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St. Paul's at Midweek
March 22, 2023
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Whoever you are,
and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith,
we welcome you to our inclusive faith community.
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This Week
by Martin Brown,
Bishop's Warden
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This past Sunday was considered Laetare Sunday, marking the halfway point in the weeks of Lent. From the Roman tradition the liturgical color is rose as that of Gaudete Sunday in Advent. Laetare Sunday is a day of rejoicing while in contemplation of our sinfulness and constant need of forgiveness. As we take on acts of abstinence and self-denial, we are reminded for a moment that we have joy as a result of the sacrifice of the Cross in that Christ’s death allows for our forgiveness and eternal life. The Gospel reading was on the man blind from birth receiving his sight after Jesus made mud and wiped it on the man’s eyes then told him to wash it off in the Pool of Siloam. This pool, according to Jewish tradition, was used as a purification bath to ritually wash oneself before ascending to the temple for pilgrimage. It makes sense for Jesus to send the blind man there to wash his eyes – since he was not being ritually cleaned but physically healed. This ties into the question about who sinned, the blind man or his parents as the thinking of the day was that all disease and deformity or dysfunction was due to the disfavor of God because of sin. Jesus answered them and said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.”
In Fr. Luis’ homily, he pointed out that we shouldn’t be so focused on what we think we know to be absolute truth as this may become a blinder to the greater reality (I am paraphrasing, of course). That we should be ready to let go of perceptions and ways of thinking that impede our spiritual growth and understanding. It may be easy for us to read this Gospel story and realize how this applies to the question about the blindness being connected to sinning. There was a misinformed belief about why a person is born with a disability. With today’s medical and scientific understanding we can comfortably say that this just reflects the superstitious, ancient mind. However, wouldn’t we be doing exactly what we are cautioned of in the homily? That is to think we already know something absolutely and then becoming blind to a greater reality. What do we get so focused on that no one can change our mind about and has this thinking caused us to either marginalize another or contribute to that marginalization? I only use marginalizing as an example because of the Gospel illustrating the perception that the blind man was sinful because he was born blind and this is a type of marginalization. I have thought about this personally and it made me think of my own marginalized status being a member of the LGBT community. Have I allowed being a gay man to give me tunnel vision and help me develop an absolute truth about myself that prevents me from understanding others and where they are on their journey of understanding. I am thinking specifically about family and the opportunities missed to sow a seed of knowledge and understanding that could blossom into something deeper later. This is where God’s works might be revealed as Jesus corrected the crowd who thought sin caused the “difference” or the “disability”.
We should all be encouraged, not only for this Lenten season but throughout the year, to self-evaluate areas that could be problematic for us and that might have caused us to build walls that prevent relationship and a better awareness of others. This Lent has been eye-opening for me causing me to take inventory of myself in several areas of my spiritual life and I pray that it is doing the same for you. Let us remember to be joyful and rejoice in the forgiveness that we have in Christ and may it cause us to be ready to forgive others as well, making it easy to not be led by our absolute understanding and rest on the love of Christ to guide us. I give thanks to God for having the privilege to worship with you all at St. Paul’s and ask that you keep me in your prayers as I keep you in mine
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The Coming Days at St. Paul's
Thursday, March 23
Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop and Missionary, c, 332
8.30am Morning Prayer
Friday, March 24
Oscar Romero, Archbishop and Martyr, 1980, and the Martyrs of El Salvador
8.30am Morning Prayer
5.00pm Stations of the Cross
Saturday, March 25
Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary
8.30am Matutina (Morning Prayer in Spanish)
9.00am Eucharist
9.30am Parish Gardening Day
March 26, 2023
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
8am Eucharist
9.00 Forum in the Forum: Lent With the English Poets
10am Eucharist
The 10am service is live-streamed via our Facebook page.
Monday, March 27
Charles Henry Brent, Bishop, 1929
10.00am Food Pantry
6.00pm Evening Prayer
6.30pm Eucharist
Tuesday, March 28
James Solomon Russell, Priest, 1886
8.30am Morning Prayer
Thursday, March 30
8.30am Morning Prayer
Friday, March 31
John Donne, Priest and Poet, 1631
8.30am Morning Prayer
5.00pm Stations of the Cross
Saturday, April 1
Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, 1872
8.30am Matutina (Morning Prayer in Spanish)
April 2, 2023
Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
8am Eucharist
9.00 Forum in the Forum: Lent With the English Poets
10am Procession of Palms and Eucharist
The 10am service is live-streamed via our Facebook page.
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Looking Forward to Holy Week and the Easter Triduum
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Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Holy Week (April 3-5)
8.30am Morning Prayer
5.00pm Confessions (or by appointment)
6.00pm Evening Prayer
6.30pm Eucharist
These are quiet, reflective services that follow Jesus the days before the crucifixion.
The homilies at the Eucharists will continue our Lent with the English Poets series
as we reflect on John Keble’s The Christian Year.
Maundy Thursday (April 6)
8.30am Morning Prayer
5.30pm Evening Prayer
6.30pm Eucharist at Watch until 11pm
This service begins the observance of the holiest days on the Christian calendar.
This night commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples and the institution of the Holy Eucharist, but also reflects on his commandment to love on another.
Good Friday (April 7)
8.30am Morning Prayer
10.00am Children’s Stations of the Cross
This service is especially geared for children. It will be followed by refreshments.
12noon Meditation on the Last Seven Words
A service of prayer and music, reflecting on Jesus’ last words from the cross.
5.30pm Evening Prayer
6.30pm Good Friday Liturgy
This is the main Good Friday observance with hymns, veneration of the cross, and communion from the reserved sacrament.
7.30pm Rosary
8.00pm Commemoration of the Burial of Our Lord
A service that brings Good Friday to a close as we reflect in prayer and Scripture on Jesus being laid in the tomb and as we sit in the shadow of death, but in the hope of resurrection.
Easter Eve (April 8)
8.30am Matutina (Morning Prayer in Spanish)
6.00pm Evening Prayer
7.00pm Easter Vigil
The great and ancient Easter celebration when the Paschal Candle is blessed,
we listen to God’s saving work in history
and proclaim the new life made known in the resurrection of Jesus.
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The Altar Guild is receiving donations for Eater flowers. Donations can be made by check which can be mailed to the church or placed in the plate on Sunday. Be sure write Altar Guild Easter Flowers in the memo line of your check. You can also make an online donation via our Vanco Portal. Be sure to select the category Altar Guild/Flowers. If you have any questions contact Jan Dunlap.
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THIS SATURDAY:
March 25: Feast of the Annunciation
and Parish Gardening Day
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Saturday, March 25, is the Feast of the Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Morning Prayer will be said at 8.30am and the Eucharist celebrated at 9am. Afterwards we will be holding a Parish Gardening Day to work on our grounds and landscaping. If you can bring rakes, shovels, pruning shears, leaf bags, and gloves if you can. And if you have any questions, contact Jan Dunlap. | |
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March 28: Women's History Month Event
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The Diocesan Anti-Racism Commission of invites you to a conversation with Women Clergy Leaders who serve in an Indigenous Context
Tuesday, March 28th, 6:30pm
via ZOOM
RSVP to canonanna@diosanjoaquin.org to receive the link
Click here for details
on the event's speakers
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April 4: Chrism Eucharist at
St. James' Cathedral, Fresno
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It is traditional that during Holy Week the Bishop bless oils for parochial use, and that the clergy renew their ordination vows in the presence of the laity.
Our Diocese will celebrate the Chrism Mass and Renewal of Ordination Vows on Tuesday, April 4 at 10am at St James Cathedral. This is a wonderful celebration of mutual ministry in the midst of Holy Week, and the laity are strongly encouraged to attend to witness the renewal of vows and support their clergy in prayer.
There will be an opportunity for fellowship and brown-bag lunch following the service.
If you intend to go, please contact Canon Anna Carmichael no later than April 1 so the diocese can make appropriate arrangement for all attending.
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April 11: St. Paul's Book Group Resumes
reading The Girls of Atomic City by
Denise Kiernan
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The Tennessee town of Oak Ridge was created from scratch in 1942. One of the Manhattan Project’s secret cities, it didn’t appear on any maps until 1949, and yet at the height of World War II it was using more electricity than New York City and was home to more than 75,000 people, many of them young women recruited from small towns across the South. Their jobs were shrouded in mystery, but they were buoyed by a sense of shared purpose, close friendships—and a surplus of handsome scientists and Army men! But against this vibrant wartime backdrop, a darker story was unfolding. The penalty for talking about their work—even the most innocuous details—was job loss and eviction. One woman was recruited to spy on her coworkers. They all knew something big was happening at Oak Ridge, but few could piece together the true nature of their work until the bomb "Little Boy" was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, and the secret was out. The shocking revelation: the residents of Oak Ridge were enriching uranium for the atomic bomb. Though the young women originally believed they would leave Oak Ridge after the war, many met husbands there, made lifelong friends, and still call the seventy-year-old town home. The reverberations from their work there—work they didn’t fully understand at the time—are still being felt today. In The Girls of Atomic City, Denise Kiernan traces the astonishing story of these unsung WWII workers through interviews with dozens of surviving women and other Oak Ridge residents. Like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, this is history and science made fresh and vibrant—a beautifully told, deeply researched story that unfolds in a suspenseful and exciting way.
This time we will be reading the book at our own pace and joining together for only one meeting on Tuesday, April 11th at 3pm. You can access the meeting by clicking here. Contact Dcn Cathy if you have any questions.
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April 15: Bingo to Baltimore
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Mesa Verde (MV, Bakersfield) and Golden State Annex (GSA, McFarland) are the two remaining ICE detention facilities in Northern California, operated by private for-profit corporation, GEO. People detained at MV and GSA have been fighting for improved living conditions for YEARS. After multiple attempts to meet with ICE and GEO, being ignored and worse, retaliated, they have launched a joint hunger strike demanding the immediate release of all individuals detained at the facilities and the shutdown of both detention centers.
On Feb 15, 77 people began the hunger strike at MV and GSA, and the number soon grew to 84 strikers. On March 7, 10 ICE agents and 5 GEO staff, violently detained 4 of the lead hunger strikers at MV, and transferred them out of state to El Paso TX. On March 14, 20 officers came into dorms at GSA with rubber bullets, pepper spray, and forcibly removed 3 hunger strikers who are being transferred to El Paso for forced feeding.
While the hunger strikers are traumatized from that attack, they are resolved in forging ahead. They are calling on the outside community to stand in solidarity with them, and help them elevate their demands to elected and ICE officials.
Many faith traditions have a practice of fasting as a way to deepen our spiritual focus, our intentions and practice. When done in community with others, a fast can unite people together. Politically, fasting is a part of key strategies in nonviolent resistance to obtain political goals and disrupt the status quo.
During the week of April 2-8th, numerous sacred holy days are converging. Faith communities around the globe are celebrating Ramadan, Passover, Easter and Buddha’s birthday. We are looking for at least 84 faith leaders, congregations, organizations, and community members across the state to join a fast dedicated to and in solidarity (1 day) with the 84 siblings inside MV and GSA. The fast will be conducted for approximately one day (for example, fasting from sundown one day to sundown the following day, or another format depending on spiritual tradition or personal preference), and can be done from home.
For information on how you can become involved and support this initiative click here.
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As we reach the end of the first quarter our parish prayer list will again be revised. This means that all names will be removed at the end of March, and a new list compiled starting April 1. If you would like a name to remain on the list or a name to be added please contact Fr. Luis via email.
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Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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In Our Prayers
Remember in your prayers Angela, Grace, London, Patrick, Tara, Mike, Tiana, Dylan, Mario, Katie, Evelyn, Vivian, Lou, Lisa, Phyilis, Leslie, and all who are in sorrow, sickness, or any kind of need.
Remember in your prayers all the recently departed, among them Frank Griswold (bishop) and Ann Tousley; also those whose year's mind falls at this time. among them, Christopher Hardy, Bill Brown Jacob Frantz, Kevin Fox, Luisa Rodriguez, Ruth Fox
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Monthly Prayer Diary
You can access the
Prayer Diary for March here.
You can access the
Prayer Diary for April here.
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Good news! Our food ministry is growing in both those we are feeding and volunteers assisting. The word is out that we are now open every Monday. The challenge for our congregation is to provide for those coming to be fed. Our shelves are currently pretty bare. We ask that, as your budget allows, you put us on your weekly grocery list and bring your offering to the narthex on Sundays. We are in need of:
peanut butter, Spam, vienna sausages, canned chicken, tuna, canned potatoes, soup, beef cup of noodles, Chef Boyardee,spaghetti sauce, cereal, instant oatmeal, cookie packets, hot chocolate packets, razors, tooth brushes, toilet paper
Whenever possible,
all canned items should have pop-tops.
If you have any questions are want to find out how you can help contact either Jan Dunlap or Marilyn Droppers.
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The Order of the Daughters of the King is an order for women whose mission is the extension of Christ’s Kingdom through prayer, service and evangelism. At the St. Paul's the order serves our community through their prayers and acts of service.
Do you have a special concern you'd like the Daughters to pray for? Contact Cathy Henry who heads our parish chapter. You can also contact her for further information on the DOK, or you can visit the Order's website here. The Daughters of the King are also at the front of church during the distribution of communion to pray with you for your needs and concerns.
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Finding the Sunday Readings
Did you know you can always find the readings for Sunday by following this link? Did you find two sets of readings for the Sunday? If there are two "tracks", at St. Paul's we are using "Track 2"
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Our Bishop's Committee meets next on
Sunday, March 26.
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Connecting with St. Paul's
and The Episcopal Church
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