A few years into my priesthood, I hit a wall. I had taken on too many commitments: Masses, meetings, ministries, projects. I couldn’t keep up. I was double-booking, forgetting things, running late, and letting people down. My boss at the time, a wise priest, and our shared secretary, noticed. For my birthday, the two gave me a stack of 100 flashcards, each with one word printed in a different language: “NO.” It was funny, but also painfully true. If I couldn’t say no, my yes was in danger.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One” (Matthew 5:37). He’s not just giving advice about polite speech. He’s showing us something about the freedom of Christian discipleship. The follower of Christ is called to speak clearly, simply, and honestly. There is joy in that kind of freedom.
The Church Fathers often linked this kind of straightforward truthfulness with spiritual maturity. The devil is the father of lies, but Jesus is the Word made flesh. When we hedge, flatter, exaggerate, or avoid, we open space for the shadows to creep in. That little stack of flashcards reminded me that God does not want us enslaved to the expectations of others or to the fear of disappointing them. He wants us to enjoy the peace of saying yes and meaning it, and saying no, and meaning it, too.
Lenten Challenge: Practice one moment of honest, peaceful speech this week. Maybe it’s a sincere “yes” to something important, or a humble “no” to something you cannot do. Let it be a quiet step into the freedom Jesus offers. — 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, as we strive to live out the spirit of the commandments, that we may grow in understanding of the wisdom of God, let us pray to the Lord.
B. For legislators, civil authorities, and members of the judicial system, that they may exercise judgment and mercy in creating, enforcing, and applying our laws, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For those suffering in broken relationships, that they may receive the support and hope they need, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For our Muslim sisters and brothers, who begin celebrating Ramadan later this week, that the holy month may be filled with peace and joy, let us pray to the Lord.
E. That we may grow in discernment, recognize the wisdom of God’s commands, and keep them with all our heart, 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
This upcoming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and English Mass will be celebrated at 8:00am. We'll have Bilingual Mass at 12:00pm and Spanish Mass at 5pm and 8pm. We'll have additional services with Ashes in our Parish halls from 6am to 9:30pm.
The Parish is selling Lenten reflection books, which offer simple yet enriching reflections for each day during Lent. These can be purchased in the Parish Center for $2 each.
