Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 14, 2021
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'Laetare Sunday' and Discovering Joy
Dear Friends,
This fourth Sunday of Lent is known as 'Laetare Sunday'. In Latin laetare (rejoice) is the first word of the entrance antiphon: "Rejoice, Jerusalem…." Joy is the theme of this weekend’s Liturgy.
Can joy be turned on and off? You can no more arrange for joy to descend on you than you can arrange for the sun to rise. Joy is a fruit of God's Spirit, not a feeling that can be turned on and off.
It was this realization and discovery of joy, that compelled C.S. Lewis to convert from a staunch atheist to later become one of the most influential Christian authors of all time. In his famous book Surprised by Joy, he wrote "“Joy is distinct not only from pleasure in general but even from aesthetic pleasure. It must have the stab, the pang, the inconsolable longing.” According to him joy is never a possession. "It is a by-product. Its very existence presupposes that you desire not it, but something other and outer.”
Joy comes from the inside. Happiness is based on external circumstances. "The difference between shallow happiness and a deep, sustaining joy is sorrow. Happiness lives where sorrow is not. When sorrow arrives, happiness dies. It can't stand pain. Joy, on the other hand, rises from sorrow and therefore can withstand all grief. Joy, by the grace of God, is the transfiguration of suffering into endurance, and of endurance into character, and of character into hope--and the hope that has become our joy does not (as happiness must for those who depend upon it) disappoint us.” –Walter Wangerin Jr..
May you have the by-product of joy by walking with God, living your commitments, carrying your cross, and by not merely trying to hold on to the state of being happy.
Wishing you a blessed and Joy filled Lent,
Fr. Saju Joseph
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MASS SCHEDULE
WEEKDAYS
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM
INDOOR & Live-Streamed
(For weekdays indoor - signup is at the door)
WEEKENDS
Sunday Vigil - Saturday 5:00 PM
INDOOR & Live-Streamed
Sunday 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM
OUTDOORS & IN-CAR
Sunday 11:30 AM
INDOOR
As per Santa Clara County regulations, sign-ups are required for in-person Masses. If you would like to attend Mass indoors, outdoors or in your car, please use the buttons on the right to sign-up. For assistance, call the parish office at 408-294-8953.
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MASS SIGN-UP LINKS
(Click Button Below)
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LIVE-STREAM LINKS
(Click Buttons Below)
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MASS INTENTIONS
March 13 - March 19
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Saturday 5:00pm - David Ford †
Sunday 8:30am - James & Vincee Viso †, Tony LaPres †
Sunday 10:00am - Billy Urbani †
Sunday 11:30am - Sal Lipari †
Monday 8:00am - Josephine Margerison †
Tuesday 8:00am - Souls in Purgatory
Wednesday 8:00am - Benjamin Arias †
Thursday 8:00am - Rosalia Bommarito †
Friday 8:00am - Justin Semana †
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PRAYER REQUESTS FOR THE DECEASED:
Mary Harrington
Sean Reed
Tony LaPres
Alice de Marco
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PRAYER REQUESTS FOR THE SICK:
Aidan Macken
John Steffens
Ernesto Damasco
Phuong Huu Nguen
Tom Bommarito
Helena Knapen
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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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LENTEN CALENDAR
During Lent, we are called to more deeply encounter Christ through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
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PRAYER
MONDAY - FRIDAY
8:00 AM
Daily Mass
In Person & Live-Streamed
(For weekdays indoor - signup is at the door)
EVERY FRIDAY OF LENT
6:00 PM
Stations of the Cross
Outside the Church
EVERY SATURDAY OF LENT
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Confessions
Outside the Church
MARCH 15 & 22, 2021
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Lenten Reflections led by the Peace & Justice Ministry
Live-Streamed
See below for more information
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ALMSGIVING
MARCH 15, 2021
Food Box Sorting
MARCH 19, 2021
3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Food Box Packing
This program provides food to anyone. Supplies include 2 bags of dry food as well as dairy, fruit, vegetables and meat.
ALL OF LENT
CRS Rice Bowl
Lenten program of global solidarity and sacrificial giving. Bowls/envelopes due by April 11, 2021.
FASTING
FAST DAYS
Ash Wednesday & Good Friday
One full meal, two light meals; no eating between meals. Ages 18-60
DAYS OF ABSTINENCE
All Fridays During Lent
No meat for those over age 14.
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LENTEN REFLECTIONS
PEACE & SOCIAL JUSTICE
St. Martin’s Peace and Justice Ministry offers a unique opportunity to pray and reflect on the stations of the cross during this Lenten season. This program is sponsored by a sub-group of the PJM entitled “Empowered Women Working for Justice in the Church and the World.” Each session will focus on experiencing the stations highlighting the activity of women in Jesus’ passion. It will also invite participants to reflect on how the stations can challenge us to see the particular pain and struggles women continue to face today—and how women uniquely share in Jesus’ redemptive suffering and work. The stations will be divided up and offered on three consecutive Monday evenings during Lent, March 8th, 15th and 22nd, at 7pm. Each session will focus on particular stations, offering scripture, prayer, and questions intended to invite ongoing reflection. The final session will allow time for participants to share their personal reflections on this experience of the stations.
We invite all parishioners as well as other community members to join us. Our hope is that sharing this perspective may enrich our understanding of God and our lives in church and community. Please use the link below to participate via Zoom.
If you would like to print a worship Aid to the Stations of the Cross, please click on this link : http://bit.ly/3aXcDI1
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STEWARDSHIP & DEVELOPMENT |
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If you would like to make a secure one time donation and/or setup regular on line donations, please click on the picture above.
Donations for second collections can also be made online.
Thank you for your continued financial support!!
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Office open by appointment:
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, confession, Fr. Gener and Fr. Saju are available to assist you. Please contact them directly.
Click on the picture above for the
Staff Directory
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Thanks to those who have already responded with a gift to the 2021 Annual Diocesan Appeal. There is still plenty of time to respond with a gift. Your gift is essential to sustaining the many ministries of the Diocese of San Jose. Gifts can be made through our parish office or online at www.dsj.org/ADA.
“Men should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1
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FAITH FORMATION & SPIRITUALITY |
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FAMILY REFLECTION AND ACTION |
March 14, 2021 4th Sunday in Lent
2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 • Ephesians 2:4-10 • John 3:14-21
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” —John 3:17
Some people think God is like an angry judge. They forget that he is a loving parent. He loves each one of us as his own children. Ask your parents how much they love you. It may be hard for them to express all the love they have for you in their hearts. But parents love their children a lot, wanting the best for them. God wants that for us, too. He saw that we needed to know his love, and the best way to show us was to send his Son. But he didn’t stop there. He allowed his Son to show us God’s love all the way to the cross. Jesus laid down his life for us, and then rose from the dead to love us even more. Our God really loves us a lot!
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for being a Father who is willing to go to any length to show us, your children, that you love us.
Reflection: How do you view God? As an angry judge or a loving parent? Are you afraid of him or do you run into God’s arms for love?
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CHILDREN'S SUNDAY BULLETIN & ACTIVITIES
Web Link for this week - Children's Sunday Bulletin & Activities:
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POPE'S PRAYER INTENTION FOR MARCH
The sacrament of reconciliation Pope Francis' prayer intention for March seeks to highlight the joy that the Sacrament of Reconciliation brings and reminds us that it’s a loving and merciful encounter between us and God. It’s a message full of hope, in which he invites us to rediscover the power of personal renewal that the Sacrament of Confession has in our life. Here is the Pope’s message in Spanish with English subtitles – https://youtu.be/xEBGF-CsKbU
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ST. MARTIN OF TOURS SCHOOL NEWS |
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Welcome to the St. Martin Community Cookbook! We realize our families are cooking at home much more and may have special recipes to share or need new ideas. Do you have a great sourdough bread recipe or your own personal twist on a classic? In the “Notes” section, please make sure to add your family name and students and graduation years, and/or your alumni year. Please be sure to tell us if this recipe is special/important and why. Submit Recipe Here
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AROUND THE DIOCESE & COMMUNITY |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
MONDAYS: MARCH 8 - 29, 2021
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Grief Boot Camp 2021| Into the Desert
MARCH 12, 2021
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Rosary and Faith Talk
Presented by: Guadalupe Hope Society
MARCH 14, 2021
Daylight Saving Time Begins
Move your clock forward an hour
MARCH 17, 2021
St. Patrick's Day
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MARCH 18, 2021
2:45 PM
Feast of St. Joseph Solemn Vespers with Benediction
Led by: Diocese of San Jose Seminarians
Please join our seminarians on a livestreamed Solemn Evening Prayer with Benediction on the Diocese’s Facebook page. The prayers and psalms will be taken from Vespers I from the Liturgy of the Hours for the feast of St. Joseph and will follow the Mundelein Psalter for the chant tones.
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MARCH 19, 2021
7:00 PM
Diocesan 40th Anniversary Jubilee Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph
On Friday, March 19, 2021, the Feast of St. Joseph during the Year of St. Joseph, the Diocese of San José will mark its Fortieth Anniversary at a Mass to be celebrated at 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph. Seating in the Cathedral Basilica will be limited due to pandemic restrictions. Bishop Oscar Cantú invites the faithful to join this special celebration via livestream at the Diocese’s Facebook page Please share images to your social media:
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MARCH 23, 2021
5:00 PM
2021 Chrism Mass
During Mass, Bishop Cantú will consecrate the sacred Chrism and bless the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens. Chrism is used throughout the year in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation and during ordination. This Mass is concelebrated by the priests of our diocese who publicly renew their promises to serve. Please join this special celebration via livestream at the Diocese’s Facebook page to pray for and offer encouragement to our bishop, our diocese's retired bishops, and our priests whose vocations are "born from an encounter of love: with Jesus, and with the People of God.” (Pope Francis). Please share the event images to your social media: Facebook, Instagram. |
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