FROM PASTOR’S DESK
GOD’S MERCY
I n the Gospel today tells another parable to describe the Kingdom of God developing on last week’s parable.
As we heard last week Jesus came proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel. Those who hear and live by it
are transformed by it giving fruits of faith, love, hope, peace, and joy. The history of the Church really shows
how people who heard and kept the Gospel were transformed and did great works of love. At the same time we
recognize that not all who call themselves Christian have lived the Christian life. In other words, in the Church
are many Saints and also many sinners. The Lord Who is kind and desires us to repent as the first reading re-
minds us awaits patiently for our conversion and gives us the Spirit to help us in our weakness.
Mass Intentions To request a Mass, please call the Parish
July 23, 2017 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary
Hearing Assist Devices Available
Please ask an Usher for assistance.
SATURDAY, JULY 22
5:00pm John Caskey † The Madigans
Donna & Al Roehr †† The Litchfields /
Stacy
SUNDAY, JULY 23
8:00am Albert Harakuni † The Depners
11:00am Patrica A. Walters Bill Walters
Phyllis Oldham Family † Mary DeGraaf
7:30pm OLA Parishioners
MONDAY, JULY 24
St. Sharbel Makhluf
8:00am Jeanne Strickland † Albers Family
TUESDAY, JULY 25
St. James, Apostle
8:00am Paul Jerzak † Irene Bielawski
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26
St.s Joachim & Anne
8:00am Natalie Marie Giorgi † Parulan Familly
THURSDAY, JULY 27
8:00am Paul Jerzak † Irene Bielawski
FRIDAY, JULY 28
8:00am Mary Zboralske † Zboralske Family
SATURDAY , JULY 29
St.. Martha
5:00pm Tom Stacy † The Litchfields /
Stacy
Amy Maltby † Delia Anderson
Facility Reservations Calendar
Please confirm events at www.olaparish.net
SATURDAY, JULY 22
SUNDAY, JULY 23
Open Gym - OLA Basketball 7:30am, Parish Hall
Baptism—Leahy 3:00pm, Church
MONDAY, JULY 24
Boy Scout Troop 328 Meeting 6:30pm, St. John’s Hall
Troop 328 Scout Meeting 6:45pm, Seton Hall
Christian Meditation 7:30pm, School Library
TUESDAY, JULY 25
OLA Calendar 10:00am, St. Paul’s Room
KofC Planning Meeting 7:30pm, St. John’s Hall
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26
Legion of Mary Meeting 8:45am, St. Paul’s Room
Music Ministry Meeting & Rehearsal 6:30pm, Church
THURSDAY, JULY 27
FRIDAY, JULY 28
SATURDAY, JULY 29
SUNDAY, JULY 30
Open Gym - OLA Basketball 7:30am, Parish Hall
Private 12:31pm, St. John’s Hall
STEWARDSHIP
OFFERING
July 3rd - July 9th
Weekend Offertory: $ 12,412.47
Electronic Giving : $ 6,695.33
Total: $ 19,107.80
Average Weekly Budget Amount: $ 13,846.15
Today’s readings remind us
of the fact that it is God who
guides us, and it is God who
influences our decisions
through the Holy Spirit. To-
day’s Gospel is again a series
of parables shared by our
Lord Jesus to teach us and to
explain Holy Scripture.
Jesus tells the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat, which
is relatively clear to us in terms of the facts. However,
there is an important point within it that we must
acknowledge. When the decision is made to allow the
weeds to grow with the wheat, it is clear the separation
will occur later, not at that moment. When the decision is
made as to what will be harvested and kept and what will
be destroyed, that is a decision made by God.
It is somewhat a reflection of another point made in scrip-
ture. Today’s Gospel comes to us from the Gospel of Mat-
thew, Chapter 13; however, in just a few chapters prior to
that (Chapter 7) we are told “Stop judging, that you may
not be judged…for as you judge, so will you be judged.”
There is no question that there are “weeds” among the
flock, but it is not our place to identify them and sort them
out. That is the work of God.
As Catholics and Christians we must take care not to be
self righteous and judgmental. Before we call into ques-
tion someone else’s walk with God, we need to scrutinize
and take care of our own. Stewardship is what we do, not
what we necessarily think others should do.
Summer is here! It’s the season for outdoor barbe-
cues, beaches, and well-deserved family vacations.
While families spend hours planning for those three-
day weekends and weeks out of town, they some-
times tend to overlook that their parish needs them
especially in the summer months. Stewardship
shouldn’t go away when you do. OLA expenses are
a 12 month proposition. Parish Pay is a safe, con-
venient way to electronically donate consistently,
giving you the peace of mind that you are doing
your part to support the parish and its ministries. To
sign up, simply go to olaparish.net and click on the
“Contribute” button.
ANGELUS
St. Peter's Square Sunday, July 20, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning,
These Sundays the liturgy proposes several Gospel parables, that is, short stories which Jesus used to announce the Kingdom of Heaven to the crowds. Among those in today’s Gospel, there is a rather com-plex one which Jesus explained to the disciples: it is that of the good grain and the weed, which deals with the problem of evil in the world and calls attention to God’s patience (cf. Mt 13:24-30, 36-43). The story takes place in a field where the owner sows grain, but during the night his enemy comes and sows weed, a term which in Hebrew
derives from the same root as the name “Satan” and which alludes to the concept of division. We all know that the demon is a “sower of weed”, one who always seeks to sow division between individuals, families, nations and peoples. The servants wanted to uproot the weed immediately, but the field owner stopped them, explaining that: “in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them” (Mt 13:29). Because we all know that a weed, when it grows, looks very much like good grain, and there is the risk of confusing them.
The teaching of the parable is twofold. First of all, it tells that the evil in the world comes not from God but from his enemy, the evil one. It is curious that the evil one goes at night to sow weed, in the dark, in confusion; he goes where there is no light to sow weed. This enemy is astute: he sows evil in the middle of good, thus it is impossible for us men to distinctly separate them; but God, in the end, will be able to do so.
And here we arrive at the second theme: the juxtaposition of the impatience of the servants and the pa-tient waiting of the field owner, who represents God. At times we are in a great hurry to judge, to cate-gorize, to put the good here, the bad there.... But remember the prayer of that self-righteous man: “God, I thank you that I am good, that I am not like other men, malicious” (cf. Lk 18:11-12). God, how-ever, knows how to wait. With patience and mercy he gazes into the “field” of life of every person; he sees much better than we do the filth and the evil, but he also sees the seeds of good and waits with trust for them to grow. God is patient, he knows how to wait. This is so beautiful: our God is a patient father, who always waits for us and waits with his heart in hand to welcome us, to forgive us. He always forgives us if we go to him.
The field owner’s attitude is that of hope grounded in the certainty that evil does not have the first nor the last word. And it is thanks to this patient hope of God that the same weed, which is the malicious heart with so many sins, in the end can become good grain. But be careful: evangelical patience is not indifference to evil; one must not confuse good and evil! In facing weeds in the world the Lord’s disciple is called to imitate the patience of God, to nourish hope with the support of indestructible trust in the final victory of good, that is, of God.
In the end, in fact, evil will be removed and eliminated: at the time of harvest, that is, of judgment, the harvesters will follow the orders of the field owner, separating the weed to burn it (cf. Mt 13:30). On the day of the final harvest, the judge will be Jesus, He who has sown good grain in the world and who him-self became the “grain of wheat”, who died and rose. In the end we will all be judged by the same measure with which we have judged: the mercy we have shown to others will also be shown to us. Let us ask Our Lady, our Mother, to help us to grow in patience, in hope and in mercy with all brothers and sisters.
Pope Francis Teachings
Sometimes we know what we have to do, but we lack the courage to do it. Let us learn from Mary how to make decisions, trusting in the Lord .
-Pope Francis
Family Connection Inspiring Stories
Matthew 13:24-43 (shorter form: Matthew 13:24-30)
Jesus offers parables about the Kingdom of Heaven
and explains them to his disciples. .
This Gospel is a
way of explaining
why there is good
and evil in the
world today. As
Jesus explained
in the parable, the
weeds (or evil)
are allowed to grow with the wheat (or good). Only at
the harvest (the end time) would God separate the
good from the evil just as the farmer will separate the
wheat from the weeds in Jesus' parable.
How do we answer our children when they ask why
bad things happen to good people? This parable of the
wheat and the weeds may be a way of explaining why
God allows evil, like the weeds, to grow next to good-
ness in our world today. Evil will not really be gone
until the fullness of God's Kingdom.
Try as a family to think about why God allows weeds
to grow among the wheat in today's Gospel story. Ei-
ther by looking through the newspaper, or sharing
news about people in your own community, family or
neighborhood, think about where weeds are growing.
Consider ways that as a family you can help control
the spreading of these weeds. What actions will you
take?
Discussion Starters
Even though there are weeds in my life, I try to plant
good seeds of wheat by . . .
One kind of weed this Gospel helps me understand
better is . . . because . . .
One time that I saw something very small yield some-
thing very large was when . . .
COLOMBIAN GARBAGE COLLECTOR
BUILT A FREE LIBRARY OUT OF
DISCARDED BOOKS
T hey say that one man’s trash is another man’s
treasure, and Jose Alberto Gutierrez, a gar-
bage collector in Bogota, has salvaged some-
thing spectacular out of people’s castoffs: a free
community lending library.
Over the past 20 years, while driving his route on the
garbage truck, Gutierrez has collected more than
20,000 books, which he has turned into a library he
calls La Fuerza de las Palabras (Spanish for “The
Strength of Words”) inside his home.
According to a report in The Telegraph, the first
book Gutierrez, known as the “Lord of Books,” ever
brought home was Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. He
could hardly believe someone would toss it out.
While he grew up in poverty and had to leave school
at a young age, his mother instilled in him a life-long
love for reading. “I got my inspiration from my
mom,” he said in a CGTN video about his library.
“When I was little she would read to us every night.”
His goal is to pass on that love to children from low-
income families who might not otherwise have ac-
cess to books.
“The whole value of what we do lies in helping of
what we do lies in helping kids start reading,” he
told Al Jazeera.
His vocation was inspiring by his own experience of
reading as a child. When he was 13, Gutierrez picked
up a copy of Homer’s Odyssey, which changed his
perspective forever.
“After reading it, I became a traveler in my own od-
yssey. I will only reach my Ithaca when I see librar-
ies and books everywhere in my country.”
Gutierrez has run out of room in his home, which he
shares with his wife and three children, and is now
traveling around
the country deliver-
ing books to poor
districts where
there is no public
library, according
to a report in the
Telegraph.
Sts. Joachim & Anne
Parents of our Blessed Mother Mary
“Feast of grandparents.”
LIVE, LEARN & ENJOY YOUR FAITH
An amazing weekend away with your spouse. Our next
weekend date Aug 4-6, 2017 in Sacramento, CA and Oct 6
-8, 2017 in Reno, NV. To register, please visit: https://
www.sacramentowwme.org. Or for more information,
contact Terry & Janet at:(916)489-3464 or at: applica-
WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER
Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center
Institute For The Study Of The Passion
Fall Series
Preparing for the Commemoration of the Reformation
Presented by: Fr. Tom Bonacci C.P.
Thursday August 31
St. Paul of the Cross (Founder of
the Passionists) and Martin Lu-
ther’s Doctrine of the Cross Com-
panions Gathered at the Foot of the
Cross.
Thursday September 14
The Cross of Jesus in the Theology of the Reformation.
Thursday September 28
Revisiting the Protestant Doctrine of Justification in
Light of the Catholic/Lutheran Agreements 1999 and
Conflict to Communion 2012.
Meets in La Casa on Thursday mornings 10:00 am –
12:00 noon. $12 per session or $30 for the three-week
block, paid at first session. Payment and registration
will be taken at the door.
Rexphil Rallanka, Director of Music and Principal Or-
ganist for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, will
perform an organ concert on the Cathedral’s Reuter pipe
organ. Featured on the program are works by J.S. Bach
and American composers John Cook, Margaret San-
dresky, Lewis Songer, and Joel Martinson. Friday, July
28 at 7:30 pm. Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
1017 11th Street. Doors open at 7 pm. The concert is
free. A suggested donation of $15 will be accepted at
the door.
CATHEDRAL ORGANIST IN CONCERT
Mass Requests
Please contact the Parish Office if you would like to re-
quest a Mass to honor someone special. The Diocese rec-
ommended stipend for this is $10.00 per request but no
request will be denied based on ability to pay.
Parish Registration and Change of Address Welcome to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish! Please register by completing the New Parishioner form below
or online at: http://olaparish.net/new-parishioners. Please let us know if you have moved by calling the Parish
Office at 481-5115. You may place the completed form in the offertory basket or the parish office mail slot. The
parish office is located off the Walnut Avenue parking lot.
____New to Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. ____ Recently moved and/or phone number changed.
Name: Phone:
Street Address:
City, Zip:
Email:
___ I am interested in a tour of Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
https://www.facebook.com/OLAParish/. Receive notifications about upcom-
ing events taking place here at Our Lady of the Assumption.
PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALING OF OUR
PARISHONER & FRIEND
DEBBIE KICK
“Heal me, LORD, that I may be healed; save
me, that I may be saved,for you are my praise”.
Jeremiah 17:14
OUR PARISH
Vocations Cross Prayer Campaign
OLA has a Vocations Cross Prayer
Campaign. Each week, a family will
take home the Vocations Cross. During
their week, they commit to praying for
an increase in vocations to the priest-
hood and religious life, as well as for
our priests, seminarians, and religious
in the Diocese of Sacramento. The cross will then be
returned to the parish the following Friday, and pre-
sented to a new family at the Mass they normally at-
tend. If you are interested in participating, please
contact the parish office at 481-5115 or par-
“Then He said to His disciples, ´the harvest is
abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the
master of the harvest to send out laborers for
His harvest´.” –Mathew 9:37-38
OLA PARISH OFFICE POSITION AVAILABLE:
Ministry Coordinator/Administrative Assistant Full Time Salaried Position
Complete job description and applications will be available in the parish office Monday, July 24th.
Please contact Deacon Michael for additional information at 486-9485 or at [email protected].