195 Leota Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086

February 14, 2021 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Out of concern for the health of our SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (Sacramento de Reconciliación—Confesiones): employees and the people that we serve, as BY APPOINTMENT ONLY well as to follow the Santa Clara County Public Health Department orders, the MARRIAGES (Matrimonios): Church Office & Office of Catechetical Call 408-739-8506 to make an appointment at least six (6) Ministry are closed to the general public months in advance. Llame al 408-739-8506 para hacer una until further notice. cita con seis (6) meses de anticipación.

BAPTISMS (Bautismos): CHURCH OFFICE/RECTORY 408-739-8506 Call 408-739-8506 to make an appointment at least two (2) Oficina de la Iglesia/Rectoría months in advance. Llame al 408-739-1669 para hacer una 1133 W. Washington Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 cita con dos (2) meses de anticipación.

Rev. Vincent Pineda, Pastor ([email protected]) Jill Snoeberger, Office Manager ([email protected]) QUINCEAÑERAS: Robert Lassalle-Klein, Deacon Llame al 408-739-1669 con seis (6) meses de anticipación.

OFFICE OF CATECHETICAL MINISTRY ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY 408-212-4682 Leave a message and a volunteer will return your call within Oficina del Ministerio Catequetico 408-739-1669 72 hours. Alde Vera, Director of Religious Education ([email protected])

WEBSITE: www.saintcyprian.org

Our warmest welcome to all who celebrate with us, whether long-time residents or newly arrived in the parish. If you haven’t registered with us, please take a few minutes to fill out one of our registration forms and place it in the collection basket or mail to the rectory. Una calurosa bienvenida a todos los que celebran con nosotros, ya sean vecinos de mucho tiempo o recien llegados a nuestra parroquia. Si no se ha registrado aqui, por favor tome unos minutos para llenar la registracion y depositela en la canasta de la colecta o enviela a la rectoria. TODAY’S MESSAGE My Dear St. Cyprian Family,

I would like to share with you some points for reflection as we approach the season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17th.

Do You Want to be Beautiful?

Ugliness and Beauty are opposite qualities. Ugliness speaks of unattractiveness while beauty is a quality that is good to look at. In human perspective, they are incompatible qualities, but not for God.

Lent brings to reality that ugliness and beauty can go together. Ash Wednesday signals to us the long journey of Lent—a journey not only from without but also from within. We begin our Lenten journey by smearing ashes on our foreheads, in a form of a cross-smudged on our brow.

How do we begin our Lenten journey? By making ourselves ugly. We are not used to having dirt on our faces. People in biblical times, however, know the significance of smearing themselves with ashes:

(1) A sign of insignificance. Ash is a metaphor for insignificance, which is an effective sign of humanity’s humility. The words “human” and “humility” refer to dirt. “I am dust and ashes…” as Abraham says to himself in Genesis (18:27). The ash reminds us of our imperfection. It takes a lot of humility to admit one’s imperfection, one’s flaws in life. Are you ready to face the ugly in you?

(2) An agent of cleansing. Ash is an ingredient for ritual cleansing. Job uses ashes to cleanse himself after the Lord rebukes him, “I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42). Do you want to be cleansed of that which is ugly in you?

(3) An expression of mourning. Ashes are used to express deep mourning and sorrow. From the Book of Jonah (3:6) we learn that when Nineveh, hearing Jonah’s prophetic message confronting them of their sins, the king arose from his throne and covered him with sackcloth and sat in ashes; God relents of his punishment upon them. Do you mourn in sorrow for being ugly before God?

Given the significance of smearing ashes, we realize that true beauty begins by admitting and accepting our ugliness, our being “ashes and dust.”

But beauty does not come from “ashes and dust.” Beauty does not come from the dust of a proud heart, which desires only the good of self. Beauty does not come from possessions that one holds with a clenched fist. Beauty does not come from a prayer that seeks not the will of God. Beauty comes from the power of the cross, the power of Jesus. The ashes imposed upon our heads are in the form of a cross, to remind us that God longs for our return not only with hearts rent but with hearts made whole by the sacrificial love of Jesus, his only Son, on the cross.

The beauty of our Lenten journey is not on the ashes that we smear on our face but in the contriteness of heart, that we acknowledge our failings to turn our heart back to God; it is not on the cross-smudged on our foreheads but it is in Jesus who hangs on the cross, who made it possible for us to be reconciled with God.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” Jesus made himself ugly for you and me so that he can make us beautiful before God.

Fast not only from what you take in but also from what you take out. Give alms not only by giving money but also by giving yourself. Pray not only for what you need from God but also for what God needs from you. Let us strive to put on Christ so that the beauty that is God shines brightly in your life and others. Are you ready to be beautiful? Or, are you contented to remain ugly?

Have a meaningful Lenten Journey, Fr. Vincent

WE ARE CALLED Join our faith ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE community—and more than Ash Wednesday is February 17th. We will have two Drive- 12,000 Catholic communities in Services with Distribution of Ashes on this day. across the United States—in a life -changing Lenten journey with 12:10PM English Mass with Distribution of Ashes at the CRS Rice Bowl. During the 40 end of Mass days of Lent, we will reflect on how hunger and malnutrition 5:00PM Bilingual Mass with Distribution of Ashes at the end affect our human family, and on the need to take action to of Mass end this global injustice. Visit crsricebowl.org to learn more.

Please go to our website to make a reservation for Pick up your family’s CRS Rice Bowl from the front these drive-in services. porch of the Rectory. THE ORIGIN OF ASH WEDNESDAY AND THE USE OF ASHES The liturgical use of ashes originated in the Old Testament times (Esther 4:1; Job 42:6; Daniel 9:3; Jonah 3:5-6). Ashes symbolized mourning, mortality, and penance. The Old Testament examples give us evidence both a recognized practice of using ashes and a common Our Parish Goal: $71,000 ($18,970.00 to date) understanding of their symbolism. Participation Goal: 200 households (34 families to date)

Jesus himself also made reference to ashes (Matthew Gifts to the Annual Diocesan Appeal invest in the 11:21). The early Church continued the usage of ashes for mission of our Church by supporting clergy formation and the same symbolic reasons. In his book, De Poenitentia, training, seminarian education, pastoral case at our 11 Tertullian (c. 160-220) prescribed that the penitent must hospitals, promoting vocations and developing lay leaders. “live without joy in the roughness of sackcloth and the For instance, this year the Diocese is supporting eight squalor of ashes.” Eusebius (260-340), the famous early seminarians in their formation for the priesthood. Any gift or Church historian, recounted in his The History of the Church pledge, regardless of size, helps our Diocese reveal the how an apostate named Natalis came to Pope Zephyrinus presence of Christ in our community. For more information clothed in sackcloth and ashes begging forgiveness. Also, on the work of the Diocese of San Jose or to make a gift during this time, for those who were required to do public online, visit www.dsj.org/ADA. penance, the priest sprinkled ashes on the head of the “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with first fruits of all person leaving confession. In the Middle Ages (8th century), your produce; then will your barns be filled with grain, with those who were about to die were laid on the ground on top new wine your vats will overflow.” - Prov. 3:9 of sackcloth sprinkled with ashes. All of these examples, the symbolism of mourning, mortality, and penance is clear.

Eventually, the use of ashes was adapted to mark the CHURCH IN CENTRAL & EASTERN beginning of Lent, the 40-day preparation period (not EUROPE SECOND COLLECTION including Sundays) for Easter. The ritual for the “Day of This week our special collection supports the Church in Ashes” is found in the earliest editions of the Gregorian Central and Eastern Europe. Your donation today helps Sacramentary which dates at least to the 8th century. Since restore the Church and build the future in more the Middle Ages, the Church has used ashes to mark the than 25 countries still struggling to recover from former beginning of the penitential season of Lent, when we communist rule. Funds from this Collection support remember our mortality and mourn for our sins. reconstruction, education, formation, and poverty outreach. Please be generous to the Collection today. For more In our present liturgy for Ash Wednesday, we use ashes information, please visit www.usccb.org/ccee. made from the burned palm branches distributed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. The priest blesses the ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross and saying, “Remember, that SUNDAY COLLECTION are dust, and to dust you shall return,” or “Repent, and Received in believe in the Gospel.” When we begin the holy season of Date Processed Mail or at Mass Online Lent in preparation for Easter, we must remember the significance of the ashes we have received: We mourn and 2-7-21 $1894.00 $882.00 do penance for our sins. We again convert our hearts to the Lord, who suffered, died, and rose for our salvation. We renew the promises made at our baptism, when we died to an old life and rose to a new life with Christ. Finally, mindful that the kingdom of this world passes away, we strive to live the kingdom of God now and look forward to its fulfillment in heaven.

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK Monday Joseph Nguyen + Tuesday OPEN Wednesday Lucia & Teresa Nguyen + Thursday Tina Marie Ngo + PRAY FOR THE SICK Soledad Lopez + Please pray for the sick of our parish: Max Brogley & Friday Peter & Ana Nguyen + James Springmeyer Saturday/Sunday Jose Silveira Goulart & Family + If you know of someone who is sick and needs our prayers, James Bertram Lindsay + please submit their names to the parish office so that they can Jamie Sun + be included in our prayers. Si usted conoce a alguien que Calletano & Delfina Romero + esta enfermo y necesita de oraciones, por favor de los Joseph M. & Theresa M. Nguyen + nombres a la oficina de la parroquia para ser incluidos en The People of this Parish nuestras oraciones.