In the days after the awful 2020 killing of George Floyd, a Catholic friend remarked, “Racism is today’s great evil. We should put all our energy into fighting it.” I admired her intuition that the church must stand firmly against evil. Amen, I thought. At the same time, something felt wrong. As months went by, I saw her steadily slide into bitterness and anger. Soon, despondency. She spoke of giving up the fight. Don’t we too wonder how to fight evil without losing our joy or energy?
Jesus’ words this week help. He says, “Rejoice not that you have power over demons, but that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Notice the asymmetry in where he wants our focus: on the latter, not the former. Should we confidently embrace our God-given power to overcome evil? Absolutely. But even more so, we should emphasize the positive element of our relationship to God. It is tempting but dangerous to define ourselves by what we oppose. It is better to define ourselves by––to rejoice in––what we celebrate: in Jesus, God has written our names in heaven. This sustains our battles.
This week, our marching orders are: fight evil. But more deeply, rejoice that God knows and loves us personally, individually. We allow this joyful knowledge to undergird our fight against the darkness of our day. Then we enjoy long-term stability to be cheerful warriors, who never forget the reason for the contests we are called to fight and win: love. — Father John Muir ©LPi
General Mass Notes
Second collection today.
Welcome
Welcome to our Eucharistic Celebration on this Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The intentions of this Mass are for all those in our special intention basket and...
Please stand for our procession.
Mass Intentions
Saturday, July 5
5:00 PM
Lauri Lopez • †
Rose Ortiz Lopez • †
Severo Magalon Hernandez • †
Felipe de Jesus Saucedo • †
Familia Angeino Izlas • Prayer
Jose De Jesus Cervantes • Birthday
10:45 AM
Luciano Espinoza • †
Dolores Baltazar • †
Buena Dadacay • †
12:30 PM
Ziania Garcia Sandoval • Health
Brenda Viscaya Sandoval • Health
Noemi Sandoval Alvarez • Health
Universal Prayer (Petitions)
A. For the Church, that we may labor joyfully in the fields for the Lord, so that we may spread the Good News to the ends of the earth and the harvest may be abundant, let us pray to the Lord.
B. For those who labor in fields, in orchards, and on farms all around the world, that their harvest may be fruitful and enjoyed by all, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For safety from the natural disasters all too common in the summer: floods and hurricanes, droughts and wildfires, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For all those who are traveling and vacationing, and for those who give hospitality to guests and visitors, let us pray to the Lord.
E. 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
1. Today is our annual Peter’s Pence collection, to support the universal Church and the work of the Holy See, including helping Pope Leo (the fourteenth) to carry out his charitable works. These works will benefit our brothers on the periphery of society, including victims of war, oppression and disasters.
2. We'd like to give a warm welcome to Deacon Robert “Bob” Miller who has been appointed as the temporary administrator of our Parish. He will be responsible for all the administrative and pastoral needs of the parish working with the two new associate pastors, Fr. Ramon Reyes and Fr. Martin Joseph. Let’s pray for Deacon Bob and our new priests as they begin their ministry serving our parish.
3. Registration for First Communion and Confirmation is open. Requirements are listed in our bulletin.
4. Do you feel a call to be a catechist? We are looking for catechists to help instruct our youth and adult confirmation candidates. If you are interested, please leave your name and phone number at the Parish office.
5. We thank Grand Premier Banquet Hall in Gardena and his construction company for sponsoring our bulletin; their information can be found on the last page of our bulletin. If you have a business and would like to sponsor our weekly bulletin, you can call the phone number at the bottom of the last page.
