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In This Issue:
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"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Symbols
of the Evangelists
By Ellen Turner
The four
evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are traditionally represented
by symbols drawn from the vision of Ezechiel and the book of Revelation. The
various symbols were accepted as early as the second century. In the fourth
century, St. Gregory wrote a commentary on Ezekiel connecting the four 
symbols
of the Evangelists with the 
stages
of Christ's life. Jesus was a man (St. Matthew's symbol), in his death he
was sacrificed as a calf (St. Luke's symbol), resurrected as King of Heaven
and Earth (St. Mark's symbol the lion) and ascended into heaven (St. John's
symbol the eagle). These symbols also helped early Christians remember and
understand some basic theology even though they could not read.
St. Matthew's symbol is a human figure or an angel. This is because St. Matthew started his Gospel with the story of Jesus' human ancestry. It also reminds us of the humanity of Jesus Christ.
St. Mark is symbolized by the lion, an animal which lives in the desert. This is because St. Mark started his Gospel with the story of John the Baptist, "the voice of one crying out in the wilderness." The lion is also the symbol of royalty, reminding us that Jesus is King of heaven.
St. Luke's symbol is the sacrificial ox, because his Gospel starts with the story of the priest Zachary, husband of Mary's cousin Elizabeth, offering sacrifice in the temple. The ox also reminds us that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice and highlights the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
The eagle, a strong bird which soars to the highest parts of the sky, is the symbol of St. John because his Gospel starts with the Word of God and his theology is much more developed than the first three (or Synoptic) gospels. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
The
Gospel of Mark
By Ray Turner
St. Mark's Gospel
is the shortest of the four Gospels, and likely the first to be written.
It is characterized by vivid details of Jesus' ministry delivered at
breakneck pace. Mark stresses Jesus' good news that the reign of God is
breaking into human experience here and now.
Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus. Mark does not give us most of Jesus' sayings (as related in the other Gospels) and does not elaborate much on Jesus' teachings. For Mark the point is that Jesus is the Messiah. The Jews of Mark's time were expecting a warrior Messiah to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans. Mark needs to convince them that God's plan was different and that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. Mark's evidence is the acknowledgment of Jesus as the Son of God by the Father (1:11, 9:7), by the devils (1:24, 3:11, 5:7), and by men (8:29, 15:39) and also the miracles Jesus performs (1:31, 4:41). Mark makes the point that Jesus MUST suffer and die (10:45, 14:24) as foretold in the scriptures (9:12, 14:21, 49).
Ancient manuscripts end Mark's Gospel at chapter 16, verse 8. Biblical scholars believe that other writers later added from 16:9 - 20 because the writing style is so different. However, these verses are found in manuscripts dating back to the second century and they were included in the canon (official bible). This year we are focusing on the Gospel of Mark in the readings at Sunday Mass.
Sources: The Jerusalem Bible, the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, Invitation to Mark by Paul J. Achtemeier, Gospel Parallels, edited by Burton Throckmorton
Next week: the Gospel of Luke.
Parish
Picnic Plans
By Ellen Turner
A terrific group of parishioners met on Tuesday night, August 15, to plan the parish picnic. What a great event it is going to be!
The event will take
place on Sunday, September 24, from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM on the field
behind the school. (We decided that is was easier to just plan the event for
that
space,
not knowing right now if the Rectory driveway will be torn up for
construction or not. Also, the field provides us with plenty of space.)
It's a potluck picnic, so plan to bring your favorite yummy picnic food to share. This year we are involving parents from the school as well as other parishioners, so everyone in the parish can participate and enjoy each other. Music will be provided by a couple of our wonderful music groups. Games and face painting will keep the kids busy. We'll even have a special game for the grown-ups to get them talking to each other and making new friends. Some lucky family will go home with a nice basket including homemade jams. We plan to finish the afternoon with some basketball fun with Fr. Francisco.
Don't miss out on this fun event!
Breaking
Bread Together: An
Interfaith Reunion
By SouthBay
Interfaith Steering Committee
Over 250 people
from diverse religious communities in the South Bay gathered together
last October to celebrate Feasting and Fasting 
Together:
A Family Reunion of All Abraham's Children. Together we shared prayers
for peace and understanding among our communities here and around the world,
broke bread together, and got a rare opportunity to know one another better
and to develop greater respect for one another as people of faith in Silicon
Valley.
We are planning to gather again this year on September 21 at 6 PM at the Circle of Palms in downtown San Jose for Breaking Bread Together: An Interfaith Reunion. While last year's event focused mainly on the Abrahamic traditions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - this year we want to widen the circle to include other religious groups that make up our community.
Our gathering is intended to be joyous - a family reunion, not a political rally - and so we ask that there be no political agendas, no petitions, posters or demonstrations. We want the wider community to know that we will not permit our differences of opinion divide us from each other.
Details of the gathering will be posted at our website, www.SouthBayInterfaith.org, as they become available. If you are interested in participating or want more information, contact us at southbayinterfaith@yahoo.com, or telephone the Council of Churches at (408) 297-2660.
Editor's note: The
graphic included with this story is used by the SouthBay Interfaith
Steering Committee to reflect the inclusion of people of faith from all
kinds of faith traditions we find in our community. We all have so much in
common, and we can learn from and support each other in developing useful
ways to encourage cooperation in this crazy world of ours. Since some of
these symbols may be new to us, we are including a short explanation.Starting with the outer circle, beginning at the top and moving clockwise: |
Parish and Deanery:
Discover and Celebrate! Over the past few months or years, you may have thought about entering more fully into the life of the Catholic Church through Baptism, First Communion, and/or Confirmation. If you or your school-age children are un-baptized and desire new life as God's people, or If you (as an adult) desire Confirmation and First Eucharist (First Communion), or If you are baptized in another Christian tradition and wish to become Catholic, please contact Linda Rokita, Coordinator, Catechetical Ministry at 258-7832, ext. 24 for more information.
Family Faith (CCD) 2006-2007 Registration: Family Faith invites your family to continue their faith journey in the many educational and sacramental programs offered through the parish community of St. John Vianney. Please note, registration is required for Pre-school through Grade 12, and for all of the sacramental preparation classes. The Faith Alive adult fellowship groups have open enrollment. All children/youth must be registered by their parent or legal guardian. Please bring baptismal certificates and 50% of the class fee to register your children. Open enrollment (with preference given to St. John Vianney parishioners) began the weekend of August 19 & 20 (after each Mass) and continues Thursday, August 31, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. For more information, please call Family Faith at 258-7832 x18, or x30 (espaņol).
Volunteer Hours (for SJV School) Available! Family Faith is seeking individuals (minimum age 16 yrs) who are interested in becoming a Catechist aide for grades 1-6. Please contact 258-7832 x24 for details.
Marriage Community Get-Together Married Couples: Join us for an hour of wine and hors d'euvres Wednesday, August 30, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM in the SJV Parish Office Center. Don't miss our discussion on Money Styles and Marriage. On-site childcare is available. For more information, contact Richard and Veronica Wildanger (408) 937-1483 or rpwildanger@earthlink.net.
Community at Large:
The Annual Education Appeal, which will be held on the weekend of September
9-10, 2006, in our Diocese, is most important as it provides financial
assistance to many of our Catholic students who want to receive a Catholic
education. This special collection supports the tuition aid program for
elementary and high school students in our schools. Although not all
parishes have schools, they all have families with school age children. Over
17,000 students are educated in our 31 elementary and 6 high schools, and
many are there because of your school families and parishioners. The United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stated in its document, Renewing
our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third
Millennium, published June 17, 2005: "We call on the entire
Catholic community to assist in addressing the critical financial questions
that continue to face our Catholic schools...The support of our Catholic
schools can no longer be placed exclusively on the individual parishes that
have schools and on the parents who pay tuition. This will require all
Catholics, including those in parishes without schools, to focus on the
spirituality of stewardship." Your partnership and support of the
Annual Education Appeal are greatly appreciated as we make this a successful
campaign for our students. For questions and inquires, contact the
Department of Education, (408) 983-0185.
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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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