This morning I received a text message that a member of my extended family will likely die of cancer within the next few hours. His name is Luke. He is a 45-year-old husband and father of six. Though I am not as close to him as my sister (she is his sister-in-law and knows him well), I wonder: how can we, including Luke himself, manage such a terribly awful and unfair situation?
The words of this Sunday’s Gospel offer a powerful and challenging path. Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Today I see with new freshness the starkness and strangeness of the words take up. The cross stands for suffering which is unjust, absurd, seemingly hopeless, and humiliating. Jesus doesn’t say “accept” or “endure” or “tolerate,” but “take up.” Embrace it, actively. Choose it and lift it up for others to see what terrifies and sickens us. But somehow, for Jesus, this is the path to “saving one's life.” A new world is breaking in, one in which love is everything, when no relationship can be wounded or die. I trust that in the embraced suffering of Luke and his loved ones, Jesus is taking up his cross and saving us all.
By the time you read this, barring a miracle, Luke will have died. He will be carrying his cross no longer. But we all still face suffering. This week let’s not just endure, but take up our crosses, big and small. That’s our only hope for saving our lives. — Father John Muir ©LPi
Welcome
Welcome to our Eucharistic Celebration on this Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The intentions of this Mass are for all those in our special intention basket and...
Please stand for our procession.
Mass Intentions
Saturday, September 14
5:00 PM
Fr. Joe Moniz • †
Zenaida Sawal • †
Lilian Ileto • †
Loretta Ung • †
Ruben Delgadillo • Health
Wilbert Arias • Health
Renzo Anton • Healing
Eli Dominic • Healing
Thierry Sarr & Family • Thanksgiving
Jose Navarro • Birthday
Teodor Sarr • Birthday
Sunday, September 15
6:00 AM
Fr. Joe Moniz • †
Pilar Maldonado • †
Loretta Ung • †
10:45 AM
Lucia Hinojosa • †
Angelica Tolosa • Health
Leonida Murdock • Birthday
12:30 PM
Victor Perez • †
Piri Soto • †
Monica Leyva • †
David Parga • †
Irene Perez • †
Raul Perez • †
Arturo Rodarte • †
Lupe y Arturo Ogeda • †
Silvia y Rita Soto • †
Enrique Vargas • †
Bertha Rosales Preseda • †
Eva Loza • Health
Melina Flores Rosales • Birthday
Chimgozirim Ejekam • Birthday
Universal Prayer (Petitions)
A. For the Church, that we may reach out to assist all those who find their crosses too difficult to shoulder, especially those who have lost hope, let us pray to the Lord.
B. For all those who have no food for a good meal, or clothing to wear, or a home to call their own, that we may respond with compassion and assistance, sacrificing our own plenty to share with others, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For catechists, that through their invitation, their witness, and their instruction, they may shine the light of understanding upon those who are open to being better disciples, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For the people of this faith community, that in denying our selves and sacrificing all that we can, we may make the difference in the lives of those who would otherwise go hungry, homeless, or impoverished, let us pray to the Lord.
Announcements
1. Thanks to you, we have exceeded our Called to Renew goal and currently have $328,000 in donations. We received $42,000 in donations during August. We are thankful for your generosity.
2. Our Parish Fiesta will begin on Friday, October 4. We will hold our annual raffle with a grand prize of $5,000. Pre-sale ride tickets and wristbands are also available at a discounted rate. You can buy both tickets at the Parish Center.
3. The Parish is committed to providing a safe and family-friendly Fiesta for all our guests. All visitors under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or adult, 21 or older, to enter on Friday, all day, and after 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
4. We thank Sal Correa from Green Hill Mortuary for sponsoring our bulletin; their information can be found on the last page of our bulletin. If you have a business and would like to sponsor our weekly bulletin, you can call the phone number at the bottom of the last page.
