As a young pastor years ago, I met with a middle-aged couple who had been divorced and civilly remarried. They were frustrated that an annulment had to precede a Church marriage. Sympathizing with their plight, I promised to walk with them along their journey. Once as we sat in my office, the man said to me, “Why is the Church so difficult on marriage?” I replied, “Actually, Jesus’ teaching is what’s difficult.” He furrowed his brow and asked what I meant.
We opened the Bible and together read today’s gospel passage from Mark 10:12 in which Jesus says, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery with her…” My two friends sat in silent astonishment. Surely Jesus understands the complexities of human life and sexual love. The words hung thick and heavy in the air. How could the merciful Lord be so seemingly unrealistic in his expectations, especially with so much divorce and remarriage in our world?
I didn’t know what to say. So, we kept reading. Next, Jesus says, “Let the children come to me.” The innocence of children allows them to receive and give love, to trust unconditionally, to believe in love that endures. Most children aren’t yet jaded by statistics, broken hearts, or dysfunctional relationships. Children remind us of the world to come. The couple and I began to talk about child-like trust in Jesus and his teaching, and we continued to move forward. When it comes to the Church’s demanding teaching on marriage, it’s best to approach it as trusting children, whatever situations in which we find ourselves. — Father John Muir ©LPi
Welcome
Welcome to our Eucharistic Celebration on this Twenty-seventh 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, October 5
5:00 PM
Avelino Sawal Sr. • †
Lilian Ileto • †
Helen Todechine • †
Loretta Ung • †
Segundo Francisco Mosquera • †
Wilbert Ramos • Health
Ruben Delgadillo • Health
Sunday, October 6
6:00 AM
Pilar Maldonado • †
Loretta Ung • †
10:45 PM
Slavko & Slavica Dzanko • †
Father Greg King • †
Fr. Kamil Ziolkowski • Prayer
Rev. Father Uju • Prayer
Ligaya Tolosa • Health
Angelica Tolosa • Health
12:30 PM
Helen Todechine • †
Leon Sandoval • †
Miguel Loza Cortez • †
Joshua Quintero • Birthday
Miguel Angel Loza • Birthday
Universal Prayer (Petitions)
A. For the Church, that we may be welcoming to others, building solidarity with all people of good will, cognizant that God’s grace envelops the entire world, let us pray to the Lord.
B. For all those who enforce, interpret, or apply the laws of the land, that they may be judicious in doing so, with hearts not hardened, and with regard to all persons’ well-being, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For empathy in the Holy Land, that Israelis and Palestinians, Muslims and Jews and Christians may find a just and peaceful way to coexist in the same region, free from bloodshed and fear, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For those whose marriage is a source of strife and discord, that they may find the strength and support they need in whatever direction their journey takes, 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. Half of all donations are sent to the Archdiocese where they will invest in lower income Parishes. 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. Tickets can be purchased in our Raffle booth that is located on Act
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 after 5pm.
4. We are in need of volunteers that could help set up and clean up of our Parish Fiesta. We need help on Wednesday after 5pm and Thursday all day. Please sign up with your availability in the Parish Office.
5. We thank Cruz Aqua Water & Ice 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.
