Second Sunday of Advent ~ December 5, 2021 |
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Second Sunday of Advent
Almost nine hundred years ago, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux suggested in one of his Advent homilies that we should think of three Advents of Christ: the First, when Christ came in humility as Mary’s Child, clothed in our human nature; the Second, when Christ will come in glory as Judge and Redeemer of the world. Then Saint Bernard speaks of a Middle Coming, an “in the meantime” Advent, when Christ comes to us in his Word, in the sacrament including Eucharist and Confession/Reconciliation, and in those who need our love and care, family and friends, neighbors and strangers. That’s this year’s Advent, the one we’re celebrating now; and this Advent’s question is: how attentive am I to Christ’s coming into my life-story, right here, right now? This also calls us to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation this advent.
GOD’S RECONSTRUCTION PLAN
We heard Baruch, in the first reading, picturing our broken world reborn: the dispersed being carried home, tears wiped away, righteousness and justice, peace and worship. How we wish it could all be true! It will be true, Paul declares, optimistic that God, who has already begun such good work in us, will continue to complete it for the day of Christ’s glorious return, increasing our love and sharpening our discernment of the values that endure. So we should begin this second week of Advent reinvigorated with hope in God’s plan for the world’s salvation. But John the Baptist reminds us that God’s “reconstruction plan” for the world’s transformation begins much closer to home: what twists and turns of my own life must be untangled, what lofty mountains of my own pride and selfcenteredness brought low, which gorge-deep valleys of my own indifference and neglect filled in? Come, Lord
Jesus, and make the whole creation new—but start right here, right now, with me!
Today’s Readings: Bar 5:1–9; Ps 126:1–2, 2–3, 4–5, 6; Phil 1:4–6, 8–11; Lk 3:1–6
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.
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MASS SCHEDULE
WEEKDAYS
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM
INDOOR & Live-Streamed
WEEKENDS
Sunday Vigil - Saturday 5:00 PM
INDOOR & Live-Streamed
Sunday 8:30 AM
OUTDOORS & IN-CAR
Sunday 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM
INDOOR
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LIVE-STREAM LINKS
(Click Buttons Below)
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Anyone that feels sick, has tested COVID positive, or has been exposed to a person who is COVID positive should stay home and attend the live-stream Mass.
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Mass Intentions
December 4 - December 10
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Saturday 5:00pm - St. Martin of Tours Parishioners
Sunday 8:30am - James & Vincee Viso †
Sunday 10:00am - JW Knapen †
and Les Gremett†
Sunday 11:30am - ICF Deceased Members †
Monday 8:00am - St. Martin of Tours Parishioners
Tuesday 8:00am - Faithfully Departed
Wednesday 8:00am - St. Martin of Tours Parishioners
Thursday 8:00am - Ram Contreras †
and Rudy Mendoza †
Friday 8:00am - Right to Life
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PRAYER REQUESTS FOR THE DECEASED:
Justin Ebner, Manuel Eres, Michael Azevedo, Donald Favorito, Andrew Flores, Midge Zykler, Anna May Thomas,
Paul McGuire
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PRAYER REQUESTS FOR THE SICK:
Nadja Haddad, Joe Baroni, Sr. Rose Mary Maguire, Michael Joseph, Dee Jackson, Sofia Rita Vernacchia, Helena Knapen, Msgr. John Sandersfeld, Diane Cernobori, Clarence Santana, Hilaria Amezquita, Joe Arant, Kyle Anderson, Jose Mendoza
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Please pray with us for our parishioners, family and friends. |
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Prayer Angels Ministry
Prayer is one of the greatest gifts you can give another. If you or someone you know is in need of prayers (sick, deceased, birthday, anniversary...), please email Therese Lehane at tlehane@stmartin.org and let our Prayer Angels pray for you or someone you know. |
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Advent-Christmas Schedule |
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Advent Schedule
Thursday, December 2nd
Evening Prayer, Adoration/Benediction
7:00 p.m. in the Church
Every Saturday during Advent
Confessions
3:30 - 4.45 p.m. outside the Church
Saturday, December 4th
First Reconciliation Service (Candidates)
10:00 a.m. in the Church
Thursday, December 9th
Speaker Series - Fr. Angelbert Chikere
4:00pm-5:15pm in the Church
Sunday, December 12th
DEADLINE to return Giving Tree Gifts
Return gifts for Food Box Clients & Farm worker Families
Tuesday, December 14th
Parish Reconciliation Service with Confessions
7:00 p.m. in the Church
Monday, December 13th
Food Box Sorting
5:00 p.m. Bailey House Patio
Friday, December 17th
Food Box Distribution
4:00 p.m. under the Tents
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Christmas Schedule
Christmas Eve Masses
Friday, December 24th
3:30 p.m. Mass
(Outdoor & in the Church)
5:00 p.m. Mass
(Outdoor & in the Church)
Christmas Day Masses Saturday, December 25th
8:30 a.m. Mass
(in the Church)
10:00 a.m. Mass
(in the Church)
* Outdoor Masses are in person & in car
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For a complete list of Parish events:
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Family Prayer around the Advent Wreath
Second Sunday of Advent
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:1-3)
Lighting of the Candle: One member of the family may light the candle corresponding to the Second Sunday of Advent – Purple—Candle of Love.
Prayer: God of power and mercy open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
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Holy Hour
PLEASE JOIN US ON
Thursday, December 2nd at 7:00pm
In the Church or via Zoom for Holy Hour
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Annual Giving Tree
What an amazing response to our annual giving tree. All tags were taken by the end of the first weekend! As we receive further requests, we will add them to the tree. Please return all tags with unwrapped gifts to the church (before Mass) or the parish office (Mon. - Thurs. from 10AM-5PM) on or before December 12, 2021. Thank you!!
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Poinsettia Donations for the Church
We are preparing to decorate our church for Christmas. As you know, poinsettia usually adorns our church altar during the Christmas season. We would like to request you, the St. Martin of Tours Community, to donate large red poinsettia flowers to adorn our church altar this Christmas. You may bring your poinsettia donations to the church or parish office on or before December 19th. Thank you for your donation.
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St. Martin of Tours Speaker Series
Thursday, December 9th
The Advent season marks the beginning of the liturgical new year, four Sundays before December 25. It is a season of desire and hope. Nothing about Advent should be inherently depressing, but because we live in physical bodies that respond to the cycles of light and dark and warmth and cold, for some people this season corresponds to greater emotional or psychological darkness. How poignant then, that Advent is a time to notice the darkness of our world and wait, long for, and pray for the coming of Jesus, the Light of the World.
Please join us Thursday, December 9 from 4:00pm-5:15pm in the Church as Father Angelbert Chikere invites you to break open the kernel of Christian living with a prayerful Advent reflection. Father Angelbert is a multi-talented poet, writer fine/creative artist, and cartoonist with a deep penchant for framing and translating human experiences into different forms of creative and expressive art. Father Angelbert has also published many of his works on several online media. He has written a published book titled, This Paradox This Love (a poetic narrative on Love and Loving), and he has co-authored the book, A New Role for Education in the 21st Century Africa: Essays. Father Anglebert has conducted several keynote talks and retreats. He holds a Master of Divinity from Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL. He is no stranger to St. Martin of Tours as he was previously assigned to our parish as a seminarian. He is currently a parochial vicar for St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic parish in Santa Clara. We hope you can join us to be spiritually filled during this Advent season, deepening our longing for Christ in our lives.
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Food Box Save-the-Date for Christmas
The Christmas distribution for our Food Box program is the busiest day of our year-- sometimes doubling the number of clients in need. Please mark your calendars now, to save the date-- we would love to see you there. We meet behind the Bailey House.
Food box sorting Monday, December 13th 5-7pm (volunteers)
Food box packing Friday, December 17th 3-5:30pm (volunteers)
Food Box pick up Friday, December 17th 4-5pm (clients)
If you have any questions, or need additional information, please contact
Therese Lehane at (408) 294-8953 x316 or tlehane@stmartin.org.
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STEWARDSHIP & DEVELOPMENT |
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Parish Support
We thank you for your continued support during these challenging times! Please be as generous as you can as our collections have fallen short of our budget. If you would like to make a secure one-time donation and/or setup regular online donations, please use the GIVE NOW button. Thank you again!!
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Parish Office Hours
Monday -Thursday 10 AM to 5 PM
If you or a loved one is in need of Sacramental care, such as anointing of the sick, last rites or confession, Fr. Gener & Fr. Saju are available. Please contact them directly using the staff directory below.
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Liturgical Ministries
Volunteer Signups
If you are interested in being a lector, usher, eucharistic minister or altar server, use the button below to signup. If you have any questions, please contact the parish office at 408-294-8953. Thank you!!
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FAITH FORMATION & SPIRITUALITY |
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Dates to Remember
RCIA:
December 5 – Session CANCELED
December 12 – 11:30 AM session in the parish office
January 9 – 11:30 AM session in the parish office
CCM (Children's Catechetical Ministry)/First Eucharist Preparation:
December 4 – 10:00 AM to 11:25 PM First Reconciliation
December 9 – 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM CCM sessions for children
December 9 – 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM (church) Parent sessions (Speaker Series)
December 16 – 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM CCM sessions for children
December 23 and 30 - Christmas Break
Confirmation:
December 5 – Candidate session CANCELED
December 12 – 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Virtual Student and Sponsor Meeting
January 9 – 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM Candidate session in the Community Building
January 23 – 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM Candidate session in the Community Building
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Baptisms at St. Martin of Tours
Please welcome the following children who were baptized in our parish community in the month of November:
Maxwell McIntosh
Child of Benjamin McIntosh and Stephanie Perez
Soren Michel
Child of Fechnel Michel and Ashley Mompoint
Niccolo James Yinger
Child of Adam Louis Yinger and Yolanda Beatriz Puga
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Dove
The Holy Trinity is at the heart of our faith; we begin all of our prayer in the name of the Trinity, and we’ve been baptized in that name. But Christians have always been careful expressing this truth with symbols. We want to remember that while symbols help us come closer to God, our ideas, words, and drawings only give us hints of what God is like.
In the Old Testament story of Noah and the great Flood, Noah and his family know that they can finally leave the ark when the dove Noah sent out returns with an olive sprig in its beak. This is proof that plants are growing again and there is dry land on which people can live. The catastrophe is over, and humans have a second chance on earth.
In the New Testament, we see the dove again. When Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove. Thus, the dove becomes the Christian symbol for the Holy Spirit, God’s presence among us, promised by Jesus.
A dove does not appear in the Scripture story of the Annunciation, when the angel told Mary that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, she would have a baby whom people would come to know as the Messiah. But we sometimes see a dove in pictures of that conversation.
We know that the Holy Spirit brings many gifts – seven traditionally – and that there are many fruits allowing the Holy Spirit to flourish in our lives.
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December 5, 2021 2nd Sunday in Advent
Baruch 5:1-9 • Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 • Luke 3:1-6
…the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. —Philippians 1:6
What is a “good work” in us? When we are baptized into the Catholic faith, we receive the Holy Spirit in a very special way. God begins working in us even when we are tiny babies! At each step of our lives, God remains with us and helps us be all that he created us to be. We do the best we can to follow Jesus’ teachings, and God helps us by working in us - because we can’t make ourselves good all by ourselves. It isn’t up to us to do it all by ourselves! God will continue to be with us along the journey of life, always helping us, whether we can feel it at the time or not. Our God loves us so very much!
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for loving us and being patient with us as your Holy Spirit continues to form and mold us into people who are pleasing to you. Please help us to follow those promptings and to follow your will.
Reflection: Do we know when the Holy Spirit is trying to guide us in our decisions? How can we become more open to God’s leading?
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Children's Sunday Bulletin & Activities
Web Link for this week - Children's Sunday Bulletin & Activities:
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AROUND THE DIOCESE & COMMUNITY |
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Sunday December 5, 2021 at 11:30am
40th Anniversary Jubilee Closing Mass
at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
Join Bishop Oscar Cantú celebrate the closing mass of the 40th Anniversary Jubilee. Tree planting with Bishop Cantú in honor or St. Joseph will follow after mass behind the Cathedral. Everyone is also encouraged a local pilgrimage including a visit to the Cathedral. The Cathedral will remain open until 5pm for visiting pilgrims. Please share images in social media. Facebook | Instagram.
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Stay up to date with Diocesan wide news, events, and stories as well as news from the USCCB and the Vatican. Read the Bishop’s messages, see what our children are doing in school, and learn about upcoming community events. Follow the Diocese of San Jose on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Vimeo. Social Media Posts: Facebook | Instagram
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Diocese of San Jose Year of St. Joseph
Diocese of San Jose Year of St. Joseph Webpage
We hope that through using these resources you will grow in love and devotion St. Joseph as the guardian and protector of God’s people, the Church. May Saint Joseph and the Holy Family intercede for us in this work of rededicating ourselves to the mission of Jesus Christ. www.dsj.org/yearofstjoseph
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