St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Friends,

Happy “mothering day.”  That is not a crazy idea.  Just think of it.  We have put aside this day to honor our biological mothers, and rightly so.  Our mothers are the ones who taught us our prayers.  They set the example for us for right and wrong.  They took us to church and taught us how to behave in a sacred place. …  Our mothers were our first educators.  It is right and just that we honor them today.

However, as we reflect upon our past, we will find many other women who have “mothered” us.  Perhaps our sisters or aunts or cousins, or the friendly neighbor next door.  We needed “mothering,” and these women saw the needy child and proceeded to help us grow into mature individuals.

Now here is an irony.  We have also been “mothered” or nurtured by male figures.  Some of us were lucky to have a good father.  The father-figure in a family is crucial, both for males and females.  We learn who we are as men and women from these remarkable women and men.

Today we thank God for giving us mothers and fathers, women and men who help us become fully adult and fully Christian.

Peace,

Fr. John Maxwell

Friends,

What a wonderful month is May. Spring is here in all of her glory. The weather is warming up, and flowers are blossoming. May is the month for mothers, and we set aside a very special day for them. May is a month that the church dedicates to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. In our scripture reading today, we see the little church growing and thriving. There is a lot of vitality in the month of May.

Here in St. John’s, many of our parishioners will celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the liberation of Mexico. We will have the Filipino tradition of Flores de Mayo. We will celebrate and honor and remember our biological and spiritual mothers. We might want to take up our rosaries and pray the 50 Hail Mary’s to honor our spiritual mother and the mother of our Church.

I hope that the month of May will bring you blessings and graces.

Peace,

Fr. John

P.S.: Mary and Joseph obeyed the Roman emperor who called for a census of the whole world.  I urge you to follow the example of the Holy Family and support the census.

On Saturday, May 1st, we will begin our Flores de Mayo celebration by reciting the rosary at 4:30 pm. Everyone, especially the children, is invited to participate in the flower offering to our Lady. Flowers will be provided. A reception will follow after the Mass in the conference room.

Friends,

Jesus used local images in his stories and parables.  Now here we are 2000 years later, and we have a setting of first-century Palestine and sheep.  I really doubt that many of us have seen a flock of sheep being guarded and led by a shepherd.  However, this is a powerful parable that is still relevant today.

Jesus is the good shepherd, and we are his sheep.  He calls us, and we follow where he leads,  Once in a while, we might drift off and get lost.  When that happens, the Good Shepherd leaves the flock and goes looking for the lost sheep.  That is a powerful image of our idea of God.  All-loving, very caring, protective of the little ones, not leaving the lost sheep behind.

My very favorite psalm is Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd.  I try my best to be a good sheep, and I try my best to listen to his voice.  I know that he will lead me and protect me “even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil …”

What a blessing to be sheep of the flock of Jesus.

Peace,

Fr. John

Friends,

Do you know that here at St. John’s we have a chapel of Diving Mercy?  Well, the answer is yes.  We have converted the chapel of the sisters’ convent into a 24-hour exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  There are people who drop by the chapel for an hour of quiet prayer all day long, and even throughout the night.  This might be something you would want to try.  When troubles pile up, we turn to Jesus.  When things are going well, we take some time to thank God for all of His blessings.  When we just want to get in touch with Jesus, the Divine Mercy Chapel is a quiet haven.

As Catholics we believe that the Mass is our best prayer, because it is the prayer of Jesus himself.  Receiving Holy Communion is a sacred time to let Jesus come into our bodies and souls, but many of us need a bit more time to be quiet with God and let the Lord speak to us in a sacred silence.

The Chapel of Divine Mercy is located right next to the church, with the entrance on San Pablo Avenue.  You are welcome to enter into this quiet place and let Jesus soothe your weary soul.

Peace,

Fr. John

Friends,

What does Easter mean to you?  For some, Easter means white lilies or Easter eggs or chocolate bunny rabbits.  For some, Easter is merely a holiday with time off from job and school.

What does Easter mean to you?  As Catholic Christians, I would hope that it means celebrating the victory of Jesus over death.  I would hope that Easter means the Light of Christ that dispels the darkness of our souls.

I would hope that Easter would show us how much Jesus loved us, even to death, death on a cross!  I would hope that Easter would mean a very special “Thank you, Jesus” for all that you have done for me and all that you are still working in my life.  I would hope that Easter would mean having a forgiving heart.  Jesus was betrayed by his chosen disciples, and yet he forgave them.

I hope you give a little time either at Mass or at home in a peaceful place and ask yourself the question: “What does Easter mean to me?”

Happy Easter,

Fr. John

Friends,

This last Sunday was a red letter day, when our House of Representatives passed the Health Care Reform Bill.  It was a nasty political fight, but I truly believe that the American people deserve a reform of our medical practices.  One poll surveyed Californians and found that 25% lacked adequate health care and at the same time, we spend more on health issues than any other country in the world.  …  I readily admit that there are some problems with this new reform, but these can be fixed as we go along.  One very important factor for me is the moral issue.  The wealthy, our legislators and most middle class people are covered with adequate health insurance.  But one out of four Californians are in dire straits when we need medical coverage.  That is a moral issue.

During these last few days before we celebrate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, let us keep in mind all of our sisters and brothers who are living in sub-standard conditions.  The poor are suffering with Jesus during this holy season.  We join them in their pain and pray for healing of body, mind and spirit.

I invite you to join us in church for these sacred days when we remember how much Jesus loved us, even to death, death on a cross.

Peace,

Fr. John

Friends,

What does love look like?  St. Augustine said that love has the hands to help other.  Love has feet to hasten to the poor and needy.  Love has eyes to see misery and want.  And love has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of others.

I like that quotation, and it made me think about love in my life.  It is so easy to say: “I love you.”  However, love is demanding, and you have to pay a price for love.  St. Paul reminds us about the demands of love.  “Love is kind and patient; never jealous, boastful, proud or rude.  Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered.  It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that other do.  Love rejoices in the truth but not in evil.  Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful and trusting.  Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13)

Love is the key to all of the teachings of Jesus.  He summed up all of the hundreds laws of the  Bible into two precepts.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, with all your mind and with all your being, and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Love is what makes the world go round.  Love is the glue that keeps us together here at St. John’s.  Love pushes us to be a positive force in our neighborhood, in our church and in our world.  Lent is a perfect time to ask ourselves: “How can I improve my love-life?”

Peace,

Fr. John Maxwell

Friends,

In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the example of a fig tree.  The master came looking for figs and found none.  The gardener tried to feed and pamper the tree for three years and still no fruit …  This a parable about you and me.  God has blessed each one of us with wonderful graces.  God is going to expect that we produce good fruit.  However, we can waste our talents, and God will have to cut us down and make firewood.

During Lent, the scripture asks us what sort of fruit we are bearing.  Are we bearing any fruit at all?  Are we doing something for our neighbor?  Remember we love God 100%, and we love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  We have all sorts of chances to share our resources with others: now the terrible earthquake in Chile and the on-going disaster in Haiti.  We have lots of homeless people right here in El Cerrito and Richmond.  We have relatives who seek our forgiveness and reconciliation.  We have sick and elderly people who would love a visit or a phone call …  These are our fruits.  Lent is a perfect time to really produce good fruit.

Peace,

Fr. John

Friends,

The Gospel of the Transfiguration is highly symbolic.  Jesus went up a mountain with his three chosen followers.  In scripture, mountains are holy places.  Moses went up Mount Sinai, and God gave him the 10 Commandments and when he came down, his face was glowing with a bright light.  On Mount Tabor, Jesus is radiant with a divine light as he talks with Moses and Elijah, great figures of the Old Testament.  Luke asserts that Jesus’ path has been given to him by God in the same way that God guided the paths of Moses and Elijah.  However, at the end of this Transfiguration scene, God speaks only about Jesus: “This is my chosen Son.  Listen to him.”

What this Gospel tells me is that God has chosen a path for me, and God expects me to follow that path by listening to Jesus.  I truly believe that God has chosen each one of us through Baptism, and God has chosen a path for each one of us to follow.  Listening to Jesus is the key to not getting lost on our journey.  Lent is a perfect time to reflect upon the path God has chosen for you.  And Jesus is the key to staying on that path.  Listen to him.

Peace,

Fr. John

Friends,

It seems that we just finished celebrating Christmas, and now we are in the sacred season of Lent.  The Church knows that we need a lot of help to prepare for the Holy Week, when Jesus celebrated the Eucharist with his friends, and then the next day was betrayed, suffered, died and was buried.  The fantastic miracle of Jesus rising from the dead on Easter morning is the culmination of Lent and Holy Week.  We all need help in remembering these wonderful events of our salvation, and that is why we have the season of Lent.  Here at St. John’s, we will start our Lenten observance with our old friend Mark Price.  Mark will bring Judas Iscariot to life at all the weekend Masses on the First Sunday of Lent.  And then on the next Monday at 7:30, Mark will re-create the image of St. Joseph.  I think this is a great way to begin Lent.  Come and be renewed by Mark Price.

Also during Lent we will have two daily Masses: our usual 8 a.m. Mass and an evening Mass at 7 p.m.  When we attend Mass, we are participating in the real presence of Jesus.  That might be something you could do as your personal Lenten observance.

Traditionally, some of us make sacrifices during Lent.  We give up candy or something else.  We pick up our Bibles and do some extra reflections and prayers.  We give some alms or money to the poor.  The key is TO DO SOMETHING.  God has blessed us abundantly.  Lent is a time to say thanks by using this sacred time to improve our spiritual life.

Peace,

Fr. John