Thanks for your Generosity

Thank you to all who contributed more than $15, 000 to the San Antonio Archdiocese Retirement Fund for Religious collection last weekend. Your generosity is appreciated by all the sisters, brothers, and religious order priests who will benefit from your gifts. This opportunity to "Share the Care" is available any time that you are willing or able to make a contribution. Please use the envelopes found in the church. Additional information can be found at www.nrro.org.

 - Sister Rose 

Power of the Holy Spirit

In the Holy Gospel reading for this Sunday we hear through the Evangelist, St. Luke, that the power of the Holy Spirit will overshadow the young Virgin Mary, and that the power of the Most High God will come upon her. This is the Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel that Mary would conceive and bear a son, Jesus. As a biblical people we are reminded that it was the same Spirit of the Lord that hovered over the firmament in the first act of creation in the Book of Genesis. And that it was in the power of the Spirit that all creation took place. A creation which God pronounced good.

What is the Spirit of God doing in your life? When you were first born, and then born again in the waters of baptism God also pronounced you to be good! You became His beloved daughter or son, brother or sister to the whole family of God’s Holy People. Sometimes we forget who we are. Maybe we need to become aware of the Spirit who continues to overshadow us, and who continues to renew the face of the earth. Just as Mary became the vessel of the new creation, so God is also asking you to be a bearer of His Son in the world today. This means submitting to the power of the Spirit, and allowing yourself, your inner-self, to be created anew. Can you say to God, “be it done to me according to your word?”

As participants in the new creation of God through the person of Jesus born of the Blessed Virgin Mary we have a special responsibility to care for the weakest and neediest of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Through your immense generosity we have had an overwhelming response to the Blessings for Bastrop and the Angel Tree this year! I thank you on behalf of those who can’t, or will never know that it was you who helped them. May the Lord return your generosity to you many times over!

I look forward to seeing you at the Masses of Christmas. Please remember that we are having two masses at 4 PM. The one in the Church will be the Children’s Mass of Christmas Eve, and the one in the Hall will be a regular Christmas Eve mass. We will also have mass at 6:30 PM and Midnight in the Church, as well as at 10 AM on Christmas morning. May our loving God bless you!

 – Fr. Larry

As I write this column today (May 18) there are several things that are on my mind. First, I am struck by an article in the Express News by Abe Levy about a play to be produced at the San Pedro Playhouse next month called  Corpus Christi. The play was written by Texas play-write Terrence McNally. In this play Jesus and the disciples are presented as gay men, and Jesus is referred to as the “King of Queers.” Archbishop Gustavo and the San Antonio Community of Congregations have voiced their concern and objections to this production. We do not challenge the legal freedom in a pluralistic society to produce various works of art or to express cultural and political ideas. What we object to is the gross lack of sensitivity to the sacred character of Jesus who is worshipped, or at least revered and admired by many hundreds of thousands of people in our community. We cannot imagine that offensive vulgarities would be tolerated by the community at large toward any other group!

Perhaps the fault of our era is the confusion of freedom with license. In this sense, license means that you can do anything you want, anytime you want. No one has the right to stop you unless you are harming them, personally. There is no idea of a common or public good. Freedom, on the other hand, is only known in the exercise of making actual choices with a view to their consequences, and with a broader view to the good of both the person and the neighbor (common good). A free society is a society with a dedication to the good, and is able to employ self-restraint for the common good. It can exercise choices in a positive way. A licentious society just can’t stop itself from doing anything, no matter how much harm is done to others. Licentiousness is a distortion of freedom because it lacks the ability to self restrain for the sake of the common good.

I should point out that leaders in San Antonio’s gay and lesbian community have raised their voices in concern about this play as well. Their criticism is that it reinforces the worst stereotypes of what it means to be a person with a same sex attraction.

So, the question is, what good is this play doing? Do we want the San Pedro Playhouse to produce this? Do you want them receiving public funding, as well as funding from some of the city’s artistic foundations to support this? They certainly have the “freedom” to do this. You also have the freedom to tell them how you see it. As our own Bishop Cantu has said, “artistic works should elevate our spirit to a greater good.” Sometimes art can sting our consciences in a good way by pointing out truths that make us rethink our point of view. In that sense, controversial art can be good. Other times its just plain adolescent and offensive. – Fr. Larry

As I have mentioned in the past few Pastor’s Notes, it is with great joy that we can announce that Mike Portele, of our Parish, will be ordained for service to the People of God as deacon on June 4, at 10 a.m., at St. Mark’s Parish, at the hands of Archbishop Gustavo Garcis-Siller. Mike and Cathy have been studying and preparing for this moment for over 5 years now! That’s quite a commitment. I have asked Deacon-elect Mike Portele to preach at the masses on the weekend of June 4 and 5, with the exception of the Sunday evening mass (which is the mass for Confirmation). After the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. masses there will be receptions in the Henke Hall and we will all have the chance to congratulate Mike and Cathy! Of course, the ordination is the end of one journey, but only the beginning of another!

I also want to remind everyone that we will welcome Bishop Oscar Cantu on June 5th for the 5 p.m. mass to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for over 50 of our youth and young adults! The confirmandi (yes, that’s a word) have spent this past year in preparation for this final step of initiation into the life of the Church, the Body of Christ. Please pray for them as they approach this very important moment in life.

We continue to celebrate First Holy Communions throughout this month of May. I want to thank our parishioners for their support of the children who are receiving and for welcoming their families and friends – many of whom travel great distances to be with the children at this time.

I mentioned in last week’s homily that we need to maintain a certain dignity about receiving Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. I mentioned that it was OK to be casual in dress, but not sloppy! That we shouldn’t be chewing gum or eating candies as we approach the Eucharist, nor should we leave mass right after communion. I also reminded everyone to be spiritually prepared for communion by praying ahead of time and looking at our consciences to see if we have any serious sin that needs reconciling. Perhaps as we celebrate First Holy Communion it’s a time for all of us to be reminded about the basics!

A big thank you to the Men’s Club for organizing a truly outstanding Casino Night for the parish last weekend! It was a big success with a wonderful turn-out and a truly good time was had by all. More importantly, we were able to raise funds to assist our sister Parish, Immaculate Conception, and to provide some funding for our own Youth Ministry mission trip. Great work, everyone!

Fr. Larry

Lazarus, a name that means “one who is helped,” is called forth from his tomb of death and decay into life and hope! Sometimes we entomb parts of our lives. Old sins we don’t want to remember. Painful memories.
Even people we don’t want to confront. The problem is that by entombing them in our memories they do decay and fester. They still effect us, though we may have grown used to their presence or even numb to their reality. But Jesus
calls Lazarus forth by name! And He is calling you forth by name, too! He wants to bring life where there is death. Hope where there is defeat or confusion. Joy where there has been too much sorrow! Jesus tells us in John’s Gospel, “I have come that you may have life!” He is speaking to his disciples, to you and to me. Now.














In one more week we begin the most solemn and beautiful week in the whole life of the Church. I hope you will join us on Passion (Palm) Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and at Easter Vigil and Sunday. I always find that I am touched by the Lord in surprising ways in the week we call Holy. But you must come and celebrate with your community, which is the living Body of Christ (even with all of our flaws), in order to experience what the Lord has to give you. Please join us.

I am very grateful to John Rodriguez for his enthusiastic leadership of our Annual Archbishop’s Appeal. We are only about $540 short of achieving our goal. That’s amazing. I am very grateful to all of you who have helped us in this project, as well. So far, more than 600 gifts have come in! Your generosity continues to amaze me.

Very soon we will be looking for three new members for our Parish Pastoral Council. This is the group whose pastoral advice is most necessary to me in leading the Parish community. If you can think of someone who has the combination of maturity, spiritual commitment, and leadership needed I ask you to consider nominating him or her for the Council. Fr. Larry

HOLY LAND SPEAKERS WILL TALK ABOUT JOURNEY FROM TRAGEDY TO HEALING

Israeli and Palestinian Speak Out For Peace

April 11, 7:30 pm, Library Auditorium

University of the Incarnate Word

6:15 to 7:15 pm Potluck Supper for those who wish, directly upstairs in the Special Collections Room

Yuval Rahamim is Israeli and once served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces. Dr. Omar Alalool is a Palestinian refugee whose father was killed by Israeli forces and was later arrested by Israeli authorities for his student activism. The two come from opposite sides in a long conflict, yet today, both men are speaking to U.S. audiences with one unified voice for peace in the Holy Land.  Rahamim and Alalool found common ground through participating in The Parents Circle - Families Forum [PC-FF], a Catholic Relief Services supported reconciliation group that consists of Palestinian and Israeli bereaved families who join forces to promote peace and reconciliation on both sides of the conflict. Joining the PC-FF group is a great act of courage and a deep commitment to create a new vision for the Holy Land.

“It is us, the ordinary people, who have paid and continue to pay the price of the conflict, who must enroll ourselves and act within our communities to create the grounds and movement towards a sustainable peace among our nations,” said Rahamim. “We are looking forward to hearing from our colleagues, Mr. Rahamim and Dr. Alalool; Their stories provide us with hope for reconciliation in the Holy Land and in this part of the world as well, said Daniel Lizarraga, Regional Director for CRS Southwest in reference to the on-going violence on the U.S. Mexico Border. Pope Benedict has addressed the violence in the Holy Land stating, “I ask the international community to try every possible way to help Israeli’s and Palestinians to come out from the dead end street and not give up.” To learn more about Catholic Relief Services peacebuilding programs and about Rahamim’s and Alalool’s personal journey come to: 

Presentation Contact: Carla E. Aguilar,   (210) 366-3884 ext. 4,   carla.aguilar@crs.org

Potluck Supper Contact:  Sister Martha Ann Kirk, (210) 829-3854  kirk@uiwtx.edu  At this, there will be a display about the Holy Land Garden at UIW which may be the only place in the world that has plants and citations of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptures side by side (http://www.uiw.edu/garden/index.htm).  There will be foods mentioned in these scriptures and conversation on how we can carry on the hospitality of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar.  

Presentation April 12, 7:30 pm, Mexican American Catholic College. Contact: Katherine Jass Lopez, 3115 West Ashby Place,  San Antonio, TX 78228-5100   (210) 732-2156, ext. 7154.

             Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in more than 100 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. For more information, please visit www.crs.org

Special Engagement Dr. Omar Al-Alool Mr. Yuval Rahamim

Parents Circle-Families Forum, Member

Yuval Rahamim

Yuval Rahamim was born in 1959 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Both his parents migrated to Israel as children and took part in establishing the state of Israel. The family moved in the 1960s to a small village in the Sharon area where they become farmers, specializing in growing strawberries and exporting the produce to Europe.

In spring 1967, Abraham, Yuval’s father was called for his reserve military unit due to the tension that was building up along the Israeli borders.  Shortly after, on June 6^th, the war broke. The war was over after only six days, thus its name “The Six Day War”. During the war Israel occupied the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula, the Jordanian West Bank of the Jordan River and the Syrian Golan Heights. The swift victory put the young Israel in a state of euphoria but for Yuval’s family there was no joy since the father Abraham was killed on the second day of the war.

Yuval’s mother was not able to handle the disaster- taking care of the three kids, her expected new baby, the farm and her own grief was just too much.  So at the age of eight Yuval was sent to a boarding school.  As a teenager he decided a military career will be the best outlet for his feelings of revenge so he joined the military academy and became an officer in the Israel Defense Forces [IDF]. After six years in service Yuval left the army, got married, had three kids and pursued a career in communications and High Tech. Over time his views and motivation regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict transformed from his personal tragedy and rage, to a firm determination that the tragedies, killings and hate on both sides must stop. He needed to take on an active role in this process.

With this determination, Yuval set up a group of Israelis, both Arab and Jews that wanted to create together a new vision of peace for the Middle East. That year was 2009.  At the same time, Yuval joined The Parents Circle - Families Forum [PC-FF] where Palestinian and Israeli bereaved families join forces for reconciliation, understanding and promoting peace on both sides of the conflict.  Members of PC-FF act together to spread the message of reconciliation to many groups on both sides of the conflict with remarkable results.

 “When my kids reached the age when they needed to take part in defending their country through a military service, I felt it was the time for me to step forward. I was no longer comfortable with letting our official leaders make the change. Changing the course of our bloody history is too important to leave it in the hands of the politicians. It is us, ordinary people who paid and continue to pay the price of the conflict, who must enroll ourselves and act within our communities to create the grounds and movement towards a sustainable peace among our nations.”

Dr. Omar Alalool

General Director, Health Unit , Ministers Council of the Palestinian Authority

Board member and Head of the International Relations Committee, Palestinian Parents Circle – Families Forum

Omar Al-Alool was born in a small village named Nuba, west of the city of Hebron on the West Bank of Palestine.  His family was resettled to Nuba as refugees from the ancient village of Ein-Karem southwest of Jerusalem.

His personal tragedy began when he was 10 years old in September 1972 when his father Abdul Kader Alalool, a Fatah freedom fighter, was killed by Israeli soldiers in Jericho.  A few days later, the family’s home was demolished and three months later his oldest brother Amer Alalool, who was also a Fatah freedom fighter, was killed by Israeli soldiers in Jericho.

Eight years later, in 1980 he entered the Birzeit University in pre-medical studies and became active in the youth Fatah movement.   This political association caused him to be imprisoned by the Israelis authorities for 11 days.  Fearing that his political activities would prevent him from getting a secure education, Omar’s mother went to Jordan to speak with her older sons about Omar’s future. They decided it would be best for him to leave Palestine and go to Rumania to continue his study of medicine with no interference.

In Rumania Omar was a Fatah representative in the Palestinian student movement from 1981-1987. In 1987 he returned as a young physician to Palestine just as the first Intifada began.  He was imprisoned again, on and off because of his political activities.  In total, he served two years in the Israeli prison and another two years under house arrest until 1993.

In January 2004, Omar, invited by good friends who are members in the Parents Circle-Families Forum (PC-FF), attended a weekend seminar of Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families in Jerusalem. There he met Israeli’s and Palestinians who believe in peace, nonviolence and reconciliation and who were working together to stop the blood shed and violence between their people.  That weekend, recognizing that he believed in the same peaceful values and nonviolent approach, Omar decided to become a member.

The decision to become a member of PC-FF led to a new activism for Omar.  After a few years of his involvement with PC-FF promoting peace and nonviolence, he and a few Palestinian members of the PC-FF joined local leaders in the West Bank and founded the Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) “The Way” Al-Tariq” an institution working for democracy, development and nonviolence in Palestine.