St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Friends,

Today in the first reading from the Old Testament, the great prophet Isaiah speaks for God, using these words: “For my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” This sentence is worth our meditation. I think it is very true for our church on San Pablo Avenue. St. John the Baptist Church is surely a “house of prayer for all peoples.” God has blessed our parish with a very diverse community of “all peoples.” Everyone is welcome to come to St. John’s and join our prayer-life. Likewise, we want everyone to know that they are always welcome to come to St. John’s to pray. When we are facing a difficult decision, the church is where we ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. When we are troubled in spirit, the church is a place of calm and peace. When sickness and death come into our lives, we come to church and find consolation and healing and courage to face these grim realities. When our little world seems to be falling apart, the house of God is where we go to find answers and guidance.

I encourage you to bring all of your blessings and challenges to the Lord in our church. St. John’s is the “house of God,” and God dwells in our church in a very special way in the Blessed Sacrament. Our parish church should be your “hiding place” and your place of refuge during the storms of life. This is your home away from home. This is the house where God dwells.

Peace,
Fr. John Maxwell

Friends,

We have finished our Summer Education Series on St. Paul, and I would appreciate any comments you might have on the three weekends we talked about St. Paul. Your feedback is important and is much more relevant than someone saying: “Nice homily, Father.” Just talk to any of our priests or our deacon with your reflections or criticism. We want to hear from you.

The Old Testament reading this week is one of my favorites. Elijah was waiting for a message from God. The voice of the Lord was not in the driving wind; the voice of the Lord was not in the earthquake; the voice of the Lord was not in the fire. It was only in a “TINY WHISPERING SOUND” that Elijah heard the voice of the Lord. That is something for us to think about. We live in a very noisy world. Radios blare and TVs spout out sounds 24 hours a day. The traffic is noisy with fire trucks, emergency vehicles and police wailing away at all hours. It is very hard to find a quiet place in our modern American world. However, if we wish to hear the voice of God, we must imitate Elijah and cut out the noise and listen for that “tiny whispering sound.” Personally, I really need some peace and quiet when I pray and try to hear the voice of God. I hope that you can find some safe and quiet oasis in your home for prayer and contemplation. This quiet spot is good for your soul and also for your body.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Peace,
Fr. John Maxwell

Friends,

(This is “borrowed” from St. Paul to the Thessalonians.)

“From John, Ray and Hugo, to the church in El Cerrito, the people of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God will be kind to you and will bless you with peace. We thank God for you and always mention you in our prayers. Each time we pray, we tell God our Father about your faith and loving work and about your firm hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear friends, God loves you, and we know that He has chosen you to be his people………” (1 Thess. 1:1-4)

I hope you are enjoying our Summer Educational Series on St. Paul. I have learned some more information about St. Paul and the early Christian church. I am strongly reminded that we never stop learning. We might get lazy and rely on the TV instead of picking up our Bibles or some other good Catholic books. Most of us have to push ourselves, but we have so many great resources at our fingertips. I like to listen to tapes when I am driving my car. I have just finished a fine series on St. Paul. … Other folks like to have DVD’s, and there are hundreds of good titles for our viewing. However, my favorite is reading. I have a good library of a wide array of books that I have read and enjoyed. It is up to you to determine how you will expand your understanding and knowledge of our beautiful faith. Just do it.

Peace,
Fr. John Maxwell

Friends,

Two short points:

First of all, I want to thank all of our parish for the wonderful birthday party last Sunday. It reminds me of a Latin saying that we learned in the seminary: “O quam bonum and quam jucundum, habitares frates in unum.” That means: “O how good and how sweet it is for brothers (and sisters) to live in unity.” I was so gratified to see so many of you working together, eating together and conversing together as one big family – the family of Jesus Christ. Your sharing was a thing of beauty. I am so grateful to God for you – each one of you – and I thank God for you every day that I live. Thank you.

Secondly, I am very grateful to Fr. Ray for giving us a short account of the life of St. Paul. When I said the 9:30 Children’s Mass, I was very surprised that the children and even the adults knew very little about the facts of the life of St. Paul. However, that is exactly why we have a Summer Educational Series. There is so very much about our faith that it takes a lifetime to grasp even the basic fundamentals. I learned a few facts about St. Paul when I was preparing the talk that I am giving this weekend on the Epistle to the Thessalonians. I really encourage you to keep educating yourselves on our holy faith. There are thousands of books on various aspects of our Catholic beliefs. We have hundreds of magazines that help us grow as Christians. My hope is that this short series on St. Paul will encourage you to go further and continue your lifetime education in the faith.

Fr. John Maxwell