INDOOR MASSES

We are back to indoor masses with capacity of 25%.    We remind you to follow the guidelines of distancing, wearing a mask and hand sanitizing.  

MASS SCHEDULE
Monday to Friday: 9:00am – Bilingual
Saturday                 5:00pm – English 
Sunday:                  7:00am – Spanish
                               9:00am – English
                             10:30am – Spanish

Copy or follow the link for list of parishes throughout the Diocese that are live streaming Masses
https://www.scd.org/coronavirus/livestream-mass

 

                  Immaculate Conception

                          3263 1st Avenue
                    Sacramento, CA 95817
                        OFFICE HOURS

                         Office services are by phone only (916) 452-6866 or by email  
                                 info@immaculateconceptionsacramento.org
                   Monday through Friday, 9:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm

 

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.


 

TODAY’S READINGS
First Reading — The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith (Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18).
Psalm — I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living (Psalm 116).
Second Reading — If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31b-34).
Gospel — Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white (Mark 9:2-10).

The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday:            Dn 9:4b-10; Ps 79:8, 9, 11, 13; Lk 6:36-38
Tuesday:            Is 1:10, 16-20; Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Mt 23:1-12
Wednesday:       Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31:5-6, 14-16; Mt 20:17-28
Thursday:          Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 16:19-31
Friday:               Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a; Ps 105:16-21; Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
Saturday:           Mi 7:14-15, 18-20; Ps 103:1-4, 9-12; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
Sunday:              Ex 20:1-17 [1-3, 7-8, 12-17]; Ps 19:8-11;
                          1 Cor 1:22-25; Jn 2:13-25
                          Alternate readings (Year A): Ex 17:3-7;
                          Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8;
                          Jn 4:5-42 [5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42]
 

 Reflection on the Readings
Second Sunday of Lent: BEING TRANSFIGURED
Fr. Joseph Pellegrino

  The readings begin this Sunday with the familiar story of Abraham and the sacrifice or near sacrifice of Isaac. We have heard this story many, many times and have always focused on Abraham and his unwavering faith. It is quite a mystery how God could ask Abraham to do such a thing, to sacrifice his son.  Human sacrifice and child sacrifice were abhorrent to God.  The Old Testament condemns this time and again.  It is one of the reasons given for the Babylonian exile.  If we stay at the fringe level of the story, it is quite difficult to understand how Abraham could be told to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  But, if we go deeper, then we realize that the whole point of the story was the strength of Abraham’s faith.  He would trust in God no matter what was asked of him.
 
            I’d like to change the focus from Abraham to His son, Isaac. In Genesis, it seems clear that when he went up that mountain carrying the branches for a sacrificial fire, Isaac did not know his father’s plans. As time went on, Jewish scholars saw Isaac as participating in God’s plan for mankind through his father, Abraham.  By the time of the Lord, scholars taught the people that Isaac was martyr.  He was willing to die if this is what it would take for the covenant God made with Abraham to take place.  The teachers of Jesus’ time compared Isaac to the Jewish martyrs who died for their faith during the Maccabean revolt against the Syrians.  Second Maccabees tells the story of the seven sons and the esteemed elder who would rather die than deny their faith and defile themselves.  The scholars taught that like those martyrs, Isaac did not value his life over the completion of God’s plan. Later, Christians would see in Isaac’s carrying the wood for the sacrifice up the mountain a prophecy of Jesus carrying the cross up to Golgotha.  
 
            It is in this light that we can relate the story of Abraham and Isaac with the Transfiguration, today’s Gospel. On that mountain of mystery, Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. Why Moses and Elijah?  Moses was the lawgiver. During the Exodus he showed the Hebrews how they could serve God. He told them they were God’s chosen people. God had a plan for them, one by which He would deliver them out of slavery and to a the place He set aside for them. The most important part of the Jewish bible, the five books of the Torah were attributed to Moses. Elijah was the greatest of the prophets. He was the one who did not die but was swept into heaven. He would come again when the time was right for God to complete his plan for mankind. The time had come on the mountain of the Transfiguration.
 
            Jesus was there on that mountain. He was ready and willing to sacrifice himself for His Father’s plan to become a reality. He would die for the good of all. His sacrifice would lead to the glory of the Kingdom of God. His life, obscure in the eyes of the world, and His death, which the world would view as dishonorable, freed others, freed us, to live and die in grace.
 
            What does all this mean to us? It means that as followers of Christ we also must offer ourselves up for the good of others.  When Jesus said that we cannot be His followers unless we were ready to take up our crosses, He was not using symbolic imagery. He meant it. As Christians, we are called to sacrifice ourselves for others.
 
            That means that we have to reject the world’s diabolical egocentricity. Egocentricity is putting ourselves first before all others, the “It’s all about number one, me.” That is the way of the world.  It is diabolical because the devil is determined to fight God’s plan for us by using us against ourselves. The story of the Fall demonstrates this. The devil led Adam and Eve into ruin by getting them to put themselves before God. “Eat this and you will be gods.” Their sin is continually repeated as the forces of evil win battle after battle with every person who chooses selfishness over love.
 
            Putting others first, being charitable, is therefore not just a good thing to do, it Is the necessary way of life for those who are called to eternal life. When parents put their children before themselves, they are not just being good parents, they are being great Christians. When husbands and wives put their spouses before themselves, they are not just being good husbands and wives, they are being great Christians.  When we make time to help that elderly neighbor, we are not just being a good neighbor, we are being a great Christian. When we go to that hospital even though it is so difficult to see someone we love suffering, we are not just doing a good thing, we are being great Christians.  When we have compassion on those that society is attacking or marginalizing knowing that many of our so-called friends will look down on us for associating with these people, we are being great Christians.  When we sacrifice our wants for the needs of others, we are not just doing a wonderful thing; we are making the presence of Christ real in the world. We are participating in God’s plan for mankind.
 
            Something wonderful happens when we step out of ourselves and give ourselves to others.  We receive more than we give.  We have all realized that whenever we are truly charitable we feel a huge joy, a joy so real that we are convinced that what we did was insignificant to what we received. And we are correct.  In those moments of joy we become one with the Lord.  We are transfigured with Him.  We become people completely different because we are happier, infinitely happier.
 
            Just as the Transfiguration of the Lord was a touch of heaven and a foreshadowing of the glory to come, our own transfigurations are a touch of heaven and a tangible prediction of the eternal joy to come.
 
            Lent is a time for us to take a close look at ourselves and consider what we have to do to conquer selfishness and sin in our own lives. The various exercises of Lent help us to dive deeper into our commitment to the Lord. Lent helps us to take those steps we need to be bound to God’s plan.
 
            We pray today for the grace to be part of the plan, part of the sacrifice, and part of the Glory.
This material is used with permission of its author, Rev. Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino, Diocese of St. Petersburg,        http://frjoeshomilies.net/02-28-21.html

 

2^nd COLLECTION FOR     Weekend of March 7/8
            BUILDING FUND           

 
DONATION ENVELOPES
Please pick up your 2021 donation envelopes in the gym after mass or call the office to pick them up.  If you are not using envelopes and would like to start using them, please speak to Celia Munoz after Mass or call the office 916 452-6866.

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I.C. ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY FOOD DISTRIBUTION

The I.C. St. Vincent de Paul Society will be distributing the ingredients of a healthy meal of rice, beans, onion, and broth along with instructions for preparation to parishioners in need and other people in need living within the I.C. Parish boundaries. Distributions will be on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon near the triangular parking area at 1st Ave., 33rd St. and Broadway. Beginning January 2021, we will be distributing supplemental food including beans & rice meal kits on the 3^rd and 4^th Saturdays of each month ONLY from 10am-12pm.   Questions? Call the SVdP answering machine at 916 452-4874 and we will call you back.

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Second Sunday of Lent - THIS IS A TEST

I used to wonder how God could lie to Abraham about sacrificing his son Isaac. But the story begins by telling us God put Abraham to the test. Abraham himself seems to know it's a test. Apparently, I'm the only one fooled by God.
I don't know if I would have passed the test. I would have at least argued with God about it, begging him to spare my son. Yet in our second reading, St. Paul reminds us that God did not spare his own son. (Rom 8:32) He passed his own test. Jesus was sacrificed so that God could show us how much he loved us. If God loves us so much that he gives his Son to die for us, why would he not forgive us? He doesn't. But he is still testing us.
What does that tell us about life? You may have noticed that things don't always go your way. Does that mean those tragedies are our fault? No, God gives everyone free will and some people choose to do wrong. God intervenes sometimes and lives are saved. Other times, God intervenes by saving us after death with our resurrection. As long as people doubt God's love, there will be tests. That's why it is so important to proclaim the Kingdom: so that someday all people will know God's love and not need to be tested.
Tom Schmidt, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

Every Friday during LENT at 12noon in English

MASS INTENTIONS
Sunday:      For the Eternal Soul of Ruben Ruiz
                                               

PRAY FOR THE CHRONICALLY ILL
Beatrice Cisneros, Lilian Davila, Barbara LeDoux, Alex Piedra, Ron Sykes
                 
PRAY FOR SPECIAL HEALTH INTENTIONS
Lucas Abella, Connie Bonilla, Noreen Crowley, Maria Elena Guitierrez, Loretta Hocking, Minnie Jimenez, Marcos P. Lopez, Richard D. Nance, Jr., Mark Parshall, Jose Ramirez, Irene Rodriguez, Lucy Ruiz, Domingo Valdez, Nicolas Valdez, Dorothy Wanner, Regina Yañez
             
PRAY FOR SPECIAL INTENTIONS
Jacqueline Daste, Evelyn Borba, Socorro Godina
             
PRAY FOR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN
                          Michael Godina, Marco Mares Jr., Mariela del Carmen Mares