There is this story about a conversation about a monk and a rich man. The rich man brings his silver to the monk asking him why in spite of what of his wealth he is still unhappy. The monk puts a transparent glass before him and asks: “What do you see?” The rich man responds: “Well, I can see you, the trees, and the background.” Then the monk melted the silver and painted it on the glass to transform it into a mirror. He puts the mirror in front of the rich man and asks: “Now what do you see?” “I see only myself.” “Ah!”, replies the monk, “That’s the peril of being rich. If you’re not careful, it could make you see only yourself!” Today’s Gospel does not look negatively on rich people. What made the wealthy man end up in the netherworld were not the evil things that he may have committed with his riches; but what he failed to do. He had all the chances to lift a finger to help those who are suffering around him, but he did not. The next time you see a Lazarus along your way, stop, help and share what you have.
It was such a treat to see our school and church community joined together as one Parish in the Eucharistic celebration in honor of our patron saint, St. Joseph of Cupertino. I am grateful to everyone who played a role in the celebration: Fr. Anthony for agreeing to preside over the celebration; our sixth grade teacher, Caitline Lavery, and Fr. Mendie for preparing the liturgy; our sixth grade students for hosting the Mass; the children’s choir, cantors, and musicians; Dharsh Karunanayake, one of our school parents. for inspiring and guiding the children’s choir; Yvonne Casillas, our Music Director, for her support; all the lectors, extraordinary ministers of holy communion, and ushers who rose to the occasion to assist in the liturgy; our liturgy coordinators who selflessly made the joint effort possible; all other volunteers who worked silently in the background; and all who came to actively participate in the celebration. I can never thank you all enough! God bless you all!
Thank you, as well, to all those who made our Parish Feast Day a success! Many hands worked to make that happened: to God the almighty for holding the rain for us that afternoon; St. Joseph of Cupertino, for interceding for us; those who made their donations; the generous parishioners who brought their ethnic dishes; the Holy Name Society who provided the burgers and hotdogs; the volunteers who helped set and clean up the Hall; the organizers led by Kelly Morris; our guest entertainers (Fr. Sarmiento, and Fr. Cuarto) who wowed the guests with their singing voices; those who came to celebrate the Feast with us; and those who were with us in spirit offering prayers for its success. Kudos to all of you! Indeed, we give thanks and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for granting us the grace to bring us together in His one Body and one Spirit!
Did Jesus just endorse dishonesty in today’s Gospel? At first glance, it does seem like it, doesn’t it? But, let’s call a spade a spade. Stealing is wrong and will not get you to heaven. What is the point of Jesus for using the story of a master commending his dishonest steward for using what did not belong to him to secure his future? We put a lot of attention here in this world to make more money so that we have enough to draw from when we retire, when we no longer have any stable income to secure a living. That is excellent planning. That is being prudent and is commendable. Here’s the point: If we care so much about our future here in this world by trying all kinds of schemes to make more money, how much more should we care and plan our future in the eternal life? What good is it that we have all these securities here in this world, but our spiritual savings are empty? We cannot bring all this money and properties to heaven, can we? All that we have--our money, our talents, our intelligence--are not really ours, strictly speaking. These belong to God, the master and source of all these. We are merely stewards of his “goods.” How are we using these that belong to God? Are we using these to serve God, by helping others, and to help build the kingdom of God here on earth? God entrusted us these “goods” to secure our heavenly future, not only our earthly future. No steward can serve two masters. The steward will either neglect one and love the other, or be devoted to one and hold back the other. What have been your priorities all this time?
The Diocese is going on an all-out campaign to let people know the truth about Proposition 1 that will be on the November ballot. Each parish is asked to have a team captain to help educate the conscience of people so they can vote wisely as regards Proposition 1. Chris Fowler is generous enough to use his talents to be the parish’s team captain for the campaign. Mary Ellen Hennig is assisting him in this endeavor. I ask that you take advantage of the campaign that will come so you can learn more about the truth of Proposition 1 and thus properly vote according to your conscience.
Let us celebrate our Feast Day today in honor of our patron St. Joseph of Cupertino. St. Joseph is known for levitating at prayer. He is also the patron saint for student test-takers, astronauts, pilots, and air travelers (see Patron Saint - St. Joseph of Cupertino - Cupertino, CA (stjosephcupertino.org). Come and join us at the Parish Hall after the 11:00 am Mass to celebrate it as a community. Different ethnic dishes will be showcased. There will be entertainment and fun activities.
One of the most controversial questions that the Catholic Church has to face is what to do with politicians who are Catholics, yet publicly support abortion. Such an issue has divided the Church. We look to today’s Gospel as a guide to shape our conscience on how to approach the issue. In the Gospel, it is very clear that Jesus himself dines with sinners who are publicly committing grave sins. The Pharisees take offense to this as a great scandal. What does this act of Jesus mean, however? It means that in the eyes of God, sinners are not hopeless people that are to be condemned. No doubt, God requires sinners to repent, but His approach to repentance is that He comes to them and makes known His love so that by His grace they will be inspired to have a conversion of mind and heart. After all, it is not by one’s sole power that one repents, but by the grace of God; and the grace of God is more powerful than any other powers on earth including sin. We too should not be quick to condemn anyone who publicly commit grave sins. Just as God comes to sinners and calls them to conversion, we too, as church, should reach out to those who have lost their way and continue to receive them as persons. Through our compassion they may feel the grace of God working in them to change their ways. St. Paul is a classic example. He considers himself as an arrogant blasphemer, a persecutor, and foremost of sinners. Even then, Christ Jesus still entrusts him with and sufficiently graces him the ministry to the Gentiles. Nothing is impossible with God’s grace.
Do you miss the community spirit at St. Joseph of Cupertino before the pandemic? Let’s gather back and celebrate together the Parish Feast Day on Sunday, September 18th, at 12 noon in the Parish Hall! Treat yourself to various ethnic dishes, and while you’re at it do catch up with old friends and meet new ones. It’s about time that we rebuild our community! Register at the parish website, stjosephcupertino.org, if you plan to come so we can prepare enough food for everyone.
Today’s Gospel is one of the hardest and shocking teachings of Jesus Christ. How can Jesus ask us to “hate” our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even our own life before we can follow him? To use the word “hate” is the most extreme way to make a point that following Christ requires detaching oneself from anything or anyone that would prove to be an obstacle. In life there are many crossroads where we are asked to make a choice of whether it will be Jesus or someone or something else. Often times, people choose what is the most convenient and practical. It’s hard to give up these two values, because we have been attached to them. Unless we “hate” or detach ourselves from these two values, we will always be faced with the dilemma of whether we should continue in our journey with Jesus or stop and walk away and tell Jesus: “I can’t do this. The price of what you are asking me to do is just too much for me to pay.” This is true especially when we are confronted with a moral issue. It is not always easy to navigate these dilemmas. In this day and age, the cost to follow the moral teachings of Christ is high. You can lose your job, your friends, your career, and people significant to you. The good news is God assures us that if we chose to put Christ first and love him above all else, what we would receive in the end of times far outweighs what we think we would be losing in this life. Christ rewards us with something eternal. The world rewards us with something temporary. May we not lose that perspective.
September 18th is our Feast Day! Let’s gather together after the 11:00 am Mass in the Parish Hall, and bring back the good old days of celebrating together the richness of our diversity. We need people to donate food that showcases their culture (e.g., Chinese, Hispanic, Indian, American, Polish, Indonesian, Filipino, Italian, etc.). We also need volunteers to help in the decoration, set up, clean up, and with kids’activities. Please email me at Michael.syjueco@dsj.org.
In our coffee culture where there is a coffee shop always in every corner of the streets, what drives our choice of coffee is the kick of a coffee’s aroma. In today’s Gospel, Jesus exhorts us that what should drive our choices in life is the kick of the aroma of humility. All throughout our formation years, we have been trained to compete. This is evident as early as childhood when we have to compete for the attention of dad and mom. As we matured, we were taught to compete for grades and for sports, for talents, etc. Hence, we learned early in life that we should fight for what we believe is rightfully ours, and that is the center stage. Jesus, however, teaches us to take the lowest seat, so to speak. For a modern person, this does not make any sense. In a society where it is important to succeed, it seems awfully foolish to give up our seat of spotlight, to put down ourselves, if you may, while others grab our seat of prominence, the seat which we believe is rightfully ours. This, however, is far from what Jesus is saying. To be humble does not mean to allow ourselves to become a doormat. To be humble is to recognize that everything that I am comes from the providence of God. This means I do not need to compete to take the best seat and take the spotlight. The world is so vast for everyone, that there is enough for everyone. And so, what becomes more important is to make ourselves available to others, to share our gift with those who need it, to be present to them, and allow others to have the same dignity that we all have—persons created in God’s image. Jesus exhorts us to invite to our “banquet” of resources anyone without bias and without asking, “What in it for me if I do this?” The caffeine rush in our lives must continually keep us awake to choose to celebrate what God has given me by sharing my seat with others.
This Sunday, the Sisters of Charity of Seton will visit us to make a mission appeal. The sisters for years have been sharing their blessing with poorer countries in the world. At present they have a mission in the small town of Pedro Carbo in the Archdiocese of Guayaquil, Ecuador, to minister to children who are physically and mentally challenged and to assume administration of a small clinic. Please prepare to share your gifts with those who have less that they can live with dignity as sons and daughters of God.
The Young Catholic Professional (YCP), the largest Catholic network of young professionals, will have its Executive Series here in our Parish Hall on Tuesday, September 6 at 7:00 pm. They will likewise launch Belong, a new way of experiencing the YCP. Be part of YCP! To register, please visit stjosephcupertino.org or YCP Silicon Valley — Young Catholic Professionals (squarespace.com)
Will everyone be saved or just a few? This is a question that someone asked Jesus in today’s Gospel. But instead of Jesus giving a straight answer, Jesus shifted the focus to us. Do you want to be saved? He points out that being saved is a personal choice. Indeed, God wants all to be saved. The problem is not all have the determination to be saved. The path to salvation is definitely not the path of pleasure, convenience, or immediate gratification of need. It is a path of self-sacrifice. Not all are willing to take that path; that is why Jesus says the way to the kingdom is through a narrow gate: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” God’s ways are counter-cultural. Hence, one will face many challenges. We can look at these challenges, however, as God’s way of disciplining us so that we will have what it takes to work with His grace to enter the narrow gate. As Paul puts it in the Second Reading: “Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.” So, will you be saved? Only you can answer it.
Our First Friday schedule will now be at 8:30 am. This is to accommodate the schedule for School Mass. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will follow after the students leave for their classes. Benediction will still be at 12:15 pm.
Parish Office is now open in the morning every Tuesday from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Office hours for Thursday and Friday remain the same from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
The Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) Silicon Valley will have their free Executive Speaker series on Tuesday, September 6 at 7pm in our Parish Hall. They will also launch BELONG, a whole new way to experience YCP. All Catholic professionals are invited to come to this unforgettable evening. To register please visit stjosephcupertino.org.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.
It’s really odd for Jesus, who is supposed to be the prince of peace, to say that He did not come to bring peace into the world, but division. What is Jesus trying to say here? In today’s world there is a culture that is emerging pretty fast, and that is the so-called cancel culture. In such a culture, a person is ostracized for publicly expressing a view that offends the views, beliefs or values of certain individuals or a community. We see this happening all over social media. The web, for instance, is increasingly becoming intolerant and incessantly abusive. In fact there is a term for this: social media bashing. This social media bashing is a symptom of the refusal of people to listen and the rejection of solidarity. The consequence of this is division. This is what happened to Jesus. He was cancelled out for speaking the truth. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is warning us that as his followers we might find ourselves being cancelled out by our friends, our family, our company, and even our society. Like Jesus, we might end up being put to death, perhaps not the kind of physical death that Jesus faced, but the death of being severely ostracized. Beneath what Jesus is warning us about, however, is a challenge that he is giving us. Can we still be His followers and proclaim the gospel truth while maintaining solidarity with people? Can we? Indeed, we cannot control how others may react to what we say, but we can control how we respond to their opposition. As Christian we cannot participate in the growing threat of the cancel culture to humanity. As Christian we must be agents to what Pope Francis proposes as Culture of Encounter. This is a culture that reaches out to others without waging a war of words or engaging in social media bashing. The Culture of Encounter recognizes that underneath the one who ostracizes people for opposing his or her views is a person that has a story, a person who perhaps is hurting, who cries out for understanding and acceptance and love. The Culture of Encounter cares to look and not just see, to listen and not just hear, to stop with people and not just pass them by. This culture neutralizes the impact of the cancel culture. The challenge for us in today’s gospel, therefore is to be agents of solidarity not division. The next time you encounter a person who severely opposes your Christian views, stop and listen to the person’s story. Look at the reality of the world that the person is in. Where is this person coming from with his or her views? If you stay with the person and encounter the person long enough with your love, understanding and compassion, you will eventually realize that both of you actually share something in common. And that’s where you begin not with your differences.
I have always wondered why Jesus wants to come in his second coming with an element of surprise. In today’s Gospel, he exhorts us to be prepared, to be wide awake, to be ready, for in an unexpected hour he will come. Why won’t Jesus just let us know the exact time and day that he would come so all of us would come prepared? After all, does he not want everyone to be saved? There is this adage that goes: “When the cat is away, the mouse will play.” Often this is true. What is obviously missing in this situation is the sincerity to do what one is expected to do. Establishing a deeper relationship with anybody is not dictated by the time and date the other is expected to come. Deep friendship does not happen when it is motivated by fear. Friendship is made deeper by authentic love for the friend, regardless of when the friend will show up. When a relationship is dictated by time and date, there seems to imply that there is no free will to make the friendship work. I believe that is the reason why Jesus is not giving us the exact time and date for his coming. He wants us to freely make that choice to enter into an authentic relationship with him. Living according to the will of God should always be topmost in our mind and in our heart not because we fear the judgement of God, but because we know that God loves us first and our response to God’s authentic and freely given love is our authentic and freely given love for Him.
Our Diocese will soon begin the process of the Diocesan Synod 2023. Consultation sessions will be held across the Diocese in every parish and school beginning this month. It will culminate at the end of October 2022 in which the Diocese will pray and discuss the focus areas and develop priorities for the Diocese as it moves forward. There will also be a synod assembly of delegates representing the rich diversity of our Diocese. The delegates will provide consultative feedback on the topics raised in the consultation sessions for the Bishop to consider as he works with his team to develop a pastoral plan for the Diocese that will be implemented over many years in the Diocese with the hope that these plans will be fully executed by 2031. This is the year when our Diocese will celebrate our 50th anniversary as a Diocese. It also marks the 500th anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The General Assembly will take place on January 27, 28, and 29 at Santa Clara University.
I remember an exercise we were asked to do during a personal development seminar-workshop that we were asked to attend by a company that I used to work with. Each of us was asked to close our eyes and imagine that we were in a mass celebrating our own funeral. “What do I want my siblings, parents, friends, office mates, my relatives, and my community to say about me?” Many of us were surprised about the disparity between what we wanted to hear said about us and who we really are at the moment. It was a eye opener for many of us. By today’s standards, success is measured largely by material wealth: Who has the bigger investment in the stock market, who has more businesses, who has obtained the highest academic achievements, who has traveled the most, who owns the fanciest cars, etc. Much like the man in today’s Gospel parable, many of us are driven by the desire to accumulate worldly treasures, not heavenly ones in order to be happy. This is not necessarily bad. But, if we did not check ourselves, then we could be mindlessly chasing happiness in worldly wealth and success so much that we begin to forget what truly matters. Once we leave the world, we cannot bring with us our titles, achievements, or wealth. Today’s Gospel invites us to look into the space of our own “barns” so to speak. What have we accumulated during the years in our own “barns”? Jesus invites us to set aside spaces for our “barns,” things that really matter like healthy relationships, honesty, truth, simplicity, and self-sacrifice; virtues like faith, hope, and love. These do not occupy much space, but they make life worthwhile. As we come to meet Christ in the Eucharist, we can ask ourselves: “Who and what is it that truly matters to me?” Eleanor Roosevelt once said, happiness is not a goal, but a by-product. Happiness happens when we do what we truly love to do that fulfills every longing and desire that we have. What do you wish people to say about you when you’re gone?