Like many of you, I rejoice that I am now fully vaccinatedagainst Covid-19. I received my second dose this past Monday. While I know that it is not a 100% guarantee, I feel relieved that this vaccine makes it far less likely that I will contract the disease and assures me that I would not have any serious consequences.
As I write this, I just heard the sad news from back in Western New York that Dr. Dennis R. DePerro, 21st president of St. Bonaventure University, died Monday (March 1) as a result of complications from COVID-19. He was 62. He contracted the disease before Christmas and was hospitalized since then, most of the time on a ventilator. His is one of many stories of the kind of suffering this virus can bring. The vaccine was not available to him.
I am sure that you know of people who have contracted this disease. Sadly, some of our own parishioners have died as a result of it. Others have fared better and recovered, some quickly and others after prolonged periods of recuperation. It has been a year filled with sadness and fear.
We all know the necessary and important things that have proven effective in gradually bringing this disease under control: wear your face mask as often as possible (certainly whenever you are out in public), maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet, and wash your handsfrequently (or use hand sanitizer if you cannot wash your hands). We are making progress.
The good news of recent months is that now we have other weapons in the arsenal to combat this terrible disease. Vaccines have been proven effective. The distribution and availability of these vaccines is ramping up and becoming available to more and more people. I urge you to get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to you.
Fr. Bill and Fr. Frank have also been fully vaccinated. Fr. Ben will get his second dose very soon. Fr. Ricardo has received his first his dose and is scheduled for the second dose. Please join us by doing your part to bring this plague under control.
I am sure that you have heard that we have to get a large percentage of the population vaccinated in order to beat the pandemic and get back to “normal.” Getting vaccinated is not only for your own sake but also for the common good. As you know, the common good is an important part of Catholic moral teaching. This is another reason for each of us to get vaccinated.
With the arrival of Spring, we will return to our regular weekend Mass times. Beginning the weekend of March 20-21 (the weekend after daylight savings time begins), our Saturday Masses will be celebrated at 4:30 pm (English, on the covered court) and 7:00 pm (Spanish, in the church). The Mass on Sunday afternoon also returns to 5:00 pm (English, on the covered court). The remainder of the Mass schedule remains unchanged.
General Absolution
Although we will not be able to offer the usual Parish Penance Service again this Lent, we will offer General Absolution at each of the weekend Masses of Lent (excluding Palm Sunday). General Absolution is also available at our Friday morning Masses. Fr. Ron has recorded a prayer service that will help you prepare for General Confession and the reception of General Absolution. It is on our YouTube channel and the link is below.
IF WE WERE...
If we were knives, Lent would be a time to sharpen out cutting edges.
If we were cars, Lent would be a time for an oil change and a tune-up.
If we were swimming pools, Lent would be a time to filter the dirt out of our water.
If we were gardens, Lent would be a time to fertilize our soil and dig out our weeds.
If we were carpets, Lent would be a time to get power-cleaned.
If we were VCRs, Lent would be a time to clean our heads and adjust our tracking.
If we were computers, Lent would be a time to overhaul our disk drive.
If we were highways, Lent would be a time to repair our cracks and fill our chuckholes.
If we were TV sets, Lent would be a time to adjust our focus and our fine-tuning.
If we were silverware, Lent would be a time to clean away our tarnish.
If we were batteries, Lent would be a time to be recharged.
If we were seeds, Lent would be a time to germinate and reach for the sun.
But we are none of these things:
We are people who some times do wrong things; we have to atone for them.
We are people who sometimes get spiritually lazy; we need to get back into shape.
We are people who sometimes become selfish; we need to stretch out of our narrowness and begin giving again.
We are people who sometimes lose sight of our purpose on earth and the immense promise within us; we need to regain our vision.
And because we are also people who sometimes tend to put those things off, we need a special sort of official time to concentrate on doing them. So we have Lent. The Easter candy will taste sweeter, the Easter flowers will bloom more brightly, the Easter Sunday sun will shine more warmly if we are a better people – and all because of how we spent these forty days.
Stations of the Cross
We offer various ways for you to pray the Stations of the Cross this Lent. Every Friday at 3:00 pm, the stations are prayed in the church. Our new outdoor station area next to the church is available at any time for you to pray in the open air. Many people have already discovered our “original, homegrown” format on our YouTube channel which features some of our priests, deacons and lectors. This can be used at home or anywhere you want to pray this beautiful prayer. The link is below.
Music for Lent
New Chalices and Patens
The parish needs a couple more chalices and patens (the gold vessels used by the priest for the celebration of Mass). With two Mass locations and two sacristies, the additions would be very useful. We also need some new ciboria (the vessels in which the hosts are consecrated and from which Communion is distributed). The cost of two chalices and patens is about $1,500. The cost of six ciboria (two sets of three) is about $3,000.
If you would like to contribute to the cost of these new sacred vessels, contact Fr. Ron by phone or email. If you would like to donate a portion of the cost in memory of your family or a loved one, discuss it with Fr. Ron.
Seven Ways of Knowing
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM is a well-known writer, speaker and spiritual director. His writings on spirituality, especially contemplation and action, are very popular. Being an eclectic thinker who likes to reflect more about the whole human person, he has also written about epistemology (how do we know). The brief article which is attached gives you a bit of his understanding of the various ways we come to knowledge.
March is Women’s History Month. Numerous national organizations have joined in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. We can proudly say that outstanding Catholic women have played an important part in our history.
We will use the four issues of our newsletter during this month to shine the spotlight on four American Catholic women who are worthy of recognition and imitation. We begin this week with St. Elisabeth Ann Seton, the first native born American saint to be canonized by the Catholic Church. She was a wife, mother and founder of a religious order.
St Elizabeth Ann Seton, S.C.
Founder of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. Considered founder of the Catholic School system in the US.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was the charming "belle of the ball" as a young woman in New York City, linked to all the first families. At the age of 19, she fell in love and married the wealthy, handsome William Magee Seton. The two had a very happy marriage, raising five children.
Ten years after they were married, William's business and health both failed, and Elizabeth was left a poor widow with five children to raise alone. Her love for the Eucharist led her to convert to Catholicism and founded the first order of religious women in America, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, a religious community based on the Rule of St. Vincent De Paul.
She was able to still raise her children, as well as live the life of a sister and found several schools. She became the co-founder of the first free Catholic School in America.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI on September 14, 1975.
God has a message of hope. It came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
Understanding Jesus as the heart of God’s message we might take a lesson from the early Church: after Jesus’ death and resurrection the Church turned to the book of Isaiah. Its poetic prophecies in chapters 40-55 provided rich insights into the significance of Jesus and how to speak hope into discouraging circumstances. Isaiah spoke to the hearts of early Christians. Let him move you as we journey together through Lent.
6:45 pm-8:30 pm - March 8, 15 and 22.
We will not meet in person; we will meet via Zoom conference (from the comfort of your own home). You need a computer (desktop or laptop) or a tablet or cell phone to meet.All who register will get an email with information on how to join the meeting. There is no cost for the zoom conference to you.
"Catholic Trivia”... not because they are trivial but because these might be things that not everyone knows. Test your knowledge by reading the five questions, remember your answers (or jot them down), then click the link below to find the answers.
This week’s questions all have to do with virtues as described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):
What are the three theological virtues?
What is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it?
What is the virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor?
What is the virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good? It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life.
What is the virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods? It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable.
If you have other members of your family or your friends who would like to be on our email list, just let me know or write to Mary McLain at mmclain@stpatrickcarlsbad.comWe will be pleased to add them.
We have opened a YouTube channel where we have daily and Sunday Masses as well as Fr. Ron's new Bible Study posted for the parish called St Patrick Church Carlsbad that you can subscribe to.
A prayer of praise to God who gives us his commandments
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Paul preaches Christ crucified to the Corinthians.
Gospel Reading
John 2:13-25
Jesus drives out the moneychangers from the Temple and says that he will destroy the temple and raise it up again.
Background on the Gospel Reading
In today’s Gospel we read about how Jesus overturned the tables of the merchants and the moneychangers in the Temple at Jerusalem. In order to understand the relevance of Jesus’ action, we must learn more about the activities that were going on in the temple area. Worship at the Temple in Jerusalem included animal sacrifice, and merchants sold animals to worshipers. Moneychangers exchanged Roman coins, which bore the image of the Roman emperor, for the temple coins that were needed to pay the temple tax.
Jesus’ action at the Temple in Jerusalem is recorded in all four Gospels and is often understood to be among the events that led to Jesus’ arrest and Crucifixion. The Gospel of John, however, places this event much earlier in Jesus’ public ministry than do the Synoptic Gospels. In John’s Gospel this event occurs at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, after his first miracle at the wedding feast at Cana.
We must read the Gospel of John carefully, especially in its presentation of Jesus’ relationship to Judaism. The Gospel of John tends to reflect greater tension and animosity between Jesus and the Jewish authorities than the Synoptic Gospels. The Gospel of John was the last of the four Gospels to be written, and its narrative reflects the growing divide between the Jewish community and the early Christian community. Thus, greater emphasis on the distinction between Christianity and Judaism is found in John’s Gospel.
Reflecting upon the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), John recalls Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple and uses that story to interpret this later event. John explains to his audience, an early Christian community, that temple worship would no longer be necessary because it was surpassed in the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. With greater frequency than the other Evangelists, John intersperses post-Resurrection reflections of this Christian community in his narrative.
After clearing the Temple of the merchants and the moneychangers, John’s Gospel tells us that the people asked for a sign of Jesus’ authority to do such an audacious act. In response, Jesus predicted his death and Resurrection. Throughout John’s Gospel, the language of signs is distinctive. Jesus’ miracles are called signs, and the people look to these signs for proof of his authority. Here we learn that the sign par excellence will be Jesus’ passion, death, and Resurrection.
During Lent we reflect upon the meaning of this sign for us and for our world. We might take this opportunity to consider the quality of our prayer and worship. In our prayers we seek to deepen our relationship with the person of Christ. In our worship with the community, we gather to experience anew the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus and its significance in our lives. Christ promises to be present with us when we gather for prayer.
As we move into the second half of Lent, our attention becomes more focused on the suffering and death of Jesus. Fr. Ron has recorded a Bible Study and looks more closely at the Passion narratives of the gospels. While they tell the same story of the last days of Jesus, each offers a unique perspective.
This Bible Study is available on our YouTube channel. It consists of three pre recorded presentations, each about an hour long. This “on demand” Bible study can be viewed at your leisure. You can pause and return later. You might want to gather the family to listen together (although it is more suitable for adults and young adults).
The first session looks at the Passion Narratives in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. They can be studied together since they are so similar. The link is here:
St. Luke offers some unique additions to the story that show his particular touch. That video link is here:
The fourth gospel (John) offers the most unique description of the passion and death of the Lord. Much of his material is quite different from the other three gospels. This presentation focuses on his powerful message. the link is here:
Lenten Food Drive
The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Lenten food drive to benefit the North County Branch of the San Diego Food Bank. Giving to those in need is a powerful way to do your part to participate with our church community during Lent. The drive will continue this weekend March 6 and 7 and next weekend March 13 and 14.
Donations will be accepted before/after all weekend Masses (Saturday and Sunday). The donation station will be set up at the back door of the hall. Drive up and the Knights will unload the food from your trunk. Our goal for this drive to 3000 pounds of food. That will serve a couple thousand meals.
Diacono Miguel Enriquez
“Cristo es la fuerza y sabiduría de Dios.” Continuamos nuestro caminar hacia la Pascua, donde la Iglesia celebra la muerte y resurrección de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. ¡Una señal importante para nosotros, ¡signo que Dios gano y nosotros también! Iniciamos la tercera semana de Cuaresma, y seguimos siendo invitados a un autoexamen que nos lleva a la conversión, dando damos la espalda a todas esas cosas que nos separan del amor de Dios. Es de fijar nuestros ojos en Cristo y permitir que el inspire nuestra manera de vivir y de ser. También, es un tiempo de perdonar a otros y a nosotros mismos. La única manera en que podemos entrar en una relación real e íntima con Dios es reconociendo que hemos sido dañados por otros y también nosotros hemos causado dolor a otros. Unámonos a Dios, y que de nuestro corazón brote el perdón como el perdón de Dios es ofrecido para nosotros.
Por favor hagan clic en el video y reflexión indicados. Espero que les ayude en su reflexión.
DETENTE !!
Hablemos un poco del TEMPLO
Dcn. Miguel & Fr. Ric
National Alliance on Mental
Illness
NAMI is offering their Family-to-Family course:
Are you over 18 years of age and struggling with the challenge of a loved one with a mental health condition?
If so, register now for the free NAMI Family-to-Family Course
Thursday, March 18 through May 6 - 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. (8 online “Zoom” sessions)
To Register: Online – go to: Family to Family-NAMI San Diego and scroll down to “Add me to the interest list”
Or email: f2f@namisd.org; or call 619 543-1434 or 800 523-5933
NAMI Family-to-Family is taught by NAMI-trained family members who have been there, and includes presentations, discussions and interactive exercises. This course is being taught by St. Patrick parishioners. The group setting provides mutual support and shared positive impact—experience compassion and reinforcement from people who understand your situation – you are not alone.
MENTAL HEALTH
CORNER
ESQUINA DE SALUD MENTAL
Entendiendo la Depresión
Lorena Ramírez
Hechos Clave
Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud, más de 264 millones de personas en todo el mundo de todas las edades sufren depresión. La depresión es una de las principales causas de discapacidad en todo el mundo. Afecta a más mujeres que hombres y puede llevar al suicidio.
Según el Instituto Nacional de Salud Mental, se estima que 17 millones de estadounidenses adultos sufren de depresión durante un año durante su vida. La depresión es una enfermedad real y tiene un alto costo en problemas de relación, sufrimiento familiar y pérdida de productividad laboral. Sin embargo, la depresión es una enfermedad tratable.
¿Qué es la Depresión?
La depresión es un trastorno mental con la presencia de características comunes como tristeza, vacío o estado de ánimo irritable, acompañado de cambios somáticos y cognitivos que afectan significativamente la capacidad de funcionamiento del individuo.
Algunos de los criterios para un diagnóstico enumerados en el Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales (DSM-5) son:
Estado de ánimo deprimido, decaído o sin esperanza.
Interés o placer notablemente disminuido en hacer cosas.
Alteraciones del sueño y la alimentación.
Sensación de cansancio o pérdida de energía.
Sentimientos de inutilidad o culpa excesiva o inapropiada
Dificultad para pensar o concentrarse.
Estar letárgico o lo contrario, estar muy inquieto o agitado.
Pensamientos de que estaría mejor muerto o de lastimarse.
Hay varios trastornos depresivos enumerados en el DSM-V, pero lo que difiere entre ellos es la duración, el momento y la presunta etiología (origen y causas).
La depresión puede afectar a cualquier tipo de persona en cualquier etapa de su vida. Aunque puede sentirse sólo en su lucha contra los estados de ánimo depresivos, la verdad es que muchas personas experimentan estos estados de ánimo de vez en cuando o incluso de forma constante. Se estima que 1 de cada 4 personas experimenta un estado de ánimo significativamente deprimido en algún momento de su vida.
¿Por qué es Importante Poner Atención a estos Signos?
Porque la depresión, como cualquier otra condición de salud, si no se atiende, empeora. La depresión es una condición complicada, al igual que las personas a las que afecta. Usted o un ser querido pueden sentirse deprimidos por diferentes razones o situaciones. Si puede manejarlo, hay algunas cosas que se enumeran a continuación que podrían ayudarle, pero si su depresión es más significativa que tener un "día nostálgico", debe consultar con un proveedor de salud mental.
Muchas personas con depresión encuentran alivio en las siguientes actividades.
Hacer ejercicio y estar activo.
Exposición a la luz solar, especialmente durante la mañana
Dedicar tiempo a la jardinería.
Hacer actividades divertidas: practicar pasatiempos
Mantenerse conectado y evitar el aislamiento.
Educarse sobre la depresión.
¿Cómo Ayudar a un Ser Querido que está Deprimido?
Ofrezca apoyo, comprensión, paciencia y aliento.
Invítelos a caminar, a salir y hacer actividades al aire libre
Ayúdelos a sujetarse a su plan de tratamiento, por ejemplo, establecer recordatorios para que tomen los medicamentos recetados.
Asegúrese de que tengan transporte para las citas de terapia.
Recuérdeles que, con el tiempo y el tratamiento, la depresión desaparecerá.
Our parish offices are open, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 12:30pm.
During this time of inactivity, we will use our parish email system to communicate with parishioners to offer spiritual reflections and make announcements.
In case of an emergency, you can always reach us by phone. We will be checking regularly for messages and respond as soon as possible. If need be, the answering service can get in touch with one of our priests quickly- 760-729-2866.
If you know someone who does not receive our emails, please forward this to them, or have them reply to this message.
To email a priest at St. Patrick Church click the link below:
