Out of a loving desire for us to reach our eternal destination, he gives us his flesh and blood as food and drink for the journey. The destination is not just any land but the Kingdom of God. Nothing in this world can sustain us in the journey; only the living flesh and blood of God himself. Thus, only the Eucharist can bring us to our salvation. To deprive ourselves of the Eucharist is to make it impossible for us to reach the new Promised Land - Heaven.
This year is unique because the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve fall on the same day. This happens about every six or seven years, although a leap year might render the interval longer. Our Church teaches that Catholics are required to participate in the Holy Eucharist on Sundays and other Holy Days of Obligation.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the only picture of Mary that we have directly from heaven. She miraculously appeared on the Tilma/cloak of St. Juan Diego in the presence of Bishop Zumarraga. In the Tilma, we see Mary as the Mother of God teaching us how to adore her Son. One can easily say that the Tilma is a catechesis on the spirituality of Eucharistic faith and devotion through the personal witness of Mary. Let us briefly detail a few things that Our Lady of Guadalupe is teaching us today.
The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas.
Lạy Chúa, tên tuổi 117 thánh Tử Đạo Việt Nam đã được ghi vào lịch sử Giáo Hội. Nhưng còn một số đông vô kể, cả chính chúng con, là những tín hữu không tên tuổi, đang dấn thân trong cuộc sống chọn lựa. Xin Chúa ban thêm cho chúng con sức mạnh và lòng can đảm cương quyết, để chúng con dám sống bằng những cử chỉ anh hùng, dám tỏ thái độ dứt khoát khi chọn lựa đứng về phía Chúa. Vì khi chúng con sống điều Chúa dạy, khi chúng con dám thực hiện lề luật Chúa, tức là chúng con đang tử đạo hằng ngày, và đang trở thành chứng nhân cho Chúa giữa thế giới hôm nay. Xin Chúa giúp chúng con. Amen.
The metaphor of “oil” refers to the way we do (or do not) live the virtuous life that God freely empowers us to live. You cannot “borrow” these virtues at the last moment; you must “live” them everyday. These Gospel words are very sobering, and they remind us that we can never use the excuse, “But no one told me.” We know what God wants us to do. We need to remind ourselves that when much is given, much is also required.
Thánh Lễ bằng tiếng Việt Nam sẽ được cử hành tại Thánh Đường Giáo Xứ St. Paul the Apostle. Bắt đầu vào đầu mùa vọng năm nay Ngày 02 tháng 12 năm 2023 @ 7:00pm
The logo for this year’s Harvest Festival bears elements worthy of knowing and reflecting on. The first is the theme itself, “Taste and See that the Lord is Good” taken from Psalm 34, 9.
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary primarily because the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7th. The feast was introduced by Pope St. Pius V to commemorate the miraculous victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. He attributed more to the “arms” of the Rosary than the power of cannons and the valor of the soldiers who fought there.
And so, this October, I invite all Catholics to think about building a culture of life in terms of radical solidarity. We are the Church. Our prayers, witness, sacrifices, advocacy, and good works are needed now, more than ever. We are the hands and feet of Christ in the world today and we each have a personal responsibility to care for one another.
“Let Justice and Peace Flow” is the theme of this year’s ecumenical Season of Creation, inspired by the words of the prophet Amos: “Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” (5:24).
The visionaries were two poor and uneducated children. They were entrusted with a beautiful message of reconciliation with the self, others, nature and God. God calls us back to Him. When we sin, He is generous with his forgiveness. But we must also be willing to reconcile with others and extend the forgiveness God has extended to us, as illustrated in the Gospel parable this weekend. To refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us would be to exclude ourselves from receiving God’s forgiveness for our own sins.
You may have already noticed by now that the theme for this year’s Parish Annual Report and Harvest Festival is the same: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” In the context of the Annual Report, the theme invites us to remember the many blessings the Lord has given us, both personally and communally. The Lord has been so good to us that he has allowed us to achieve many great things as a church. In the context of the festival, it invites us and all people to see the goodness of coming together, playing together, eating together and creating beautiful memories together. These are good things that can only come from the Lord, for He is a God of unity, and not of division.
We are called to examine ourselves: Do I have enough faith to offer up a genuine sacrifice for the sake of Christ and his Kingdom? Am I willing to sacrifice my time, talents and treasures for the missionary activities of the Church?
Thank you for your loving service to the Church. May God continue to bless you abundantly in your journey! Congratulations on your 11th Anniversary as a Priest!
“Taste and see that the lord is good..." best captures what this year’s parish report wants to convey. The number of people coming for mass and services as well as our ministers and volunteers have been steadily increasing.
On August 4th, Father Mike Maher, SSCC, was called to eternal rest. Fr. Maher began the parish of St. Paul the Apostle, Chino Hills, in 1986, starting with only 200 people. He noted his time at the parish as "the best experience of his life." After 15 years of service at St. Paul the Apostle, he was assigned to St. Louis, Cathedral City, where he served for ten years until he stepped down due to illness.