Bulletin
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Immaculate Conception
3263 1st Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95817
OFFICE HOURS
Monday through Friday, 9:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm Telephone (916) 452-6866 Fax (916) 452-3879
Email info@immaculateconceptionsacramento.org
PARISH STAFF
Fr. Luis Urrego-ch Pastor Jerry Pauly Deacon
Genaro Gonzalez Deacon Elia Maciel Bi-lingual Secretary Carmen Ruiz Bookkeeper Celia Munoz Maintenance
Josefina Gonzalez Dir. of Religious Education Raul Munoz Volunteer Maintenance
MASS SCHEDULE
Tuesday to Friday: 9:00am – Bilingual
1ST Friday: 7:00pm – Spanish
Saturday: 5:00pm – English
Sunday: 7:00am – Spanish
9:00am – English
10:30am – Spanish
3rd Sunday: 12 noon – Spanish Charismatic mass
NIGERIAN MASS
2nd Sunday 2:00pm – Nigerian Mass
Fr. Aban Uba Chaplain
Sylvester Okonkwo President (916) 213-3021
MONTHLY SECOND COLLECTIONS
Bullding Fund – 1st Sunday of month
Festival Funds or Diocesan Collection – 2nd and 4th Sunday of month
Religious Education – 3rd Sunday of month
FOR CONFESSIONS
Father Luis attends confessions after the 9:00 am Mass on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please inform Fr. Luis before the Mass that you want to have confession. And Saturdays from 4pm to 4:45pm
TODAY’S READINGS
First Reading — He shall bring justice for the afflicted; the earth shall overflow with the knowledge of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-10).
Psalm — Peace and justice will come in the day of the Lord (Psalm 72).
Second Reading — Glorify God by living in harmony with one another, welcoming each other as Christ welcomed you (Romans 15:4-9).
Gospel — Produce good fruit worthy of your baptism; repent, for the reign of God is near (Matthew 3:1-12).
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday: Is 35:1-10; Ps 85:9ab, 10-14; Lk 5:17-26
Tuesday: Is 40:1-11; Ps 96:1-3, 10ac, 11-13; Mt 18:12-14
Wednesday: Is 40:25-31; Ps 103:1-4, 8, 10; Mt 11:28-30
Thursday: Gn 3:9-15, 20; Ps 98:1-4; Eph 1:3-6, 11-12; Lk 1:26-38
Friday: Is 48:17-19; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Mt 11:16-19
Saturday: Sir 48:1-4, 9-11; Ps 80:2ac, 3b, 15-16, 18-19; Mt 17:9a, 10-13
Sunday: Is 35:1-6a, 10; Ps 146:6-10; Jas 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11
Reflection on the Readings
Second Sunday of Advent
Loyola Press - Sunday Connection
Gospel Reading
Matthew 3:1-12
John the Baptist appears in Judea preaching a message of repentance.
Background on the Gospel Reading
In this week's Gospel Reading and next week's, our Advent preparation for Christmas invites us to consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. In this week's Gospel, Matthew describes the work and preaching of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the great prophets of Israel, preaching repentance and reform to the people of Israel. In fact, the description of John found in this reading is reminiscent of the description of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). In this reading, John directs a particularly pointed call to repentance to the Pharisees and Sadducees, parties within the Jewish community of the first century.
John marks the conversion of those who seek him out with a baptism of repentance. Other groups in this period are thought to have practiced ritual washings for similar purposes, and John's baptism may have been related to the practices of the Essenes, a Jewish sect of the first century. John's baptism can be understood as an anticipation of Christian baptism. In this passage, John himself alludes to the difference between his baptism and the one yet to come: “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11).
In this reading, John makes very clear that his relationship to the Messiah yet to come (Jesus) is one of service and subservience: “. . . the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals” (Matthew 3:11). In the context of Matthew's Gospel, today's passage is followed by Jesus' baptism by John, an event that is attested to in all four of the Gospels and appears to have been the start of Jesus' public ministry.
John's preaching of the coming of the Lord is a key theme of the Advent season. As John's message prepared the way for Jesus in the first century, we, too, are called to prepare ourselves for Jesus' coming. We respond to John's message by our repentance and reform of our lives. We are also called to be prophets of Christ, who announce by our lives, as John did, the coming of the Lord.
SUNDAY FOOD SALES
This Sunday the Guadalupanos will be selling food after the masses. The funds will be used for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Please stop by and get some nice warm delicious food and help support in raising funds for the Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration.
ARTS & CRAFTS CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE
& ST. VINCENT de PAUL BAKE SALE
This Sunday, between 7:30am and 2pm in the Marian Room. Stop by for some wonderful Christmas gifts handcrafted by the Arts & Crafts group and some delicious Baked Goods from the SVDP.
Novena 7pm (in the Church)
December 3 San Vicent de Paul (after 5pm mass)
December 4 Catecismo (después de misa de 10:30am)
December 5 Youth Group
December 6 Legión de María
December 7 RCIA- Deacon Jerry
OUR FASCINATING FAITH
The Immaculate Conception (December 8)
December 8 we celebrate the patronal solemnity of the United States and the greatest of Mary’s Advent festivals. On that day we remember Mary’s conception in the womb of her mother (and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate Mary’s birth). In this liturgy, we affirm our belief that God prepared Mary to be the mother of the son of God by allowing her a share, from the moment of her conception, in the salvation that would be won for all by Christ.
Five mothers make their presence felt on December 8. The first is Eve, the mother of all the living. The second is Mary’s mother, who conceived, brought to birth, and nurtured an “immaculate” daughter who would become the mother of the Word made Flesh. The third is Elizabeth, who conceived her son John “in her old age.” The fourth, of course, is Mary herself. Finally, the letter to the Ephesians and the texts of the Mass for this feast remind us that the Church has been “chosen” to be a spiritual mother. We pray: “The image of the Virgin is found in your Church . . . Trace in our actions the lines of her love, in our hearts her readiness of faith.”
In this Advent time, we are called, as Mary was, to make room for Christ in our hearts. What will it take, what will be the cost for us to become, as Mary became, real “bearers of the Word?” Let us be open to the intercession of Mary on our behalf, that we may become more and more like her beloved Son.
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
December 12th Mass Schedule
6:00am Mananitas & Mass bilingual
5:00pm English
7:00pm Spanish
Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, appeared to native American Juan Diego in 1531, requesting that a church be built on the spot. When the bishop asked for a sign confirming the authenticity of the apparition, she responded by producing roses in December for Juan Diego to gather, and left an image of herself imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma or mantle.
Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co., Inc
2nd COLLECTION Weekend of December 10/11
Retirement Fund for Religious
Give in gratitude. A donor to the Retirement Fund for Religious writes, “I still remember the lessons the sisters gave us and how they instilled in us the love of our faith.” Show your thanks for the prayerful service of elderly Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. Your gift to next week’s second collection helps provide care, medicine, and more. Please be generous. To donate online, https://www.scd.org/retiredreligious
CATHOLIC PRAYER CORNER
The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,now and at the hour of our death. Amen
MASS INTENTIONS
Saturday: SPECIAL INTENTION for Zumout Family
Requested by Estela & James Smith
Sunday: In MEMORY of Elias Zumout
Requested by Estela & James Smith
PRAY FOR THE CHRONICALLY ILL
Synetta Alvarez, Lilian Davila, Barbara LeDoux, George Omas, Alex Piedra, Sylvia Linn, Rosalba Rodriguez, Christine M. Rosado, Dan & Maggie Silva, Ron Sykes, Samia Zumout
PRAY FOR SPECIAL HEALTH INTENTIONS
Lucas Abella, Connie Bonilla, Noreen Crowley, Maria Elena Guitierrez, Minnie Jimenez, Marcos P. Lopez, Richard D. Nance, Jr., Mark Parshall, Jose Ramirez, Florence Reeder, Irene Rodriguez, Maria & Rodrigo Rodriguez Mesa, Rafael Rodriguez, Alicia Ruiz, Efren Ruiz, Lucy Ruiz, Domingo Valdez, Nicolas Valdez, Dorothy Wanner, Regina Yañez, Sonia Zumout
PRAY FOR SPECIAL INTENTIONS
Cassandra Castillo, Jacqueline Daste, Evelyn Borba, Socorro Godina, Maria Campos, Dagoberto Rodriguez, Francisco J. Paredes-Garcia
PRAY FOR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN –
Daniel Chavez, Marco Mares Jr., Mariela del Carmen Mares, Aaron Sanchez