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Catholic Church / Pacoima, CA

The Highest Law

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord. – Psalms 15:1

“The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” Psalms 15:1

From time to time, newspapers and magazines will offer, as an item of “filler,” various laws that are still on the books but seem silly to us in our day and age. In one California city, it is illegal to have two indoor bathtubs in one house. Clean water, a precious commodity when the law was written, is now readily available, so the law seems silly. But the human value of protecting and preserving precious resources is still around, evident in many conservation laws that seem sensible to us. So it is with the laws of religious tradition. What Jesus scorns today is others’ attitude toward ritual laws, an attitude that becomes nearly idolatrous when laws are observed for their own sake. Jesus teaches that observation of external ritual laws is of value only when they are emblems of our internal disposition toward the will of God. Our whole lives must follow the one ultimate law of God: to love God completely and to love neighbor entirely. Roman Catholicism is a tradition rich with customs, traditions, and even laws. As we continue to listen to the voice of Christ, we must always look into our own hearts and underneath our ritual practices to make sure that love of God and love of neighbor are what we prize above all.
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Father Jey William

Welcome Father Jey William

Please welcome our new Associate, Father Jey William to our parish. Fr. Jey is from India and his last few years he was in Africa, Italy, Mexico , Ohio and now in California were he was a high school teacher for nine years. Father Jey has studied eleven languages and speaks and writes five of them. He has four bachelors and three masters. We invite you to make him feel welcome and pray for him. WE AT MARY IMMACULATE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US.

A Prayer for Priests

Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments. Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. Set their souls on fire with love for your people. Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom. Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. Allow them to experience joy in their ministry. Help them to become instruments of your divine grace. We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest. Amen.

Readings for the Week

Monday: 1 Cor 2:1-5; Ps 119:97-102; Lk 4:16-30, or, for Labor Day, any readings from the Mass “For the Blessings of Human Labor,” nos. 907-911
Tuesday: 1 Cor 2:10b-16; Ps 145:8-14; Lk 4:31-37
Wednesday: 1 Cor 3:1-9; Ps 33:12-15, 20-21; Lk 4:38-44
Thursday: 1 Cor 3:18-23; Ps 24:1bc-4ab, 5-6; Lk 5:1-11
Friday: 1 Cor 4:1-5; Ps 37:3-6, 27-28, 39-40; Lk 5:33-39
Saturday: Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6; Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 [18-23]
Sunday: Is 35:4-7a; Ps 146:7-10; Jas 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37

Saints & Special Observances

Sunday: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: St. Gregory the Great; Labor Day
Friday: First Friday
Saturday: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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