Dear friends on the journey, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” These are Jesus’ final words in today’s gospel and also known as the Great Commission to his apostles. With the Holy Spirit upon them, the apostles traveled beyond Jerusalem to share the good news of salvation. Like a net gathering fish, they and their followers gathered others, baptizing and teaching them the message of God’s love. In the centuries that followed, women and men of faith have continued to answer the call to go out, baptize and teach, including our patron saint Junipero Serra whose motto is Siempre Adelante, Always Forward. This weekend we honor the feast day of St. Serra, a Spanish Franciscan priest who preached the good news of salvation along the coast of California in the 18th century. The net of his missionary work has gathered thousands more disciples, extending to the little plot of the vineyard that is now Padre Serra. As we also celebrate our parish anniversary this weekend, we recognize the hundreds of disciples who, since 1988, have been baptized, catechized, evangelized, who have prayed, built strong families, fed the hungry, visited the sick and imprisoned, comforted the bereaved, and witnessed God’s love in their homes and communities. Siempre Adelante! Last weekend, we announced the June 30 retirement of two disciples, our longtime receptionist and liturgy assistant Jane Riggio and RCIA coordinator Catherine Shadduck. Many years ago they answered the call to go, baptize, and teach, and their nets have overflowed! In preparation for their retirement, they have mentored other disciples to take the nets. Siempre Adelante! I’m happy to announce that Mary Huebner is taking on the role of liturgy assistant and coordinator of adult initiation. Mary is a long time parishioner and staff member, having coordinated the children’s First Communion program and currently supports the administration department. Children’s initiation will now be coordinated by Jennifer and David Gutierrez. Jennifer is currently our first and second grade coordinator and Dave has been a catechist for many years most recently in children’s initiation. Catherine has also mentored Martha Rodriquez to coordinate adult confirmation. Martha will continue supporting the middle school and high school ministries. Siempre Adelante! Our new parish receptionist is Lana Chang CSJ, a sister of St. Joseph of Corondolet. Sr. Lana emigrated with her mother from Hong Kong to Los Angeles where she grew up attending Catholic school. As a CSJ, she has been a teacher or principal in the Los Angeles area since 1972. ![]() Recently retired, she feels blessed to be offered an opportunity to minister as a member of the staff at Padre Serra Parish, which she has experienced to be a vibrant and welcoming community since her move to Camarillo in April. Sr. Lana looks forward to meeting many more parishioners as she joins with them in their mission to Encounter Jesus and Be Disciples. God is good ... all the time! Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Faith Life Minister I have the suspicion that we aren’t nearly hungry enough to truly appreciate what Jesus is doing for us. Things have changed so very much for us since his day. In 2020, the USDA calculated that we spent 8.6% of our income, on average, for food. Consider that in 1900, just 120 years earlier, we spent 43% of our income on food. It was harder to produce, even though half of the country worked in agriculture, because mechanization of farms hadn’t happened yet. A horse and a plow to sow, a team of horses and a combine to harvest, home production and yet other horses and wagons to move to market just couldn’t compete for efficiency with our tractors, combines, food factories and trucks. Food preservation also was expensive. Many of our modern methods of lengthening the shelf life, and safeguarding from bacteria and spoilage hadn’t been discovered. Pickling, smoking, drying and salting, all available at the time, were labor intensive and required expensive ingredients. For most of human history, life was hard and food was expensive. People were shorter, much thin- ner and vulnerable to sickness, and lived shorter lives. We duly credit advances in the medical field for our longer lifespans now. Many medical anthropologists, though, recognize that the greatest positive advance in lifespans was due to readily available and affordable calories. Yes, the very bane of our modern waistlines, ready access to delectable, sweet or salty, crunchy or creamy calories, relates to our expanded lifespans. For the overwhelming majority of us there simply is no need to be hungry. We are far less likely to starve because of famine, than dieting. I’m not sure we can appreciate how topsy-turvy this is from earlier ages. What Jesus did for the crowds in today’s Gospel was a stunner for the people involved. It’s amazing enough that a crowd that included 5,000 men all had a bite to eat. It’s something else, altogether, to say that this hungry, emaciated sickly crowd all “ate and were satisfied.” Our Savior wants to feed us, desires to nourish our spirits with His very Self, given in the form of simple bread, and the celebratory drink of wine. Are we hungry enough to appreciate what He wants to do? And that is before we get to the utter sacredness of God’s outreach to us in this manner. Not only is Holy Communion nourishment. It’s God. But it all seems too easy, doesn’t it, and perhaps too often? If we spend a great deal in the presence of anything “special,” it can begin to lose its luster. I can remember a scuba trip I went on, where lobster was the main course, I kid you not, every dinner for a week. By day four, I wanted nothing so much as a chicken breast. And here we are, on a daily basis if we want it, able to receive the Creator of the Cosmos. Frankly, we have to work on keeping the Eucharist in the place it needs to be in our lives. We have the obligation to be alert to the intention and aware of the Eternal Consciousness that accompanies Communion ![]() We have this day every year precisely to remind us of the infinite value of what Jesus offers us. Let’s be attentive! Siempre adelante, Fr. Patrick Pastor Dear friends on the journey,
Long gone are the days when I get the whole summer off. Adulting has a way of doing that. Yet, I still long for summertime. Weather that calls me to the lake and beach. Longer days for adventuring. The season that opens schedules for more carefree social time, baseball games, fireworks and BBQs, and casual gatherings with friends and family. These days are finally upon us! And don’t we need them more than ever! No one needs a reminder of the last two years. The pandemic forced us into our homes, physically separating us but we were far from estranged. Our parish never closed. We just gathered in new and creative ways. But we’ve slowly been emerging from a blanket of uncertainty, unknowing, and fear. All Masses are again indoors, kids and teens have been onsite for formation, adult ministries are meeting in person. Future planning finally seems to be possible again so our pastoring team has planned for a normal program year just as it was pre-pandemic. But one area has been amiss and that is our parish family social time. So, we begin the new program year with Serra Summer, a season of pure fellowship and fun for all ages. After three full years, our parish picnic is back and kicks off the summer activities:
This is what the Lord GOD showed me: a basket of...summer fruit. Amos 8:1 Dear Parish Family On this Ascension Sunday, I can’t help but wonder what it must have been like for the apostles to witness Jesus in glory ascend to heaven. What an amazing thing to see with human eyes. As I ponder this, I began to make note of recent moments where I have been blessed to see God’s glory in action. As I look back, I am filled with so much joy and gratitude. We began the month celebrating the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. The children coming to the table to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time, and the Holy Spirit descending over the youth and adults as they are anointed and sealed in his spirit. I am made aware of the gift our Lord has given me to allow me to witness and celebrate these spiritual milestones with the children, teens, adults and their families. This particular year, I was brought full circle, in my ministry as a catechist. One of the young men who was confirmed, reminded me at rehearsal that I had been his catechist for First Communion, which was almost 20 years ago! When he told me his name I remembered him immediately; his group was a special one for me because it was the first time I taught middle schoolers. Which was a bit scary for me at the time because I am so short and most of the kids in the group were taller than me. They were all so great and I think in the end I learned much more from them. As the Children’s Faith Formation Minister, I don’t always get the opportunity to directly interact in the weekly sessions with the children. This past program year, however, I had the opportunity to lead a multi-grade Spark! Zoom session for our distance learners, and when needed, filled in for a catechist who was out sick, and a team member co-leading Three:Sixteen sessions. Many of these days I ended the afternoon physically exhausted but my spirit was on fire! I am reminded why Jesus said to enter the kingdom of God we must be like little children. They are so open to receive his love and to return it. This experience has reignited my love and vocation of catechist. I am grateful to the CFF team, all the catechists, peer leaders and volunteers who tirelessly give their time and talent. Especially during the last two years with all the challenges of the pandemic, this ministry would not be possible without you. The more I think about it, I come to the conclusion that there are moments to stare into the sky and witness the Glory of God, yet we are not meant to stay there. We are to be sent into the world to spread the good news. Even Noah left the arc, Abraham left his tent, Moses left his nation and went into the desert, as did all the prophets.
My Dear Parish Family, During the Easter Season the Second Reading is taken from the Book of Revelation. In today’s verses we hear John describe his vision of “the holy city of [the new] Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” Many of us have a picture of what heaven might be like. In a commentary I recently read, it was defined this way: “Heaven is being in the presence of God. Nothing else matters.” I began reflecting on moments in my life that approached this definition:
Dear Faith Family, Any decent human being knows that it is important to care for others. We have heard it so many times, that if we were to treat others in a different way, we would feel guilty about it. We are indeed called to love our neighbor. We are made in God’s image, therefore, we are made to love. What does it mean to love, though? While it is in our nature to love, sometimes it is difficult to articulate what it actually means to love. Pope Benedict explained the nature of love when he said, “Love is ‘divine,’ because it comes from God and unites us to God.” To give a further explanation, St. Thomas Aquinas states that love is simply to will the good of another. If we take these two quotes from two brilliant people, we can come to the conclusion that God is love, and we have the ability to love because we are made in God’s image. With all that said, love shows itself in unique ways. I think it is intended to be that way. The idea of loving someone is not a onesizefitsall situation, but rather, it is through our creativity and nature that we show ways to love. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives a new commandment, to love one another. He takes it further and explains that this is how people know that you are disciples. Our parish motto is, “Encounter Jesus, Be Disciples.” It’s quite a simple statement, but it is important that this must be driven by love. Without love, discipleship is meaningless and self-serving. I’m not naïve enough to say that loving others is difficult; our Lord even gives a bigger challenge in scripture when he proclaims that we should love our enemies as well as our neighbor. The Apostles themselves were afraid to go convert the masses before the Holy Spirit descended upon them. It’s difficult, but the endeavor is vastly important. ![]() If you find yourself in a difficult position where it is difficult to love, remember that through God, our discipleship becomes perfect. When we find ourselves unable to love, let us pray to our God to aid us. It is through Him, and Him alone that we are perfect. God Bless, Brett Becker Youth and Young Adult Minister Dear friends on the journey,
From a young age, our life’s experiences, circumstances, and relationships with people, culture, community, and church influence our images of God. One place in particular beautifully illustrates images of God. In scripture, we see that God uses created beings and inanimate objects to represent God’s self: as creator, lawgiver, judge, architect, protector, fire, tabernacle, temple, king, healer, potter, vine, lord, king, shelter, light, rock, spirit, love, father, and of course, Jesus, God incarnate. In today’s gospel, Jesus likens himself as God the shepherd, ever the protector to a flock who knows his voice and follows in trust. The attributes of the shepherd are much like that of another image, perhaps a lesser-known image of God. So on this Mother’s Day, I reflect on God as Mother. Do you know the story of the young child who cannot fall asleep for fear of the dark and all the bumps in the night? Several times, she calls out to her mother for comfort. Each time mom’s response is, “Don’t be scared; Jesus is always here with you.” Finally, the daughter says, “But mommy, right now I need Jesus with skin on!” Today, we celebrate mothers as God with skin. As I remember my own grandmother Doris and think about my mom with her kids and grandkids, I can see all the Godly images and attributes in each of them, especially their unconditional love, patience, and forgiveness. Mothers are creators, and life givers, selfless and generous. They listen, guide, protect, and shelter. And a mother’s voice is known to her children, even in the womb. Now, as a Nana, I understand how God must feel about us. I feel so much joy just thinking of my two grandsons and granddaughter and, when I am with them, oh, my heart just sings! I would give my life for each one of them. My patience with them and desire to teach them is immeasurable. There is nothing better than simply being in their presence as they nap, read, eat, and play. They say, “You either are a mother or you had one.” So, today, I invite you to reflect on your own mom, grandma, or maternal figure. How have they been your God as mother, God with skin for you? If you are a mother, grandmother or maternal figure, how do you image God for your own flock? ![]() Dear Friends, This Easter season, I have been thinking about the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us 2000 years later. Additionally, I’ve been considering the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection having happened. We don’t have any eyewitness accounts in the Scriptures of Jesus’ actual rising from the dead. But we do have the empty tomb, the testimony of the women who encountered the angel there, and the apostle’s accounts of the Risen Jesus appearing to them. Of all the post-Resurrection stories, I think the one from today’s gospel is the one I love the most: the barbecue on the beach after an eleventh-hour reprieve from a night’s fishing that yielded nothing, and the opportunity for Peter to repent of his threefold denial by declaring his love for the Lord three times. The instructions (feed my lambs) that follow Peter’s expressions of love are meant for us, too, and that leads me to what I think may be the most convincing evidence for Jesus’ resurrection: the vibrant, loving Church, of which we are all a part, still ministering today, feeding the Lord’s lambs, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Still, one cannot deny that there is evil in the world, even within the Church, and that can be discouraging, perhaps obscuring the truth of the Church as the Risen Christ’s Body. The fourth verse of Bob Hurd’s “Two Were Bound for Emmaus” that we are singing at liturgy today may be helpful: When the road makes us weary, when our labor seems but loss, when the fire of faith weakens and too high seems the cost, let the Church turn to its risen Lord, who for us bore the cross, and we’ll find our hearts burning at the sound of his voice. Dear Parish Family, "Peace be with you!” This was the initial greeting of our Lord as he appeared to his disciples after his Resurrection. At this time, the apostles were filled with fear, weak and discouraged. Their Master had been arrested, crucified, and now his body was missing from the tomb. It's easy to imagine how their fear and doubts took over instead of holding on to His promise that he would rise again. Jesus could have questioned their trust and loyalty, yet he did not mention it; instead, he wished them peace. He knew what their hearts were experiencing, and what they needed was peace. Not just any peace but the peace that only He can provide. His peace which calms any storm. It helps us face troubling circumstances without being swallowed by anxiety, anger, or fear. It brings a quiet confidence to our hearts that guides us as we face challenging decisions. It allows us to accept God’s boundless love, which makes us say, “I belong to Christ, and I know he will never abandon me! I am loved, and I am forgiven.” Jesus said to them once again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” His gift of peace is not just for us alone; it is meant to be spilled over to our relationships with each other. Jesus is sending us out, asking us to treat each other with the same mercy and love that he has shown us. Loving each other and forgiving each other is perhaps the most challenging aspect of our lives as Christians. We know how difficult it can be to forgive someone who has hurt us, to love without conditions. The only way we can overcome this is to “let the peace of Christ” reign in our hearts. Remember, we don’t do this alone; we have also been given his Spirit. “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’” Filled with God’s Spirit, just like the apostles, we are empowered to go out to the world, sharing God’s love, peace, and forgiveness. ![]() This Easter season, let us greet each other with God’s Peace, and may it be a reminder to be instruments of God’s peace as we pray for an end to the war in Ukraine and around the world. Siempre Adelante, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister ![]() As a parish community, we gather in the courtyard on Palm Sunday to hear a short reading about our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem seated upon a colt. Palms are blessed and distributed. We ask God to sanctify the palms with His blessing that we too may follow Christ the King and reach the eternal Jerusalem. We then process into the church holding our palms and singing “Hosanna.”
Passion/Palm Sunday is celebrated with full acknowledgement of the ultimate reality: Jesus died and rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God. We do not process as if we do not know the rest of the story. Jesus is addressed as the “the Son of David … he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In our procession into the church, we are joyful, yet ever mindful of the price paid by our loving Lord to heal the wounded core of humanity. Our procession is a public proclamation of our faith and trust in God. A procession provides an opportunity for a fuller and richer expression of the prayer of the assembly. The celebration of the procession of Christ is not some historical reenactment. Palm Sunday reminds us, ever more fully, that the path Jesus chose is also our path of discipleship. It is the path that leads to salvation. Dear Faith Family,
This Sunday’s Gospel is one that we have heard countless times, for good reason. There are so many things to take to heart from this reading. We learn about who perfect judgment comes from, we learn about how we should conduct ourselves and we learn about the immense nature of God’s mercy. How many times have we been in situations where we are quick to condemn? I don’t bring this up to make any of us feel bad, but I bring it up to help us to recognize our imperfection. We are truly human and obviously because of our nature, we are imperfect. This is also common when it comes to our own lives and the mistakes that we have made. How many times have we condemned ourselves, thinking that there is no way to turn back to goodness? Jesus’ mercy in this Gospel really stands out. He doesn’t affirm the adultery that was committed by the woman, nor does he affirm the men who were looking to condemn her. What does he express instead? Mercy. Our Lord understands that none of us are perfect, but instead of simply saying “oh well, nobody is perfect”, He instructs Mary Magdalen to “not sin anymore”. This hits especially hits me hard. How easy could it have been to ignore her sin and enable her in the face of the men who were committing an evil against her? How easy could it have been to be too firm about her sin, and scare her with the threat of condemnation? These might be the two approaches that I would be tempted with, but our Lord shows both compassion and the pathway to a strong, moral life. Lent is so interesting because, from the moment that we receive our ashes, we are asked to repent. Repent seems like a heavy word prescribed for heathens, but to repent is an instruction to “turn back”. With this Gospel, it is obvious that it leads to a strong life of discipleship for Mary Magdalene. I have a feeling that she wasn’t perfect, but she really took the instruction to sin no more, seriously. ![]() Dear Friends, When we as Church come together to celebrate the liturgy, there is a need for dedicated ministers to take charge of certain responsibilities so that the presider can give his attention to leading the assembly in prayer. These dedicated ministers are called altar servers. At Padre Serra we have 65 dedicated young ministers, ranging in age from 10 to 19. Half are high school students and there is an equal mix of girls and boys. The altar server is an icon of service and dedication. Each altar server functions as a model of what it means to have full, conscious and active participation in our liturgies, in essence to stay focused on the Paschal Mystery. Invitation to Serve: Boys and girls currently in the 5th grade and up (at least 10 years old) are invited to join this truly special ministry. Altar server training will be on Thursday, 31 March 2022 at 4:30 P.M. in the Church. All parents must attend this session. If you are interested, please contact Bob Shadduck at 377-3527 (Cell) or Robert_Shadduck@msn.com. During the training period, the servers learn the order of the liturgy so well that they can anticipate each action and need of the presider. Each server has special roles and responsibilities. They are taught to understand what their roles are and how to perform them. They know how to move, carry things, and keep stillness and silence. The altar servers can influence the atmosphere of prayer by their presence in the assembly around the altar of Our Lord. Rest assured that the assembly definitely admires the altar servers. This is a ministry that goes all the way back to the early church Dear Friends,
Today’s scripture readings (Exodus 3:1-81, 13;15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 1012; Luke 13:1-9 and Psalm 103: 1- 2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11) are full of messages from God to his people. Moses’ message to the Israelites is one of deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Paul’s message to the Corinthians, and Jesus’ to his disciples is one of repentance and accountability. “Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” Paul looks back at the followers of Moses who were struck down in the desert because God was not pleased with “most of them.” Jesus cautions his disciples not to think that victims of tragedies (Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices and eighteen people killed by a falling tower in Siloam) are somehow guiltier than everybody else: “By no means! But if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did.” Jesus continues by telling of a gardener who pleads with an orchard owner to spare a non producing fig tree: “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down.” Who is the orchard owner? Who is the gardener? Could both be Jesus? One the King of the universe who comes to judge the living and the dead and the other the loving, patient, pleading Savior and advocate, who sends the Spirit to make us fruitful? Inevitably, we will fail. Repeatedly. But Psalm 103 reassures us: The Lord is kind and merciful. He pardons all our iniquities, heals all our ills, redeems our life from destruction, and crowns us with kindness and compassion. I read this crowning with kindness and compassion two ways: 1. The Lord’s kindness and compassion to us, redeeming us from destruction and 2. The Spirit working within us to make us ever more kind and more compassionate. The scriptures are clear. It isn’t enough just to be members of the tribe, or of the “club.” We are accountable to God for being fruitful where we are planted. Dear Parish Family,
If you are anything like me, it’s so easy to get sidetracked on our many tasks and can lose track of time. Even more so when we may be doing something you really enjoy, such as reading a good book, binging on Netflix or sleeping in the morning. My alarm clock is my best tool to make sure I am up in the morning and where I need to be on time. To help me manage my time on my busy days when I have time sensitive tasks, I recently started to use the alarms on my cell. Since I have begun this new habit, I get my most important tasks done on time, and on occasions I surprise myself that I may have some time to spare. I bring this up only because I think that at times we need tools to help us, to make sure we are awake and alert to what comes next. In our Gospel today, Peter and John and James went with Jesus to the mountain to pray. Yet while Jesus prayed, his disciples fell asleep. Had they not woken up on time, they would have missed seeing Jesus in his Glory. They would not have heard God’s voice say, “This is my chosen Son; Listen to him.” It was through God’s grace they did wake up on time, and were able to experience Jesus’ Transfiguration. They were given the opportunity to see his divinity. Our lives can be like this, where we too fall asleep, letting everything else distract us and not keep us from recognizing Jesus is always with us. God desires us to see him, but we must be willing to see. During the season of Lent, through the practices of Fasting from food and habits, Prayer and Almsgiving, can be like our alarm clocks to “wake up.” Through these practices they can lead us to see and feel Jesus more clearly and to listen to what he tells us. As we fast, and experience hunger, it awakens our awareness of the hunger and needs of others. As we pray, especially with the scriptures, we learn to hear God’s voice and his desires for us. We learn to see Jesus in our brothers and sisters; through almsgiving we seek to meet their needs. “What you do for the least of your brothers, you do for me.” God gave us the Transfiguration to let us know what we have to look forward to at the end of our lives. We know that after we’ve done our best down here on earth — at the bottom of the mountain — and if we die in a state of grace, we can look forward to seeing Christ in all His glory, as He was at the Transfiguration. Only after we go through this difficult life, can we enjoy the glory of Easter. My Dear Parish Family, Welcome to Lent! You may have already decided what you are doing for the next 40 days in the way of prayer, self-denial, and charitable works (the three “pillars” of Lent) to prepare for the great feast of Easter. Some of us are still deciding, but I am going to suggest that whatever we do for Lent, we put it all into the context of baptismal spirituality. Let me explain by way of a little historical background. In the early centuries of the Church, becoming a Christian was a gradual process of apprenticeship in a counter-cultural way of life. The season we now call Lent was the final and intense period when the seekers were prepared to be immersed into the waters of baptism at the Easter Vigil. When infant baptism became the norm by the fifth century, Lent became only a penitential time for the baptized to prepare for the celebration of Easter. The pre-baptismal character of Lent was forgotten until it was revived by the Second Vatican Council in the twentieth century. Today Lent has two strands, baptismal and penitential, woven together. It is again a time when we journey with the Elect (see “Becoming Catholic” on page 9) to the baptismal font at the Easter Vigil. As we encourage and pray for them during Lent, we reflect on the meaning of our own baptism when we ourselves "put on Christ.” Our Lenten penitential practices can help us to examine our lives in the context of baptismal mission: are we living as disciples of Jesus, being His heart and hands in the world today? For 40 days we ponder this, through our Lenten practices, so we can authentically renew our own baptismal promises at Easter. I'd like to suggest that you and your families do something at the beginning of Lent that I did recently with the adult Confirmation candidates. Single people could do this with a small group of friends. Gather mementos of each person's baptism: the certificate, candle, white garment, photos, and stories remembered by those who attended. Share all these memories with the group. What should emerge, as it did with our Confirmation candidates, is a sense of the importance placed on this day by our families. Hopefully this will lead to a discussion of the meaning of baptism and the difference it makes in our lives and in the life of the world. ![]() May Lent 2022 be fruitful for all of us, marked by an increased awareness and understanding of the great gift of baptism. Lenten Blessings, Catherine Shadduck Initiation Coordinator I have a new tree in my backyard. It has multiple fruits grafted onto it, including plums, apricots, peaches and one other stone fruit that I have forgotten, perhaps nectarines, all selected for their ability to self-pollinate and grow in our warmer climate. We’ll see if this works. I was told that if the major trunk comes to dominate on the tree, the other varieties will die off, so I have to prune it carefully. After it was planted, it was clear that two of the varieties had begun to dominate in growth already. I have no idea, which ones yet, as the tree came without leaf or fruit on it. So, I read everything I could find on the internet on pruning this tree correctly, and watched YouTube videos on the subject, both done in Australia, curiously. With trepidation, I took pruners in hand and did my best to restore some balance, and prepare the tree for spring growth. I admit that I am fearful that I cut off too much.
Within just the last couple of days of my writing this, though, the first white blossoms have opened on some of the branches. I’m getting hopeful that there might be fruit in my future. Again, we’ll see, but it’s hopeful. And that is the point of my story. You do your best, and then you hope. You try, and try hard, and then you hope. You fail, even, and you pick yourself back up, and you continue to hope. You’ve all made the best health choices you could in these last two difficult years. We’ve all had our hopes disappointed with ongoing waves and total and partial shutdowns. And yet there are signs, early and yet still hopeful signs, with falling infections rates, easier symptoms, fewer hospitalizations, etc. Perhaps this time things will work out. Might there be reason to hope? we were to recycle right back into a new wave of infections, perhaps pi, or rho, or sigma? Both Delta and Omicron were surprises. It could happen, dear Lord forfend! What would we do? We’d hope for the future, and carry on. On the other hand, this could be the beginning of something better, even if not entirely as things were before, but much more open and less constrained. Truth to tell, none of us know. But we have dealt with hard times, and we have endured. We have had losses, real and painful, but we have survived. In essence, like my fruit tree, we’ve been pruned. There could be hard times ahead, but we are hardened. We aren’t weak. We can do this. We can hope. I encourage you, in light of today’s Gospel, that we need to bear fruit under both good and bad circumstances. Whatever happens, please do not become disheartened. Be a person of faith and hope. As 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Our Homo Sapiens species has been continually evolving both biologically and socially for over 300,000 years. Some distant time in the past our species had a marked moment in time, as noted by the Jesuit paleontologist Pierre de Chardin, when he said instinct gave way to thought. We became thinking Homo Sapiens (wise man) capable of abstract thought. Throughout our biologic and cultural history as thinking human beings we have often responded to challenges with primordial instinctual reciprocity. You hurt me, I hurt you. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. In today’s Gospel Jesus says we are to let go of reciprocal thinking when he says “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Love your enemies? Two thousand years ago this certainly would have challenged the Jewish authorities and the Jewish people. Today, we also may be challenged with our own reactional and emotional response to “love your enemies” and then with reciprocal reaction we may say “No way.” Yet, that is exactly what Jesus asked us to do. Love our enemies. So, who are our enemies? Cambridge dictionary says “a person who hates or opposes another person” and Merriam-Webster defines enemy as “ one that is antagonistic to another.” These may be personal relational definitions and not necessarily militaristic. This could be our lives inside our families, or broken friendships, or with adversaries, acquaintances, in work places or politics, and other everyday life experiences. At times in daily life the words, actions, or emotions of others by way of slights, insults, or misunderstandings may be mistreatment but we are to be aware there are those times the offender may not even know there was an offense. Our ego may play a role creating an enemy. It has been said that in some ways “liking our enemy” may be more difficult than loving our enemy which emotionally may offer some truth. But Jesus does not ask us to “like” our enemies. He asks us to love them. Bishop Robert Barron has said “love is not a feeling or a sentiment, a private subjective conviction” when he quotes St. Thomas Aquinas’ “Love is willing the good of the other, as other.” At times the “other” is the enemy and we are to will them good. How are we to love our enemies? Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that we are to reciprocate not with revenge but with goodness, blessings and prayers for them. The depth of the cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance and fortitude give us sight and insight into the divinity of the goodness in the “other” whom God sees as divine. We are to know those who hate, curse or mistreat us at the same time receive gifted love and mercy from God. Today’s Gospel speaks of God’s mercy for all. We also are to live and offer that mercy for the wounding actions of others knowing our own wounding behaviors, actions and sins are also looked upon by God with mercy ![]() It is in this loving, forgiving and letting go of those who have hated, cursed or mistreated us that we can receive the blessed reciprocity of interior freedom leading to holiness. Deacon Jack Redmond Dear Faith Family,
One of my favorite things to experience is when I have the realization that our liturgies work seamlessly with each other. I especially enjoy when the readings have themes that have correlations that are impossible to ignore. This Sunday’s second reading is quite striking and it is indeed true. If Christ has been raised from the dead, how can we ignore the promise that we will be raised as well? It’s a pretty direct message and it is quite powerful. God always keeps his promises, even those that we perceive to be impossible. This Sunday’s Gospel fits perfectly with this idea. As humans, it is impossible to avoid suffering. We all have encountered the poor, hungry, weeping, etc., but I feel that it is safe to say that we have experienced these things as well. A lot of us have experienced times in our lives where it seems impossible that God is present. When we experience these things, we can sometimes correlate them with death. When we are downtrodden with nowhere to look, it may feel like a glimpse of death. Our Lord helps us to see that although the pursuit of suffering is not something we should do, there is somehow blessing in our most difficult times. Death is something that is not desired, but it is inevitable. But if Christ preaches perfect life after death, love still somehow conquers. If love conquers the unconquerable, God is not only present in the pleasant parts of our lives, but he is equally present in the difficult parts. What an amazing message that our God preaches. He is there, at all times, even when it is hard to see Him. Notice though, that the theme of these readings aren’t “just be happy!”. God is simply letting us know that He is there, even when it seems like no one is. His love is eternal, not faltering when things become difficult. God meets us where we are, and we are truly blessed to have a God who will never fail in loving us, even in situations where we find it most difficult to love others or ourselves. These past 2 years have been hard, but on reflection, hopefully we recognize the God that conquered death has been present the whole time and he continues to be present to this day. Dear Friends,
In our second reading today, St. Paul, still addressing the community at Corinth (we’ve been hearing excerpts from his letter to them for a few weeks now), writes of handing on to them what he also received, that is, the Good News: “that Christ died for our sins…that he was buried; that he was raised on the last day…” After detailing many who actually saw the Risen One, he says that he too saw him, last of all, because as one who persecuted the church he is “the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle”. He goes on to credit God’s grace for who and what he (Paul) is, for the effectiveness of his ministry, and for the toil he has put in to preach the Gospel. His frank humility brings to mind the prophet Isaiah in the first reading. After seeing a vision of the Lord on his high and lofty throne with angels “stationed above” crying out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Isaiah believes he is doomed for being a sinner who has seen the Lord God. But one of the seraphim touches his lips with a burning coal from the altar and says “your wickedness is removed, your sin is purged.” He then answers the call of God “Here I am, send me!” Angels are God’s servants of course and are therefore agents of grace for the prophet Isaiah and for St. Paul. Then, in the gospel, after Jesus fills the nets of fishermen who labored all night with no catch, Simon Peter recognizes that this is miraculous, and like Isaiah says “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But Jesus tells him not to be afraid because from now on he (and the other apostles) would be catching people – again, by the grace of God. Isaiah with his unclean lips. Paul who sought out and killed Christians. Simon Peter, a simple fisherman. All of them recipients of God’s grace, but always with a task of bringing the message of salvation to their people, to God’s people. Is it any different with us? I think not. We are to “hand on what we also received” by the grace of God, the Good News of Jesus Christ. Here’s one way of putting it: “Your Creator loves you. Your life has meaning, and you’re going to live forever. If you can find a better deal, take it!” When applying for a graduate teaching program after college, one of the interview questions centered on my favorite Gospel story that relates to teaching. Relying on my years in Catholic elementary and high school, I suggested Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. As educators, we plant small seeds and nurture them to grow into marvelous things!
Before staying home with our three children, my wife was also a Catholic school teacher and principal. In her office was a quote by William Butler Yeats that read, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” We light small sparks that will grow and bring light and warmth to those who surround it. I share these anecdotes this week as we begin the celebration of National Catholic Schools’ Week – an opportunity to recognize the tremendous achievements of the 5,981 Catholic schools across the United States. Catholic schools are where students are able to learn, serve, lead, and ultimately succeed. Seeds are planted and sparks are lit every single day in our Catholic schools. I feel so tremendously blessed to be principal at our very own Catholic school at St. Mary Magdalen here in Camarillo. It is a privilege to work with a dedicated and enthusiastic faculty and a tremendous honor to partner with amazing parents in the education of their children. It is with these teachers and parents that seeds are planted and small sparks are nurtured. I am certainly proud of the academic achievements of our students and especially proud of our entire community for prioritizing the importance of in-person instruction for our students over the course of the COVID19 pandemic. Seeing parents, teachers, and students overcome obstacles that at times feel insurmountable over the past two years plant seeds of inspiration and sparks of hope! We help our students to grow and flourish in so many ways, but I truly believe the most important seeds we plant and the flames we fan are that of our students’ faith. To be able to start every day in prayer, celebrate Mass together once a week as a school community, and openly talk with students about our shared Catholic faith is something I most enjoy about my job and something that sets our school apart from others. We prepare students to not only be productive citizens of this world but also develop them to one day be citizens of heaven. The work that we do is something that cannot be done without your prayers and support and to my fellow Padre Serra parishioners, I offer humble words of deep gratitude. Your generosity over the years allows us to continue to grow and thrive. This is your school community and you are such an important part of the educational journey and faith development of all our children. Dear friends on the journey,
As I write this in mid-January in ordinary time, I still have a bit of the post-Christmas “blues” that come after the sights, sounds, and smells of the magical holiday have been tucked away for another year. I miss the rainy cold weather that has given way to slightly warmer, windier days. I long for the feel-good stories of generosity and gift giving to strangers. Christmas brings out the collective goodness of humanity, when we care a little more for others, when we offer more kindness, and attend to the needs of the poor, hungry, and vulnerable. Various memes encouraging us to keep Christmas going by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the ill, welcoming the stranger, extending forgiveness…essentially the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. I was drawn to the words in today’s gospel “bring glad tidings to the poor.” During my reflection, I kept thinking of the Christmas carols singing about “tidings.” The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible offers this translation, “preach the good news to the poor.” This is what the Incarnation is about…God coming among us in the person of Jesus to bring tidings, the good news, to the poor, which is really all of us. At some time in our lives, we have or will experience poverty whether it be financial, material, health, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual. It’s inevitable. But part of Jesus’ good news is that God is with us through it, that God walks with us, providing comfort, strength, and hope that poverty and darkness will become abundance and light. Being in this weird place of still holding onto Christmas and looking forward in ordinary time, those simple memes are our reminder to live the spirit of Christmas through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. How might you continue the spirit of Christmas, not just today but all year? How might you extend a work of mercy to another? How might you be Jesus for someone in poverty? Here at Padre Serra, we have an opportunity to do just that. Our new Racial Justice Ministry has partnered with Friends of Fieldworkers, a local organization whose mission is to “befriend, celebrate and support families of fieldworkers in Ventura County” for a special project. While our winters are mild, we cannot escape the cooler temperatures, especially at night. But you can provide warmth and comfort for our local farm workers and their families by donating a new blanket or sleeping bag next weekend. Simply drop it in one of the collection boxes before or after Mass next weekend or in the parish office by February 4. Dear Faith Family,
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year. This Sunday, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. Within the Gospel, we recognize the humility of John the Baptist. We also see the pride that God the Father has for His Son, when he says “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased”. At first glance, this makes all the sense in the world. Of course God, the Father, would be pleased with the actions of His perfect Son. Jesus is truly God, so he would never fail at pursuing what is asked of Him. At second glance though, we need to recognize that this Baptism, is to remind us of our own Baptisms as well. Sometimes when we think of the Sacrament of Baptism, we think that it is a necessary step for us to be card-carrying Catholics. Original Sin must be washed away from us to we can cease to be scumbags or something. In reality though, when we were Baptized (or when we are Baptized), we are not only without Original Sin, but it is also an establishment of a covenant with the God who loves us. So, that sounds nice, but what exactly is a covenant? We tend to think that a covenant as an agreement between two parties, a fancy way of saying contract. In terms of our faith, though, it is quite more profound than that. A covenant is an act of establishing kinship. We see this throughout Salvation History (Adam, Moses, David, etc.). Simply put, a covenant is an agreement between us and God to be family. He is our Father and we are his children. Because of that, whenever one is Baptized, God essentially says the same thing to us as he did to Jesus, “You are my beloved son/daughter, with you I am well pleased”.Not only does Baptism purify us from Original Sin, it also is a Sacramental Act where we accept God as our Father and God accepts up as their kin. It is quite a beautiful Sacrament and a really big deal! While we celebrate wonderful feasts and holidays throughout our liturgical year, I also recommend that we find ways to celebrate our personal Baptism days! We celebrate birthdays in celebration of the past, why not celebrate our formalized kinship with the God who loves us? Dear friends on the journey,
Well, it is officially 2022! Another crazy year is in the books. I hope you experienced more celebrations of life and love than turmoil. Though I know for many among us, 2021 brought heartbreaking loss and grief. Please be assured of my prayers and the support of our parish family as you navigate a new reality in this coming year. I pray this New Year brings us more joy than sadness, more peace than conflict, more wonderment than weariness, more God centeredness than worldliness. Today’s readings for the Feast of the Epiphany are rich with so many messages. We could focus on the theme of gifts. As the Magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus, we can discern the gifts we offer to Jesus using our God given talents, abilities, and gifts for the betterment of our families, neighborhoods, parish, and the world. We could reflect on the theme of light as the prophet Isaiah describes the Lord’s light that will break through the darkness to shine upon and guide all peoples. The Magi followed the brightest star in the sky, trusting the light would lead them to something wonderful. We could ponder what or whom lights our path. Is it Jesus in his Eucharistic and sacramental presence? Is it God’s Word? If it’s not, should it be? The theme of unity could be a topic of conversation. Epiphany means manifestation and so the first and second readings and the gospel speak of Jesus’ manifestation in his birth as a gift not just for the Hebrews but also the Gentiles, including the Magi who traveled to pay homage to Jesus. People from all nations and generations are now “coheirs, members of the same body” (Eph 3:6). How can we be more inclusive? In preparation for this litter, I used the practice of Lectio Divina in order for the Holy Spirit to guide me. What was God calling me to hear in that space and time? The phrase that stood out to me, or the echo, was “having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.” God spoke to them and they listened. Such wisdom and trust to follow God’s prompting! How do we listen for God? First, we must acknowledge God’s ever presence, desire for us, and constant communication with us. Once we grasp this, the next step is attunement, slowing down to become aware of God’s voice and nudges. God speaks in many ways: prayer, dreams, nudges other people and situations. I am becoming particularly aware of God’s nudges and shoulder taps, those promptings to take action, to do for others. It might be something as simple as paying for the order of the person behind you in a drive-thru; calling a loved one just to say hello; making eye contact with the homeless person; bringing up the neighbor’s garbage cans. How do we listen to God? Well, simply put it is responding to God’s shoulder taps by stepping out and just doing it. You cannot go wrong with kindness and generosity. Dear Friends, Today, with all the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of Christmas fresh in our minds, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, and well we should. Never has there been such a family where dad is a saint (but he did consider divorce), mom is the (unwed) mother of God, and Jesus – well, he is divine (and an illegitimate child by the human standards of the time). The scriptures tell us that Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor. Today’s Gospel tells us of the wrenching experience for Mary and Joseph of discovering that their precious boy has somehow gone missing on the trip back from Passover in Jerusalem. They find him in the temple back in Jerusalem after searching for an entire day among their relatives and acquaintances and three more days in Jerusalem. Can you imagine their anxiety? And Jesus response to them seems markedly unapologetic (though the Gospel also says that he went with them back to Nazareth and was obedient). I think most of us have heard something like “God writes straight with crooked lines.” That idea is often (rightly, I think) invoked as reassurance that our weakness, lack of courage, and sinfulness will not ultimately frustrate God’s loving plan. But I also think it can help us get a more balanced view of the Holy Family when we think about Jesus’ human ancestry. See the beginning of Matthew’s gospel. Jesus’ human forbears included wonderful people, but also included ordinary people, and some bad people: thieves, adulterers, murderers, and the like. Fr. Ron Rolheiser, writing about Jesus and the Holy Family as an example of God writing straight with crooked lines, quotes theologian Raymond Brown: “The God who wrote the beginnings with crooked lines also writes the sequence with crooked lines, and some of those lines are our own lives and witness. A God who did not hesitate to use the scheming as well as the noble, the impure as well as the pure, men to whom the world harkened and women upon whom the world frowned – this God continues to work through the same mélange. If it is a challenge to recognize in the last part of Matthew’s genealogy that totally unknown people were part of the story of Jesus Christ, it may be a greater challenge to recognize that the unknown characters of today are an essential part of the sequence.” So I’d like to suggest that on this Feast, we find encouragement and the inspiration, perhaps, to recommit ourselves to our baptismal promises, conscious that not only can God save humanity in spite of all our imperfections, but that God can – and will – create something new and beautiful. Even with us. Even in our families with all of their beauty and all of their ... everything else. For a long time, it has been Catholic church teaching that we are all called to holiness, nothing less. The call is universal and the call is irrevocable. No one is exempt, no matter how humble or exalted they may be. It’s rooted in our baptism and in the Paschal Mystery that we celebrate at every Mass.
Sometimes hearing how difficult things are for others can help us put our own life and difficulties into perspective. I thought it might be good to do a short, somewhat deeper dive into the first Christmas, so that we can look at our own with a little more grace. Please consider the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It’s about 70 miles if you can fly from one to the other. If you have to walk on ancient roads that meander according to a very hilly topography, avoiding unfriendly Samaritans, the journey was probably between 80 and 90 difficult miles. As for the donkey who shows up in all the art, it’s not impossible that a carpenter would have owned a donkey, but maybe not likely. The Roman military paid for pack animals, but also were known to confiscate them from defenseless peasants ... and yes, both Mary and Joseph were peasants. Do you bother to invest in a pack animal in those circumstances? There is no beast of burden included in the birth accounts of Matthew or Luke. Mary, who was very pregnant and about to give birth, very likely walked the four to six days this journey would have taken. That is tough prenatal care. As for Joseph, he was likely carrying any possessions or food they brought with them each day. The peasant salary was often paid on the day of work, and all spent that day for food. Saving was difficult when living hand to mouth, so how he came up with the resources for making the trip, in both directions, remains a question. It had to weigh on him, especially as the journey was required so that an oppressive foreign power could tax him more efficiently. I have wondered how that sat with Joseph. As for archaeological evidence of what kind of town they encountered, we don’t have much. Even the word “inn” is questionably translated, as it wasn’t the usual word for a traveler’s dwelling. Rather, it implied the upper room where local residents might welcome guests in their own living quarters. The implication is that this place was full of people, and Mary and Joseph retired to the ground level room, below, where the local family guarded their animals. There is no mention of a cave or barn. It still seems quite unpleasant, but I can’t imagine that giving birth in a room crowded with strangers would have been any better. In all of human history, only the God become human chose the timing, the place and the characters who occupy his birth. And he chose a messy, difficult time to drag Joseph and Mary into a pregnancy that would fulfill an ancient prophecy: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:1). For the great things of Jesus’ birth to happen, Mary and Joseph had to struggle and endure great difficulties. Jesus, who prompted it all, to become Emanuele, “God with us,” obviously thought our difficult human condition was worth it. These last years have had their own share of struggles for all of us. But we are pulling through it all.
|
NEWS CATEGORIES
All
Past News
|