What is the good news of our faith? Anyone who comes to God for mercy will be granted mercy regardless when mercy was asked. If a person who is evil calls upon God even a few seconds before he or she dies to beg for mercy and forgiveness, that person will be saved.  That’s the good news of our faith.  This does not mean, however, that we can be complacent.  Death comes to us at a time when we least expect it. Our soul had better be in a state of grace when it happens. 
 
     Thank you to all who came to the celebration of our feast day last Sunday.  I am grateful to all the volunteers who served food; to the people who brought their favorite dish; to the young adults who led the line dancing; and to those who, in one way or another, offered their time and treasure to help make the Feast Day possible! Special thank you to Kelly Morris for her leadership, and to her team, Beth Chetcuti, Clare Read, Maureen and Henry Pavy for setting up the Parish Hall. Thank you, too, to the Holy Name Society for cooking the hotdogs and burgers; and Ines Gonzalez and her boy scouts for cleaning up. To all of you, including those who worked quietly in the background, God bless you!
 
     We also had an opportunity to build community during the School’s Spaghetti Dinner last Friday. Many people came. It was well attended.  Dr. Cheryl Palladino, our Principal and I are grateful to all who supported it!
 
     The free Ballroom Dancing lessons will be twice a month on a Thursday. The first class will be on September 28 in the Parish Hall from 7:30 pm through 8:30 pm.  Bring your partners and dance your stress away!
 
     Parents who are finding it difficult to navigate the challenges of the digital world that is impacting their children are invited to the free seminar, Parenting Well in A Digital World.  Valence Plummer, a family life coach, will share her experience and knowledge on the matter.  This will be on Monday, September 25, from 6:00 pm through 8:00 pm.  Please make sure to register at https://bit.ly/parentedusjc.
 
     October is the month of the rosary.  What better way to pray the rosary than to pray it together as a family.  If you wish the Pilgrim Virgin statue of Our Lady of Fatima to visit your home, please sign up at https://stjosephofcupertino2.flocknote.com/signup/137725.

Forgiveness is one, if not, the most difficult skill to have. We never have to forgive someone for something that does not matter. We never have to forgive people for helping us. We never have to forgive anyone for making us feel good. The only time we need to forgive is when we have been hurt. While it is so difficult to forgive, it does not mean that it is something impossible to do. Jesus taught us what forgiveness is and what it is not.  First, forgiveness is not about keeping score. Forgiveness has no limit. Second, forgiveness is a decision. It is an act of will. If you wait until you feel like forgiving, you will never get there. Emotions do not heal by themselves.  They heal once your will gives you permission to do so. Unless you decide to forgive, your emotions remain hurt. Third, forgiveness is not a one-time thing.  You make that decision to forgive each time you remember what the person did to you. Fourth, forgiveness is not about forgetting what the person did to you.  That’s impossible.  The memory remains. You will always remember the incident. But, you can make a decision to forgive each time you remember it. Fifth, forgiveness does not mean you can now trust the person who hurt you.  Forgiveness is not something a person can earn, it is granted; trust is the one that a person earns. These are two different things. Six, forgiveness is a reminder that we are all humans.  We make mistakes. We are not perfect. We are all wounded by original sin, and we all have our inclination to sin. Thus, we all need forgiveness.  Seven, we forgive because we were loved first by God. Jesus died on the cross to forgive the transgressors of humanity. To forgive, therefore, is to show our gratitude to God for His mercy that endures forever.  Finally, because it’s so difficult to forgive, we just cannot do it on our own. To err is human, but to forgive is divine. Hence forgiveness comes from the grace of God.  To understand what forgiveness is and is not is important.  But let us not kid ourselves that we can do it without God’s grace. Our understanding about forgiveness helps us to work with His grace to forgive.

     One of Aesop’s fables is the story of the Lion and the Boar. On a summer day, a lion and a boar came at the same moment to a small well to drink. They fiercely disputed which of them should drink first and were soon engaged in mortal combat. When they stopped suddenly to catch their breath for a fiercer renewal of the fight, they saw some vultures waiting in the distance to feast on the one that should fall first. It dawned on them: “It is better for us to make friends, than become the food of these vultures.” The truth is when people fight among themselves, others would take advantage of the situation to serve their interest.  It is hard to stand when members are divided. Remember the cliché: “United we stand, divided we fall”? It is in this context that in today’s gospel, Jesus offers the 4-step approach to fraternal correction to teach us how to fix it when unity is broken. It’s all about pursuing unity not division. When there is the slightest bitterness brewing, nip it in the bud so the sore does not fester.  The goal of the 4‑step approach to fraternal correction is all about redemption, resolution, and restoring a right relationship between people. It is not to cast blame on another nor chastise the other. It is to resolve the issue that is endangering unity.  Even the last resort of fraternal correction that Jesus teaches us to treat the non-repentant person as a Gentile or a tax collector, that is, an outsider has the same goal—to restore relationships. The dialogue is kept open, bridges are not cut off, and the unit continues to pray for the other that someday the person will come back and reconcile.  This is how Jesus treated the Gentiles and the tax collectors.  He worked with them with compassion with the desire to redeem them, resolve that which is not life giving, and restore their right relationship with God and others. The longer the offense remains without any attempt to resolve it, the deeper the divide. The steps to fraternal correction apply to any unit, including within families.  When there is a single bitterness escalating among the family members, eventually the whole family becomes divided.  Nip it in the bud.  Jesus showed us how to fix it when unity is broken. We only need to practice it with compassion.

      Our Bible Study is every 2nd Saturday of the month from 10am through 11am in Fr. Greg Ng Kimm Community Center. Rev. Sebastian Carnazzo, Ph.D, an animated lecturer, leads the bible study. Rev. Carnazzo received his PhD in Biblical Studies from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. He is also the author of many articles and the contributor to a number of multi-author works, most recently the Great Adventure Bible of Ascension Press. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Biblical Studies and Catechetics for a number of institutions, including St. Patrick Seminary of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Institute of Catholic Culture. To know more about Fr. Sebastian Carnazzo, check out the website at St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology (https://stpaulcenter.com/rev-sebastian-a-carnazzo-ph).
 
     Mark the dates! We have a lot of community building activities this September. Parish Feast Day is on Sunday, September 17, after the 11 am Sunday Mass in the Parish Hall. Various ethnic foods will be showcased, plus young adults will lead us in line dancing! Join the fun! Spaghetti Dinner is on Friday, September 22, from 6pm—8pm in the Parish Hall. $15.00 per person and a box of pasta donation. See posters for details.

     For the Parish Adult Enrichment Program, we have the PARENTING WELL IN A DIGITAL WORLD. Valerie Plummer, a family coach will provide parents with  knowledge on ways to keep their children safe, healthy and connected in today’s constantly developing digital world. This is a free event. Register at https: //BIT.LY/PARENTEDUSJC

     There is this story about a girl who asked her daddy what he is going to get her for her 15th birthday.  Her father replied that there is still much time left. When the girl was 14 years old, she fainted and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor told her dad that she had a bad heart and that she was not going to live. When the girl was lying in the hospital bed, she asked her daddy if she was going to die. The father replied, “No you’re going to live.”  The girl asked her father how he could be so sure.  The father replied, “Because I know.” A short time later the girl turned 15. After she was released from the hospital and recovering, she came home to find a letter on her bed which read, “My dearest daughter, if you are reading this letter, it means that everything went well, just as I told you it would. You asked me once what I was going to give you for your 15th birthday.  I didn’t know then, but my present to you was my heart.”  Her father had donated his heart.  A cross is heavy to bear. It is a great stumbling block for many. But, it becomes easier to bear if we do it with love.  We may have some crosses that we carry right now.  As we approach the Eucharist this Sunday, may we ask for the grace to embrace our crosses out of our love for Jesus.

     Our Bible Study is back! Rev. Sebastian Carnazzo, Ph.D, an animated lecturer, was kind enough to accept our invitation to lead the bible study. Rev. Carnazzo received his PhD in Biblical Studies from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. He is also the author of many articles and the contributor to a number of multi-author works, most recently the Great Adventure Bible of Ascension Press. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Biblical Studies and Catechetics for a number of institutions, including St. Patrick Seminary of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Institute of Catholic Culture. Join us for free every 2nd Saturday of the month beginning Saturday, September 9th, at Fr. Greg Ng Kimm Community Center from 10am through 11am. To know more about Fr. Sebastian Carnazzo, check out the website at St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology (https://stpaulcenter.com/rev-sebastian-a-carnazzo-ph).
 
     We have a lot of community building activities this September. Parish Feast Day, Sunday, September 17, after the 11 am Sunday Mass in the Parish Hall. Various ethnic foods will be showcased, plus young adults will lead us in line dancing! Join the fun! Spaghetti Dinner, Friday, September 22, from 6pm—8pm in the Parish Hall. $15.00 per person and a box of pasta donation. See posters for details.

     For the Parish Adult Enrichment Program, we have the PARENTING WELL IN A DIGITAL WORLD. Valerie Plummer, a family coach will provide parents with  knowledge on ways keep their children safe, healthy and connected in today’s constantly developing digital world. This is a free event. Register at https: //BIT.LY/PARENTEDUSJC
 

     Jesus asks his disciples who the crowds say He is. The disciples give varied answers, but it was only Peter who recognized who Jesus truly is. Jesus tells Peter that it is not flesh and blood that reveals this to him, but His heavenly Father.  While this was so, Jesus must also manifest qualities that confirm the revelation given to Peter.  If this was not the case, if Jesus exhibits actions that contradict that He is the Messiah, then it is a huge disconnect, isn’t it?   How Jesus acts, and the choice of His words when speaking to people also validate that He is the Messiah.  If people were to ask what do people say you are, would they first and foremost say you are a Christian by your actions and choices of words? This reminds me of the Jesuits.  Jesuits are into various professions.  There are Jesuits who are engineers, doctors, lawyers, educators, musicians, artists, you name it.  But when you ask them who they are, they will say that they are first and foremost a Jesuit, before they are an engineer, doctor, lawyer, educator, etc.  They are clear about who they are.  Are we clear about who we are?  Do we understand that we are first and foremost disciples of Christ before we are our professions and jobs? 

     Save the date! We will celebrate our Feast Day in honor of our patron saint, St. Joseph of Cupertino on Sunday, September 17th.  Reception will be after the 11:00 am Mass. We will have line dancing to be led by the young adults. Everyone is welcome to join.  We need volunteers to bring a dish to share, set up, serve or clean up! Monetary donations to offset the cost of the Feast Day are also welcomed! Please make your donation through the website, stjosephcupertino.org. For more information, please pick up a flyer on your way out.
 

     I imagine that the first thing that caught your attention about today’s Gospel is how rude Jesus sounded when He responded to the Canaanite woman. You probably feel disturbed about how Jesus apparently insulted the woman. I felt the same thing, too, when I first encountered this story from the Gospel according to Matthew. Well, before you get turned off by the response of Jesus, let me assure you that Jesus did that for a reason.  He knew that the woman would be persistent in her plea and so Jesus wanted to use that to teach us two lessons. One is the importance of sharing our pain with others and not to feel embarrassed about asking for help from others. When we do not share our pains, we end up taking it all in. When that happens, we are not able to free ourselves, and when the pain becomes too much, our judgment becomes clouded, and it might lead us to take our life. Many people who commit suicide do not want to end their lives, but the pain they suffer pressures them to do it. The second is the importance of not giving up. Jesus, here and now, wants to tell us that He is a friend with whom we can share our pain. He wants us to know that He will carry it himself. That’s what He did on the Cross. He took all our inequities to liberate us.  But He also wants us reach out to others and share our pain, because He uses other people to heal our pain. Our liberation will come if we share our pain and couple it with persistent prayer to Jesus. By doing so, we just might see it as a moment of grace!
 

     Matthew informs us that Peter and the other disciples were being beaten by the waves in the middle of the sea during the “fourth watch.”  The “fourth watch” corresponds to around 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM. It is a time when the night is almost over, but the new day has yet to dawn. It’s a time when it’s caught between darkness and light. In our Gospel story this Sunday, Peter was in a way caught in a situation between darkness and light.  He and the other disciples were slammed by terrifying waves while at the same time Jesus came into their midst and spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid.”  Despite the assuring presence of Jesus, Peter faltered in his faith. We too experience being beaten by the storms of life.  And yet despite our countless experiences of being saved by the Lord and empowered by Him to do what we thought we could not, we still falter in our faith when faced with the strong waves of trials and challenges. We sink like Peter, overcome by fear and doubt, even if Jesus is right in front of us! We find ourselves in the “fourth watch,” caught between darkness and light. We know that with Jesus there is hope, but deep in our hearts we still find ourselves on the verge of giving up as weariness and fatigue begin to overtake us. Jesus comes to meet us, “in the fourth watch of the night” assuring us not be afraid. He may not remove the storm in our life and instantly bring us to shore. But He invites us to walk towards Him for strength. May we always be assured that He will reach out to us and pull us up!
 

     Dennette Braud owns a cake café in Las Vegas. Like many small businesses which closed during COVID-19, she once faced a threat of closure. One day she parked her trailer in a parking lot and thought of selling her cakes. Before she knew it, the community rallied behind her just to keep her business open. The Feast of the Transfiguration is meant to strengthen the faith of the apostles in anticipation of His Passion. The vision of the glorified Jesus became the source of hope when He would appear like a tragic failure in His Passion and Death.  He would be despised, rejected, condemned to death, and crucified.  If we were in the apostles’ shoes seeing all these, our spirit too would dampen knowing that the very person that we anchored our hope on is now gone.  For Jesus’ followers, especially to His inner circle of friends, it would have been a time of great mourning for such huge loss. We have instances in life when we grieve for the loss of something.  It can be the loss of a loved one, a career, a glorious era for a company or institution, or worse, loss of a freedom we once cherished.  All these can be versions of our own Passion.  When we are amid all these, it's hard to feel hopeful. We need to see glimpses of hope.  We need an experience of Jesus’ transfiguration. The truth is every day Jesus reveals His glory to tell us that not all is lost. If only we pay attention to these glimpses of light. What were some of your own transfiguration experiences in the past? The next time you feel despair, recall those moments and feel assured that your own passion will eventually lead to an experience of your own resurrection. This will keep you from ever losing hope! 
 

     The Apostolic Penitentiary announces that Pope Francis has granted a Plenary Indulgence for the faithful who take part in the 3rd World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The World Day will be celebrated on 23 July 2023 under the theme “His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50).

Conditions for plenary indulgence 
     In a decree issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary and approved by Pope Francis, the plenary indulgence will be granted to grandparents, the elderly, and all faithful who participate in the solemn celebration presided over by the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as to all those who attend Mass in various parts of the world. The indulgence is subject to the usual conditions of sacramental Confession, reception of the Eucharist, and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.

     A plenary indulgence offers remission of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven, which can be applied to oneself or to the souls in Purgatory. The Apostolic Penitentiary extends the same Plenary Indulgence to those who dedicate significant time to visit—either in-person or by virtual means of communication—their elderly brothers and sisters who are in need or facing difficulties, such as the sick, abandoned, and those with disabilities. For people who are unable to leave their homes due to serious reasons, spiritual participation in Mass celebrated for the World Day through prayer, offering their sufferings, and joining in the broadcasts of the Pope’s various celebrations will also grant them the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence. However, the indulgence requires that the faithful maintain detachment from sin and intend to fulfill the three usual conditions as soon as possible. The Third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly serves as a reminder of the invaluable wisdom, experience, and love that older generations offer to society and the Church.

    “If you have nothing to die for, what are you even alive for?”  These are lyrics from one of the songs of the movie on Netflix, “A Beautiful Life.” The title of the song is “Hope this Song is for You.”  It was sung by Christopher Lund Nissen, a Danish actor, composer and singer. Many people nowadays live life merely to exist, to survive and be successful in this world without really having a sense of a higher purpose for living. Today, Jesus invites us to think of the reason to be alive. And that is to die for His sake, to work under His flag. As Jesus says, whoever loses his life for His sake, will find it. He is referring to finding one’s life in eternity. When we move under Jesus’s flag, we live with the conviction that everything that we have is God’s gift and therefore our preoccupation becomes always how we can use God’s gift, regardless of our occupation, to help build a better place to live for all people, most especially those who are hungry, homeless, and are neglected by society. On the other hand, when we move under the world’s flag, our perspective changes. The starting point becomes to collide as much as possible with secularism, with gaining wealth, with pleasure and worldly honor. We become the center of the universe. Is this something that is ultimately worth dying for in the long run? If this is all there is to it, then what are we even alive for when someday we end up losing all that we work for here on earth when we die? There has got to be a higher purpose to life. “If you have nothing to die for, what are you even alive for?” Die for Christ. Ultimately, it’s worth it.

     Fr. Gabriel Lee, the new Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph of Cupertino Parish, was born in Seoul, South Korea. He immigrated to the United States of America in 2003 to learn English. That is when he converted to become a Catholic while attending Sierra Junior High School in Santa Clara. He got accepted as a seminarian of the Diocese under Fr. Mark Catalana, and lived in the Blessed Miguel Pro House in San Jose upon graduation in 2008. He received his General Education degree from San Jose City College and transferred to St. Patrick Seminary and University to finish his Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Master of Divinity, and Bachelor of Sacred Theology. On June 3, 2017 he was ordained as a priest as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose. He is the third Korean priest of the Diocese. Fr. Gabriel was assigned to pastoral work at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Cambrian Park from 2017 to 2021 and St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Parish in Los Gatos from 2021 to 2023.  Please welcome Fr. Gabriel as he begins his new assignment with our Parish.