Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 5, 2020
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28

ATTENTION
The Church has opened its doors for our regular mass schedules, but there has been some changes in order to follow the rules set by the state health department.
 
It is required to wear a mask inside the church, and use hand sanitizer, which will be available at the entrance of the church. Social distance must be maintained inside and outside the church (there will be marks on the floor and on the pews that will guide us). People who live in the same household can stay close to each other, but they must observe social distancing from other people.
 
There may be NO more than 100  people inside the church at a time, and the church door will remain closed during mass. Unnecessary socializing is not allowed outside the church after mass.
 
Older people and those with health problems or those with a respiratory infection and who may have symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus are asked to refrain from attending mass.


Follow or copy the link for list of parishes throughout the Diocese that are livestreaming Masses:     https://www.scd.org/coronavirus/livestream-mass

 

READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday:           Hos 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22; Ps 145:2-9; Mt 9:18-26
Tuesday:          Hos 8:4-7, 11-13; Ps 115:3-10; Mt 9:32-38
Wednesday:    Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12; Ps 105:2-7; Mt 10:1-7
Thursday:        Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9; Ps 80:2ac, 3b, 15-16; Mt 10:7-15
Friday:              Hos 14:2-10; Ps 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17; Mt 10:16-23
Saturday:         Is 6:1-8; Ps 93:1-2, 5; Mt 10:24-33
Sunday:            Is 55:10-11; Ps 65:10-14; Rom 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23 [1-9]
 
MASS INTENTIONS
 
                           
PRAYER LISTS  
If you have anyone you want added to the following Pray Lists below or you can email us at  info@immaculateconceptionsacramento.org  pr call the office at 916 452- 6866.   (Please remember to inform us when the names should be removed).
 
PRAY FOR THE CHRONICALLY ILL
Beatrice Cisneros, Lilian Davila, Alex Piedra, Ron Sykes
                  -- NAMES --
 
PRAY FOR SPECIAL HEALTH INTENTIONS
Lucas Abella, Connie Bonilla, Noreen Crowley, Maria Elena Guitierrez, Mary Katherine Hernandez, Loretta Hocking, Minnie Jimenez, Marcos P. Lopez, Richard D. Nance, Jr.,  Mark Parshall,  Jose Ramirez, Irene Rodriguez, Domingo Valdez, Nicolas Valdez, Dorothy Wanner, Regina Yañez
                     -- NAMES –
 
PRAY FOR SPECIAL INTENTIONS
Jacqueline Daste, Evelyn Borba, Socorro Godina
                     -- NAMES --
 
PRAY FOR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN
Gabriel Granados, Michael Godina,  Marco Mares Jr., Mariela del Carmen Mares
                 -- NAMES
 

Reflection on the Readings

The Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary:

Father Alex McAllister SDS

 
We must never forget that the Gospel that Christ preached was a Gospel of compassion and love and simplicity. In the text set before us today Jesus explains that his message is a very simple one that can be understood very well by children and ordinary people. However, so called sophisticated people are much more likely to misunderstand his words and find problems with his teaching.
 
Many people down the centuries have over complicated the Gospel. They have believed that it contains secret messages or felt that its strictures are burdensome and can only be followed by an elite group. But we know that this is not so. We understand that the Gospel message is an entirely simple one and that what it consists in is nothing other than love. Love for God and love for our neighbour. We understand that what God wants above everything else is for us to overcome our own selfishness and to love with a completely open heart.

We find that some of the greatest saints lived lives of utter simplicity. Just take, for example, St Theresa of Lisieux who gave an incredible amount of attention to the simplest of actions. There are many others such as St Benedict Joseph Labre or Blessed Charles de Foucauld who will be canonised soon. Both of these gave up on normal life and threw themselves on God’s Providence; Benedict Joseph Labre living like a tramp and Charles de Foucauld living as a hermit in the Sahara Desert. These three saints were unsophisticated and lived utterly simple lives but focusing themselves on loving God and their neighbours in the human family.

The last three sentences in this extract from St Matthew’s Gospel record some of the most compassionate words that Jesus ever uttered. Jesus holds out his hand to those who are overburdened by the cares of life. He is speaking to those who are experiencing troubles of every kind. He is reaching out to those bothered by illness whether it be physical or mental, he speaks to those experiencing difficulties in their relationships or with their finances. His words are directed at those who are burdened with troubles of every kind.

He tells them to learn from him; he tells them to look at the world as he sees it with eyes of gentleness and humility. And he offers them rest and comfort, peace and tranquillity. These are certainly therefore words of deep compassion and love. They are directed at the straightforward and ordinary people of our world. They are directed at the unsophisticated and the simple and he wants them to realise that he values and appreciates them greatly and he wants them to be close to him and to find in him the source of healing and of love.

It is plain that Christ has less time for those who live over-complicated lives; those who are caught up in impressing others or those who put their trust in material things. According to Christ, these people need to realise that simplicity is more important than sophistication, dependence better than dominance, love better than fame or glory.

Yes, Christ wears a yoke but, as he says so well, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. So, let us adopt that yoke and walk with him on the journey of life being sure that with him by our side we walk the way of love and trust and hope.
http://www.alexmcallister.co.uk/blog/fourteenth-sunday-in-ordinary-time5310606
 
 
 

 
 
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. Questions? Call the SVdP answering machine at 916 452-4874 and we will call you back.
 
 
SAINT MARIA GORETTI (1890-1902)       July 6
        Does anything match a mother’s pride in her children? First Communions, confirmations, graduations, weddings: how these delight a mother’s heart! Imagine, then, Assunta Goretti, the only mother ever to attend her child’s canonization! In poverty-stricken rural Italy, widowed Assunta tended fields for the Serenelli family, whose eighteen-year-old son, Alessandro, propositioned her barely twelve-year-old Maria; then, when she resisted, crying, “It is a sin! God forbids it!” he stabbed her fourteen times. As she lay dying, Maria assured the attending priest, “Yes, I forgive Alessandro! I want him to be in Paradise with me someday.” Imprisoned, unrepentant, Alessandro changed after dreaming that a radiant Maria had offered him fourteen lilies. “I’ve kept my promise,” she smiled. “You’ll be here with me someday.” Upon release, he rushed to beg Assunta’s forgiveness. “Jesus has forgiven you,” she replied, “my Maria, too. How can I refuse?” Next morning, mother and murderer walked arm in arm to church and knelt side by side for Communion.
—Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.
 
SUGGESTED PRAYER OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
 Jesus, really present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar, since I cannot now receive thee under the sacramental veil, I beseech thee, with a heart full of love and longing, to come spiritually into my soul through the Immaculate Heart of thy most Holy Mother, and to abide with me, thou in me, and I in thee, in time and in eternity. Amen.
 
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Many years ago, there was a very popular Christian poster that did nothing but list names for God from the scriptures. While it included powerful names like “Lion of Judah” and “Wonderful Counselor,” as a whole it was a sharp contrast to the simple and beautiful images present in our scriptures today. The prophet Zechariah prefigures the Christ coming in meekly and mildly on an ass—the vision we might have of Palm Sunday. In Romans Saint Paul reveals to us our truer selves, calling us to embrace the Spirit of Christ, put aside our fleshly beings, and live more fully in Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus bypasses the learned, and God reveals things to the childlike. We are presented with a simple, straightforward approach to God, and to finding God.
 
OUR COMPLICATED LIVES
We live in an age and a society that has never been more educated or had a higher standard of living, yet never have we carried as much debt. Many are living beyond their means. We have so many resources and time-saving devices at our hands, yet our lives are more complex than ever. While many people may not engage in extreme manual labor we rarely escape our jobs. Many are connected through phones and constantly receive calls, texts, and emails. Others spend hours in traffic on their daily commutes or pack on the frequent flyer miles.
We spend hours binge-watching our favorite shows. Many children are accustomed to being in front of a screen all the time and no longer know how to play creatively. The statistics for those who continue to leave the Church and all forms of organized religion also continue to rise.
While there is no such thing as a “good old days” to return to, there was something to be said for sleeping soundly after putting in a good day’s work, and for a family gathering around the table for a shared meal. For many, this model for eucharist rarely exists. Jesus knows and feels our pains, and calls out, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”


IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
So how do we declutter? Downsize? Devote ourselves again to Christ and live out our gospel calling? Sign up for a liturgical ministry, or volunteer to help with a religion program. Join a small faith group. Volunteer at a food pantry or Habitat for Humanity. Become involved as an individual, or a family. Meanwhile, back at the house, make a commitment to go through one drawer a day, and take things to your local St. Vinnie’s or secondhand store. Remember meal and bedtime prayers. Find a minute to read the daily scriptures. Take many baby steps. It’s not rocket science. It is a continual commitment to bring ourselves as we are, and to respond to Jesus’ call to “Come.”
Today’s Readings: Zec 9:9–10; Ps 145:1–2, 8–9, 10–11, 13–14; Rom 8:9, 11–13; Mt 11:25–30
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.