ST. BRENDAN CHURCH

29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. No. (415) 681-4225

www.stbrendanparish.org

Uncomfortable Religion: Allegiance To God Over the last few weeks, we’ve been taking an honest look at some of the rather uncomforta-ble statements made by Jesus in the Gos-pel readings. Our eight-week message

series leading up to Advent is called, More Than Lipservice: Living Out An Uncomfortable Religion. The personal challenge issued to each of us in these passages should not be a source of discouragement, but rather a call to honest self-assessment and the desire for change and growth. In the passage from Saint Matthew’s Gospel this week, the Pharisees team up with the Hero-dians, another Jewish sect, to entrap Jesus. It is an unholy alliance to bring down the Messiah. The Pharisees are religious patriots, bitterly opposed to the Roman occupation of Palestine at the time, while the Herodians are perfectly content to remain strange bedfellows with their Gentile rulers. Together they ap-proach Jesus and ask him whether a Jew should pay the census tax to the Roman Empire. It’s a trick question. Advising not to pay the tax would bring him before the authorities as an instigator of a tax revolt, but advising to pay the tax would discredit him in the eyes of the people who hated Roman rule. Jesus’ response was a simple one: “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). While the statement is intentionally indirect, Jesus ba-sically renders the claims of Caesar secondary to those of God. Compared to the coin of God’s realm, Caesar’s claim is rather trivial. While Caesar demands a coin, God demands the entire human person. Our highest

obligation in life, therefore, is to give ourselves back to the Lord. The uncomfortable truth is that God has claimed us for his own before we even could choose him and expects us to pledge our allegiance to him alone. A common interpretation of this passage segregates the two realms belonging to God and society into two sep-arate and exclusive kingdoms: one religious, the other

secular; one spiritual, the other temporal; one holy, the other ordinary; one sacred, the other profane. In this view, the two worlds never con-verge. However, God has always used the profane and the secular as instruments to carry out his divine will. Cyrus, for instance, was the king of Persia at the time the ancient Israelites were allowed to return to their homeland after a hundred years of exile in Babylon. Though Cyrus had never

known or worshiped the God of Israel, the Lord used him to free the exiles.

Once, I asked a class of young people to write down the name of every group or organization to which they belonged. The most common answers were school, sports teams, family, nation, or ethnic background. Church didn’t really come up, I suppose, because it must have seemed separate and alien from the ordinary world that occupied their daily attention. But what if we were to pledge our undivided allegiance to the one and only God by living in the temporal, sec-ular, and profane world as his followers, rebuilding human society from within? Instead of perceiving God and culture as two separate realities, what if we were to sanctify the world by our holy actions “in the ordinary circumstances of social and fami-ly life?” (Lumen Gentium n. 31).

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 22, 2017

Fr. Roger Gustafson, Pastor

News & Events Featured Events

ST. BRENDAN MEMORIAL MASS November 4 at 10:00 a.m.

Reception to follow in Church Hall

Join us for St. Brendan’s annual memorial mass to remember and pray for those who have died, espe-cially those who have passed away since October

2016. Bring a flower to place on the altar in remem-brance. If you would like to include a photograph of your loved one in the In Memoriam slideshow to be

presented at the reception, please email a photo-graph to Brad Angeja at bangeja@yahoo.com.

YEAR OF PRAYER CONTINUES November 15 at 7 p.m.

St. Brendan’s year of prayer continues next month with Father Roger speaking on Gratitude as a Way of Life. Experience an interactive session when Father Roger

will guide us in practicing prayers of gratitude. This will be the perfect way to get in the right mindset for the

Thanksgiving holidays. Praise & Worship Music includ-ed and light refreshments following presentation.

SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN TOURS

Tours for prospective kindergarten parents are now being held. Reservations for the tours must be made in advance by calling (415) 731-2665.

St. Brendan School, mindful of its mission to be witness to the love of Christ for all, admits students of any race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at this school. St. Brendan School does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin, age, sex or disability in administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Likewise, St. Brendan School does not unlawfully discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color and national and/or ethnic origin.

RETROUVAILLE WEEKEND FOR MARRIED COUPLES

November 3-5, 2017

Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. This program has helped thousands of couples experiencing

difficulties in their marriage. For confidential infor-mation or to register for the November program with

Father Roger, visit the website at www.retrouvaille.org, or pick up a brochure in the back of church.

The Good News

Graceful Prayer By Ben Gerigk,

St. Brendan Catechist

Each week, we will summarize a specific style, form, or approach to prayer, using the highly-acclaimed book by Robert J. Wicks, Prayer in the Catholic Tradition: A Handbook of Practical Ap-proaches (Franciscan Media 2006). In this article, you will learn more about how God’s grace and prayer relate to each other. First, it’s important to understand that grace is not a thing. Grace actually is a relationship with God. Through the favor of God, we are invited into his life of love. Grace is that free and undeserved gift from God that draws us more and more closely to him. The experience of grace develops as we become more fully aware of God’s presence, particularly at pivotal moments in our lives. A German Jesuit the-ologian, Karl Rahner, re-minds us, for example, that “grace is present in our experience at times when we live beyond our limits, when we hope beyond our hope, sacrifice our safety for our fellow neigh-bors, or when we seek the cause of truth and jus-tice.” Grace and prayer are intrinsically intertwined. They depend on and cooperate with each other. The more we turn towards God in praise and thanksgiving, the more the Lord’s grace silently works within us to turn us even more consciously towards God. It is a kind of cooperation between the human freedom to choose God or to reject him and the grace the Lord gives us to be able to choose him in the first place. As Saint Bernard of Clairvaux put

it, “every good act which fosters our growing un-ion with the Father through Christ in the Spirit and the love of our world is brought by God’s grace and in human freedom.” In other words, the more God pours out his grace on us, the more disposed towards prayer we be-come, and the more we pray, the more God’s grace is set into motion when we pray. This rela-tionship between grace and prayer continues to grow and deepen until that day when we are gath-ered fully into God’s kingdom and this world is

transformed into a new heaven and a new earth and God “may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). On that day, “cooperative grace” becomes “consummating grace.” The practice of asking for God’s grace in prayer can be found in the famous Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Each week, retreatants are di-rected to pray for God’s grace to make them more

penitent for wrongdoing, to deepen their love for Jesus and their desire to know him and share in his mission, to experience the suffering and death of Christ, and to share in the joy of the resurrection and new life in Christ. Grace supports and fulfills us as we pray, and we can and should ask for an outpouring of God’s grace in our prayer. This week, try asking the Lord not so much for the specific things you may seek in life, such as health or material blessings. Ra-ther, try simply asking for God’s grace to fill you completely and deeply, and then watch how over time you experience his presence more fully.

The Good News

”An Offering For The Hungry”

By Joanna Collins Author of Lyrics of Parish Song for Year of

Prayer, “We Gather in Your Presence”

On the journey of faith, prayer might well be con-sidered our GPS. It reminds us of our origin, out-lines our route, and highlights our destination. In truth, however, prayer is also the vehicle that car-ries us and propels us forward. Without it, our destination is simply unreachable. As the Cate-chism of the Catholic Church puts it, prayer is “a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God” (CCC 2558). It’s not just important. It’s vital. Like most raised in the faith, prayer for me began with, well, prayers: dinnertime grace, an Angel of God and “God Bless” before bed, and all the standard “Church pray-ers.” I knew people who were great pray-ers. My great-grandma, Rose, comes to mind, whose name, I was con-vinced, was short for “Rosary.” At some point, prayer also became internal: little conversations with God when I wanted to thank Him for something good or, more often, ask Him for something I really want-ed. Simple. Over time, life grew increasingly complex, and prayer shifted, mainly to the back burner. Prayer time was Sunday Mass. Sure, I made my requisite visits to the Grotto before exams during college days at Notre Dame, but what usually occupied my mind in those minutes were the math formu-las I needed to know the next morning. And the distractions and diversions just kept on coming. But God keeps knocking. I recognize now that prayer begins with God’s movement toward me, not vice-versa. And He never gives up. When

I’ve struggled most, He’s been there, waiting for me to turn to Him in a quiet moment, admit my failings, and listen. And as I come to know the loving relationship He desires to pour into me, prayer time takes on a whole new urgency. God is beyond us, God surrounds us, and God is within us. Prayer reflects that reality. We encoun-ter God externally in the wonder of creation and in the songs and prayers of our community of be-lievers. We come to know Him more deeply as we ponder His Word, and seek His grace and mercy in our hearts. Ultimately, we find God in

our innermost being, in the quiet contemplation of our soul. God speaks to us in those moments of silence. And in the silence, we can listen. Paul exhorted his disciples to “pray always,” to pray as we live. But, borrowing a para-phrase of the Catechism, we can’t pray always if we don’t pray sometimes. Personal pray-er needs to be built into our

day. For me, prayer happens in the stillness of the morning, beginning with a humble offering of praise and gratitude, reflection on the deep de-sires of my heart, and a renewed commitment to allow God to shepherd me. I offer intentions for each of my daughters, seeking guidance for them where they are most in need of His Wisdom. Then, with a short ‘examen’ at the end of the day, I give thanks for the times I responded to God’s call, and ask forgiveness for the times I didn’t. God invites us into relationship with him. May prayer be our heartfelt response.

Navigating Prayer

The Gospel passage today emphasizes that God’s kingdom must be primary. As good citizens, Christians are to pay taxes and support just governments. The most important claim on our lives, however, is allegiance to the one and only God. “I am the LORD and there is no other,” the first reading today says “There is no God besides me.” The demand for faithfulness to God alone arises from the story of our origin. We were created by a God who breathed life into our mortal bodies and animated each of us with a soul made for eterni-ty. We were created in his image the bible says in Genesis 1:26. As rational agents with free will to choose or reject righteousness, we were made to resemble the Creator and are therefore invited into his divine life through love of God and fellowship with one anoth-er. Made in the Lord’s image, we also are sent into the world on a mis-sion of redemption to call back creation to its original holiness through the sacrifice of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. In the second reading, Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonian people because they were chosen by God and called to a “work of faith and labor of love” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). “I have called you by your name,” God says to the king of Persia in the first reading. Alt-hough Cyrus did not know or worship the Israelite God, even he became an instrument of divine will. Stewardship is the clear expression of a Christian disciple who rec-ognizes that he or she was chosen by God and called into mission and ministry. With gratitude for all that we have been given, our fundamental identity is that of a steward, one who goes into the fields and labors for God’s kingdom by using our time, talent, and treasure for him alone. —Father Roger Gustafson, Pastor

Stewardship

Jesus makes the definitive statement in the gospel reading to “repay . . . to God what belongs to God.” Since everything belongs to God, the com-mand obviously is to return the first and best portion of what we have been given to be used for his purpos-es. We honor God, not by giving him a gift out of our abundance, some-thing we have earned, but rather as the reading says, “repay[ing]” him for the divine generosity we have been shown. Though many would like to deny it, this command also includes our material resources to be used for building God’s kingdom.We invite you to make a planned, proportionate, and sacrificial financial commitment to this parish and to poor. The biblical standard is a tenth of our income, be-fore taxes or anything else is taken out, half to the Church and half to the poor. It’s a huge step and takes trust, but we can never out give God.

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Stewardship is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares them generously in love of God and neighbor. Stewardship is not about money or fundraising. It is a spirituali-ty. It is a way of life. A steward recognizes that God is the source of all life and every blessing and that all gifts of time, talent, and treasure come from God. A steward is grateful for those gifts. A steward takes care of and increases those gifts, and then freely gives back the first and best portion of those gifts to God.

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SAINT BRENDAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Church

29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Rectory Phone: (415) 681-4225 Mon - Thurs: 8:30 am - Noon, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Sun: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm www.stbrendanparish.org

School 940 Laguna Honda Blvd. San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. (415) 731-2665 www.stbrendansf.com

Convent Canossian Sisters 234 Ulloa Street San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. (415) 681-3465

STAFF Pastor Fr. Roger Gustafson Ext.220 fatherrogergustafson@gmail.com Parochial Vicar Fr. Peterson Tieng Ext.214 frpete@stbrendanparish.org In Residence Fr. Paul Warren Ext. 208 Pastoral Associate Sr. Angela Furia, FdCC Ext. 201 srangela@stbrendanparish.org Director of Evangelization & Faith Formation Manolito Jaldon manolito@stbrendanparish.org Ext. 205 Music Director Mario Balestrieri (415) 218-1767 School Principal Dianne Lakatta (415) 731-2665 dlakatta@stbrendansf.com Parish Manager Lisa Rosenlund (415) 969-6815 lisa@stbrendanparish.org Finance Manager Venetia Hui Gatus Ext. 202 venetia@stbrendanparish.org Administrative Assistant Ext. 101 Maeve O’Reilly maeve@stbrendanparish.org

Religious Education & Sacramental Preparation

Infant Baptism & RCIA for Children Sr. Angela Furia (415) 681-4225, Ext. 201

Adult Faith Formation/Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA): Manolito S. Jaldon, Jr. (415) 681-4225, Ext. 205

Sunday Children’s Liturgy: Marco & Karen Donaldson Preparation for Reconciliation & First Holy Communion Grade 2: Stephanie Stanko Faith Formation: Grade 3: Tara Donohue Grades 4 & 5: Christina Bui

Preparation for Confirmation: Grade 6: Manolito S. Jaldon, Jr. & Ben Gerigk Grade 7: Liza Bonpin Grade 8: Mary Zell Spellman

Youth of St. Brendan: A Life Teen Ministry (Post Confirmation & High School): Manolito S. Jaldon, Jr. & Ben Gericgk

Liturgical Ministries

Lectors: Richard Pinto Eucharistic Ministers: Charlotte Bautista Ushers: Mike Casazza Sacristan: Jack Mona Liturgy Committee: Anne Kearney Parish Life Welcome Committee Kathleen Bost Jeremy Straus (sbwelcomecommittee@gmail.com)

Hospitality Committee Maria Evangelista

Mothers’ Club Lori Doyle

Men’s Club Joshua Shaskan

Respect Life Mary Ann Schwab

Knitting Ministry Marie Jean Longa

Experienced Navigators: Tony Fernandez

Married Couples Club: Angela Riordan & Elia Gonzalez sbmarriedcouplesclub@gmail.com

Outreach Ministries Consolation Ministry Merry Jean Chan mjchanstb@gmail.com

Detention Ministry (San Dimas) Julio Escobar (415) 244-5594

Marian Servers Dr. Lou Scheerer

St. Vincent de Paul Society Tad Tassone (415) 587-3849

MASSES

Sunday: 7:00, 8:00, 9:30,11:30 AM Mon-Fri: 6:30 & 8:30 AM Saturday: 8:30 AM 5:00 PM Holy Days: 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM

CONFESSIONS Saturday: 4:15 - 4:45 PM Wednesday: 7:15 - 7:45 PM

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Wednesday: 7:00 - 8:00 PM Saturday: 4:00 - 4:45 PM

BAPTISMS & WEDDINGS

For information, please see our website at www.stbrendanparish.org or call us at (415) 681-4225.

MASS INTENTIONS (October 23-29, 2017)

6:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m.

Monday Diana Heafey (D) Matthew Aguirre (L)

Tuesday Louis Armanino (D)

Christen Aguirre (L)

Wednesday Baltazar Aguirre Jr. (D)

Ricardo S. Morada (D)

Thursday Rogaciano Amo-ra Sr. (D)(B-Day)

Linda Cunningham (L) (Healing)

Friday Kevin Aguirre (L)

Helen Ng (D)

Weekday

Weekend

SAT 8:30 a.m. Rosario Aguirre (L)

SUN 7 a.m. The People of St. Brendan Parish

SUN 8 a.m. Jesse Tribulato(L)(100th B-Day)

SUN 9:30 a.m. Gertrude Maguire Smith (D)

SUN 11:30 a.m. Ann Shoback (D)

SAT 5 p.m. David O’Connor (D)

Parish Leadership

Advisory Board : Mike Modesti Finance Committee : Eoin O’Connor

Children and Youth Under Five Ministry: Kendra Perlitz Devon Klinefelter Girl Scouts: Lisa Shaskan Kirstin McFarlane Boy Scouts: Boy Scouts: Maureen Hurley Cub Scouts: Robert Rees (rdrees@gmail.com) Youth Ministry: Stacey Simpson Gus Del Puerto