation we offer can always help others.
You can also enlighten friends and colleagues with the light of divine revelation and God’s will for them.
In short, let’s take every opportunity to do good to all, and especially to our brothers and sisters in faith (Galatians 6:10).
You can offer material support when someone genuinely needs it but avoid giving it when a person can earn it themselves, as this could harm them.
Inviting someone to a Mass, a conference, or a retreat is an easy way to help someone who may be in need.

Speak words that encourage improvement, that inspire others to do good. Show affection, charity, and support to all —teachers, priests, family members, friends…

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”Matthew 5:16

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”Mark 10:45

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Is 53:10-11/Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22, (22)/Heb 4:14-16/Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45
Monday: Eph 2:1-10/Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5/Lk 12:13-21
Tuesday: Eph 2:12-22/Ps 85:9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14/Lk 12:35-38
Wednesday: Eph 3:2-12/Ps 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6/Lk 12:39-48
Thursday: Eph 3:14-21/Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19/Lk 12:49-53
Friday: Eph 4:1-6/Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6/Lk 12:54-59
Saturday: Eph 4:7-16/Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5/Lk 13:1-9
Next Sunday: Jer 31:7-9/Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3)/Heb 5:1-6/Mk 10:46-52

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time; World Mission Sunday
Tuesday: St. John Paul II, Pope
Wednesday: St. John of Capistrano, Priest
Thursday: St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop
Next Sunday: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Treasures in Heaven

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!”Ps. 90

It is the only thing that will remain from everything you do, fight for, and tire yourself over-the treasures you have stored in heaven. It is the only thing you can consider as truly yours, and through which you can gain eternal life. Everything else is not yours, nor does it grant you eternal life; they are things that do not belong to you, things you merely manage while you breathe in this world, but they neither are nor will ever be yours.

“Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”Matthew 6:19-21

What you gain in this world is like having your savings in a bank that you know will go bankrupt, and everything accumulated will be lost. You don’t know when, but it will happen soon; everything will lose its value, and you won’t be able to retrieve anything you invested. But you have the possibility to save in another bank that you know for certain won’t fail, as it is backed and guaranteed by divine governance, which ensures extraordinary returns, because to those who have, more will be given.

Make sure you understand this well, because:

“To the one who has, more will be given; but from the one who does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.”Luke 8:18

But the one who does not store up treasures in this heavenly bank will lose everything, even what he thought he had, because he placed it in the bank that was destined for total failure. Everything that is achieved in this world for this earthly life can be stolen, corroded, or ultimately destroyed by time and death.

How to Store Treasures in Heaven? It is to “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33) by practicing charity and keeping the commandments. This is what makes us precious in the eyes of God—“That person is my friend, my sister, and my mother; we will come to him and make our home with him… the one who keeps my word.” Through faith and trust in Him, we have passed from death to life, and we no longer need to fear physical death, for Jesus assures us of eternal life.

The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are precious in God’s eyes, and they help us accumulate treasures in heaven. Doing good, helping others in their needs—it is Jesus Himself we are aiding when we help our neighbor (Matthew 25:35). This is why Jesus urges us to use money to make friends in heaven, by doing good and helping others charitably (Luke 16:9).

“And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into eternal dwellings.”Matthew 19:21

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” We will be saved by the richness in heaven not the earth’s.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Wis 7:7-11/Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 (14)/Heb 4:12-13/Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27
Monday: Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31—5:1/Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7/Lk 11:29-32
Tuesday: Gal 5:1-6/Ps 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48/Lk 11:37-41
Wednesday: Gal 5:18-25/Ps 1:1-2, 3 and 6/Lk 11:42-46
Thursday: Eph 1:1-10/Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6/Lk 11:47-54
Friday: 2 Tm 4:10-17b/Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18/Lk 10:1-9
Saturday: Eph 1:15-23/Ps 8:2-3ab, 4-5, 6-7/Lk 12:8-12
Next Sunday: Is 53:10-11/Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 (22)/Heb 4:14-16/Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr; Columbus Day
Tuesday: St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Wednesday: St. Hedwig, Religious; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin
Thursday: St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Friday: St. Luke, Evangelist
Saturday: Sts. John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs; St. Peter of Alcantara
Next Sunday: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time; World Mission Sunday

News for October

Celebrating All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day

All Saints – Friday November 1st
Mass 8:15 a.m. (English)

Parish Office Closed

Monday, October 14 in observance of Indigenous People’s Day.

St. Jude’s Fiesta

October 18, 19, & 20, 2024
Raffle:

1st Prize: $3000
2nd Prize: $2000
3rd Prize: $2000
4th Prize: Karaoke
5th Prize: Karaoke
6th Prize: St. Jude Statue
7th Prize: Mary Immaculate Statue

Drawing to be held after 9pm October 20, 2024
Donation: $10.00

Parish Fiesta News

Pre-sale tickets & wristbands for the rides

Available in the front office. Buy your pre-sale tickets before October 18 and SAVE!

Looking for Talent

If you know a singer, musical band, or folklore dance who would like to participate in the Parish Fiesta October 18, 19, and 20, 2024, please call 818 577 8957.

Raffle Tickets sent Home

We ask that it you have finished selling your rattle tickets, please bring the stubs of these together with the
proceeds to the parish office before October 15th. Thank you for your support!

Did You Know?

Trick or treating safely

Halloween is one of the most exciting nights of the year for children, but it can be a nerve-wracking night for the parents who have to run the show. Consider a few safety tips to get your family ready for trick-or-treating. Choose bright colored costumes and give your children flashlights and/or glow sticks to make them easily visible. Visit neighborhoods you know well, with lit streets and houses. Prep your children with your cell phone number, either memorized or written down in their pockets or even on their arms, in case you get separated. For more tips, visit https://diocesecc.org/news/halloween-safety-tips/.

What is Love

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.”Ps. 128

Love is dying to yourself, because only by doing so can you truly become love. Love is not selfish, and if you do not renounce yourself, you cannot love, not even yourself. If you do not give up your own ego, you will be dominated by it, with all its tendencies towards the seven deadly sins, which lead us away from the path of life. This selfish disorder aligns with the devil and the world, enemies of the soul and of your eternal life.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to renounce the tyranny of the ego and submit to the will of God, which leads us to green pastures and still waters, where you can experience and bear good fruit—the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Loving yourself and others means following the Good Shepherd. Following the world or your own ego makes you a slave to sin, while only following Jesus makes you free and fulfilled. Life is given to us to follow Christ and thus reach eternal salvation. Only on this path do we learn to truly love ourselves.

Being love means seeking the good of the one we love. Only then do we truly love, being a blessing and gift from God to them. This requires the renunciation of ego, of one’s own whims and interests, in order to seek the good of others. In this love, we paradoxically find the highest happiness and fulfillment, becoming a gift from God to others, a self-giving. This is only possible through the action of the Holy Spirit, which is the love of God poured into our hearts, making possible the fruits of love, joy, peace, and so on.

If you do not submit to Christ, you will be subjected to evil, for only Christ frees you from evil if you decide to open your heart to Him and follow Him.

True love, then, is doing good, being edifying, being a gift and blessing from God, light and salt, yeast that lifts, a word of encouragement and wisdom, a firm support, which we can only give if we are united to Jesus, for He alone is the solid rock, the way to God. Only united with Him can we bear the fruit that lasts, and only then do we glorify the Father and live out our vocation and mission as children of God (cf. John 15:5-11).

Feelings are part of our fallen nature, of our vulnerable and limited ego. Everything affects our feelings-hormones, whether it is day or night, what we have or do not have, what pleases or displeases us, whether we are alone or with someone, knowledge and ignorance, desires and whims. That is why we should not be led by feelings, for we would be like a dry leaf blown by the wind, wanting one thing today and another tomorrow. There is no firmness or stability in them.

The steering wheel of our lives belongs to the will, enlightened by faith and the knowledge of God. Only then can we be love, as God is love. The love that God asks of us depends on our will, never on our feelings; that is why it is a commandment. He can ask it of us, and it is up to us to decide to obey and love, for it is a free and voluntary act, not just a feeling. You can do good even to those you dislike.

Prayer to Respect Life

Dear Lord,
What a gift You have given in every human life.
Inspire us to respect Your handiwork in every human we encounter.
Embolden us to protect the dignity of the most vulnerable members of society.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Gn 2:18-24/Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 (see 5)/Heb 2:9-11/Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12
Monday: Gal 1:6-12/Ps 111:1b-2, 7-8, 9 and 10c/Lk 10:25-37
Tuesday: Gal 1:13-24/Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15/Lk 10:38-42
Wednesday: Gal 2:1-2, 7-14/Ps 117:1bc, 2/Lk 11:1-4
Thursday: Gal 3:1-5/Lk 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75/Lk 11:5-13
Friday: Gal 3:7-14/Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6/Lk 11:15-26
Saturday: Gal 3:22-29/Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7/Lk 11:27-28
Next Sunday: Wis 7:7-11/Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 (14)/Heb 4:12-13/Mk 10:17-30 or 10:17-27

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Respect Life Sunday
Monday: Our Lady of the Rosary
Wednesday: St. Denis, Bishop, and Companions, Martyrs; St. John Leonardi, Priest
Friday: St. John XXIII, Pope
Next Sunday: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Who wants to receive eternal life?

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.”Ps. 90

If you knew that you were in a small boat being carried by the current towards a waterfall and a cliff, would you stay in that little boat? If you knew that eating that appetizing food would cause kidney stones, would you still eat it? If you knew that falling into that sin would cause cancer, would you fall? If you knew that giving in to that temptation would cause a stroke that could leave you bedridden or kill you, would you go for it? If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to go with both hands into the eternal fire that never goes out…

The reality is that Jesus came to show us the way to regain the paradise and eternal salvation we lost through sin and disobedience to God, and many don’t seem interested in receiving it. They look the other way, leave Jesus out and don’t want to know about Him, don’t listen to Him, or follow Him, not realizing they are off the path that leads to Life, which is only found in Him.

Maybe this happens because they don’t see the serious consequences of sin, of leaving Jesus out of their lives, and of giving in to their own selfishness and human foolishness. If the consequences of the harm were immediate and identifiable, they probably wouldn’t fall into sin or leave Jesus out. But God’s Word is very clear, as are the teachings of Jesus, and even though we don’t see it in our human blindness, we must believe everything Jesus tells us. The consequences of sin are real and serious, both for oneself and for others, both temporary and eternal. And we define sin as stepping out of Gods will.

By not believing in Jesus as the true God and Savior, they aren’t interested in seeking Him or getting to know Him, and therefore, they cannot love Him or follow Him, for they have chosen to believe the world, the devil, and selfish disorder, like Adam and Eve and many others who remain on the path of perdition, even though they could take the path of Life. It seems that many do not want to receive the Gift of divine Life that Christ came to offer us.

Despite the strong calls He made with His own life and His word. And without realizing that they are on a path worse than towards death, for Jesus spoke of eternal condemnation, using metaphors of suffering and pain, like fire, worms, lashes, gnashing of teeth… All of which Jesus came to save us from, enduring torture, humiliation, and death on the cross.

“Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.'”John 14:6

“I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8:12

This means that whoever does not follow Him has chosen darkness and is on the side of destruction. God wants all of us to receive salvation; the invitation to the eternal banquet is for everyone, but many do not want to hear about it and reject it. Moses said: “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His spirit on them!”

Saint Francis of Assisi | October 4

Saint Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226) gave up a life of luxury for a life dedicated to Christianity after, as it is said, hearing the voice of God, who instructed him to rebuild the Christian church and live in poverty. He founded the Order of Friars Minor for men, the Order of Saint Clare for women, the Third Order of Saint Francis, and the Custody of the Holy Land.

Born in 1181 in Italy, Saint Francis of Assisi was known for drinking and partying in his youth. During a military expedition/battle between Assisi and Perugia, he was captured and imprisoned for ransom. He spent nearly a year in prison and began receiving visions from God. After his release from prison, Saint Francis of Assisi claimed to have heard the voice of Christ, who told him to restore the Christian Church and live a life of poverty. As a result, Saint Francis of Assisi abandoned his life of luxury and became devoted to the Catholic faith.

Today, Saint Francis of Assisi, known for his deep love of nature and animals, is the patron saint of the environment and animals. Every October, many animals are blessed in his honor on his feast day.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Nm 11:25-29/Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 (9a)/Jas 5:1-6/Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Monday: Jb 1:6-22/Ps 17:1bcd, 2-3, 6-7/Lk 9: 46-50
Tuesday: Jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23/Ps 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8/Lk 9:51-56
Wednesday: Jb 9:1-12, 14-16/Ps 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15/Mt 18:1-5, 10
Thursday: Jb 19:21-27/Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14/Lk 10:1-12
Friday: Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5/Ps 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab/Lk 10:13-16
Saturday: Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17/Ps 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130/Lk 10:17-24
Next Sunday: Gn 2:18-24/Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5,6 (see 5)/Heb 2:9-11/Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Priesthood Sunday
Monday: St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Tuesday: St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Wednesday: The Holy Guardian Angels
Friday: St. Francis of Assisi
Saturday: Saint Faustina Kowalska, Virgin; Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos, Priest
Next Sunday: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Respect Life Sunday

The Ego Wants to Impose Itself

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The Lord upholds my life.”Ps. 54

The TENDENCY OF THE EGO is to be king and lord, which is why it doesn’t want to submit to anyone, not even God, only to its own whims and interests; it even wants to dominate others. It desires people who are like its pets, always agreeing with it in everything, never contradicting it in any way. And this is exactly what it wants from God: a God who doesn’t say or ask anything of it, who doesn’t condemn it, and under the pretext that God is love, believes that He cannot condemn it, no matter what it does.

This is what we see clearly in today’s readings: “We will subject him to insults and torture, to test his resolve and see his endurance.” The envy of the wicked toward the good led Cain to kill his brother Abel. Envy is ignorance because it compares the incomparable, as we are different members of the body of Christ, with different gifts and charisms. You cannot compare the eye to the ear, nor can the foot do the same as the hand. Today, James says: “Where do wars and conflicts among you come from? Is it not from the passions that are at war within you? You desire what you do not have, and you end up committing murder.”

“Because you say: I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; but you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked… I rebuke and discipline those I love; be earnest and repent.”Revelation 3:17ff

The ego is blind and sees no one but itself. Therefore, it wants everyone to be subjugated to it. If it believed that God is love toward it, it would believe that everything God asks of it is for its greatest good and would listen. But it does not believe that God knows better than it what is good for it. It believes more in itself and wants to decide everything on its own, excluding God.

The ego deceives itself by wanting God to go along with it, to indulge it, and to be an accomplice in its whims and wrongdoings, even its sins, turning a blind eye or even rewarding it for all of this, both in this life and with eternal life. In other words, the ego places itself in God’s position, dictating what it wants God to do, teaching Him what He should do, as if God were its genie in a lamp. But the ego doesn’t realize that if God were reduced to that, He would not enrich it, He would leave it in its sin, not freeing it from it, and that would be worse for the ego because sin is tied to death and cannot lead to life.

This is why Jesus asks us to leave behind our ego in order to follow Him. Therefore, we must go against the tendencies of our ego: “If anyone wants to be first, they must be the last of all and the servant of all.” He asks us to become like children, who are not in control, because we must let Him be our guide. Trusting in God’s love means believing that He knows better than we do what is good for us. We must be like His sheep, those who listen to Him and follow Him. The good shepherd assures us of His protection and guidance to eternal life, convinced that everything He asks of us is for our good, out of love, to give us life, even if it costs us to submit our ego.

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

Best known as Padre Pio, St. Pius was born Francesco Forgione in 1807 in Pietrelcina, Italy. As a young boy he suffered many illnesses including typhoid. He joined Capuchin Franciscans at 15 and took the name of Pius or “Pio” in honor of Pope Pius I. He was ordained in 1910, and at this time he received the marks of stigmata, the wounds of Christ, but they eventually healed. Frequent illnesses continued to plague him as a young man.

Padre Pio served in the Italian Medical Corps during World War I, but he was discharged early because of illness, which was likely tuberculosis. He was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo. In 1918, while continuing to serve at the friary the stigmata appeared again, and this time remained until his death.

Many faithful came to see him at the friary, his days were long, beginning with Mass at 5 a.m. then hearing confessions all day with breaks to bless the sick. A simple man, content to do God’s will on earth and with the ardent desire to serve the sick and poor in whom he saw Christ, he urged a hospital, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (House for the Relief of Suffering), to be built in San Giovanni Rotondo. It opened in 1956.

Padre P10 died at the age of eighty-one in 1960 and in 2002 Pope John Paul II proclaimed him “St. Pio of Pietrelcina.”

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Wis 2:12, 17-20/Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6-8 (6b)/Jas 3:16 4:3/Mk 9:30-37
Monday: Prv 3:27-34/Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5/Lk 8:16-18
Tuesday: Prv 21:1-6, 10-13/Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44/Lk 8:19-21
Wednesday: Prv 30:5-9/Ps 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163/Lk 9:1-6
Thursday: Eccl 1:2-11/Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b/Lk 9:7-9
Friday: Eccl 3:1-11/Ps 144:1b and 2abc, 3-4/Lk 9:18-22
Saturday: Eccl 11:9—12:8/Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17/Lk 9:43b-45
Next Sunday: Nm 11:25-29/Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 (9a)/Jas 5:1-6/Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest; National Migration Week
Thursday: Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs
Friday: St. Vincent de Paul, Priest
Saturday: St. Wenceslaus, Martyr; St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs
Next Sunday: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Priesthood Sunday

Are you following Jesus or yourself?

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.”Ps. 116

It is unfortunate that we see many Catholics who are like Eutychus in Acts 20:9-12, listening to Paul from the edge of the room, in the window frame. This could be said to be akin to having one foot inside and one foot outside, and thus on the brink of death, as happened to him, who fell asleep and fell from the second floor and died.

We cannot follow Jesus each in our own way, because following Jesus means entering His path and stopping to follow our own. This is why He told us:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”Matthew 16:24

Are you following Jesus, adhering to the conditions He asks to be His disciple, or are you following the dictates of the pagan world and selfish desires? Do you ask Jesus what His will is? Do you desire to please Him out of gratitude and love that leads you to respond to Him? The petitions of the Our Father are what Jesus wants to flow from the heart, not just from the lips. THY WILL BE DONE. As Jesus was always doing the fathers will.

If you take some things from the Bible and the teachings of the Church and leave others aside, you are not following Jesus but yourself, as the audacity of our ego erects itself as God and decides what to do above what God and His Church ask of you. And that places us in the side of the devil, as Jesus told Peter: behind me Satan,…

Many are at that level, with one foot inside and one foot outside, which is like lighting a candle to God and another to the devil, to the world, and to the flesh, the enemies of the soul. This is what keeps us closed off from many of God’s blessings, as we are not truly following Him, not allowing Him to be God in our lives, and not benefiting from what it means to be His disciples, from His care and protection that assures His sheep: “No one will snatch them out of my hand…”.

Some decide that it is enough to go to Mass occasionally. They are satisfied and comforted, deceiving themselves into believing that they have faith, but it is a faith that serves them no purpose, as they believe more in themselves than in God, and therefore do not care about what God asks; as if we know better than God what we should do to be happy. In reality, they do not trust Him. Some decide to go to church once a month, others occasionally, others only at funerals or weddings, when necessary, others at important celebrations… each guided by what their little head dictates, without caring about what God asks through His Church.

If we receive daily the gift of life, both physical, spiritual, and eternal, we should be filled with gratitude towards God, eager to respond to Him and please Him in everything, wishing to always do His will and rejecting all sin and offense against God, especially when we believe and know that He only wants and asks for what is best for our true well-being.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Is 50:4c-9a/Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 (9)/Jas 2:14-18/Mk 8:27-35
Monday: 1 Cor 11:17-26, 33/Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17/Lk 7:1-10
Tuesday: 1 Cor 12:12-14, 27-31a/Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5/Lk 7:11-17
Wednesday: 1 Cor 12:31-13:13/Ps 33:2-3, 4-5, 12 and 22/Lk 7:31-35
Thursday: 1 Cor 15:1-11/Ps 118:1b-2, 16ab-17, 28/Lk 7:36-50
Friday: Cor 15:12-20/Ps 49:6-7, 8-10, 17-18, 19-20/Lk 8:1-3
Saturday: Eph 4:1-7, 11-13/Ps 19:2-3, 4-5/Mt 9:9-13
Next Sunday: Wis 2:12, 17-20/Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6-8 (6b)/Jas 3:16 4:3/Mk 9:30-37

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Catechetical Sunday
Monday: Sts. Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Tuesday: St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church; Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Thursday: St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr
Friday: Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gön, Priest, and Paul Chõng Ha-sang and Companions, Martyrs
Saturday: St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Next Sunday: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Salvation Must Be Received Freely

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Praise the Lord, my soul!”Ps. 146

Many believe that one cannot be condemned for being good, reasoning as follows: God is good and will not condemn me because I am a good person. The reality is that we have already been condemned because we are descendants and followers of a sinful generation that took the side of the devil and not of God. Hence our self-sufficiency, independence from God, tendencies toward the seven deadly sins, and rebellion against God.

It is the tendency to turn away from God and to idolize ourselves due to the deception placed by the devil to lure us into believing him rather than God. We are on the side of the devil, expelled from paradise, and therefore we need the Savior.

Jesus came to save us, to show us the path of truth that leads to life, in contrast to the path of lies that leads to death, which is the one we are already on, in this sinful flesh that leads us to death. Due to disobedience to God and choosing the side of the devil, we suffer from blindness, almost total ignorance, misunderstandings that divide us, diseases, and death.

It is up to each one of us to leave the path of the devil on which we were born—the path of sin, selfishness, pride, idolatries, and separation from God—and enter the path of Life, which is Christ. Only through faith in Him can we recover Life:

“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has already been condemned because they have not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.”John 3:18

I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me. Therefore, it is not about not being a bad person according to one’s limited perspective and distorted vision, nor about being a “good” person in your own eyes, or fulfilling some precept that you decide to follow in your own way, or going to Mass… That is not what saves us or what makes us leave the path of condemnation on which we are. We only leave this path if we become true disciples of Christ, and take the path that leads to the Father, which is Him, following Him closely, being His sheep who hear and follow Him.

Jesus makes clear the conditions to be His disciples:

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”John 8:31

Then Jesus said to His disciples:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”Matthew 16:24

The one who created you without you cannot save you without you. Each person must invite Jesus into their heart, listening to Him and opening the door, for He cannot enter your soul and life unless you let Him in.

Saint John Chrysostom | September 13

Born in Antioch in the 4th century, and raised by his widowed mother, Saint John received a rigorous classical education. He was first called to the ascetic life, even spending time as an anchorite living in a cave near Antioch. However, this life of extreme mortification was hard on his physical body, and he eventually returned to the city to recover.

Saint John was ordained in 298. He spent the next 12 years preaching in the Cathedral of Antioch, and it was most likely during this time that he earned the name Chrysostom which means “golden-mouthed.”

In 397 or 398 he was made archbishop of Constantinople against his will. This post placed Saint John in the midst of imperial politics. But he would not be drawn in. He kept a modest household without extravagance and refused to serve the sumptuous suppers for political supplicants that predecessors in the position had. He preached against corruption and decadence and fought for the reform of clergy even deposing corrupt bishops.

Unfortunately, this high moral stance made enemies of powerful people at court and in the Church. They conspired against him and eventually Saint John was exiled to Armenia. He died in exile in 407. He was made a Father of the Church at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1568.

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Is 35:4-7a/Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)/Jas 2:1-5/Mk 7:31-37
Monday: 1 Cor 5:1-8/Ps 5:5-6, 7, 12/Lk 6:6-11
Tuesday: 1 Cor 6:1-11/Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b/Lk 6:12-19
Wednesday: 1 Cor 7:25-31/Ps 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17/Lk 6:20-26
Thursday: 1 Cor 8: 1b-7, 11-13/Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 23-24/Lk 6:27-38
Friday: 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27/Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12/Lk 6:39-42
Saturday: Nm 21:4b-9/Ps 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38/Phil 2:6-11/Jn 3:13-17
Next Sunday: Is 50:4c-9a/Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 (9)/ Jas 2:14-18/Mk 8:27-35

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time; Grandparents’ Day
Monday: St. Peter Claver, Priest
Wednesday: Patriot Day
Thursday: The Most Holy Name of Mary
Friday: St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Saturday: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Next Sunday: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Catechetical Sunday

News for September

St. Jude’s Fiesta

October 18, 19, & 20, 2024
Raffle:

1st Prize: $3000
2nd Prize: $2000
3rd Prize: $2000
4th Prize: Karaoke
5th Prize: Karaoke
6th Prize: St. Jude Statue
7th Prize: Mary Immaculate Statue

Drawing to be held after 9pm October 20, 2024
Donation: $10.00

Parish Fiesta News

Pre-sale tickets & wristbands for the rides

Available in the front office. Buy your pre-sale tickets before October 18 and SAVE!

Looking for Talent

If you know a singer, musical band, or folklore dance who would like to participate in the Parish Fiesta October 18, 19, and 20, 2024, please call 818 577 8957.

Raffle Tickets sent Home

We ask that it you have finished selling your rattle tickets, please bring the stubs of these together with the
proceeds to the parish office before October 15th. Thank you for your support!

Office Closed

Monday, September 2, Parish offices will be closed for Labor Day.

Did You Know?

STAR safety for parking lots

Consider using the STAR method to keep your children sate in parking lots. The organization Connecting for Kids offers the STAR method to remind children of simple steps when they are in a parking lot.

S: STOP as soon as you get out of the car.
T: TOUCH a safe space on your car and do not move.
A: Pay ATTENTION to the cars around you and the directions an adult gives you.
R: Wait for an adult to tell you that you are READY to go!

For more tips, visit bagintheback.org.

Possible Errors in the Image of God

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.”Ps. 15

A kindly God who forgives everything.
A God who asks nothing of us.
A God who only wants our happiness, without caring about sin.
A God who does not speak of condemnation.
A firefighter God, to whom you only turn when you need something.
A “friendly” God, close like just another person, whom you don’t respect, with whom you do whatever you want, treating Him as an equal.
A bad God who wants to punish (I haven’t met anyone with this idea).
A fragile, hypersensitive God who is easily offended by everything.
A weak and needy God, as if He lacks firmness, strength, and wisdom.
A God whom we can easily deceive.
A God like a rich person who has preferences and makes distinctions.
A God responsible for everything, including death and misfortunes.
A God who gives material goods and also takes them away.
A God like a genie in a lamp whose mission is to fulfill my wishes.
A God who doesn’t need my collaboration for anything.
An abstract, unknown, hidden, and distant God, detached from this world.

Perhaps you can create your own version of erroneous ideas about God. In reality, all concepts of God are erroneous if they are not based on the revelation that He has made of Himself, no matter how good or logical they may seem to us; each person might imagine Him in a different way.

To know God, we should not rely on our own minds, which Saint Teresa referred to as the “mad of the house,” because any kind of madness can come to mind, and each person will experience this differently. To know God, we should not invent anything, nor listen to the inventions of others; we should only turn to the revelation that He made of Himself, which we have in Scripture. This way, we avoid creating a God in our own image, tailored to our own conceptions and prejudices, which are conditioned by the time and place in which we were born.

Many have fallen into this error of fabricating a God in their own image, with their own conceptions, from which they may even condemn God. They do this because, with their very limited knowledge, they consider it as if it were the whole truth and believe that God is unjust, cruel, and should do things differently, etc. This act of making a God to fit their own measure also leads others to create a religion in their own way, taking what they like and discarding what they don’t.

The truth about God is found in Scripture, properly interpreted with the guidance of the Spirit that Christ gave to His Church. Thus, we can find God in the catechism and the preaching of the Church as revealed by Christ, who is the fullness of revelation. A God who loves us so much that He assumed our human condition to show us the path to salvation, to reclaim the paradise lost by sin. We receive and benefit from His love by knowing Him, obeying Him, believing in Him, and taking the path of life.

St. Gregory the Great | September 3

Saint Gregory the Great lived in a most turbulent time. There were devastating episodes of plague, the sacking of Rome and the breakdown of strong Roman rule, invasions by Lombards and Franks, floods, and a widening gap between imperial Byzantium and the Roman Church.

Born around 540 into a noble Roman family, Saint Gregory was probably trained in law, and started his public service as a Prefect of Rome. However, upon the death of his father, he converted his family home to monastery, where he resided as a monk. He built six more monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome.

Often called the father of the medieval papacy and Apostle of the English, Saint Gregory was named Pope by acclamation in 590. Although he was reluctant to assume this post, preferring the cloistered life, his accomplishments were many. He was an extremely capable manager of Church estates and tenants and is known for his reform of the liturgy. He was instrumental in the consolidation of papal power and led the fight against the many heresies promoted by small Christian groups at the time. Through his prolific correspondence he oversaw monastic life, curtailing the power of grasping bishops, correcting abuses, and enforcing discipline. He was particularly concerned with the conversion of England, sending 40 monks from his monastery to evangelize there.

Saint Gregory died in 604 and was sainted immediately. He is one of four key doctors of the Western Church. Among the miracles attributed to him is a Eucharistic miracle in which the woman who prepared the bread for communion laughed at the consecration, denying the transformation of the bread to the real presence of Jesus. Saint Greogry prayed for the Lord to show the congregation the truth and confirm their belief. The piece of bread transformed into a piece of flesh and then returned to bread, reforming the woman, and strengthening the faith of all. St. Gergory the Great, pray for us!

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8/Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5 1a/Jas 2:1-5/Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27/Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Monday: 1 Cor 2:1-5/Ps 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102/Lk 4:16-30
Tuesday: 1 Cor 2:10b-16/Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14/Lk 4:31-37
Wednesday: 1 Cor 3:1-9/Ps 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21/Lk 4:38-44
Thursday: 1 Cor 3:18-23/Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6/Lk 5:1-11
Friday: 1 Cor 4:1-5/Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40/Lk 5:33-39
Saturday: 1 Cor 4:66-15/Ps 145:17-18, 19-20, 21/Lk 6:1-5
Next Sunday: Is 35:4-7a/Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1B)/Jas 2:1-5/Mk 7:31-37

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: Labor Day
Tuesday: St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Next Sunday: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time; Grandparents’ Day

Fundamental Situation of Our Life

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”Sal. 34

These are irrefutable truths that no one can escape and that, unfortunately, many prefer to ignore and not even think about:

We are just passing through this world.
We can die and leave this body and this world at any moment.
We are like pilgrims in the desert, on our way to salvation or condemnation, in the words of God Himself made man.
Jesus came to show us the path of truth that leads to Life.
Jesus claimed to be the light, so that we do not walk in darkness (John 8:12)
The world has preferred to remove God from their lives and from public spaces, choosing darkness, and many allow themselves to be deceived and do not open themselves to God or seek Him, pursuing their own interests and refusing any God other than themselves.
Many knew Him theoretically but did not give Him His rightful place in their lives, for in reality, they did not believe in Him with all their heart and allowed themselves to be led by their rebellious and self-centered egos, like other atheists.
The days pass in this desert full of imperfection and pain as a consequence of sin, and many continue in their sins and idolatries, without seeking God, distracted and entertained by all the occupations of this world.
What will all this have been worth at the end of our days? As reflected in the book of Ecclesiastes 6, everything is vanity and meaningless if there is no eternal life. Without eternal Salvation, what good will everything that happens in this world be? It would be like walking towards nowhere, whether in wealth or poverty if everything ends in death; as the existentialists said, a useless passion.

Many live an empty life, perhaps just surviving, chasing their desires, in their struggle for food, and satisfying their instincts; amidst struggles and joys, but only thinking about the here and now, focused on all that is fleeting in this world, without listening to all the teachings that God came to give us in Christ, so that we may have life in abundance, that is, life in the soul, spiritual and eternal. There is no greater purpose for our life than to live in the way of Christ that leads to Life. Therefore, the first task is to listen to Him, through the preaching of the Church, so that we may love and follow Him, to reach His eternal Kingdom. To whom shall we go, Lord? ONLY YOU HAVE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE. Far be it from us to serve other gods…

St. Monica

This week we celebrate two saints, a mother and son: St. Monica and St. Augustine. As a young Christian woman, St. Monica was married to a pagan. Early in their marriage, he was bitter and critical. After nearly 20 years, Monica’s holy example led to his conversion to Christianity. In the meantime, Augustine was a teenager beginning to live a wild life of self-indulgent excess. This lifestyle would continue into his adulthood. Like with her husband, Monica prayed and fasted for the conversion of her son. Augustine met another future saint, the bishop Ambrose of Milan, who greatly influenced his perspective on life. Augustine was baptized a Christian! Augustine later became a bishop and one of the most influential thinkers in Christian history. How’s that for the power of patience and intercessory prayer?

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b/Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23 (9a)/ Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32/Jn 6:60-69
Monday: 2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12/Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5/Mt 23:13-22
Tuesday: 2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17/Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13/Mt 23:23-26
Wednesday: 2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18/Ps 128:1-2, 4-5/Mt 23:27-32
Thursday: 1 Cor 1:1-9/Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7/Mk 6:17-29
Friday: 1 Cor 1:17-25/Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11/Mt 25:1-13
Saturday: 1 Cor 1:26-31/Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21/Mt 25:14-30
Next Sunday: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8/Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5 1a/Jas 2:1-5/Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27/Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday: St. Monica
Wednesday: St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Thursday: The Passion of St. John the Baptist
Next Sunday: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Faith Is A Decision

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”Ps. 34

Each person decides what they believe, which is why it is of utmost importance to love the truth, so as not to fall into believing any fashionable superstition that will bring no good, as they are deceptions that lead away from good and truth. For we are what we believe; we can say that the soul is nourished by what it believes. If it believes in communism, it becomes communist, and if it believes in Satanism, it becomes satanic. Be very careful about what you believe, so that you do not swallow the weeds and deceptions of the world and the devil.

There are many who currently do not love the truth, and therefore they are like the blind, unable to see it, no matter how clear it is. Whether they cling to believing the dictates of the gender ideology, despite the clear and scientific arguments against it; or those who continue to exalt bad presidents, even though their countries are suffocating and fleeing from their poor policies; or those who, seeing the miracles of Jesus, still did not believe in Him and sought ways to accuse Him, simply because He performed them on the Sabbath. In all cases, we see the same blindness of those who do not want to see.

This leads us to recognize that faith is a decision that each person makes. Some make this decision from their search for the truth and rectify whenever necessary if they see that they were wrong, because they love the truth. Others, however, do not seek the truth, and therefore do not find it; many only seek to satisfy their selfish desires, their interests, and anything that gives them power or pleasure, without caring about good, honesty, or what God came to teach and wants for them.

Jesus spoke very clearly to us about His mission in this world.

“I bear witness to the truth; for this I was born and came into the world. Everyone on the side of truth listens to my voice.”John 18:37

This is one among many quotes where we see the radical importance of being in the truth and loving it, for we could say that this is what makes us the image of God, the ability to know the truth and follow it, something no animal can do. Unfortunately, there are many today who have remained at the animal level, despising their divine dignity by not seeking or loving the truth.

Many have decided to deny the truth, not only the one revealed by God but also the one achieved through human and scientific study. That is why today God exhorts us in His word to trust in Him:

“Come to me, you who lack experience”; and to those lacking judgment, He says: “Come, eat my bread, drink the wine I have mixed; leave your inexperience and you will live, follow the path of intelligence.”Proverbs 9

“Do not be foolish, but wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be bewildered, realize what the Lord wants.”Ephesians 5:15

“You are truly my disciples if you remain in my word; then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”John 8:31

Weekly Readings

Sunday: Prv 9: 1-6/Ps 34:2-3, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 (9)/Eph 5:15-20/Jn 6:51-58
Monday: Ez 24:15-23/Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21/Mt 19:16-22
Tuesday: Ez 28:1-10/Dt 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab/Mt 19:23-30
Wednesday: Ez 34:1-11/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6/Mt 20:1-16
Thursday: Ez 36:23-28/Ps 40:5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10/Mt 22:1-14
Friday: Ez 37:1-14/Ps 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9/Mt 22:34-40
Saturday: Rv 21:9b-14/Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18/Jn 1:45-51
Next Sunday: Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b/Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23 (9a)/Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32/Jn 6:60-69

Observances for the Week

Sunday: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: St. John Eudes, Priest
Tuesday: St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
Wednesday: St. Pius X, Pope
Thursday: The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Friday: St. Rose of Lima, Virgin
Saturday: St. Bartholomew, Apostle
Next Sunday: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time