May 6, 2005
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"I do not pray for the world
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The Time Between Ascension and Pentecost
adapted from www.lectorprep.org and
other sources
The Seventh Sunday of Easter lies between the Ascension and Pentecost. Commentary about this week's readings I and II is reflected in the context of political history:
Reading I - Acts 1:12-14
The first six Sundays of Easter readings have taken us through the Acts
of the Apostles. On this seventh Sunday of Easter, we are back to chapter
one. Luke tells us, after Jesus had ascended into heaven, the Apostles
returned from Mount Olivet to Jerusalem. They surely felt alone, vulnerable,
and feared persecution. They stayed together, prayed, and waited for
clear direction from the Holy Spirit before undertaking the mission that was
their destiny. The naming of each Apostle, the unnamed women, and Mary, the
mother of Jesus, is a recitation of the prominent names and founders of the
Christian community. We know from Paul that Peter and other Apostles were
married, so the unnamed women may have been their wives. This is also the
last appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the New Testament. Our last
picture of her is as a member of the believing
community, with the Apostles, engaged in prayer and waiting for the Holy
Spirit. Throughout art history, Mary is featured in the center of
depictions of the Pentecost, when they receive the Holy Spirit (such as in
the image above and another image at the bottom of this newsletter).
Reading II - Peter 4:13-16
The second reading is from the first letter of Saint Peter. Christianity was
recognized as different from Judaism. It would soon be a crime in the
Roman Empire to be a Christian (while Judaism was tolerated). Peter asks his
readers to take our sufferings as an opportunity to identify with Jesus.
Jesus was the Messiah and the king, but His throne turned out to be the
cross. His strength was in His submission to the evil that others did to
Him. Everything in human nature rebels against submission. Peter warns of
imminent persecution. He tells his readers to be not ashamed, but to
glorify God as they share in the sufferings of Christ.
Fr. Andy Ligot Accepts Role as Pastor of St. Lawrence
by Bruno Martinez
As many of you know, we will soon lose our Parochial Vicar, Reverend Andy C. Ligot, JCD. His last day at Saint John Vianney will be June 30, 2005, at which point he will leave to become the pastor of Saint Lawrence Catholic Church and Education Center in Santa Clara.
Father
Andy was born November 30, 1965 in Laoang City, the Philippines, to Eulalia
Claridad and Ismael Cristobal Ligot. He is the second youngest of five
children. Both of his parents passed away early in his life; his mother when
he was 16 and his father when he was 24. These losses deeply affected him
but did not stop him from following in the footsteps of his uncle into the
priesthood. His uncle, at age 37, had become the Bishop of the Diocese of
San Fernando, La Union, the Philippines, where he served until his death at
the age of 56.
Father Andy completed his seminary and doctoral work in Spain. He was ordained June 14, 1992 by His Holiness John Paul II in Saint Peter's Basilica. He was a member of the last class to be ordained by the Holy Father.
When Father Andy completed his Doctorate of Canon Law in 1999, he had no bishop, so he came to the Archdiocese of San Francisco, where he was assigned to the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. Very soon after his arrival there, a new pastor was installed, at which time Father Andy was introduced to Bishop McGrath, the bishop of the Diocese of San Jose. This was a Sunday. Bishop McGrath asked Father Andy about himself, his life, his studies and proceeded to ask him to serve the Diocese of San Jose part time on the Tribunal, while continuing his pastoral work at the Church of the Nativity. Father Andy started the Tribunal the next day, Monday.
Four years later, the pastor of the Church of the Nativity was elevated to Chancellor of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and Bishop McGrath asked Father Andy to come to the Diocese of San Jose fulltime, at which time he came to our parish, where he has served the past two years.
When asked what he liked the most about Saint John Vianney, Father Andy replied, "I like the variety of people here. I think it shows the universality of the Church, and in a way Its equality." He went on to say, "People here are very warm and very accepting. The number people who do volunteer work and who get involved in various lay ministries impresses me. People dedicate their time and weekends in a sacrifice of love for their faith and community."
On the recent the loss of Pope John Paul II, Father Andy said, "I was deeply affected by the Holy Father’s death. I loved and admired him. I felt connected to him since my ordination."
Though Father Andy is a very humble person, he is very talented. He is a member of the Canon Law Society of America, is fluent in his native tongue and Spanish, with a slight Castilian accent, and English. He has brought a quiet elegance to everything he has done at Saint John Vianney Parish. He will be missed and I know he will be in all our prayers as he embarks on this new stage of his service to the Church he loves so much. On how he felt about leaving, Father Andy said, "This is a vibrant faith community, and I hate to leave, but perhaps the Lord is calling me to new responsibilities. To say good bye is always difficult, but endings are beginnings and beginnings are endings."
Mother's Day (May 8)
by Susan Hines-Brigger
(assistant editor of St. Anthony Messenger)
On Mother's Day
three years ago I had an epiphany. Two months earlier I had spent nine days
next to my infant son Alex's hospital bed as he lay there suffering
breathing problems and hooked up to IVs and oxygen. I was feeling completely
helpless as a mom. For the first month after we came home, we 
were
advised to avoid having him around people, leaving us virtually housebound.
As May rolled around, Alex finally began to get stronger.
On Mother's Day, my husband confessed that, because of how hectic our lives had been, he didn't have anything to give me for Mother's Day. It was then that it hit me: I didn’t care about store-bought gifts. The best Mother's Day present I could have asked for was wriggling around in my arms.
So why do I tell that story? Well, I guess because I had come to realize that this holiday has become just an excuse for increased sales of cards and flowers. And I say that as someone who had griped at my husband for what I felt was his less-than-adequate recognition of my motherly achievements with our first child.
As a mom, I try -- and mostly fail -- to emulate the epitome of motherhood as far as I'm concerned, the Virgin Mary. In short, when most people these days ask, "What Would Jesus Do?" as a mom I ask, "What would his mother do?" And it is in that spirit that the holiday of Mother's Day was founded in the first place.
The celebration of Mother's Day dates back all the way to ancient times, but the idea of the celebration was first kicked around in 1872. Julia Ward Howe, author of the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," proposed Mother's Day as a day dedicated to peace.
But it was Ann Jarvis of West Virginia, however, who really pushed for a national day to honor mothers. On the second anniversary of her mother's death, Jarvis asked her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia, to celebrate a day to honor mothers. Her mother had died on the second Sunday in May. The church obliged and the following year, the city of Philadelphia joined in the celebration. Thanks to a campaign by Jarvis and her supporters, by 1911 almost every state celebrated Mother's Day. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.
Other countries also celebrate Mother's Day, but some on different days. In England, Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
Being With the
Poor
This is an invitation of sorts.
This invitation is not from me. It is the invitation we all get from Jesus
to work with, and for, the poor. It is not an easy invitation to accept. It
was not easy for me to accept. I have a difficult time working with, being
with, the poor. I would much rather be with the sick. But, several years
ago, someone in our JustFaith group heard the Holy Spirit and suggested we
should serve breakfast at the San Jose Family Shelter.
Usually, it is easy to hide from the poor in the kitchen at the shelter.
After all, we are making breakfast. However, the last time I went, I took
two friends and there was no room for us in the kitchen. Jim McEntee would
say we need to be with the poor. In Spanish, he would say "convivir
con el pueblo". So, I told my friends we would sit with the families.
The members of Saint John Vianney invite you to come help prepare and serve
breakfast starting at 7 AM, on Sunday, May 15, where Las Plumas dead ends
with Highway 101, just off King Road, between McKee and Berryessa. I hope
you will be able to accept this invitation. If you are unable to go on May
15, this is your ongoing invitation to join us another time. We serve
breakfast at the shelter on the third Sunday of every second month.
You can find more information about the shelter at www.sjfamilyshelter.org
by Rosana Madrigal,
JustFaith
I
helped a single mom with her three little girls: A three-year-old, a
two-year-old and a one-year-old. She was also expecting another child. I
fed the two-year-old, a beautiful African-American toddler with big brown
eyes and even a bigger smile. When she finished eating, it was my turn to
eat. She asked me if she could sit on my lap while I ate. Wow! What a treat
to be with the poor! It was the best experience ever!
Have you ever noticed
many of us attend the same Mass time each week? We even seem to sit on
the same side of the church, in the same row? It's almost as if we
have assigned seats.
This topic came up for some reason in our last meeting of the SJV Communication Team. We wondered, is one particular Mass time more or less formal, friendly, or convenient? Do we think some Mass times are for the youngsters or the elders, for families or for singles? Does it feel more traditional to some if they attend Mass first thing on Sunday Morning, and is it difficult for others to get up so early?
It's wonderful to have so many Mass choices -- a result of being a large parish. We have Masses in Spanish and English, and there is no surprise that we'll attend a Mass that speaks our language. But, this only accounts for some of the routine many of us seem to follow. Maybe the liturgy, or the music, or something else about the environment is different among the various Mass times.
The SJV Communication Team decided to informally survey a few parishioners from several Mass times to learn about our preferences and habits. We plan to share our findings in various upcoming issues of the SJV Parish Newsletter.
Today's story, our first presentation, is to provide three samples from a survey of the 7:30 AM Sunday Mass. Before reading below, we want to thank all the 7:30 AM Sunday Mass survey participants, particularly those who permitted us to use their names. Also, we want to address two subjects that came up during the survey.
First, we were asked by several persons, is the survey an indication of a future change about Mass times? The answer is no. Second, we want to share that a few anonymous respondents indicated they believe the 7:30 AM Sunday Mass has fewer children, less heat in the summer, and easy parking. Maybe the questions and answers below will also help explain in part why many of us appear to have habits about attending Mass.
Name:
Why do you attend the Sunday 7:30 AM Mass?
Does this Mass time have a special significance for you and your
family?
How long have you been attending this Mass?
Do you have a preferred seating area?
Do you have a special routine before or after Mass?
Do you sometimes participate as a lector, musician, minister, etc.?
Have you attended any of the other Mass times lately?
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Elijah at the Wedding Feast and Other Tales, by John Shea, is an entertaining read. It uses stories from diverse religious traditions, spiritual legends, and everyday experiences to give the reader practical insight into the human spirit.
This little book is full of short stories that might serve as little homilies. Keep it by your bed, for those nights you can't sleep. Or keep it in the car to read as you wait for the kids to finish soccer practice. It will teach you more about yourself, your family, and the way humanity relates to God and world.
An evening Bible Study on the Gospel of John will be presented by the Very Rev. David Bird on Tuesday evenings May 17, 24, 31, and June 7 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the parish office center.
The
retreat, "A Walk with Jesus,"
is on Saturday,
May 14
from 10 AM to 3 PM at SJV. Meet at the Parish Office Center. Lunch
will be provided and childcare is available. Click
here to see the flyer. For more information and to confirm
attendance, contact Mike Navarro at (408) 404-1805 or mikenavarro@hotmail.com
.
Reminder: The Jim McEntee Legacy Story Collection wants as many people as possible to share stories of Jim, so we can all remember and imitate him. If you have a story to tell, visit the website: www.JimMcEnteeLegacy.org
Jim McEntee public hearing: Wednesday, May 11, at 3 - 5 PM with Supervisor Blanca Alvarado, and at 7 - 9 PM with Human Commission Chair, Debra Dake. Location is the Board of Supervisors Chamber, County Government Center, 70 West Hedding, San Jose.
The Housing Consortium needs pots and pans. Take a look in your cabinets to see if there are any rarely used kitchen tools that can help a needy family get established. Call Sue Lapsys at 946-7771 to arrange for pick up.
The Annual St. John Vianney Fiesta is quickly approaching. This year it is set for May 20 through May 22 . We need CHAIRS and CO-CHAIRS....Manage a booth (Chair position) or assist in managing (Co-Chair position). If you are interested in the above Fiesta positions, please contact: David Couch at (408) 314-2393 or at dcouch36@sbcglobal.net , or Patricia Tovar at patricia.tovar@arusd.org.
History San Jose is open Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 PM. Admission is now free, thanks to a grant from Cisco Systems. Locations are, History Park at Kelley Park, as well as at the Peralta Adobe and the Fallon House in downtown San Jose. HSJ, www.historysanjose.org ,is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the continuing history of the Santa Clara Valley, and manages the largest regional collection of history in the State of California.
St. John Vianney School is still accepting applications for the 2005-06 school year for Kindergarten and First Grade. Applications can be picked up in the school office Monday - Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM or on-line at our school website: www.sjvsj.org. For more information you can e-mail mwood@sjvsj.org or contact Co-Principal, Martha Wood at (408) 258-7677.
The 30th annual Berryessa Art and Wine Festival will be held on Saturday, May 7 from 10 AM to 5 PM at Penitencia Creek Park (adjacent to Berryessa Community Center, 3050 Berryessa Road). The festival will feature a variety of foods and wines, as well as 156 artisans selling their wares. Admission is free, and all net proceeds go to music programs in Berryessa elementary and middle schools.
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This Week:
Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 8
Next Week:
Pentecost Vigil, May 14
Pentecost, May 15
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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:
Visit this web site for ideas on the Ignatious way to pray: www.sacredspace.ie |
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