Dear St. Luke friends,
On this 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Christ our Lord assures us that He is our strength, our rock, our fortress, our deliverer especially during our times of need. Christ is our Savior who waits for us to call upon Him and trust that His compassionate love will deliver us from all forms of bondage, sin and evil. We need not be disheartened by the darkness around us, for the love of Christ on the Cross assures us that we are made for heaven and not for this world. Christ's love and the Holy Spirit are constantly at work within us, and we are empowered to be citizens of God's kingdom in heaven through fulfillment of God's commandment: Love.
"Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." In our waking and retiring, in all we say, think, and do, let us allow Christ to be the ruler of our heart, soul and mind, loving Him above all. Do we imbibe His Words, "The Lord your God shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve"? Do we, in love, unite all to Christ as a humble prayer and thanksgiving offering? Or at times, do other things come in the way and become idols - our relationships, career, wealth, thirst for recognition or power? For this, we ask pardon from the Lord and ask the help of the Holy Spirit. Let us profess how much we desire Christ to be the Lord, Savior and King of our entire being, not just in words but in action, works rooted in the Spirit of faith, hope, and charity, directed towards glorifying God alone and submission to His will.
"Love your neighbor as yourself," We seek the Holy Spirit to give us the vision to see the image of God in our neighbors and to transform our hearts so we can love our brethren with a Christ-like love. Are we committed to the care of those close to us and the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped, and the poor among us? Oftentimes we fail to love, when selfishness takes over generosity, when anger takes over gentleness and understanding, when cruelty takes over kindness and forgiveness. The Lord calls us not to remain in our fallen state, He offers us hope, He brings us His gift of reconciliation through the Sacrament as we repent and seek His grace of conversion. Only by God's grace can we begin to love again. Only by Christ's love and mercies, which are poured out in the Holy Eucharist, a commemoration of His saving passion, death, and rising, can our hearts be revived for utmost love of God and neighbor.
Uniting prayers and thanks to our God of love as we gather once again around the Lord's altar in adoration and Eucharistic worship in our St. Luke's Church or in spirit through your virtual participation in your own homes. Let us go and live in the peace and love of Christ.
A most blessed and safe week ahead.
In Christ, with gratitude and prayers for all of you,
Rev. Jonathan Paala
Pastor
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1) INDOOR MASS SCHEDULE
SATURDAYS - 8:30am and 5:00pm
SUNDAYS - 8:00am and 10:00am
WEEKDAYS - 8:30am
2) ALL SOULS ENVELOPES are now available. Please drop your filled out envelopes in the All Souls Box in the Community Center. Your deceased loved ones will be remembered on All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and in all Monday Masses in November.
3) This weekend, we will have the 2020 Pontifical Good Friday Collection. Pope Francis has asked our parish to support this collection, which helps Christians in the Holy Land. Through your support, you stand in solidarity with the Church in the Holy Land as a witness of peace, supporting Catholics there in parishes and schools, maintaining Christian shrines and caring for refugees in the Holy Land. Thank you for dropping your donation in the designated box.
4) The Archdiocese of San Francisco is sponsoring the SACRAMENT of CONFIRMATION of ADULTS on November 21, 2020 at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco. For those interested, please register at the Parish Office on or before October 31, 2020. Please click here for more details.
5) Next weekend's second collection will be for our St. Luke's Building Fund. Thank you for your support.
6) You are required to submit your CONSENT FORM (please click here to download and print). 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.
Jesus replied...“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-40)