Happy Mother’s Day
We extend our gratitude this weekend to all of the women in our lives and our faith community who give us life. Many of them have literally given us life, namely our biological mothers. Let us all take some special time to reflect on the physical traits and qualities that our biological mothers have extended to us and shared with us. Countless other women have mothered and positively impacted us and are certainly worthy of the title mother.
We realize that not all mothers are perfect, and many of our mothers have had their share of struggles and hardships, but this day of motherhood that we celebrate this weekend can invite us to move beyond biological motherhood and beyond any shortcomings that our mothers may have, or had, and lead us to be grateful for the motherly influence that they have had on us.
Mothers give us life in many ways, and let us take the opportunity to thank those women who have given us life in whatever ways they have. Life itself, as a gift from God, deserves our gratitude. Let’s take the time and effort to thank the loving women who have been physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, adoptive, financial, and other types of vessels and vehicles for that life this weekend and always.
Rich Images of the Trinity in John’s Gospel
The Easter season gives us a series of powerful stories and images of the very essence of our Trinitarian God. In week two, we heard that the resurrected Jesus broke through locked doors, calming the fear of the disciples, and offered God the Father’s peace by breathing on them. He sealed the receiving by identifying it as the Holy Spirit. God the creator sent God the Son through God the Holy Spirit.
In week three this year, we shifted to the Gospel of Luke and heard the story of the disciples recognizing the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread. The second person of the Trinity, sent by the first person, is manifest in the disciples’ lives and energized by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem, re-engaging in the mission of the one now present for eternity through the same Spirit.
In week four, we heard about Jesus, the gate for the pen in which we as the sheep dwell. God the Father can be likened to the gatekeeper who allows the gate to open and thus enables His abundant grace to flow in and out, giving us life, and the Holy Spirit can be likened to the actual voice of the shepherd, the vehicle through which the sheep connect with the familiarity, guidance, and comfort of the shepherd.
In week five last week, we heard many trinitarian statements. The second trinitarian person responds to one of the disciples’ requests of, “Show us the Father” by saying, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” and continuing, “…believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” and “The Father who dwells in me is doing His works.” He then emphasizes the importance of doing the works of the first person of the Trinity, and those works are done because of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to continue this message to do them in faith, through our belief.
This week we will hear more of John’s message of love carried out by the third person of the Trinity, our greatest advocate in faith, the Holy Spirit, who Jesus promises will be with us FOREVER!
Thanks to Catechists and Teachers
Confirmation
Christine Lopez and Maureen Cochran from our staff have walked with and been responsible for the formation of our 42 teens who received the Sacrament of Confirmation recently. The following are the Flame catechists who have also been instrumental in their faith formation, and we thank them:
Mark Lau, Nicole Weiner,
Joanne Meuhlfelt, and Jillian Jaynes
First Communion
103 young parishioners from both Family Faith and our Academy have been preparing to receive First Communion, led by many dedicated adults. Half of them received First Communion last weekend, and the other half this weekend. We thank the following catechists and teachers for their guidance:
Family Faith Second Grade Catechists
Tricia Legat, Nicole Mueller, Tom Oswald,
Susan Hope, Luis Gutierrez, Susan Liggit,
Teena Paul and Roja Selvakuumar
Academy Teachers
Jodie Speziale, Kelsey Trimble, and their assistants, Mina Kondraros and Katy Michal
Glow Ignite Retreat
The following adults took time to facilitate a retreat last Saturday for 42 children in 6th, 7th and 8th grades, planned by Kate Nilsen and Karen McHale from staff.
Catechists
William Cuffe, Carol Ceja, Megan Kaiser,
Brady Toussaint, Malathi Paul, Shanthi Thomas,
Erica Lau, Jillian Jaynes