READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday: Is 7:10-14, 8:10; Ps 40:7-11; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-38
Tuesday: Dn 3:25, 34-43; Ps 25:4-5ab, 6-7bc, 8-9; Mt 18:21-35
Wednesday: Dt 4:1, 5-9; Ps 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20; Mt 5:17-19
Thursday: Jer 7:23-28; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Lk 11:14-23
Friday: Hos 14:2-10; Ps 81:6c-11ab, 14, 17; Mk 12:28-34
Saturday: Hos 6:1-6; Ps 51:3-4, 18-21ab; Lk 18:9-14
Sunday: Jos 5:9a, 10-12; Ps 34:2-7; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 Alternate readings (Year A): 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ps 23:1-6;
Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41[1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38]
MASS INTENTIONS
Saturday: Birthday Blessings for Lorraine Agtang
Requested Agtang Family
In Memory of Charles Okungbowa
Requested by Okungbowa Family
In Thanksgiving to St. Anthony
Requested by MJ
PRAYER LISTS BEING UPDATED
If you have anyone you want added to the following Pray Lists below or were already on the list before and want to continue to be on the list, you can call the office at 916 452- 6866 or email us at info@immaculateconceptionsacramento.org. (Also please remember to let us know 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
Connie Bonilla, Alexia Boesen, Noreen Crowley, Minnie Jimenez, Mary Katherine Hernandez, Loretta Hockings, Marcos P. Lopez, Dorothy Manich, Richard D. Nance, Jr., Roberta O'Ray-Sarpy, Olivia Rodulfo, Irene Rodriguez, Dorothy Wanner, Regina Yañez
-- NAMES --
PRAY FOR SPECIAL INTENTIONS
Jacqueline Daste, Evelyn Borba, Socorro & Frank Godina
-- NAMES --
PRAY FOR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN
Gabriel Granados, Michael Godina, Marco Mares Jr., Mariela del Carmen Mares
-- NAMES --
SPRINGTIME
Came the Spring with all its splendor
All its birds and all its blossoms
All its flowers, and leaves, and grasses.
—Longfellow, Hiawatha
HURDLING
God’s grace within me and God’s strength behind me can overcome any hurdle ahead of me.
—Anonymous
Reflection on the Readings
GOSPEL Luke 13:1-9
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down.'”
My sisters and brothers in Christ,
An easy and ready comparison can be made between the Biblical concept of repentance and the vernacular word: hard-headed. We have all experienced those people in our lives who stubbornly cling to mistaken or flawed thinking that catastrophically led to disagreeable outcomes. Perhaps you have said similar sentiments (or heard them lovingly delivered)? “Do I have to tell you again not to run with scissors?” “We’re obviously lost, could you please, please pull over at the next gas station and ask for directions?” “How many times will we have to replace the lawnmower until you understand the importance of changing and checking the oil regularly?” At the foundation of these inquiries is a sincere desire, on the part of the questioner, to implore a change in the person questioned. In short, “Repent!”
Jesus employs very strong words in the Gospel today. We are called to repentance. We must break free from our slavery to sins and seek to do good. Jesus is very clear with us: if we do no repent, we shall perish.
The Book of Exodus recounts for us the encounter of Moses with the living God. As part of His plan of salvation, God called forth a leader and mediator for his people–Moses–who carried God’s message to the Israelites and led his people out of their enslavement in Egypt. Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush was a pivotal moment in salvation history. Although resistant at first, Moses embraced the will of God and his role in leading his people out of Egypt. This is a God who seeks us out, a God who reveals Himself, a God who asks us to live for Him and a God who is always faithful in His relationship with us, even when He asks difficult things of us. Sometimes we do not want to change our lives, to repent, and invariably we need reminders.
The First Letter to the Corinthians unfolds an abbreviated, cautionary narrative from Exodus. After being liberated from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites spent forty years in the desert before entering the Promised Land. During that time, they violated God’s covenant through idolatry and doubts against God’s providence. Yet, God remained faithful to them when they were unfaithful to Him. Saint Paul wants us to stay faithful, not to be capricious with God. At no time should we take God’s love and bounty for granted, as though we have won salvation and all its rewards and we no longer have any work to do. No. Rather, we must strive every day to live faithfully God’s Law while we trust in God’s love for us. No matter what the circumstances, we must be convinced of His love and care for us.
Saint Luke’s Gospel records strong words from Jesus; they are words that reflect the tradition of the Old Testament. God loves us intensely and wants our love in return. He wants us to turn away from sin and to turn to Him. The Parable of the Fig Tree is about repentance and mercy. God, in his mercy, gives us ample opportunity to repent and bear fruit. However, if we persist in the refusal of his love, we will indeed perish by our own choice. God does not rejoice in lost souls.
God wants to reclaim our hearts in this time of Lent. When we give our hearts and our whole being to God, good works result in abundance. As monks our sacrifices for Lent in the monastery (yes, we fast, pray, and stint on material things, too!) are less about us, but more about sowing seeds and bearing good fruit for the glory of His kingdom.
My sisters and brothers, may this time of Lent draw us deeper into the mystery of God’s presence in our world and in our personal lives. May we open our hearts to Him and seek Him with our whole heart and all our being. May this Lent be a time of repentance and love for us.
https://christdesert.org/2019/03/3rd-sunday-lent-cycle-c-2019/
THE CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES COLLECTION
This week, we take up The Catholic Relief Services Collection to help Jesus in disguise. This collection helps six Catholic agencies provide relief and support to struggling communities and work for peace and reconciliation among our marginalized brothers and sisters here and around the world. Please prayerfully consider how you can support the collection. Learn more about the collection at www.usccb.org/catholic-relief
STATIONS OF THE CROSS (FRIDAYS)
12 noon – English
6pm – English
7pm - Spanish
SVDP LENT SOUP DINNERS
The St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Holy Name Society invite all to enjoy delicious homemade soup, bread, water and camaraderie in the Pastoral Center dining room after the Stations of the Cross on Fridays following the 5:30 p.m. mass during Lent.
5th SUNDAY COLLECTION FOR THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
The 5th Sunday Collection in December amounted to $2,671.05. Thank you, parishioners for your generosity. The 2nd collection on March 30 & 31 will again be for the parish St. Vincent de Paul Society. Please continue to be generous for this collection. All money collected is distributed to help the needy people living within the parish boundaries regardless of their religion.
RESPECT LIFE
"Upright men can even better convince themselves of the solid grounds on which the teaching of the Church in this field is based, if they care to reflect upon the consequences of methods of artificial birth control. Let them consider, first of all, how wide and easy a road would thus be opened up towards conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality. Not much experience is needed in order to know human weakness, and to understand that men — especially the young, who are so vulnerable on this point — have need of encouragement to be faithful to the moral law, so that they must not be offered some easy means of eluding its observance."
Humanae Vitae (17), Pope Paul VI
40 DAYS FOR LIFE - SPRING:
When: March 6th - April 14th, 2019, going on now!
Where: FPA Abortion Clinic at 2322 Butano Drive, Sacramento
What time: 11am to 6pm Monday, and 8am to 6pm Tuesday - Friday
Sign up for hours at: 40daysforlife.com/sacramento Questions? Call Susan Money at 530-320-1614 or email: susanalive@gmail.com
or call Wynette Sills at 916-955-1577 Come and help women who may be dealing with a crisis pregnancy and HELP SAVE THE LIVES OF BABIES!
IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES
Immigration Legal Services, offered by Catholic Charities of Sacramento and Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services is offering free legal assistance for Naturalization and DACA Renewals. For more information or to register for our Saturday, March 30th Pre-screening event please contact us at immigration@sacramentofoodbankorg or call Monday-Friday at 916-313-7604.
MARRIED COUPLES
Give your marriage a well-deserved vacation. Plan to go on a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend and come back with a marriage that is refreshed and full of energy! The next Marriage Encounter Weekends include: Apr 5-7, 2019 in Reno, NV and May 3-5, 2019 in Sacramento, CA. For more information and register for a Weekend, visit our website at: https://www.sacramentowwme.org or contact Terry & Janet at applications@sacramentowwme.org or 916-489-3464at: https://www.sacramentowwme.org or contact Terry & Janet at applications@sacramentowwme.org or 916-489-3464.
DIVORCECARE SERIES
Suffering from a divorce, separation or end of a relationship? DivorceCare can help you through this troubling time by offering tools, coping skills and spiritual support from people who understand and care. This 13-week series held on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Library of Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Rocklin, 4450 Granite Drive, begins on February 21st and runs through May 16th. The $30 cost includes your workbook. To register or for more information contact Corinne Lalanne at 916-765-1939 or clalanne@sbcglobal.net