We generally approach life with the question, “What can this do for me?” We try a new workout, a low-carb diet, intermittent fasting, or a new career path, hoping it will make us healthier, stronger, happier. The assumption is that if I invest in this, I’ll eventually reap some benefit, or I won’t do it.
It is easy to think of faith the same way: if I really practice my faith, what will it do for me? Will it make me calmer, more moral, more successful?
But in today’s Gospel, Jesus says something astonishing. He doesn’t present himself as a teacher who shows us the way to life. He says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)He is not merely a guide toward some higher benefit. He is the benefit itself. To know him is to know Life.
Thomas Aquinas explains that every desire in the human heart — love, joy, meaning, all of our restless cravings — is really an indirect cry for life. Even despair testifies to this longing: people despair precisely because they feel they are not, and might never be, fully alive.
The good news is that Jesus is not simply the means to a better life; He is Life itself. To believe in him is to share in God’s own eternal vitality. Not simply later but even now. Faith is not a transaction that produces results — it is a union that fills us with joy. To be in communion with Christ is to be truly, fully alive.
— Father John Muir
©LPi
General Mass Notes
Welcome
Good afternoon and welcome to St. Joseph,
As we begin our liturgy, we would like to extend a special welcome to everyone visiting our parish for the first time. We also warmly welcome all of you who are here today. We are so grateful and blessed to have you with us. As we settle in and prepare our hearts for Mass, please take a moment to make sure your cell phones are turned off so as not to disturb our prayer.
(Wait a few seconds to allow people to turn off their phones)
Let us now take a moment to prepare for Mass and open our hearts and minds to the message we will hear today. The intentions of this Mass are for all those in our special intention basket and for…
Please stand and greet those beside you.
Mass Intentions
Universal Prayer (Petitions)
A. For the Church, that we may respond with haste to widows, orphans, and all those in need within and outside our faith communities, let us pray to the Lord.
B. That officeholders at all levels of government may do their best to ensure that no one is neglected when it comes to basic human needs, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For all those who minister to the Church, and in particular deacons, who trace their ministry back to the ones chosen by the twelve apostles, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For the newly baptized, who are the newest living stones in this spiritual house, let us pray to the Lord.
E. For those whose hearts are troubled, that they may find comfort in Christ’s invitation to the Father’s house, where there are many dwelling places, let us pray to the Lord.
F. For all the prayers that we hold in the silence of our hearts; for all our intentions spoken and unspoken, and for (read all intentions from 1st page), let us pray to the Lord.
Announcements
The Amor Por Teco foundation will be selling new clothes today in the Guadalupe Hall from 8:30am to 5:30pm.
Today, the relics of 36 Mexican martyrs are displayed in our sanctuary. We invite you after Mass to spend a moment with them in this unique moment for prayer, veneration, and encounter with the history of our Church.
Religious sisters are in the Madonna Plaza selling religious items. We thank you for your support.
