Fourth Sunday of Easter - St. Brendan Parish

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Fourth Sunday of Easter May 15, 2011 He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. — 1 Peter 2:24a IN NEED OF A SHEPHERD F or a while it was very fashionable to own pigs as pets. The publicity surrounding these creatures informed us that they were—contrary to their popular image—very clean animals, and also quite smart. Sad to say, sheep will most likely never enjoy this sort of domestic vogue. They are neither clean nor smart and are largely defenseless when left on their own, even in large numbers. The biblical image of us as the flock of sheep is not a particularly flattering one. Sheep without a shepherd are truly sad, because they most likely will perish either from their inability to fend for themselves or from their lack of defenses against predators. Placing ourselves in the heart of this unflattering image can reinforce our faith. Until we come to a profound realization of how much we need a shepherd, we cannot appreciate how deeply blessed we are to have been given a Shepherd, one who laid down his life for us and was raised to life eternal in the Spirit, so he might guide us and we might follow him in faith forever. © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. PART I REVISED ROMAN MISSAL THE INTRODUCTORY RITES I Confess to Almighty God With these words we begin a venerable prayer within the Roman Catholic tradition. The Confiteor is the first of three forms of the Act of Penitence, which takes place in most Masses immediately following the Greeting and Introduction. Earlier forms of the Confiteor included a long list of saints who were called upon to intercede on our behalf. In time this list was reduced to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, and Saint John the Baptist. In the current form, we call upon “blessed Mary ever -Virgin, all the Angels and Saints,” and then “you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.” This confession begins with personal admissions, but concludes by acknowledging our interdependency with all members of the Church, beginning with those in Heaven and ending with our brothers and sisters on earth. In comparing the 1973 English translation, which we know well, with the revised translation expected in 2011, we see that the revision gives a much more literal translation of the Missale’s Latin text, now fully translating peccavi nimis (“I have greatly sinned”) and mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. True enough, we are sinners, but our hope is not grounded in our own righteousness, but rather in the merits of Christ. SHEPHERDING A shepherd’s duties demand much more than holding a carved staff and calmly watching the flock. The shepherd must do everything from ensuring a steady supply of feed, to assisting births, to treating illnesses, to guarding against predator attacks. The shepherd can never leave the sheep untended. Sheep have been domesticated for ten thousand years. In ancient times the Jews valued sheep - especially lambs, the favored animal of sacrifice to God. The scriptures make frequent references to sheep and shepherds, culminating in the images of Jesus, the Good Shepherd and the Lamb sacrificed for our sins. Some of us are irritated by the thought of ourselves as sheep and disappointed with our shepherds - namely our bishops, priests, and deacons. How much better would we be as Jesus’ “little flock” if we stuck together and followed the Good Shepherd, and how much stronger would our clergy shepherds be if we not only showed support for their efforts, but also helped them to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in the flock that they guide Copyright © 2010, World Library Publications. All rights reserved. Living Stewardship Now Write short notes to parish clergy and diocesan bishops thanking them for all that they do in service to God’s people. Speak up on matters of importance to your parish or diocese. contribute to the support of a seminarian. Join a Serra Club. Copyright © 2010, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.
Page 3 ST. BRENDAN CHURCH News Around the Parish Pastor’s Corner Welcoming our New Parishioners – St. Brendan is blessed to have such a warm and welcoming community that it attracts many people to our Church. For those of you who are “old timers,” meaning if you’ve been here for a year or more, and you see a face you don’t recognize, please don’t hesitate to say “hello” and introduce yourself to them. I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation where we are the “new” person, and nothing makes us feel more comfortable than a friendly person with a warm smile and a kind heart. And if you are the “new” person, I find that if I extend myself and introduce myself to those around me, that others will kindly reciprocate. So don’t be afraid to say “hello” to us. We promise not to bite. I want to thank the Welcome Committee for helping us to welcome new parishioners at our 9:30am Sunday Mass today. We had talked about welcoming new parishioners not just in November, at our parish dinner, but semi-annually. So we thought it would also be appropriate for us to welcome new parishioners today, on the eve of the feast of St. Brendan, who was one who reached out to others with the love of Christ. So to all our new parishioners, a great big WELCOME!!! Blessed John Paul II – I’ve been asked, whether John Paul is now a saint. And that is a good question. Technically, he’s not a saint yet, according to the Church’s official procedure for naming saints. The church follows 3 steps in designating someone a saint. The first step, the person must be nominated for sainthood. Typically, a bishop nominates a person after he finds evidence of heroic virtue. Then, the case is brought to the Vatican, to the Congregation for the Cause of Saints. After their evaluation and approval, then the Pope proclaims the candidate as “Venerable,” which means that the person is a role model of Catholic virtues. If the person is shown to be responsible for a posthumous miracle, then the person is “beatified.” So our former Pope is now known as Blessed John Paul. For a person to be considered a saint, the Church awaits a confirmation from heaven, by a second posthumous miracle. It is after this confirmation from heaven that a person is then canonized a saint. But remember, it is not the Church who makes a saint. It is the person’s own holiness, and God’s grace that makes a person a saint. The Church has its procedure simply to investigate and to ensure that all candidates are indeed models of holiness that we can learn and imitate. Growing in the Spirit – According to our Parish Survey, respondents have expressed Spirituality to be the category that we should give our highest priority. As the Advisory Board and I are meeting to plan concrete steps by which we will work to help our parish grow in our spiritual life, in the meantime, I would like to highlight the upcoming Catholic Charismatic Renewal Convention. The Charismatic Renewal is a movement in the Catholic Church that strives to help everyday Catholics be attuned to the movement of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It was through the Renewal that I came back to the Catholic Church and I am grateful for its influence in my life, as I’ve learned to be more sensitive to the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. At this Memorial Day weekend, the seven northern California Dioceses will be hosting the 24 th Annual Catholic Charismatic Convention at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The opening celebration will begin on Friday night, with praise and worship at 7pm, and Mass at 8pm, celebrated by our Auxiliary Bishop William Justice. Workshops will be available on Saturday and Sunday, with speakers like Fr. Chris Crotty coming to us from Kentucky, Ms. Martha Sardina from Texas, and Mr. Richard Lane from Missouri. See http://www.ncrcspirit.org/ for more information. Flyers are also available in the bookrack in the foyer. The closing Mass will be at the Santa Clara Convention center on Sunday, 5/29 with praise and worship beginning at 2:30pm and Mass beginning at about 3:30pm. Hope to see you there. Peace, Fr. Dan
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Page 7 and 8: Complete Line of Building Materials

Fourth Sunday of Easter - St. Brendan Parish

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