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God so loved the world that he gave his only son.
The Annunciation
submitted by Joe
Nolan
Excerpts from www.NewAdvent.org
We celebrate the Annunciation on March 25.
The date depends upon the date of the older celebration of Christmas. The
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is related in Luke 1: 26-38. The
Evangelist tells us that in the sixth month after the conception of St. John
the Baptist by Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the Virgin
Mary, 
at
Nazareth, a small town in the mountains of Galilee. Mary was of the house of
David, and was married to Joseph, of the same royal family. She had,
however, not yet entered the household of her spouse, but was still living
in her mother's house.
The angel, having taken the figure and the form of man, came into the house and said to her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Mary, having heard the greeting words, did not speak; she was troubled in spirit, since she knew not the angel, the cause of his coming, nor the meaning of the salutation. The angel continued and said: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end."
The Virgin understood that there was question of the coming Redeemer. But, why should she be elected from amongst women for the splendid dignity of being the mother of the Messiah? She said: "How shall this be done, because I know not man?" The angel answered: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
The angle made known to her the conception of St. John the Baptist, the miraculous pregnancy of her relative now old and sterile: "And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth; she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: because no word shall be impossible with God."
Mary may not yet have fully understood the meaning of the heavenly message, but clinging to the first words of the angel, and trusting to the Omnipotence of God, she said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word."
The Annunciation is the beginning of Jesus in His human nature. Through His mother He is a member of the human race.
Sit and Be Present
submitted by Patti Ross
Henri Nouwen, theologian and author
of Out of Solitude, writes:
It's obvious that we can't always fix or control things, although most of us would certainly like to! Maybe we can just be present for ourselves and others in times of struggle, disappointment and loneliness. If we can "be there at the cross," then, most certainly, we will be ready to experience resurrection. During these days of Lent, "sit and be present." |
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Prayer Vigil: Together on a Journey of Hope
by Ellen Turner
St. John Vianney Parishioners were encouraged
to sign some postcards on Sunday, March 12, to send to Senator Diane
Feinstein regarding Immigration Bill HR 4437. The bill 
would
have a seriously bad impact on immigrants, and also make it illegal to offer
basic assistance to them. A few days later a demonstration was
held in front of Mission Santa Clara, on the campus of Santa Clara
University, asking our political leaders to take a better look at the
challenges of immigration reform.
At the Vision of Justice workshop for Deanery 6 we voted to make Immigration issues a top priority for our Deanery. Join with other Catholics and people of other faith traditions on Monday, March 27, 6:00 PM, in front of our new City Hall. This event is supported by Labor Unions, SIREN, ACLU, the Interfaith Council, the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform, Diocese of San Jose. To see the flyer, click here. To read (Archbishop of Los Angeles) Cardinal Mahony's editorial in the New York Times, click here.
Bay Area Immigration Rights Coalition sent the following information for your consideration:
Immigration Reform continues to be an important issue in the Senate. Now is the time to weigh-in with your Senators. This week Senators are in their home states. Next week the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin 'marking up' immigration reform legislation. While they are home we urge you to visit or call them or their staff and make several points:
- Support an amendment in the Judiciary Committee which would provide a path to permanent residency for the 11-12 million undocumented persons in the country.
- Support an amendment which would provide a path to permanent residency for participants in any temporary worker program.
- Support an amendment offered by Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) to strike language making undocumented immigrants criminals and exempting humanitarian workers from criminal penalties for assisting an undocumented immigrant.
- Oppose amendments by Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) which would authorize state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws.
- Contact Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and urge him to honor the committee process and to take up the Senate Judiciary Committee bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
- Support comprehensive immigration reform and oppose enforcement-only proposals when the Senate takes up immigration the week of March 27.
- Support any amendment which would provide a path to permanent residency for the 11-12 million undocumented and oppose any amendment which would strike language which provides the path to permanent residency for this population.
- Urge Senator Frist to take up the Senate Judiciary Committee legislation and oppose the motion to proceed if he chooses to take up his own enforcement-only legislation.
The next few weeks are crucial to the fate of comprehensive immigration reform this year. The Senate is expected to debate the issue from March 27 to April 6. Now is the time to weigh in with your legislators. To assist you in taking action, click here. This link takes you to the Justice for Immigrants website.
| Jesus' teaching of "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" is as counter-cultural in our world of escalating violence as it was in Jesus' day. What enabled Jesus to forgive his tormentors while they were in the very act of crucifying him? Come and join us as we take a deep look at Jesus' radical loving, and prayerfully explore how it relates to our own lives today: |
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Presentation
Center
Meeting Violence with Love: Jesus' Response to the Passion
Friday Evening, April 7 through Sunday, April 9, 2006.
| Arrival: | Friday, April 7, 4:00-6:00 PM | |
| Dinner: | 6:00 PM | |
| Opening Session: | 7:30 PM | |
| Close: | Sunday, April 9, 12:00 noon (lunch to follow closing session) | |
| Fee: | $195 (private room) $175 (double occupancy) if paid by March 17, 2006 ($220 if paid after March 17) | |
| Location: |
Presentation Center, 19480 Bear Creek Road, Los Gatos, CA 95033
(408) 354-2346 www.PresentationCenter.org |
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| Facilitator: | Pamela Bjorklund, Ph.D. |
Dr. Bjorklund is a Spiritual director and clinical psychologist, with an emphasis on the interface between psychology and spirituality, in private practice in San Jose. She is an experienced retreat facilitator, an adjunct professor at Santa Clara University for over 15 years, an active member of her parish community and a graduate of the justice formation program JustFaith.
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Please register me
for the Holy Weekend Retreat: April 7-9, 2006
Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Home Work: Emergency Contact: Phone: Enclose check payable to Presentation Center: Mail to: Sponsored Programs-Presentation Center, 19480 Bear Creek Road, Los Gatos, CA 95033 __ deposit of $50 towards private or double. __ or full payment of $220 private after March 17, 2006. __ or full payment of $195 (double) after March 17, 2006. Share with: _________________ . |
$50 deposit is non-refundable, but is transferable to a future retreat (within one year) providing cancellation is received at least 7 days prior to the retreat. For more information call (408) 354-2346.
The City of San José will be celebrating
the life of César Chávez and the holiday commemorating his work
on Friday,
March 31,
2006. This year, the Mexican Heritage Plaza will be hosting a month long
schedule of cultural events beginning
March 25,
and lasting throughout the month of April.
These events are being coordinated with Chávez Family Vision Inc. of San José and will involve the active participation of Chávez family members, including César’s sister, Rita Medina, who will Co-Chair the event with San José City Councilmember Nora Campos and San José Vice Mayor Cindy Chávez. Click here to see the flyer describing the entire month of events.
Mass and Gathering: Follow Up on Vision of Justice
At our deanery's workshop on Catholic Social Justice teaching, Vision of Justice (February 25), our deanery agreed to work on three issues:- Immigration reform (and defeating HR4437, which would make feeding the hungry a federal crime if they are un-documented).
- Abolish the Death Penalty - there is much activity in this area already that we can tap in to.
- Quality education for all - we need to discuss this further to decide what action is needed.
We also agreed to meet again on Saturday, March 25th, from 9-11 AM for Mass, social time, and a discussion of next steps in realizing our priorities. Location: Most Holy Trinity church, Nassau at Cunningham, San Jose. Everyone from the deanery is welcome to join this event and help us meet our goals.
As a note, over the past several days, there have been numerous actions involving Immigration Reform, many of which were ecumenical (these are just some of the ones of which we are aware):
- There were over 4,000 signed postcards gathered during masses in local parishes, asking for fair and just immigration reform rather than HR4437.
- A press conference was held at Santa Clara University with representatives from the Jesuit community, the Interfaith Council, and the ACLU.
- Mon. Patrick Browne, pastor of St Joseph Cathedral, prayed for fair and just immigration reform during his invocation at the Spirit of Ireland dinner.
Thursday, April 6, 7:00 PM - Lenten Reconciliation Service (Confessions)
Easter Triduum:
Holy Thursday
April 13
7:00 PM - Mass of the Lord's Supper
8:30 PM - Transfer of Blessed Sacrament to Main Hall
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM - Silent Prayer
11:00 PM - Night Prayer
Good Friday
April 14
12 Noon - Stations of the Cross
1:00 PM and 5:30 PM - Good Friday Service (English)
7:30 PM - Servicio de Viernes Santo (espańol)
Holy Saturday
April 15
8:00 PM - Easter Vigil
(there will be no 5:15 PM or 7:00 PM Masses)
Easter Sunday
April 16
Regular Sunday Schedule
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 7:00 PM (English)
12:00 PM (espańol)
PARISH AND DEANERY:
Special Prayer and Reflection During Lent on Thursday nights. The Very Reverend David Bird, the Dean and Rector of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, will be leading us on a spiritual journey through the writings of St. Paul. The last session will be held in Saint John Vianney church from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on Thursday, March 30. Then plan to participate in our parish reconciliation service with confessions on Thursday, April 6, at 7 PM.
SJV Spring Fling 2006: The St. John Vianney Alumni Committee & The Drying Shed present "Springtime in Paris" on Friday, April 28, at the Drying Shed Restaurant, San Jose. For more information contact the SJV School Development Office at (408) 258-7677 or kheinemann@sjvsj.org. Click here to see the updated registration flyer. Click here to see the revised sponsorship flyer.
Coming Events:
o SJV Fiesta,
May 19-21,
at the SJV Courtyard.
For more information please contact David Couch at (408) 314-2393 or email dave@TheRedCarpetTeam.com.
COMMUNITY AT LARGE:
The Human Relations Commission of Santa Clara County
will celebrate its 34th anniversary with a Human Relations Awards Breakfast
from 7:30-9:00 AM on
March 30,
2006. Rigo Chacon will emcee this extraordinary recognition of deserving
county residents, entitled "Human and Civil Rights: Sowing Seeds of
Peace and Non-Violence". Click
here for the official flyer.
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This Week:
4th Sunday of Lent: March 26
2nd Scrutiny - 5:15 PM Saturday Mass
Next Week:
5th Sunday of Lent: April 2
3rd Scrutiny - 7:00 PM Sunday Mass
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Praying the Scriptures:
Visit this web site for ideas on praying the Scriptures: www.liturgy.slu.edu
Take a Moment to Pray:
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