Dear Friends,

Congratulations and prayerful wishes to the new president. May God fill the governance with wisdom and profound humanness.

We are in the unity octave, aimed at the unity and understanding among all Christian denominations across the world. “Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit ”, John 15:1-17, is the theme for the reflections, expressing Christian Community’s vocation to prayer, reconciliation, and unity in the church and the human family.

Our hearts, bodies, and minds, far from being one, not only in the spiritual realm, are often scattered and being pulled in several directions. Each one of us desires to be one within ourselves and be united with Christ. An integrated life as a person and Christian presupposes a path of self-acceptance and reconciliation with our personal and inherited histories of faith and humanity. When Jesus tells us “Abide in me as I abide in you,” (Jn15:4a), we are reminded that we are grafted into the vine, which is Jesus himself. The Father who is our creator becomes our vinedresser who prunes us to make us grow and flourish with fruits of the divine and human nature.

God was pleased with the fruitfulness exhibited by the community of Nineveh, as reminded by the first reading, and St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians reminds us that we are to live focused on the unity with God and heaven. We are all members of God’s kingdom, who are called to repent of our misdeeds and disunity, and then follow Christ in being ‘fishers of men’ towards unity and the kingdom of God.

This describes what happens in prayer. The Father is the center of our lives, who centers our lives. He prunes us and makes us whole, and whole human beings give glory to the Father.

Blessings, Fr. Sunil

Dear Friends,

Last week we saw a sad display of misplaced anger as the U.S. Capitol Building was overrun by a mob. As Bishop Robert Barron noted, this was a culminating event of sorts, to a year that witnessed a lot of violence. The violence has to stop, Bishop Barron noted, and rightly so. Where then do we start? Writing to our elected officials? Planning a peaceful protest? Perhaps. How about starting by addressing the violence that comes from within our own hearts?

Bishop Barron proposed that the country needs to undergo a national “examination of conscience” to question how we are “adjudicating our disputes.” Do we enter into a dialogue that respects the dignity of the other? Or do we simply shut the other out, and “cancel” one another?

Sister Theresa Aletheia, a sister from the order of the Daughters of St. Paul, came up with just an examination in response to Bishop Barron’s call. I present it to you here. May it help you to move into that space of peaceful dialogue, respect, and even reconciliation with those who hold differing beliefs than you. As we move toward the inauguration on January 20th, let us pray that the peace of Christ will flood the hearts of all peoples, in our country, and in the world.

With much love, Fr. Mario

A National Examination of Conscience, by Sister Theresa Aletheia

1. Do I make an effort to inform myself in a way that is open to truth wherever it might be found or do I only read opinions and media with which I always agree?
2. Do I make an effort to find, understand, and read news sources that are objective and follow journalistic standards?
3. Do I regularly reduce complex issues to simplistic, partisan sound bites to avoid engaging honestly and vulnerably with people with whom I disagree?
4. Do I speak of my ideological opponents in a way that dehumanizes, stereotypes, or objectifies them? Do I speak scornfully or dismissively of those with whom I disagree rather than engaging with their ideas?
5. Do I allow feelings of rage, hatred, and bitterness toward those I see as political enemies grow in my heart?
6. Do I cultivate sin in my heart more than I cultivate virtue?
7. Do I read spiritual books as much as or more than I read the news?
8. Do I speak of and focus on political events more than the Church’s liturgical calendar?
9. Am I regularly distracted from my responsibilities by the news, pundits, political arguments, and negative feelings toward those with whom I disagree?
10. What are my highest priorities? Where do I direct most of my energies? Do I put living for God first in my life?

For all those injured and who lost their lives recently, we pray they may rest in peace.

For an end to division in our nation, Lord hear our prayer.

That peace, justice, and truth may reign in our hearts and in our nation, Lord hear our prayer.

Dear Friends,

We as a Church celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, ending the season of Christmas. We recall Our Lord's second manifestation or epiphany or Theophany which occurred on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan.

At Christmas, we have contemplated the incarnation and the human birth of the Divine Word through the Virgin Mary. With Epiphany, we meditated on Christ’s manifestation to all nations that were represented by the Magi, who came to adore the Child guided by the star. In the mystery of Baptism, we encounter and represent the truth of the Lord’s incarnation, His manifestation as the Christ, and commissioning of Him for his active ministry.

Though the Gospel indicates the baptism of an already adult Jesus, liturgically, we link it to the Christmas season. The years from being found in the temple to baptism are summarized in the time of growth in natural and supernatural perfection: “And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in divine and human favor” (Lk2:52).

Baptism is the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah or Christ or son of God, the gift of the father to the entire world. The Father’s voice from heaven “you are my beloved son” shows that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Son along with the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove shows the Theophany, Trinitarian nature, and, presence of God. Our true and unique God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shows Himself in Christ, through Him, with Him and, in Him.

Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give them the power to beget sons of God. He takes upon Himself the sins of the whole world and buries them in the waters of the Jordan: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world". The event takes on the importance of a second creation in which the entire Trinity intervenes. It moves the faithful to sentiments of repentance, confession of sins and, conversion. The incidents which accompanied Christ's baptism are symbolical of what happened at our Baptism and a reminder that we too are baptized and are the beloved of Him.

Blessings,
Fr. Sunil

My dear brothers and sisters,

Happy New Year! In thinking about this holiday I am often reminded of the years I spent with my friends going to San Francisco to watch the fireworks over the Bay with tens of thousands of other people. It was a night of celebration and optimism. And yet, in the morning, when all of us revelers woke up in our beds, not much had changed from the day before. Just because the year changes, doesn’t mean our lives do. We would like for this to be the case, especially considering the year we have had. If only 2021 could bring about that reset we are all desiring. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like this. But this doesn’t mean we should not be optimistic, or to use a better word, a more theological word, hopeful. Hope is a divine gift that is given to us by God that causes us to desire the Kingdom of Heaven, and in desiring that, it is what inspires us to act in accord with God’s plan, to seek what He has promised us: beatitude, eternal happiness.

Let’s be honest, 2021 is probably going to be a difficult year as well. But let us not lose hope! Hope is the anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19-20); it is the helmet of salvation (1 Thess 5:8) that enables us to persevere through any tribulation.

The Magi from this weekend’s Feast of the Epiphany teach us this. While living in a difficult time, they recognized in the star a message of divine hope. Although unclear of what it signified, they knew that something new was taking place, something good. And so, filled with hope, they left everything behind to make a long and treacherous journey guided only by that star. And their hope was not disappointed. Upon encountering Jesus Christ their lives were changed for the better. They knelt down and did him homage, and for this reason, we reverence these magi as being especially wise.

Turning the page of a calendar may not be able to change our circumstances, but nurturing your relationship with Jesus Christ most definitely will. It did for me. When all was said and done, those nights of revelry in San Francisco always left me very disappointed. It wasn’t until I listened to the divine promptings of God and set out on my own journey toward him that my life began to become much more hopeful.

As we begin this new year together, let us make it a year of drawing closer to Jesus Christ, always remembering that it is He who draws close to us first. Let us open our hearts to the divine message of great hope that He is speaking to us, keeping in mind that, even if 2021 is another difficult year, we are not impeded from becoming wise, just like the Magi, not if we give ourselves to our God who loves us and comes to us to change our lives.

No matter what kind of year lies ahead, let us seek God’s Kingdom in all we do, and we will not be disappointed. You are in my prayers.

With much love,
Fr. Mario

Dear Friends,

First off, I’d like to offer some insight into some recent news. We’ve all heard about the COVID vaccines, and the hope that they are giving to our world. What some may not have heard is that there is a conversation going on about whether the vaccines are morally acceptable to receive. This is because vaccines are often developed using fetal tissue acquired from abortions, which are always wrong. I am not going to explain the science here, but I would like to provide a few resources so that you can explore this topic more. The first is a statement that comes from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which states that, of the numerous vaccines that have been produced, certain ones (namely Pfizer and Moderna), while not completely free from any connection to morally compromised tissue, are morally acceptable to receive, while others (e.g. AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson) should be avoided in favor of one of the alternatives. Here is the full statement: https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines

And here is a briefer one: https://www.usccb.org/resources/memo-to-bishops-on-vaccines-for-covid19.pdf

Lastly, here is another helpful resource which goes into more detail about how vaccines are created, and how fetal tissue plays a role: https://lozierinstitute.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-covid-19- vaccine/

I’d like to update you also on the Christmas schedule. If you received my Christmas letter you noticed that we initially planned to only livestream Mass on Christmas Day. Due to the expected influx of Christmas attendees, I thought it might be best to simply offer livestream only instead of denying a large amount of people the chance to attend in person. After reviewing this with the re-opening committee and the ushers, we agreed that we would be able to offer two Masses on Christmas Day, at 9:30am and noon. We are currently taking sign-ups on our website. Because of this change, we will no longer be offering livestream on Christmas day at noon. We are still offering the livestream on Christmas Eve. This is tentatively set for 10pm, but this may change if it violates the curfew regulation. This livestream will be available to watch on our YouTube channel Christmas Day if you prefer to wait. Please thank an usher if you see them!

Lastly, and most importantly, a word of encouragement in this final push towards Christmas. I invite you to do a check in. How has your Advent been? In his audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis noted that everyone needs interiority, to retreat within a space and a time dedicated to our relationship with God, not to evade the world or avoid disturbance, but to listen more closely to God. This is prayer, and this is what our hearts tend toward, it’s what they desire. During this final rush to Christmas, give yourself the gift of silence with God in prayer. What you will find is that this personal prayer is a gift not only for you, but also for your family, our community, and the world, since this silence, as Pope Francis concluded, helps us to have a more authentic Christmas, not one centered on materialism, but on the faith, hope, and love which shines forth in the Holy Family.

With much love,
Fr. Mario