Dear St. Luke friends,
On this 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Christ calls all of us to work in His vineyard and with patient love waits for us to respond to His invitation. Even if we have said "no" multiple times, we can turn around. Christ is always there to welcome us and He never tires of drawing us all to His Heart.
Whenever we feel that there is no hope for us to change, let us focus our gaze on Christ, who is the perfect model of doing the Father's will. His perfect submission to the Father redeemed us from death and brought us life. And each time we gather at the Lord's Altar of Sacrifice, in our St. Luke Church or virtually at home, this redeeming act unfolds anew. At the Eucharist, Christ sends the Holy Spirit to turn our life around, helping us to let go of our old sinful ways and hold on to God's promise of a new life of grace, a new life of love in the service of Christ and one another.
Reflect upon how God is calling you today. With total trust, ask Him for the grace to always commit to His way and truth. In the choices or decisions of life, or in the simple things of day-to-day life, ask God for help to always heed His voice as you remain still and know that He alone is God in your life. Allow the Lord to reveal to You what He wants you to do for Him. What is it in your heart which He is asking you to surrender to Him? Listen to His Word in scriptures, through prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and especially after receiving Christ in Holy Communion. Then, the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what is right and pleasing to the Lord, and that is its own reward.
We thank God for His countless gifts - our families, friends, and the Bread of Christ we break together (starting Saturday, September 26th, we will celebrate Mass indoors).
With gratitude to each one of you for your resilience, patience and support. Let us continue surrendering all to God who is our harbor of peace, trusting that He is helping us weather this storm together.
In Christ,
Rev. Jonathan Paala
Pastor
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1) WEEKEND MASSES will now be CELEBRATED in the MAIN CHURCH on SATURDAYS at 5:00pm and SUNDAYS at 8:00am and 10:00am. No signing up required.
2) We will have our 8:30AM First Friday Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on October 2nd in the main Church. We will resume our 8:30 MORNING MASSES thereafter.
3) In commemoration of St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day, we will have a BLESSING OF PETS next Sunday, October 4, at 12:00 noon.
4) You are required to submit your CONSENT FORM (please click here to download and print) each time you attend Mass. This is in compliance with the San Mateo Health Officer's guideline and will serve as a waiver to limit St. Luke's liability and will be used for contact tracing purposes. Forms will be kept confidential and will be discarded after 45 days.