The Way of the Cross- Four Observations

Today’s Gospel is the longest in our entire liturgical year and interestingly it always involves every person in the church building. Think of that, the longest Gospel, that contains the betrayal, death and Resurrection  -

involves every man, woman and child within hearing distance. I have always thought that this signified that we indeed were involved in the betrayal, through sin; the death of Jesus, as the debt for our/my sins were paid; and most important the invitation to share eternal life with Jesus, who conquered even death by His Resurrection, if we hear and listen to His Word and allow our lives to be transformed.  There may be no apparent surface change, but when we speak, how we speak, and, importantly, what we do will betray even an attempt to live the message and promise made to each of us in today’s gospel.

 It was during Lent that, while in church, that I made an important discovery that changed my way of thinking and acting.    In the way of the Cross, celebrated by the Church as the “Stations of the Cross” and offered

every Lenten season, Jesus falls three times. Importantly, each and every time Jesus gets back up, he is met by a woman — the sorrowful women, Veronica with her veil who wiped the blood from Jesus’ face, and lastly by his mother Mary as the sword of sorrow was piercing her heart.  I have always thought that this has meant that it does not matter how we are thought of by our fellow men and women, but what our interior disposition is.  If we have the interior disposition of being faithful to Christ, we will gain the respect of those who share those values. Secondly, God comes to us when we are being mistreated or thought of as being second – just as he came to the women in the Way of the Cross.  Jesus as man came to give every drop of his blood in expiation for our sins, some of which remained on Veronica’s veil. He comforts the sorrowful as he did his own mother.

Is “peer pressure” new?  Absolutely not!  In today’s reading alone, peer pressure led to all of the Apostles fleeing at the time of Jesus’ trial and even Peter, our first pope,  denied Jesus three times. When the crowds chanted “Give us Barrabas!”, did they really want a career criminal back in their streets where he could victimize anew?  I have always thought not and considered the chant motivated by fear of what someone in a perceived position of perceived power would do if the crowd had chanted otherwise.  Be strong and believe in Christ! But make no mistake, a desire for earthly self-preservation motivated that chant and regrettably continues to motivate that chant in our contemporary world.

Lastly, the palm procession and crowds that marked Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem gives the reason why this Sunday is called “Palm Sunday”. Jesus was accorded high honors and their wanting to make Him king,

his betrayal and death signify that his earthly glory was fleeting . Let us all reflect upon our part in the death of Jesus and His  promise to us , recalled in our upcoming Holy Week.

Fr. Mike

News Around the Parish

Music Director Leaving us – Our Music Director, Kristine Sinajon, who had taken a sabbatical break to discern the direction she wants to go in life, has announced that she plans to pursue secular music and is

resigning her position as Music Director.  She shared that it is a little scary heading off in a new direction, as she had been doing Liturgical Music since the age of 12.  However, while she is still young, she wants to explore that inner love she has for music.  I can certainly understand her desire, because at about her age, I too resigned from my career with computers to explore the vocation to priesthood.  I know that wherever she goes, the God who gifted her with music will be with her.  It is my prayer that she will discover what God has prepared her from the beginning and flourish in it.  In the meanwhile, Kristine has found some substitute musicians to help us in the immediate future.  I will be discussing with our musicians the direction they would like to see the music program go in the future.  I welcome your input. 

Project Gabriel Sign Board – Earlier in the month, we received a note from the City’s Building Department to appear before them to explain why the Project Gabriel Sign in our parking lot was put up without a building permit.  After clarifying with our attorney, although a bulletin board on Church property does not require a permit, but a sign does.  Because of that, with the counsel from our Archdiocesan attorney and the Parish Advisory Board, I made the decision to take down the sign to comply with the law.  In order to put it back up, we would need to apply for a permit from the Building Department.  However, before we do that, I would like to know whether there is sufficient interest from our community to participate in Project Gabriel again.  Apparently, in 2004, we joined this national Christian organization that aims to help women who have made the choice to keep their child, with material and emotional support.  But because the number of requests for help was rare in this community, it was discontinued in 2009.  So St. Brendan is currently not considered a member of Project Gabriel.  However, if you and others are interested to participate in this organization again, please let me know and we can start it up again.

Volunteers Needed at the Rectory Office & Church – Might you have an hour or two to help occasionally in the parish office?  From answering doors and phones, to filing, to helping out with our mailing, we cannot survive without volunteers.  We also need help setting up before each mass and cleaning up.  The work of Sacristans are invaluable because they not only help the priest prepare for each mass, but more importantly, they free the priest from logistical concerns so he can better prepare spiritually for mass.  If you have time now in your life to assist us, please let me know.  You not only make life easier for us, but you save us hours of labor and cost.

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan

415-681-4225 x 220

frdan@stbrendanparish.org

News Around the Parish

Welcome Stacey Simpson – Last Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the 5pm mass, we formally welcomed Mrs. Stacey Simpson into the Catholic Church.  For as long as I’ve been here, I always thought Mrs.

Simpson as a Catholic because she would attend mass faithfully with her husband Wilt and son Matthew.  However, one day Sr. Catherine shared with me that Stacey was interested to become Catholic.  She was a Methodist.  After receiving instructions with Sr. Catherine, we formally welcomed her.  I requested delegation from the Archbishop to celebrate Confirmation with her last Saturday, because even though she wasn’t Catholic yet, but she has been a youth minister with our Junior High school students.  They had an activity last Saturday and attended the evening mass.  It seemed fitting to welcome her then with the youth supporting her.  She chose as her Confirmation name, Priscilla, who was a missionary in the New Testament and worked closely with St. Paul in many of his missionary journeys.  She felt herself also a missionary as she works to share the faith with our youth.  Welcome Stacey!  We’re blessed to finally have you as an official member of our parish community.

Theology of the Body – The past few Wednesday nights at 6pm, we’ve been having our Lenten Soup Suppers followed by our Lenten Spiritual Reflection.  Pope John Paul II’s reflection on the meaning of our lives, led to his Theology of the Body.  How we discover who we are and what we’re called to be, the Pope wrote, can be discovered through our body and our sexuality.  The topics presented the past few weeks have been rich and insightful.  Our bodies, our sexuality have a deeper meaning and are the means by which we discover our vocation.  For many of us, sex has not been a major conversation at home.  Much of what we’ve learned has been negative.  However, Pope John Paul II presents our sexuality in a beautiful and healthy way, as a means by which we can learn to relate with one another positively.  The welfare of nations rest in the health of our communities.  The health of our communities, rely on the health of families.  And Pope John Paul taught that the health of families, depend on the health of our sexual relationships.  So come on the Wednesdays of Lent at 6pm to the Church’s Lower Hall, not only for Soup supper but also for spiritual nourishment.  The Spiritual reflection begins at 7pm and you will be intrigued.

Parish Reconciliation Service – The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be a beautiful encounter with the Lord who does not wish to see the sinner suffer but to be set free.  It is an encounter with the Lord, who desires to show us His love and mercy.  Our Parish Reconciliation Service will be on Wednesday, March 28 at 7pm.  As in the past, this will be celebrated within our regular Wednesday night Holy Hour.  The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, a reading from scripture will be used to help us reflect and examine our conscience, before we proceed to individual confessions.  We will have 4 priests available that evening.  We will conclude with Benediction at about 8pm.  Hope you will be able to join us then, to prepare your hearts for the celebration of Holy Week and Easter.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Annual School Open House – Our school open house went exceedingly well again this year.  Students were able to show off their work to their parents, family and friends.  Prospective parents were also able to see our school at its finest.  The 8^th graders also videoed their dance moves and it was displayed at the Computer Lab.  It’s true that “America’s Got Talent” because we can see it here in our own teens.  Science projects were also displayed down at the parish hall so the community can see their bright minds at work.  Four of our students who won at San Francisco’s Middle School Science Fair will go on to the Bay Area’s Science Fair in mid-March.  They are 8^th graders Aidan Callahan and Brian Kosewic, and 7^th graders Ashley Mufarreh and Claire Del Prete.  Congratulations and best of luck in the upcoming competition.  I want to thank our Principal, Mrs. Carol Grewal, and her excellent faculty and staff for all their work in educating and inspiring the minds of our children.  Truly, they have made our School a gem in this city.

Lenten Soup Supper with Spiritual Reflection – Last Wednesday night, those who came to the Soup Supper were greeted by 6 different types of soups prepared by members of the Welcome Committee and Women at the Well.  From won-ton, to lentil, to minestrone, to potato with bacon, the soups were great.  It warmed the hearts as much as the company gathered.  Afterwards, Sr. Catherine and Bro. Dat presented a video to help us on our Lenten Spiritual Journey.  Why were we created?  What can our bodies teach us about God’s plan for our lives?  The Spiritual Reflection this Lenten Season explores Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.  It has been rich and fascinating, as Pope John Paul uncovers the beauty of our human sexuality, which lies at the root of all families, communities and nations.  We invite you to come and be nourished in body, mind, and soul.  No reservations required.  Simply come with your appetite for soup and for spiritual growth.  Soup suppers are from 6-7pm and Spiritual Reflections are from 7-8pm in the Church Hall.

The Scrutinies – None of us, I believe, like to be scrutinized by someone else.  However, the Scrutinies that we celebrate with those preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation into the Church are invitations for them to reflect more deeply about their lives.  This process of self-searching and self-examination are not meant only for them, but for all of us, especially during this Season of Lent.  They are meant to help us acknowledge our own sinfulness so that we might bring our faults before the Lord for healing and forgiveness.  During the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Sundays of Lent at the 9:30am Mass, we will be interceding for our candidates, Madeleine Conui, Kumiko Jovero, Nicholas Stevens, Jennifer Sullivan and Wesley Powell so that they do not have to make this journey alone.  It is our expression of support in their interior journey of conversion.  To help you remember them in your daily prayers, Sr. Rita has prepared a bookmark with their names.  They are available at the entrances of the Church.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

 Rite of Election – Last week at the 9:30 a.m. Mass, we celebrated the Rite of Sending with our Catechumens and Candidates.  Mrs. Kumiko Jovero, Mr. Nicholas Stevens and Mrs. Jennifer Sullivan are Catechumens preparing for Baptism, and Mr. Wesley Powell and Mrs. Madeleine Conui are Candidates preparing for Confirmation.  Wesley was baptized in another Christian tradition while Madeleine was baptized Catholic as a child and received First Holy Communion, but is now seeking to be Confirmed.  At the Cathedral, it was beautiful to see it being filled with hundreds of men and women seeking to become Catholics.  The Archbishop explained that the word “Election,” from its Latin roots, means “Chosen.”  The Bible teaches that God was the one who first chose us.  It was because God loves us that He called us into being.  We of course, have the choice to respond and reject God’s offer of love.  We are certainly proud and happy that our Catechumens and Candidates, along with the hundreds of Catechumens and Candidates from throughout the Archdiocese, are choosing to respond to God’s love, by loving God in return and choosing to become members of God’s family.  They signified this by writing their names in the Book of the Elect.  So now, our Catechumen are called by a new name.  They are now, the Elect, the Chosen ones by God.  Let us hold them in our prayers during this Season of Lent as they prepare for initiation at the Easter Vigil.  To help us remember them in prayer, Sr. Rita Chen, their teacher and guide, made bookmarks with their names.  Please take them with you and remember them and the thousands throughout the world, making this same spiritual journey towards the waters of Baptism at Easter.

Apostles’ Creed & Confiteor – If you have noticed, last Sunday, the first Sunday of Lent, we used the Apostle’s Creed instead of the Nicene Creed.  The Revised Roman Missal encourages this because this was the Creed used in the early Church, and which Catechumens prepared themselves during Lent for Baptism at Easter.  So it’s good for us to keep this connection with the early church.  Legend has it that each of the apostles contributed to its composition, although there are no records to indicate this or when it was first composed.  Earliest reference to the Apostles’ Creed was made by Pope Siricius in about the year 390. 

It also seems appropriate to use the Confiteor Prayer during Lent.  The title of the prayer comes from its first word in Latin, “Confiteor Deo omnipotenti,” “I confess to almighty God.”  Some have felt that the revised translation seems to go against a healthy ego because although we have all sinned, but the prayer seems to go overboard to the point of self-flagellation.  It says that I have greatly sinned and that it was “through my fault, through my fault and through my most grievous fault.” However, this form of prayer is not meant to destroy our healthy ego, but rather to point to the holiness of God.  Saints as they grow in holiness and nearer to God, become even more aware of their own unworthiness before God.  Peter when he first saw the miracles that Jesus performed, fell to his knees and asked Jesus to depart from him for he was a sinful man (Luke 5:8).  So the revised Confiteor is not trying to highlight what terrible sinners we are, but rather the wonder and holiness of God, who even in His greatness, reaches out to fallen humankind and welcome us as His beloved children.

Fr. Dan