Church of The Holy Spirit

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, April 6, 2008

Third Sunday of Easter

The Road to Emmaus

Luke tells his readers that, as two disciples made their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they were talking and debating. They had thought Jesus was the one sent by God to accomplish the redemption of God's people and to establish them in peace, prosperity and justice. But everything they had hoped for ended on a cross at Calvary.

They had been travelling up a road they thought was leading to freedom and it turned out to be a dead end. They had been living out a story built upon prophetic promises and the historical precedents of Exodus and the return from exile and for these reasons they hoped God would step in and deliver Israel yet again. They also had an idea as to how God should step in: through a revolt against Rome whereby God would empower the remnant to defeat their oppressors. But with Jesus' crucifixion, it seemed clear that their exile this time was continuing, that God had not forgiven their sins and that the pagans were still ruling the world.

As they explained all this to the yet unrecognized risen Jesus, the hopelessness of the travelling pair was obvious. But rather than commiserate with them, the risen Lord took their story and began to tell it differently. Rather than view their sufferings and struggles as punishment from God, he helped them to see that it is always darkest before the dawn.

Celebrated today in Luke's account, Eucharist became the spiritual and physical food for Jesus' disciples. At Eucharist, they experienced his real presence what they were truly meant to be – companions. Companions are those who share bread together, and, through their sharing, are profoundly bound to one another in faith and fellowship. Companions are fellow travellers who share the journey that Jesus began. Luke made it very clear in his writing of the gospel that Jesus was always en route, pressing on to the fulfilment of his mission in Jerusalem.

It is no mistake that the disciples in today's gospel from Luke met Jesus while also en route. But their journey was rerouted by Jesus; their experience of him in bread and word caused them to return to Jerusalem to begin a new journey for the sake of the Gospel. All the while, as they travelled from place to place and person to person, their food, their companion and their strength would be Jesus himself. Jesus continues to provide for his own. At every Eucharistic gathering, the Word is unwrapped and shared; the bread is blessed, broken and given; and Jesus is present. That long-ago evening in Emmaus, at supper, the disciples acknowledged their realization of this mystery by saying that their eyes were opened and their hearts were burning within them.

We are companions to Jesus and companions to one another, sharing what we are and what we have. For it is in these acts of authentic sharing that eyes are opened to others' needs; hearts begin to burn with love and caring. Through these simple acts of sharing, the community will surely grow, and the world will begin to know better the saving power of God.

Rev. Thomas G. Moore

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, April 8
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Leonardo Rico

WEDNESDAY, April 9
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Felisa Rico

THURSDAY, April 10
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Carmine Spadafore

FRIDAY, April 11
St Stanislaus of Cracow
8:30 a.m. - † Deceased members of the Spadafore family

may live again in the presence of the God of limitless love . . . for all who are mourning the loss of a loved one . . . for those who are dying and those who tend them as they die . . . for those who are alone and afraid . . . for a peaceful death without fear or regret . . . for the mind of Christ . . . We pray to the Lord.

Please remember the sick in your prayers during the coming week, especially:

Ken Tai, Hassan Kingrabe, Benjamin Rubio, Mervyn Cardoza, Jack Hamilton, Melita Juliana, Carmelita Cosgrove, George Annett, Sister Jemma, Joe Crocco and Eileen Docherty

. . . who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick. . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those who live in the shadow of the cross . . . for those whose suffering is severe . . ..for the mind of Christ . . . We pray to the Lord.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, April 13, 2008

Fourth Sunday of Easter

The Gatekeeper

As human beings, we take on many roles in our lives and we form multiple relationships because of those roles. We can be friends or acquaintances or strangers or even enemies. To our parents, we are children. To our spouses, we are partners, helpers, lovers and friends. To our bosses, we are employees. To our teachers, we are students. To the government, we are citizens. To politicians, we are votes waiting to be cast. To merchants, we are the promise of sales and profits. To doctors and nurses, we are patients to be cured and cared for. To lawyers, we are clients to be represented. To police officers, we are someone to be protected.

When Jesus came among us, he also assumed roles and formed relationships. John's Gospel account gives us some of the most telling – Jesus himself identifies them for us. I AM the way, the truth and the life. I AM the resurrection and the life; I AM the living bread; I AM the vine; I AM the light of the world; I AM the good shepherd. Scholars who have studied the gospel of John have long recognized that the I AM statements were intended to associate Jesus with the God who chose to be revealed as I AM to Moses in Exodus. They clearly identify who Jesus is in relationship to humankind. Jesus is the source of eternal life; he is the means through which sinners find life; he leads his followers to life and safe pasture; he reveals the ‘truth' and offers nourishment.

Far from being mere titles accorded to Jesus, the I AM statements are revelations of the divine commitment involved in God's sending of Jesus. If Jesus is all these things to human beings, then it follows that his disciples are also to be light, life, bread, and – as is emphasized this Sunday – the gate that opens the way and the shepherd who leads the way home to God.

Interesting choice – the shepherd - and it is one used most powerfully in the scriptures. Unlike contemporary sheep ranchers who control their herds with dogs, pick-up trucks and the like, shepherds in the ancient world knew their sheep individually. Each had a name to which it responded when called by its shepherd. Rather than prod them from behind, the ancient shepherd would walk ahead of his sheep, striking a safe path, and searching for good grazing and water. When one of his flock was missing, the shepherd went looking for it; when a sheep was injured, the shepherd carried it and tended to its wounds.

While generally seen as a rough and tumble crowd when dealing with other human beings, the shepherd nurtured his flock. It is this image of caring for the flock that strikes at the heart of Jesus' mission and ministry. Those who follow him are expected to do the same – to know those whom they lead by name, care for them continually, lead them in right paths, and seek out the lost to bring them home.

Take the image of gate in today's Gospel. As gate, Jesus is a passage through which others are led to God. He is the conduit who opens to all who seek. One of the more intriguing aspects of this description of Jesus as gate is the fact that shepherds in the ancient world acted as the living gates of their sheep folds. Standing at the entrance of the fold, they would make sure that every single one of their sheep was accounted for. Once all were safely inside the enclosure, the shepherds lay down in the opening and there they kept watch over the lives of their flocks. So did Jesus lay down his life to secure the safety and salvation of his ‘flock.'

What does this description say to us today? Being a gate means being a passage and a conduit that enables rather than an obstacle that prevents others from drawing near to God. Being a gate means offering authentic witness that lights the path and eases the journey of others rather than creating a detour or stumbling block. Ultimately, being a gate, as Jesus was a gate, involves a willingness to lay down our lives and spend ourselves in service for the sake of those whom God has entrusted to us. Such is the challenge of discipleship. Are we ready?

Alleluia! Alleluia!

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, April 15
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Rufo Sidayen

WEDNESDAY, April 16
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † S. Johns

THURSDAY, April 17
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Frank Liotta

FRIDAY, April 18
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Joseph Cusimano

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, April 20, 2008

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Who Are We Called To Be?

I have recently read one of the numerous books and articles written about the long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina. In her book, Through the Eye of the Storm, the author, Cholene Espinoza, uses statistics to convey the disaster in stark realities and it is not hard to view Katrina as devastating and possibly the biggest disaster the United States has sustained in recent history.

Along with the 1.836 people who died and the 700 -1000 who are still missing, 850,771 housing units were damaged, destroyed or left inaccessible. It is hard to believe that almost three years have gone by since this particular hurricane wiped out lives and property and forever changed both the topography and the demographics of the American Gulf Coast. Multiple countries around the world flocked to the aid of the United States in order to deal with the magnitude and loss sustained by so many in such a short period of time.

What they continued to find was the number of churches, synagogues and mosques that were also damaged or destroyed. In some cases, all that remained of some houses of worship was the concrete slab on which it was built. To date, countless churches are still just that – a slab and a memory. On one of those slabs in one particularly devastated Mississippi town, someone posted a sign a few days post-Katrina. The sign read: "St. Clare Catholic Church meets here."

Each of our readings this weekend makes a similar point: The church is not the building but the people who gather together in Jesus' name, regardless of all else. In today's second reading, the author of 1 Peter describes the church as living stones founded on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. These living stones form a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are called God's own. There is no talk here of pews or pulpit, bricks or mortar or stained glass. The church is, in its essence, the breathing, pulsating organism that forms when lives are intertwined by shared faith and service.

The first reading from Acts affirms once more what this means by voicing our identity and our mission: The living stones that come together as church because of Christ are bound to one another in service. Meeting the needs of all – and, in particular the poor, who are God's chosen ones, dictates the daily agenda of the church – you and me!

To meet the needs of their contemporaries, the early generations of Christians had to allow what had been a strictly Jewish Christian church to develop a gentle complexion. Rather than impose one way upon all, they made adaptations to accommodate the differences that made the ethnically and culturally varied church so beautiful. The God of many faces and accents was able to speak the language of ecumenism because restrictions on God's love were not to be imposed.

This universal inclusiveness of our early ancestors in the faith is a difficult ideal to maintain. We are challenged today to continue this open-door, open-heart, open-mind tradition. As history shows us, the early church itself often struggled to uphold this tradition. In times of turmoil and dissension, the people of the church had to re-centre on the one who chose to be revealed among them as the way to do what they were called to do; as the truth by which they were to live; and as the life in which they would be privileged to share – not only here, but for all eternity.

In our own time, we have seen the same re-centring in the Second Vatican Council. We continue to struggle with the results of this council, always centred on Jesus and counting on the Holy Spirit to guide us in the right path. This council resolved to restore the church to its true identity as "all the people of God." Whether the people of God meet on a slab of concrete in Mississippi or on the battlefields and wastelands in Darfur, we are all the church. Whether black, white, or ruddy in complexion; whether male or female, old or young or in between, whether free to believe or struggling for that freedom, we all form that living organism called church.

All are ekklesia (Greek) or ecclesia (Latin): meaning that all are called by name and called out of the morass of worldliness to live by faith in solidarity with one another. Ours is a communal effort. We were created purposely by God as social beings. We are not alone in trying to make the way, the truth and the life of Jesus our own. We are not called to worship in isolation; we do not eat alone at the table of his sacrifice and our salvation. We are the people who, when we gather in Jesus' name, become the holy place where others should be able to experience God's presence. Because of God's presence with us, our efforts in the ministry of Jesus will go forward until he comes again.

That all our beloved dead, especially

WEDNESDAY, April 23
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Fred Locicero

THURSDAY, April 24
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Giuseppe Pierri

FRIDAY, April 25
St. Mark
8:30 a.m.- † Loed Anthony Eldian

may live again in the presence of the God of limitless love . . . for those who are mourning the loss of a loved one . . . for those who are dying and those who tend them as they die . . . for those who are alone and afraid . . . for a peaceful death without fear or regret . . . for the mind of Christ . . . We pray to the Lord.

For Special Intentions

For the prayers and intentions we offer in the silence of our hearts, especially

TUESDAY, April 22
Weekday
8:30 a.m. – for the people of Pakistan,

. . . for the mind of Christ . . . We pray to the Lord.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, April 27, 2008

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Hope and Trust in the Lord: The Promise

Have you noticed that whenever we pick up a newspaper or watch the news on TV or listen to the radio, just how much of the news we hear appears to be bad? We listen to the stories about war, murder, abuse, violence, terrorism and the destruction of our own environment, sometimes during the same broadcast! In the face of all this, feelings of hopelessness seem inevitable. It is no wonder that we are a world filled with insecurities.

Yet the Johannine Jesus reminds us that we have reason to hope, because, through it all, his own Spirit remains with and within the believing community. Because of the Spirit's presence, believers have an ever-renewable resource of grace, enabling gentleness and kindness in the face of meanness and prompting peace and justice where there would otherwise be violence and hatred. Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit, who in John's Gospel is called the Advocate, was made near the end of his time with his own.

Jesus made provisions and offered reassurances to them like a loving older brother who had come to terms with his own imminent death, but was pained and concerned for those he would leave behind. He might be gone from their sight, but never from their hearts or minds. In the person of the Advocate, Jesus would remain – and even more than remain. In the words of the Johannine Jesus, "You will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you."(v.20)

Many of us can grasp this idea in our minds, but it is critical to the success of our own mission that we accept this promise in our hearts as well. Jesus intended that the Spirit be our comfort, our companion and our challenger in all things. This same Spirit enables us to keep what Jesus has referred to as ‘my commandments' and thereby to show our love for him. To discover what these commandments are, we have only to review the wise counsel of the Johannine Jesus, who invited his own: "Love one another as I have loved you." (15:16). "Wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow so that as I have done for you, you should do also." (13:14, 25) "Feed my lambs…tend my sheep." (20:28)

It is in these acts of selflessness, of love, of service, that we find relief and hope and release from that sense of being helpless and insecure. Yet, to be truly effective, believers – you and me – must become even more attentive to the workings of the Spirit within. Each one of us who claims to be a follower of Jesus will have to allow the Spirit to be unleashed among us. We have to be sensitive to the fact that the Spirit blows and speaks and enlightens in ways that may be unexpected, even unwelcome and untimely. While the world in which we are to live, love and serve may not recognize the presence of the Spirit, disciples do know and recognize it.

What does that mean to us as the church, the people of God, the followers of the Christ. We cannot be complacent in times of uncertainty and confusion. We cannot put our heads in the sand or look the other way while the gap between our values and the world's values continues to grow. The church that is possessed by the Spirit of Jesus is responsible for bringing hope to this world. We know from Acts of the Apostles that our early ancestors in the faith drew great hope from the promise that Jesus had made to them before he left. He promised the Advocate who would be with them and in that presence they would know the presence of Jesus himself. A source of strength and continuity, the Spirit enabled those early disciples to begin to spread the good news and blessings of salvation beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem and far beyond Judah itself.

We too are called to the hope of the promise! The power and presence of God can make a decisive difference in the nations who accept it, as did the people of Samaria. (Acts). This power and presence gives the church staying power and resilience in its struggles to do good. This power and presence are revealed decisively in Jesus and through his Spirit; it is the mission of the church to make that same power and presence operative everywhere.

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, April 29
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Michael and Martha Virgilio

WEDNESDAY, April 30
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Eduardo and Cecilia Pierri

THURSDAY, May 1
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Salvatore Beltrano

FRIDAY, May 2
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † G. Vu Than

For Special Intentions

For the prayers and intentions we offer in the silence of our hearts, . . . for the mind of Christ . . . We pray to the Lord.