St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
April 4, 2021 Pඉකඑඛඐ Mඑඛඛඑඖ Sගඉගඍඕඍඖග: St. John the Evangelist Parish is a welcoming and responsive faith community, nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharis c Table. We are open and trus ng in the love of Jesus Christ to advance the power of the Holy Spirit, within the parish and beyond, by living the Gospel.
Pඉකඑඛඐ Iඖඎකඕඉගඑඖ Sඋඐඍඌඝඔඍ ඎ Mඉඛඛඍඛ එඖ Cඐඝකඋඐ!! 5751 Locust Avenue Sਭਣਠਸ Mਠਲਲ: Carmichael CA 95608-1320 SATURDAY VIGIL: 5 ඕ Parish Office: (916) 483-8454 SUNDAY: 8 ඉඕ, 11 ඉඕ ຺ 5 ඕ Web: www.sjecarmichael.org Dਠਨਫਸ Mਠਲਲ: Email: offi[email protected] 6:30 ඉඕ ຺ 8:30 ඉඕ; 5:30 ඕ Lඍඖග (MON-FRI) Pඉකඑඛඐ Oඎඎඑඋඍ එඛ CLOSED **Please Contact Us by Phone or Email** 8:30 ඉඕ (SATURDAY)
Hਮਫਸ Dਠਸਲ: Cඖඎඍඛඛඑඖ/Rඍඋඖඋඑඔඑඉගඑඖ 6:30 ඉඕ ຺ 8:30 ඉඕ; 7:00 ඕ SATURDAYS from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM Hਤਠਫਨਭਦ Mਠਲਲ: 1:30 ඕ--3කඌ Sඝඖඌඉඡ ඎ ගඐඍ Mඖගඐ
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Pඉකඑඛඐ Cඔඍකඏඡ ඉඖඌ Sගඉඎඎ Sග. Jඐඖ ගඐඍ Eඞඉඖඏඍඔඑඛග Pastor Fr. Bernardin Mugabo Sඋඐඔ Pastor Emeritus Fr. Thomas Bland WWW.STJOHNEV.COM Mercy Hospital Chaplain Fr. Alban Uba Deacon Keith Johnson 5701 Locust Avenue Carmichael, CA 95608 Deacon Jack Wilson Phone: (916) 481-8845 Deacon Emeritus Larry Niekamp Fax: (916) 481-1319 SJE Business Manager Linda Gospodnetich Email: [email protected] Religious Education Coordinator Mrs. Joanne Giffard Principal: Christie Horton Director of Music & Liturgy Cara O’Shea
Youth Minister Cara O’Shea SJE Pastoral Council Chairperson Tom Ennis SJE Finance Council Chairperson Mary Ellen Meier
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL (916) 483-2161 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (916) 483-4628
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HAPPY EASTER: Dear Parishioners, dear visitors who are visiting us at Easter and you dear family members and friends who came to spend Easter with our Parish members; Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church wishes all of you a Happy Easter. There are two greatest feasts of the Liturgical year. The first one is the Nativity of Jesus that we celebrate on Christmas. God the Son took flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be like us, to live with us and teach us the Most Important thing in life: The Kingdom of Heaven described in the Gospels as the pearl of the greatest price or the greatest treasure hidden in the field. One can sell all he/she has in order to obtain it, be- cause, if you have it, you have everything. The second greatest feast is the Resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate on Easter; that is, today. This feast reminds we Christians, especially Catholics, that death is not the end. Death is the beginning of the new life with God if one has done God’s will, or is the beginning of eternal punishment in hell if he/she didn’t confess or repent. The risen Lord broke the chains of death and rose triumphantly from the grave. Death has no more power over Him. There are so many proofs about the Resurrection that cannot be denied unless one hardens his/her heart: † Jesus prophesied about His resurrection before it came so that we may not be confused. † The tomb is empty; the body is not there. This is what the women who went to the tomb first told us. † Jesus risen appeared to Mary Magdalene who went early in the tomb searching for the body of Jesus. † The Risen Lord appeared to Peter and the other apostles in the upper room. † Jesus risen from the dead convinced the doubting Thomas who wanted to see and to touch in His nail marks. † Jesus appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and convinced them about the scripture. † The Risen Lord appeared to Saint Paul on his way to Damascus to persecute the early Christians. Saint Paul was converted into a fiery preacher and defender of the faith he once persecuted. † Jesus, risen from the dead, appeared to Sister Faustina Kowalska in Poland and gave her the beautiful image of the Divine Mercy, a wonderful message preparing us for His second coming. † Jesus, risen, appeared to so many other saints known and unknown, such as Saint Anthony of Padua. † Last but not least, the Blessed Virgin Mary tells us over and over again to believe in the Risen One who won over death for us. Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, Knock, Medjugorje, Kibeho, … We can go on and on. All these are done so that you may be a believer, that you may have faith. Dear Parishioners, I know that some of you here present come only once or twice a year in the Church. That is bet- ter than nothing, but not enough. Please turn to God strongly and wholeheartedly. The Church is here for you. Coronavirus or Covid-19 shows us that death is way too close and much more serious than we ever think. Don’t play with sin or condone sin. It might hurt you badly and for a very long time, if not for all eternity. Happy Easter, Father Bernardin MUGABO Fr. Bernardin’s Joke of the Week
Joseph of Arimathea was a very wealthy Pharisee, a member of the council, and a secret follower of Jesus. It was Joseph who went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body after the crucifixion. And it was Joseph who supplied the tomb for Jesus’ burial. Well, it seems that someone pulled him aside and said, "Joseph, that was such beautiful, costly, hand-hewn tomb. Why on earth did you give it to someone else to be buried in?" Joseph just smiled. "Why not? H e o n ly n eed ed i t fo r t h e w eek en d ." “Thematic” Sunday Readings (April 4, 2021) From JS Paluch BulleƟn Publishers: “Parishes can provide their parishioners a link to the readings at hƩps://bible.usccb.org but they can no longer re- print the texts of the readings in their bulleƟns without paying a fee to the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops”.
Easter Sunday
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Imagine the flood of emotions that Mary of Magdala must have experienced on that first Easter morning. Grieving and yet determined to visit the place where Jesus’ body had been laid, Mary would have been stunned to find the tomb empty. Imagine Simon Peter and the other disciple who, upon hearing Mary’s announcement, ran to see for themselves. On Easter, we hear the story of Jesus’ resurrection as though for the first time, through the account of Mary’s discovery and the testimony of Peter, who powerfully shared Christ’s Paschal Mystery. We, too, have come to believe through their faithful witness. We are called to seek what is above, turn away from sin, and live as people who are forever transformed by the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection.
STEP OUT IN FAITH
Mary ran to tell Simon Peter and the other disciple that the tomb was empty. No doubt confused and concerned, Peter and the other disciple set aside whatever fear might have occurred to them and ran to see the tomb for themselves. We do not always understand God’s ways. We, too, are confused at times; our lives are marked by moments of uncertainty, and at times, we are afraid. We can learn from Mary, Simon Peter, and the other disciple and step out in faith, trusting that we will find the Lord in the midst of the circumstances of our lives. When life gets complicated, as it often does, the best thing to do is step out, perhaps even run to the Lord!
BEAR WITNESS
We may not have opportunities to address crowds of people and share the Gospel with them. Still, we are called to bear witness to our faith in the ways that we are able, in word and in deed. We cannot share what we have not fully em- braced ourselves, however. The Easter season is the perfect time to reflect on Christ’s Paschal Mystery, the unfathoma- ble love of Jesus, who shows and shares God’s love perfectly. Our Lord gave His life so that we might have life, and have it to the full. Christ’s victory over sin and death is our victory, our promise of eternal life with God in the fullness of time. See in Christ’s life, passion, death, and resurrection the sign of God’s mercy. Let this Easter day be a moment in which you allow yourself to be touched by Christ’s incredible, undying love. Then, renewed in faith, look for ways to bear witness to the mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and love of the Lord with others. Easter Sunday (A Good Day to Die) by Tom Schmidt Do you remember your own baptism? I wish I could; I was baptized as an infant, just a few days old. I envy the adults I have seen baptized at the Easter Vigil. Hopefully, they experience what St. Paul says in the epistle we hear at the Vigil. For Paul, Baptism is a sign of dying and rising to new life. Sounds like Easter to me. So when Jesus died, He rose from the dead. Is Paul telling us that we will rise from the dead, too? Yes, but that is not his main point. If all we think about is our physical death, and hope we go to heaven afterwards, we’re missing the point. The new life starts with our baptism, not just our physical death. That’s why Paul says things like, “our old self was crucified” or “sinful body done away with….” (Rom 6:6) Baptism gives us a new life NOW. The water is both cleansing and a sign of dying (symbolic drowning) that help us see we are free from sin. We are dead to sin when we begin to live in Christ. The fictional Klingons have a saying “today is a good day to die” to express cour- age in battle. But real Christians might say that Easter is a good day to die: we have died to sin and begun a new life in Christ. How do we experience this dying to sin? First, we identify the sinful areas of our life. Do I watch movies, video games, or TV shows that encour- age promiscuity, lying, revenge, hatred or selfishness? What sins do I confess repeatedly and what can I do to avoid them? Next we look for ways to act differently: Can I spend more time with friends/relatives who are examples of love? Can I spend less time enter- taining myself and more time in prayer? Instead of complaining about what is wrong with the world, can I find ways to make it better? (If not the world, then my community or family.) These are a few of the ways we begin our new life in Christ.
Parish Notice SJE Weekly Offertory Collection
PER DIOCESE & CDC REGULATION, Actual Budget Surplus/ Week of: (Week): (Week): (Deficit) FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED TO BE WORN, March 28, 2021 ------$10,365 ------COVERING NOSE & MOUTH Throughout ANY INDOOR MASS ˘˛ LITURGICAL SERVICE. March 28th Collection was not available due to March 26th Early Bulletin submittal deadline) for EASTER. Fr. Bernardin’s Homily (April 4, 2021)
EASTER SUNDAY:
If there is a feast, today is the Feast of feasts. Easter Sunday is the Day Jesus, our Brother, broke the chains of death and rose in triumph from the grave. If Jesus was not raised from the tomb, vain would be our faith, vain would be our joy, vain would be our gathering today. The ques on is: how can we be sure that He rose from the grave? Since no- body else rose from the dead, it sounds like a fairy tale, just good for children.
A. Jesus predicted His resurrecƟon: A er His transfigura on, Jesus told His disciples to tell nobody only a er the Son of Man rose from the dead. He also said; “Destroy this temple; in three days I will raise it.” He was not talking about the temple of Jerusalem built in 40 years, but His own body.
B. Mary of Magdala: She is the first witness of the risen Lord. Mary of Magdala has a history of demonic posses- sion. Jesus had made her whole, forever changing her life. Since then, Mary of Magdala was one among a group of women who were following Jesus. While Jesus was alive, she could support him and a empt to express her gra tude. With His death, her world had plunged into darkness. His followers knew they had lost Him forever. They saw it as the end of everything that ma ered. It was the most unthinkable of tragedies. There was no consola on for such a loss. Very early in the morning, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb. Poor Mary, even Jesus dead; she never gave up on Him. One does not go to burial places hopefully or expectantly. One goes reluctantly; to do what must be done. To pray, put flowers, clean, to cry, or to anoint, as this was the purpose of Mary.
C. Empty tomb: the stone was removed. Jesus' body was not there. Wow! That was even worse. Imagine you go to the cemetery and find a tomb of your rela ve or best friend open. There is nothing more scary than that. She runs to alert Peter. Her first reac on is that someone had broken in and taken Jesus’ body. Why would the grave robbers bother unwrapping the body first? Lugging around a naked, decaying corpse in the night is not a very pleasant pro- spect! It would be less risky on all counts simply to leave the body wrapped in its burial cloths and for what? No inves- ga on or autopsy or even a scien fic study needed at this me; he was not buried with treasure. He was a poor car- penter. In Africa, Hyenas are known to dig the body several feet from the ground. But there is no such thing as Hyenas in Israel; worse s ll, they can’t push a heavy rock. The disciple who came with Peter went in and saw and believed in what Jesus said about His resurrec on. He understood the scripture, but could he convince others such as Peter and Mary of Magdala? No way. D. AppariƟons: Jesus, raised, appeared to Mary of Magdala first, and to other women on their way back. He ap- peared to His disciples in Galilee and even ate and drank with them. He even commissioned them to preach and to tell other people what happened. They are to witness the resurrec on. E. The worst thing is I can kill you; but if you know that you are dying, you would not be afraid. If he/she knows that he is dying too, nobody would have the courage to kill. Each day is one minus of our life me here on earth. Today’s feast of Easter shows us that death is the beginning of a new life for all Chris ans. “Seek what is above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God“ says today’s 2nd Reading. Jesus Himself said: “Do not be afraid of the one who can kill the body but can’t do anymore. Be afraid of the one who can kill and send your soul to Gehenna.” As we go home, let us spread the good news that Jesus is raised, death has no more power over us. Do not be afraid of death because Christ won over death for all of us. Death is the way to Heaven for all Chris ans. No anxiety, no fear, no sick- ness, no terrorists, no nuclear arms, should scare us. F. New life: New life always implies that old life has to be abandoned. Bu erflies leave their cocoon once and for all. Chicks peck their way out of their eggs once and for all. Babies are anxious to leave their mother’s womb. Bap zed in Jesus Christ, we became new creatures; we le darkness once and for all, we should never try to go back. Following Jesus, He leads us to Heaven, our ul mate goal. He is the way, the truth and the life. G. First Reading: Peter is a witness of the resurrec on. He saw Jesus ge