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Note:
The Church is closed - La Iglesia estrada Cerrada - Nhà Thờ đóng cửa:
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Monday - Friday, Lunes - Viernes, Thứ Hai - Thứ Sáu
Pastor
Rev. Tuan Pham
Parochial Vicars
Rev. Ramon Cisneros
Rev. Danh Trinh
Rev. Anthony Vu
Deacon
Dcn. Francis Xavier Hao Nguyen
Saturday Vigil
4:00 PM
Vietnamese
5:30 PM
English
7:00 PM
Vietnamese
Sunday
6:30 AM
Vietnamese
8:00 AM
Vietnamese
9:30 AM
English
11:00 AM
Vietnamese
12:45 PM
Spanish
4:00 PM
Vietnamese
5:30 PM
English Youth Mass
7:00 PM
Spanish
PRAYER OF THE WEEK
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By your grace,
O Lord,
make us stick to our resolutions,
act with courage,
remain constant in devotion,
extend forgiveness without measure,
love without ceasing,
and live ever in your friendship.
Enable us, with your help,
to put on Christ,
and to manifest him to others
and bear witness to him in the world. Amen.
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FATHER ANTHONY’S WRITING THIS WEEK (March 19):
Fourth Sunday of Lent: The Man Born Blind (John 9)
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The story of the man born blind in John 9 gives us much to reflect on. Since the time of the early Church, this story—along with the accounts of the Samaritan woman at the well and the raising of Lazarus (John 4 and John 11)—has been used as part of the “Scrutinies,” or examinations, before a convert’s baptism… The theory of a direct causal relationship between sin and illness still existed in the general Jewish mindset during the time of Jesus. The general presupposition was that one was directly responsible for one’s illness, as a result of one’s own wrongdoing. How about children born with certain deformities? Exodus 20:5 states: “I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for the ancestors’ wickedness on their children, down to the third and fourth generation.” Hence, the question posed to Jesus by his disciples about the blind man: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
We know that Jesus does not worry about preconceptions, as he tells the disciples that neither he nor his parents sinned. The Pharisees in this story, because of their many preconceived notions, actually bring judgment upon themselves while, in theory, they are supposed to be the judges. Like the disciples, the Pharisees see the blind man as a sinner. They also perceive Jesus as a sinner, because in the process of healing the blind man, Jesus violates the sabbath.
As the story unfolds, we can detect some kind of “role reversal” in this narrative. The Pharisees, who are supposedly without sin, actually remain in their sinfulness. They are the ones who have sight, yet they remain blind spiritually. On the contrary, the blind man, supposedly stuck in his sinful nature and without sight, eventually finds new life in Jesus and SEES… As I mentioned earlier, this story in John, because of its connection to the new life in baptism, is an important part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) scrutinies. Those catechumens on their journey to be part of the Catholic Church have the opportunity to hear John 9 on the fourth Sunday of Lent every year.
How about us? What does this account of the man born blind have to do with us modern people? In our society today, as it was in the days of Jesus, much blindness remains. Sometimes we just cannot get over all those presuppositions we have of others. Our current society—very divided over the last few years because of the questions of race, politics, gender, etc.—can learn a good deal from this story. We can only truly learn new things and receive new insights when we are willing to let go of the many preconceptions that we have always held! If we, like the blind man, acknowledge our “blindness” in certain categories, maybe it is only then that we can begin to gain sight and actually SEE.
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*+*+*+*+*+Sunday Reflection for March 19, 2023 (click on picture to access to the reading) *+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+ Stations of the Cross Every week during Lent 2023 *+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+ Ngắm & Đi Đàng Thánh Giá Hằng tuần trong Mùa Chay 2023 *+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+ NO Baptism - in March *+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+2023-Faith Formation Lent Confession- March 25*+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+2023-Lenten Penance Services- March 29-31*+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+2023-Holy Week Schedule Holy Triduum Liturgies - April 6-9*+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+CHƯƠNG TRÌNH PHỤNG VỤ MÙA CHAY - TUẦN THÁNH - LỄ PHỤC SINH 2023 Cộng đoàn Thánh Giuse, Giáo Xứ Saint Barbara ngày 6 đến ngày 9 tháng Tư *+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+Good Friday Office Closed - April 7*+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+Faith Formation- Confirmation April 10 & 28 *+*+*+*+*+
