Bulletins by St. Clare Parish (Page 12)

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother [or sister] has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court (Matthew 5:23-24). Based upon this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, there was a consultation throughout the Church some years ago to consider moving the Sign of Peace from its current place, just before Communion, to a position prior to the Procession of Gifts at Mass. The proposal was not accepted, but it did serve to make us think: How many times do we bring “our gifts” to the altar without first being reconciled with others? It is true that just before we receive Communion, we pray, “Lord, I am not worthy. . .” But this statement of unworthiness and the request, “Only say the word, and my soul shall be healed,” cannot be a substitute for making peace with others. The two go hand-in-hand. First, we make peace, attempt to right the wrongs of our lives, then, after that effort has been made, we look to the Lord to heal us, to nourish us. We “bring our gift” to the altar, not to gloss over some wrong that we have done, but as a sign of the peace which we have already sought.

This Sunday’s gospel passage is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount, found in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. We hear Jesus’ words, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world. . .Your light must shine before others.” Isaiah 58 (our first reading) is clear on the path of virtuous living, of walking in the light: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn. Care of the marginalized has been central to the life of God’s people for thousands of years. We are chosen to be light for others in the ways we support them. On this Annual Diocesan Pledge Sunday, we realize that support of our parish and the Appeal is one way of letting our light shine, of sharing with the hungry and homeless, so that our light might break forth like the dawn.

The Beatitudes has been called Constitution of the Reign of God. Through them, Jesus taught the values, virtues and attitudes to his followers. It is not that Jesus instructed his listeners to be meek or mourning or persecuted or insulted. Rather, the Beatitudes are lessons on how to live when bad things happen to people, as they do to every person. What distinguishes the followers of Jesus is how we react to the presence of suffering in our lives. Jesus teaches us to find blessedness or happiness even during the difficulties we experience, and He promises heavenly rewards. In the end, the question to each of us is whether we try to evade the trials of our lives or do we learn to grow through them, even remaining hopeful and faith-filled in bad times? This weekend – Friday through Sunday – our Diocesan Assembly for the Synod gathers at Santa Clara University. From the 8000 comments and suggestions received from throughout the Diocese, there are now 96 proposals, organized around 8 themes. Please keep the delegates from our parish and from throughout Santa Clara County in your prayers, that all of us will be guided by the Holy Spirit in our listening, discussions and deliberations.

One of the major themes of Christmas and Epiphany is that Christ is the Light of the World. Now that the Christmas Season is past, and we have returned to “Ordinary Time,” we hear again part of the Old Testament reading from Christmas Eve Mass: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. . .” (Isaiah 9:1). Near the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus quotes this passage, in obvious reference to the work He had begun. And then he began calling the disciples to Himself, so that they could share his ministry, bringing light to all those in the dark places. This weekend’s second reading puts the ministry of the apostles in the context of the early Church, where factions had begun to surface. Saint Paul repeats some of what the first believers were saying: “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” And he asks this question: “Is Christ divided?” The Lord’s followers are still divided in many ways. During “Christian Unity Week,” we focus on that which unites us in the Lord. We are asked to recommit ourselves to the vision of the Lord Who prayed that “all may be one.” And within our own Church, we should strive toward unity, which is a gift from the Lord. In that way, we can let the Lord’s light shine on all.

Some of the followers of Saint John the Baptist clung to the hope that John himself was the Messiah; obviously, Jesus’ followers (then and now) believed the same about Him. But it is not a case of one faction triumphing over the other. The disciples of Jesus (who eventually produced the gospels as we have received them) held John in the very highest esteem, as can be seen in this Sunday’s gospel passage: John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ John is hailed as the “last and greatest” of the prophets and even as the sole prophet of the New Testament. His message is clear: He points to Jesus and not to himself. As we leave the Christmas Season and observe these weeks of “Ordinary Time,” we can ask ourselves if we follow John’s example. Is it Christ to whom our lives point, or would we rather draw attention to ourselves?

The Feast of the Epiphany is a reminder to us that God is a God of surprises. Most certainly, the magi did not anticipate that their journey to the “newborn King of the Jews” would lead them to the backwater town of Bethlehem, where they found Jesus. It is also amazing that this revelation was made to foreigners, in keeping with today’s responsorial: All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him (Psalm 72:11). On Epiphany 2023, we can also expect the unexpected; God seldom fits into the categories we erect. Neither does the Lord abide by the limitations that we attempt to place upon Him. There are epiphanies of God’s presence all around us and sometimes these are in people and situations that truly surprise us. In the same way, each of us is called to be to others real signs of the loving presence of God in their lives.

Happy New Year to you all! Recent years have been marked by pandemic, war and insurrection. What will this year bring? In some ways, this will be determined by us; although we cannot control the circumstances and events of the world around us, we can help determine how those events affect us. We can take our cue from who it is that we celebrate and honor: Mary, the Mother of God, who “kept these things [regarding the Birth of Jesus] and reflected on them in her heart.” Mary teaches us trust in God, even when we do not know the outcome of unfolding events. She teaches an openness to God’s will, even when it messes with the trajectory of our lives as we have envisioned it. For us, 2023 is more than just the pages of a calendar. It is full of hope and possibility. May it be for us a time of peace and joy in the Lord. From all of us who serve you here at Saint Clare, we wish you many blessings in this New Year.

Dear Parishioners, In Jesus, the Word became flesh and God “pitched his tent among us.” That is what we celebrate on this great feast; it is what we celebrate every day. God is with us through the very bond of our DNA. Born of the Virgin, the Lord Jesus is fully human. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, He is also fully divine. Jesus became human so that we can become divine! Our Parish and School staffs wish you all the blessings of Christmas, as we thank you for “pitching your tents” with us. We are indeed a “family of families,” and we give thanks to the Lord for each of you. The Lord’s own peace be with you, your families and your loved ones. Sincerely,