Saint Stephen Martyr Catholic Church

320 W. Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754
Saint Stephen Martyr
Catholic Church
Ascension of the Lord
May 8, 2016
Not Absence But A New Presence
In Luke’s Gospel Jesus led his disciples 'as far as Bethany, raised his
hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and
was taken up to heaven'. .. This is the first important point: Jesus is the
only and eternal Priest who, by his passion, has traversed death and
the grave and is risen and ascended into Heaven. He is with God the
Father, where he always intercedes in our favour. As St. John affirms
in his First Letter: He is our Advocate. How wonderful it is to hear
this! When someone is called in front of a judge or goes to court, the
first he does is look for a lawyer to defend him. We've got one who
always defends us, who defends us from the devil's snares, defends us from ourselves, from our
sins! Dear brothers and sisters, we have this Advocate. Let us not be afraid to go to him and ask
forgiveness, to ask for blessing, to ask for mercy. He always forgives us. He is our Advocate.
He defends us always. Never forget this! Jesus' Ascension into Heaven thus allows us to know
this reality that is so consoling on our journey: in Christ, true God and true man, our humanity
has been brought to God. He has opened the way. He is like the leader of a mountain climbing
party that is roped together. He has reached the summit and pulls us to himself, leading us to
God. If we entrust our lives to him, if we let ourselves be guided by him, we are certain of being
in safe hands. The Gospel of St. Luke mentions that the Apostles, after seeing Jesus ascend into
Heaven, return to Jerusalem 'with great joy'. This seems a little strange to us. Usually, when we
are separated from our family members, from our friends, definitively, and especially when
caused by death, we are naturally sad because … we can no longer enjoy … their presence. Instead, the Evangelist emphasizes the Apostles' profound joy. Why? Precisely because, with the
gaze of faith, they understand that, even if they gone from view, Jesus remains always with
them. He does not abandon them and, in the Father's glory, He sustains them, guides them, and
intercedes for them. The Ascension doesn't indicate Jesus' absence, but rather it tells us that He
is living among us in a new way. He is no longer in a particular place in the world as He was
before the Ascension. Now He is in the Lordship of God, present in every space and time, close
to each of us. In our lives we are never alone: we have this Advocate who awaits us and defends
us. We are never alone. The crucified and risen Lord guides us. With us there are many brothers
and sisters who, in their family life and their work, in their problems and difficulties, in their
joys and hopes, daily live the faith and bring, together with us, the Lordship of God's love to the
world. In Jesus Christ, risen and ascended into Heaven, we have an Advocate.
Jesus does not promise us a trouble-free life,
and is clear about the challenges we will face
as his followers. He cautions us that the
world will want to make us one of “its own”
and Jesus lovingly protests that we are his,
not the world's. He prays to the Father of us,
“They are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me...”
Some days we may feel anything but peace in our hearts. That is the time to pause and open our
hands and our hearts to the Lord. Just the simple physical act of opening our hands can send a signal
to our hearts. We can stop thinking and start feeling the love that Jesus has for us.
We can begin each morning at the side of our beds, aware of the sacredness of the day ahead of us,
and ask for peace, courage and guidance. On our way to work or while taking care of our family,
cooking or running errands, we can stop for the briefest moment and ask again: “Lord, help me to
feel how much you love me. Help me to accept that love and carry it to all those you send into my
life today.”
And at the end of the day, we can pause again at the side of our bed, reflect for a moment on our day
and offer thanks for the moments where we felt in our hearts the love of Jesus. And, we can ask that
tomorrow we can feel the Lord's own love and compassion for us - and beg that we can pass that
along.
Like Peter in Friday's gospel, we have denied Jesus many times in our lives but he looks at us again
with love and simply says, “Follow me.”
Fr. Leo Ortega, Pastor
Tel. (626) 573-0427
E-mail:
[email protected]
website: ststephenmpk.org
Christina Arellano, Principal
Tel. (626) 573-1716
119 S. Ramona Avenue,
Monterey Park, CA 91754
MASSES
Saturday Vigil 5:00 PM (English)
Sunday 7:00 AM (English)
9:00 AM (Spanish)
11:00 AM (English)
2:00 PM (Indonesian)
Mon-Sat Daily Mass: 8:30 AM
Perpetual Help Mass & Novena
Wednesday 6:30 PM
Friday 7:00 PM (Spanish)
Holy Days as announced
Reconciliation:
Saturdays 3:30 PM—4:30 PM
PARISH OFFICE HOURS
Monday thru Friday
9 am - 1 pm & 4 pm - 8 pm
Closed
1 pm - 4 pm
Saturday
1 pm - 5 pm
Sunday
Closed
“We are a diverse faith-community that strives to conform ourselves into the image of Christ in and through the power of the
Holy Spirit, and nourished by The Word, Sacraments and Tradition to give glory to God and to be a light unto the nations.”
April 30th & May 1st
$5,980.00
Second Collection
$970.00
The Parish Office will be closed on the
morning of May 9th. We will be open during our
regular afternoon business hours 4 pm - 8 pm.
Thank you
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
COMMITMENT TO YOUR PARISH
Legion of Mary meets every Wednesday
at 5pm in Room 2.
The meeting is followed by a Novena Mass
at 6:30pm in the Church.
NOCTURNAL ADOATION
We invite you to participate in the Nocturnal Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament, on the second Friday of each
month. Shifts of adoration are one hour in length. We
pray for the intentions of the Pope, the parish and all
personal intentions. We started at 8:30 p.m. with an informational meeting in the Room #1. All are welcome.
Fr. Leo & Fr. Budi
Saturday, June 25, 2016
6:00 pm in the Parish Hall
NEW / USED / BROKEN
RELIGIOUS ITEMS NEEDED
The Legion of Mary is collecting religious items for their
ministry. Items needed include new, used and broken
crosses, medals, scapulars rosaries and holy cards.
Please place your donated items in the box located in the
vestibule of the church.
Thank you for your generosity and support.
T
he monthly billings for the Together
in Mission pledges have been mailed.
It is very important that these pledges be
paid so that our parish can reach and,
hopefully, exceed our goal.
PARISH GOAL: $33,900.00
AMOUNT PAID: $18,128.00
REMAINING BALANCE: $15,772.00
Thank you for your continued support of
Together In Mission 2016
JOIN FR. LEO ORTEGA IN
THE STUDY OF THE
WEEK’S GOSPEL,
MONDAYS AT 7:00 PM
No falta sino una nueva presencia
En el Evangelio de Lucas Jesús llevó a sus discípulos hasta Betania, levantó las manos, y los bendijo. Y
mientras los bendecía se separó de ellos y fue llevado al cielo '. .. Este es el primer punto importante:
Jesús es el único y eterno Sacerdote que, por su pasión, ha atravesado la muerte y la tumba y se resucitó
y ascendió al cielo. Él está con Dios el Padre, donde siempre intercede a nuestro favor. Como afirma
San Juan en su primera carta: Él es nuestro abogado. Qué maravilloso es escuchar esto! Cuando le
llaman a alguien para que se presente delante de un juez, lo primero que hace es buscar un abogado para
que lo defienda. Todos tenemos un abogado que siempre nos defiende, que nos defiende de las trampas
del diablo, nos defiende de nosotros mismos, de nuestros pecados! Queridos hermanos y hermanas, tenemos un Abogado. No
debemos tener miedo de ir a él y pedir perdón, pedir una bendición, y pedir misericordia. Él siempre nos perdona. Él es nuestro
abogado. Él nos defiende siempre. ¡Nunca olvides esto! La ascensión de Jesús al cielo por lo tanto nos permite conocer esta realidad que es tan consoladora en nuestro viaje: en Cristo, el verdadero Dios y verdadero hombre, nuestra humanidad ha sido traído
a Dios. Él nos ha abierto el camino. Él es como el líder de un grupo que escala una montaña que se cordadan juntos. Él a llegado
a la cima y nos atrae hacia él, llevado nos mas cerca a Dios. Si confiamos nuestras vidas a él, si nos dejamos guiar por él, tenemos la certeza de estar en buenas manos. El Evangelio de San Lucas menciona que los Apóstoles, después de ver a Jesús ascender al cielo, volvieron a Jerusalén con gran alegría'. Esto nos puede parece un poco extraño. En lo general, cuando nos separan de
nuestra familia, de nuestros amigos, en una manera definitiva, y especialmente cuando es causada por la muerte... ya no podemos
disfrutar de su presencia.... En cambio, el Evangelista enfatiza profunda alegría de los Apóstoles. ¿Por qué? Precisamente
porque, su fe los ayuda a entienden que, aunque se han ido de nuestra vista, Jesús permanece siempre con ellos. Él no los abandona y, en la gloria del Padre, el los sostiene, los guía, y intercede por ellos. La Ascensión no indica la ausencia de Jesús, sino
nos dice que Él está viviendo entre nosotros de una manera nueva. Él ya no está en el mismo lugar del mundo como antes de la
Padre Leo y Padre Budi
Sábado, 25 de junio 2016
6:00 PM en el Salón Parroquial
El Ministerio de Oración “Luz del Espirtu Santo”
Los invita a orar, alabar, glorificar al Señor y darle gracias por todos Los beneficios recibidos cada dia de
nuestra vida. Nos reunimos los Miercoles de 7pm a
9pm en el salon parroquial de nuestra Iglesia San
Esteban Martir.
La Oficina Parroquial estará cerrada la
mañana del 9 de mayo. Estaremos abiertos
durante nuestas horas regulares por la tarde.
Gracias
ADORACION NOCTURNA
Los invitamos a participar en la adoración nocturna
del Santisimo, el Segundo Viernes de cada mes.
Los turnos de adoracion son de una hora de duración. Oramos por las Intenciones del Papa, por las de
la parroquia y por intencions personales. Empezamos
a las 8:30 p.m. con una junta informativa en el saloñ
#1 de la escuela. Todos son bienvenidos.
¿SABÍA
Las facturas mensuales para Unidos en Misión 2015 ha sido enviada. Es muy importante que estas promesas sean pagadas
de modo que nuestra parroquia pueda alcanzar y, con su apoyo, exceder nuestro
objetivo.
META PARROQUIAL: $33,900.00
TOTAL PAGADO: $15,208.00
SALDO PENDIENTE: $18,692.00
Gracias por su apoyo continuado a
Unidos en Misión 2016
USTED?
El estrés puede afectar a su hijo/a El estrés
puede afectar a su hijo/a Toda persona se
estresa en algún momento, ya sea por un
mal día en el trabajo, un problema con el
automóvil, o simplemente muchas cosas que
hacer. Es importante aprender cómo manejar su estrés,
para su propio bien y para el bien de los niños a su alrededor. Mucho estrés puede hacer difícil que eduque a
sus hijos con efectividad. Después de un tiempo, sus hijos
también pueden mostrar signos de estar estresados. Para
recibir información sobre cómo manejar el estrés envíe un
correo electrónico a [email protected] o llame al
(213) 637-7227.
WEEKLY MASS INTENTIONS
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2016
5 :00 pm Nino Zagaroli (D)
Edita Bona (D)
Apolonio De Leon (D)
SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2016
7:00 am All Mothers Living & Deceased
9:00 am
All Mothers Living & Deceased
11:00 am All Mothers Living & Deceased
MONDAY, MAY 9, 2016
8:30 am Roberto Rodriguez (D)
Maria Bernadette Moniaga (D)
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2016
8:30 am Ibrahim Torbey (D)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2016
8:30 am Antonita Bernardino (D)
6:30 pm
St. Stephen Parishioners
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016
8:30 am Raul Lopez (D)
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016
8:30 am Ivette Macias (D)
7:00 pm Manuel Compean (D)
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2016
8:30 am Angelica Loera (D)
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
MAY 8TH — MAY 15TH
Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday:
11
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Acts 7:55-60; Ps 97:1-2, 6-7, 9; Jn 17:20-26
Acts 19:1-8; Ps 68:2-7; Jn 16:29-33
Acts 20:17-27; Ps 68:10-11, 20-21; Jn 17:1Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68:29-30,33-36;
Jn 17:11-19
Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; Ps 16:1-2,5,7-11;
Jn 17:20-26
Acts 25:13-21, Ps 103:1-2,11-12,19-20;
Jn 17:20-26
Acts 1:15-17, 20-26, Ps113:1-8; Jn 15:9-17
Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34
1 Cor 12:3-7, 12-13 or Rom 8:8-17;
Jn 20:19-23
Frances Salaises, Kitty Carlucci, Rosie Grego, Liza Anne Sesti,
Ana Nunez, Elaine Denery, Jose Galicia Sr., Connie Gonzales,
Norma Salazar, Michlina Kubek, Maria Cervantes, Maria Gonzalez, Jeanine Gregory, Peggy Jasso, Elena Dulay, Alex Vasquez,
Armando Loo, Annamae Koch, Rita Thoms, Elizabeth Dodge,
Virginia Medina, Rita A. Durazo, Ernest Durazo, Rudy Barraza,
Sally Sandoval, Emilia Rodriguez, Dominic, Jason, Rose Valdez,
Antonia Castaneda, Natalia Castaneda, Kathy Garcia, Helen Lawrence, Sandy Aguiar, Maria Castillo, Frances Montez, Ramiro
Sanchez, Judy Backer, Josefina Peralta, Tom Lujan, Maria Ngan
Fong Lung, Erin Gaffrey, Virginia Miranda, Frances Mosqueda,
John Jaurequi, Jeanine Lugo, Michael Alden Townsend, Natalia
Orozco, Tisha Platt, Teresa Ycedo, Larry Hernandez, Marge
LaVenture, Vic Panganiban, Concepcion Rodriguez, Elizabeth
Canadas, Maria Mazloom, Phil Cisneros, Kenneth Adler, Carol
Tollstrup, Howard Lee, Eva Monroy, Al Acosta, Susan Acosta,
Felipa McCrae, Angelica V. Rivas
Prayer list will be updated on a monthly bases. If you would like
to add a name or make changes to the above list. Please contact
the parish office.
Did You Know?
Everyone has stress, whether it’s a bad day at
work, car trouble, or simply too many things
to do. It is important to learn how to manage
your stress—for your own sake and for the
children around you. Too much stress can make it hard to
parent effectively. After a while, your children may show
signs of being stressed out, too. For a fact sheet on managing stress please email: [email protected] or
call (213) 637-7227.
ST. STEPHEN BOOKSTORE
is open after each Mass, Saturday
and Sunday or by appointment.
12,000+ Gifts │ DVDs │ Books │
Bibles │ Jewelry and accessories
Rosaries │ Devotional and
Religious Items │ Artwork.
One stop shop for Catholic gifts
and resources. Support our
parish. Support the Saint Stephen
Bookstore.