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community
December 10, 2013
‘We are commissioned to share faith
with whole world’
By Sheila Mollett
By virtue of our Baptism, we are all
commissioned to share our faith with
the whole world: “Go, therefore, and
make disciples of all nations… teaching
them all that I have commanded you.”
(Matt 28:19)
Every time we go to Mass we are sent
out to bring the message of God’s love
and the Good News of repentance and
salvation to all we meet. “Ita Missa Est”:
“As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you,” says Jesus to us. (John 20:21)
We are blessed in Silicon Valley – all
nations have come to us. Why don’t we
share our Faith? We are afraid we don’t
know how. We don’t feel we know it well
enough to explain it. Perhaps we were
never encouraged to.
Pre-Vatican II emphasized keeping the faith. We practiced a type of
isolationism for fear we would lose
our Faith. However, just the opposite is
true. The more we share it, the stronger
it becomes.
We must realize our responsibility
in building the Kingdom of God, as we
are commissioned by Christ. We must
respond to His call, move out of isola-
tion, and become salt and light to the
world as Jesus called us to be.
Alpha is a tool to help build the Kingdom of God. Alpha helps clarify what
we believe about Jesus and equips us
to share it. In John’s Gospel, Jesus told
Andrew to “Come and See”; Andrew
told Simon Peter to “Come and See”;
Phillip found Nathaniel and invited him
to “Come and See”; the woman at the
well went back to the town and invited
everyone to “Come and See.”
Sharing our faith can be as easy as
saying “Come and See.” Faith is obedient action. Pray about who you can
bring to Alpha to share your faith. The
next Alpha presentation at Holy Family Parish will be Wed., Feb. 19, 2014. To
register, contact Alicia Gonzales: 408857-0523; email: [email protected],
[email protected].
T
he Valley Catholic
Partnering churches celebrate ‘Simbang Gabi’
In a unique collaboration in the
Diocese of San Jose during Advent, five
neighboring parishes -- St Joseph of
Cupertino, St. Cyprian, Church of the
Resurrection, Queen of Apostles, and
St. Simon – are partnering for the second
year to complete the nine-day “Simbang
Gabi” novena.
The Novena Masses are spread
among the participating parishes; the
goal is to encourage parishioners and
friends to attend all nine days at each
other’s churches.
According to Mabel Hoffman of the
Diocesan Council of Filipino Catholics,
Simbang Gabi is a tradition in the Philippines celebrated by Catholic Filipinos,
to honor the Advent season as preparation for Christmas.
• Dates and locations below:
Nine days of votive Masses are offered in honor of the Blessed Virgin
Mary’s anticipation of the birth of her
Son, Jesus. The celebration usually begins on Dec. 16 and concludes Dec. 24.
“Simbang Gabi” means “Night
Mass” because it is celebrated when it
is still dark. Many other parishes in the
diocese celebrate Simbang Gabi with
their Masses at the traditional time before dawn, even as early as 5 am.
Some have Masses in the evening, as
will the partnering churches, to accommodate people. During the Mass, there
are special songs and a lantern gift offering. At the end of each Mass, there is a
simple food and fellowship gathering to
further enhance the Advent spirit, Hoffman said, adding, “All are welcome.”
Please call the individual church parish office for event information.
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