Maggots, grubs, worms. When I imagine one or many of these nasty slimy buggers living inside my body — unseen, feeding off my flesh, slowly rotting me out — I feel deeply disgusted. If I knew I had a worm, I would do anything to remove the alien invader, and fast. But what if I couldn’t ever get it out?
This is precisely the image Jesus uses to describe those who cause others to sin and fail to cut out what leads them to sin. He contrasts the kingdom of God with Gehenna, “where the worm does not die.” If we can stomach it for a moment, there is much wisdom in this nauseating metaphor.
First, sin is always parasitic. It feeds on what is good like a worm in a host. It’s not symbiotic or additive, as virtue and love always are. Sin invades, devours, and damages the sinner. Second, sin is always social. No matter how hidden, it quietly eats away at others — usually the most poor and vulnerable, the “little ones,” as the Lord says. How healthy it is for us to acknowledge this! Our gossiping, greed, over-indulgence, lying, pride, laziness, lust for power and reputation, and so on … they do not add anything to life. They are worms eating away at others and ourselves.
We cut out these filthy parasites through genuine repentance and bold action. Imagine the peace and relief that follows the removal of a sickening worm from your body. How much greater is the peace we enjoy when the spiritual worms are gone for good. We’d never wait to act against physical parasites. Neither should we with the worms of sin. — Father John Muir ©LPi
Welcome
Welcome to our Eucharistic Celebration on this Twenty-sixth 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 28
5:00 PM
Zenaida Sawal • †
Lilian Ileto • †
Delnar Balatbat • †
Jose Pepe Moreno • †
Loretta Ung • †
Wilbert Arias • Health
Ruben Delgadillo • Health
Wilbert Ramos • Health
Sunday, September 29
6:00 AM
Pilar Maldonado • †
Loretta Ung • †
Rosa Amelia • †
Jose Martinez • †
Maria Jesus Escobar • †
Irma Rodruiguez • †
Neftali Rodriguez y Familia • Health
Horacio Rodriguez y Familia • Health
10:45 PM
David Garcia • †
Familia Garcia-Partida • Prayer
Fr. Arturo Velasco • Prayer
Thecla Igwebuike • Birthday
12:30 PM
Rogelia Cabrera • †
Miguel Loza Sanchez • †
Jimmy Jose Gomez • Prayer
Universal Prayer (Petitions)
A. For the Church, that we may cut away whatever causes us to sin so that we may truly be the body of Christ, focused on carrying out the mission he left to his disciples, let us pray to the Lord.
B. For those who have suffered abuse, be it physical, sexual, or emotional, that they may be given safety, healing, and justice through the ministry of the Church, let us pray to the Lord.
C. That there may be a blossoming of responses to calls to the priesthood, raising the enthusiasm and sense of satisfaction among priests and seminarians preparing for the priesthood, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For all of us, that we may have the courage to bear witness to our faith, performing deeds in the Lord’s name that may not appear mighty to us, but have a mighty effect on those we help, 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 available at a discounted rate until Friday at 3pm. 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 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 Edgar Amaral from Amaral Construction 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.
