St. Stephen Parish SaintStephenSF.org | 451 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco CA 94132 | Church 415 681-2444 StStephenSchoolSF.org | 401 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco 94132 | School 415 664-8331 Weekday Mass: 8:00 a.m. Reconciliation: Saturday 3:30 p.m. or by appt. Vigil Mass Saturday 4:30 p.m. Sunday Mass 8:00, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m. Gratitude Today, upon a bus, I saw a very handsome man, and wished I were as beautiful. When suddenly he rose to leave, I saw him hobble down the aisle. He had one leg and wore a crutch. But as he passed, he passed a smile. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I have two legs; the world is mine. I stopped to buy some candy, The lad who sold it had such charm, I talked with him, he seemed so glad, If I were late, it'd do no harm. And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you, you've been so kind. It's nice to talk with folks like you. You see," he said, "I'm blind." Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I have two eyes; the world is mine. Later while walking down the street, I saw a child I knew. We are Essential:He stood and watched the others play, but he did not know what to do. I stopped a moment and then I said, "Why don't you join them dear?" He looked ahead without a word, Free the MASS!I forgot, he couldn't hear. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears; the world is mine. With feet to take me where I'd go, With eyes to see the sunset's glow, With ears to hear what I'd know. With loving family friends to enjoy life Oh, God, forgive October me when 4, 2020I whine, I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine. Our Mission Statement We are a Catholic Community that is called by God to follow Jesus Christ. We believe that we are called to worship God together, to lead God's people along the path of hope laid down by Jesus, to share his message through preaching, through the educaon and formaon of our people, young and old, and through caring service and sensive outreach to those in need. Rev. Tony P. LaTorre, Pastor The Solemnity of Christ the King Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Uni- verse. This is a grand and mighty title given to our Lord, as we acknowledge that he is King of Heaven and Earth. Jesus, however, does not call on us to treat him like royalty. Instead, he commands that we pay homage to him by caring for his people. The Gospel is clear: Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, care for the sick, visit the impris- oned, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger. Jesus plainly tells us that by doing for others, we are doing for Jesus himself. Conversely, when we fail to care for another and his or her needs, we fail to care for Jesus. All who have an- swered Christ’s call of discipleship, and who love and care for others, will inherit the Kingdom he has prepared for us. There is an abundance of wisdom in the readings the Church has chosen for this special day. Surely, it is no accident that on the same day that we honor Jesus as King, he is also referred to as shepherd. One title appears grand and mighty. The other seems humble and unassuming, but both are integrally tied to the meaning of this feast. For in coming to inau- gurate and reign over the Kingdom, Christ also came in perfect humility. It is a humility that demands the same of us, in a holistic attitude that serves as an antidote to secularism (Cf., Pope Pius XI, Quas primas [Encyclical], promulgated Dec. 11, 1925, which introduced the feast). It is a powerful image in today’s Gospel as Jesus sits on his glorious throne surrounded by his angels, with the na- tions assembled before him waiting to be judged. It is clear that those sheep who have listened to his voice will be wel- comed fully into the Kingdom, for they will have been living in the Kingdom on earth. The goats, however, will be left aside, having not heeded the simple commands of their shepherd. If we are gathered here today, it means that we, however well or imperfectly, hear and are listening to our Shep- herd’s voice. By the way we cooperate with God’s grace, we can continue what we are doing, we can begin again, or we can do more to listen and obey his word, and help to bring about the Kingdom here and now. We are so grateful to be able to hear the shepherd’s voice, let us listen to it and for it. Let us also be thankful this day for the blessings that our shepherd has gifted us with, without us even asking. Bless all of you! Father Tony LaTorre Liturgy and Life • If Christ, our king, is a shepherd, how are we, who are in God’s image, to act toward others? • When have you felt God lead you to restful waters? • How can you help our parish renew its commitment to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, and visit the im- prisoned? Living Stewardship Now “A King Like No Other” We have not elected God as president, and God’s creation is not made up of registered voters. There are no ref- erendums on God’s will, and no chance of recalling God in favor of another leader. Consequently, the idea of God as Lord and King will always seem strange to us in our democratic, individualistic society. Jesus experienced personally the oppressive nature of kings, emperors, and other rulers—think of Herod and Pontius Pilate. In contrast to them, he linked his status as king to humble service, and instructed his followers to be servants, too. When we celebrate Christ as King, we are celebrating a ruler willing to do anything for his beloved people, and whose loving-kindness endures for- ever. In the scriptures, Jesus’ kingdom is inseparably tied to his suffering. King of all creation, he humbled himself to become human, even sharing the ultimate fate of his subjects: death. The King of the world, brutalized and crowned with thorns, hanging naked on a cross of shame, set us free from our bondage to sin and death. The Lord of glory made this ultimate self-sacrifice purely out of love for us. He is Lord, King, and Judge, but he does not judge by human stand- ards, so his justice is not mere punishment. He looks deep into all our hearts, where nothing is hidden from him. His justice is intended to lead to our repentance and ultimate salvation. We believe that “he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” The scriptures tell us that the Father delays the return of the Son so that all of us have the opportunity to repent. Christ our King offers us true freedom as the beloved sons and daughters of God. A prayer to Christ the King from the liturgy: Almighty and merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new to your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. Addional “thoughts” from Today’s Scripture” We need to surrender our lives to Christ’s rule: Since Christ, our King, lives in our hearts with the Holy Spirit and His Heavenly Father and fills our souls with His grace, we need to learn to live in His Holy Presence, doing His will by sharing His forgiving love with others around us. We need to be constantly aware of His Presence in the Bible, in the Sacraments and in the worshipping community. We need to fight against the enemies of Christ’s Kingdom: Terrorism has affected the entire world, including Christ’s Kingdom on earth. These terrorists are people who slaughter the unborn; engage in a frontal attack on the modern family through provocative television shows, movies, music and pornography; eradicate any recognition of God from public display and public schools; they include those priests and the religious who abuse children. Hence, Jesus, the King, needs convinced apostles prepared and ready to fight against these enemies, first by prayer, then by accepting willingly the sufferings that come our way and offering them to God with Jesus, our King, in reparation for our sins and the sins of the world, and finally by living lives of loving, humble service, using our gifts generously for all. The battle- field is the heart, the home, the school, the place of employment, the neighborhood, and the parish. These provide new and exciting challenges, new opportunities for us to do, ourselves, what is right and to live out the Truth of Jesus Christ our King, neither compromising with sin nor passing judgment on the motives or guilt of any of our brothers and sisters, but loving and praying for all of us. To ensure that Jesus is always the King of our hearts, we need to make a permanent, total commitment to Him and to live out that commitment with the necessary sacrifices, conviction, hard work and daily, serious prayer.