July 5th - Monday
We the People of God
The United States of America celebrated 245 years of independence. This, right here, calls for not only a celebration but more importantly for reflection. Have we truly been “united” for so long? Is our unity authentic and real or a sham? What are the behaviors that have wounded and threaten to destroy the unity of the USA? Turn to our faith for answers! Recognize and attend to our unitive values instead of our race, class, partisan politics, country of origin, and other external realities!
“We the People of God” is my way of saying that American Catholic Christians bring something special to this year’s celebration of the USA’s independence, we bring God’s word in today’s gospel.
Jesus comes to his “native place” though unnamed which is consistent with Mark who has no story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. What we are to understand is that Jesus is well-known and familiar in this “native” place – it is his hometown, it’s a homeboy’s homecoming experience. Usually, one should expect a warm reception at home, I do each time I visited Ghana. Jesus however receives rejection. His people are over-fixated on and preoccupied with the external realities around Jesus that they fail to see his values and gifts that make him who he is.
Their rejection is based on their thoughts on His parents, relatives, jobs, status, etc. Their thoughts and knowledge of him have not grown but remained static, ancient, traditional, elementary. In their minds, Jesus should remain a carpenter, a Galilean like themselves, with no new ideas, progress in life, and no wisdom. The people show a lack of faith which is their blindness to the spiritual benefits and “goodies” in their homeboy. For this reason, as the gospel tells us Jesus “was not able to perform any mighty deed there…” (Mark 6:5).
What makes the USA a great nation is this idea found in the Preamble of our constitution that reads “We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union…ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This union is the spiritual mighty deed that we must always protect. This union or unity is possible only when respect and include all peoples from different backgrounds. Like people in Jesus’ hometown, if we get stuck on people’s race, creed, class, and outward appearances to determine how we treat them, our union would never survive.
We the People must learn from this gospel reading today a lesson of accepting each other’s gifts, newness, freshness, difference, dynamism, and change. What is threatening the USA today is the refusal to progress, change with the signs of the times, dialogue with science, other religions and cultures, new understanding of our humanity and sexuality, and so on.
Like folks in Jesus’ times who couldn’t just accept that Jesus whom they knew as a child growing up can now do mighty deeds, healing the sick and restoring people to wholeness, there are folks in our twenty-first-century America who would not accept the citizenship of other persons and their contribution to American greatness simply because of their national origin, what they look like, their body impairment, or sexual orientation.
To become “We the People of God”, we must learn to protect, defend, and promote our unity in diversity. We must breathe newness, progress, and freshness into our constitution, laws, and scriptures. We must welcome more immigrants who bring freshness and difference to contribute to our union. We must learn to recognize and embrace the new revelations God gives us in our 21st-century cultures. God bless the USA!
Fr. Kwame
Thank you to Father Alfred Amos for presiding over our Fourth of July Mass, which was the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time!
Reconciliation Appointments
SIGN UP for ten-minute appointments
on Saturday, July 10th
between 4:00 pm and 4:30 pm
Due to Fr. Kwame's Schedule
for the Next Three Weeks, Many Weekdays
will Feature 9:00 AM Communion Services
Instead of Masses.
for the Next Three Weeks, Many Weekdays
will Feature 9:00 AM Communion Services
Instead of Masses.
Monday, July 5th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Tuesday, July 6th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Wednesday, July 7th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Thursday, July 8th: Weekday Mass (Livestreamed)
Friday, July 9th: Weekday Mass (Livestreamed)
Monday, July 12th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Tuesday, July 13th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Wednesday, July 14th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Thursday, July 15th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Friday, July 16th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Monday, July 19th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Tuesday, July 20th: Communion Service (Not Livestreamed)
Wednesday, July 21st: Weekday Mass (Livestreamed)
Thursday, July 22nd: Weekday Mass (Livestreamed)
Friday, July 23rd: Weekday Mass (Livestreamed)
Friday, July 23rd: Weekday Mass (Livestreamed)
Our Regular Schedule Resumes
at This Point
Please contact Tree Gorman if you have any questions.
Please contact Tree Gorman regarding Liturgy questions.
July Religion Chat is Postponed!
Next Meeting:
Wednesday, August 11, 2021, 7:00–8:15 p.m.
Topic:
How does your community provide for those in need of forgiveness?
Speakers:
Rabbi Laurence Milder, Congregation Beth Emek;
and Dr. Abdul-Mun'im Sombat Jitmoud, Muslim.
Afterward, there will be time for questions and optional participation in break-out groups. All are welcome!
Click HERE to view the June 9th episode with St. Charles' member Maria Owen as the speaker.
Interfaith Interconnect comprises over twenty Tri-Valley congregations, including St. Charles. Its mission is, “To enrich, inform and educate ourselves and others about the great diversity of faiths and cultures in our valley.”
Contact Marcia at 925-321-0730 or Interfaith.interconnect@gmail.com.
MEN OF FAITH
Come and join us
Saturday 7/10
9 am for a hike near Sunol
This month we'll be meeting up to do the Oak Tree Trail, with free parking at the Foothill Staging Area (37.614702, -121.881921). The basic loop is a moderate 1.9mi, and the area has plenty of opportunities to continue on a longer hike if the group (or any individuals) want to go further!
Remember your sunscreen and hat, bring your water, and let's have some fun enjoying God's creation and a chance to spend time with other Men of Faith.
Contact Steve Cambell for more informaiton.
Dinner will be provided at no cost. Join us in the Keeley Center Hall or on Zoom.
A free-will offering may be made at the event.
Zoom starts at 7:00 p.m. Click HERE to join.
Meeting ID: 88431249124
Passcode: 659894
Roy Cavellini
(925) 200-4127
Jul
12
Monday, July 12th, 6:30 pm
Topic: Sacrament of Reconciliation
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Men of Faith will hold their next monthly meeting on Monday, July 12th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. confirm your seat HERE.
Fr. Mark Wiesner, who we all remember as our former Pastor, will be speaking on the subject of Reconciliation. The title of his presentation is “You did WHAT?”
Please join us for his talk and share dinner with your fellow Men of Faith.
Protecting Yourself from the Sun While Getting Enough Vitamin D
By Tony Barton
Summer is here, and that means an increased focus on avoiding the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays by covering our skin, seeking shade, and using sunscreen. Still, the sun does bring some positive health benefits, namely vitamin D, which allows our body to absorb nutrients like calcium and supports healthy immune function. But how can we balance the body’s need for vitamin D with the very real risks of skin cancer from overexposure to the sun?
Sources of Vitamin D and Risks from Deficiency
Our bodies create vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. Some foods naturally contain vitamin D (e.g., wild salmon, tuna, eggs) and other foods are often fortified with it (e.g., milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice). The third way to get vitamin D is by taking it as a supplement. Even with all this vitamin D available, around 40 percent of U.S. adults are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to osteoporosis, cancer, depression, and other serious health effects.
Vitamin D deficiency is even more prevalent among Hispanic adults (63 percent) and African American adults (82 percent). This is likely caused by several factors, including a lack of quality health care, a lack of health education, and that darker-skinned people naturally have more melanin in their skin. Melanin acts as a natural sunscreen and means that people with darker skin tones need more sun exposure to make the same amount of vitamin D as lighter-skinned people.
How Much Sun Is Enough to Make Vitamin D?
If you’re curious how much sun exposure you need each day to get enough vitamin D, the answer is “probably less than you think.” Factors like location, time of day, skin color, and amount of bare skin exposed mean there’s no magic number of minutes, but we do have some rough estimates. A UK study found that nine minutes of the midday summer sun was enough for Caucasian adults to maintain healthy vitamin D levels. Another study found that 30 minutes of the midday sun in Norway was equivalent to about 15,000 IU of vitamin D. For comparison, the daily recommended amount for adults age 18-70 is 600 IU. It’s worth noting that the body breaks down excess vitamin D past a certain level, so getting a little sun exposure every day is much better than trying to soak up a week’s worth of sun all at once.
Consequences of Overexposure to the Sun
Based on the estimates above, if you spend lots of time outdoors, it’s likely you already get enough vitamin D from the sun. Most of us aren’t perfect at covering up every time we go outdoors or reapplying sunscreen every two hours. However, if you follow sun-protective behaviors regularly, especially if you have darker skin, you may not be getting enough vitamin D. If that’s the case for you, consider adding foods rich in vitamin D to your diet or taking a vitamin D supplement instead of opting for additional sun exposure.
Remember that overexposure to the sun’s rays can lead to painful sunburns, eye damage, premature skin aging, and skin cancer. Just being outdoors, you get a fair amount of sun exposure and some sun-related generation of vitamin D. However, because skin cancer, particularly melanoma, can be such a devastating disease, it’s best to use sunblock when outdoors in strong sunlight for any prolonged length of time. Since this may limit the amount of vitamin D you get from sun exposure, make sure your diet includes sources of vitamin D from foods or supplements.
St. Charles has unfortunately been vandalized multiple times over the past months. For the safety of our staff, parishioners and guests we will be installing a security video system.
In addition, you will notice new signs being placed around the parish similar to the one above.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact Holly O'Hagan.
Calling all Parishioners!
As we always say: The Mass is missing something when you are not here. We are missing something when YOU do not serve with the gifts you have been given to share.
Please contact the heads of your former ministries to discuss coming home. You can also contact Tree Gorman, Director of Liturgy, to inquire about whether your ministry is back yet. We welcome you to look into joining one of a number of ministries for the first time.
We are here to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact Holly O'Hagan for further information. We are here for you!
~ Job Opportunities Available ~
We are searching for talented & creative individuals who have a passion
We are searching for talented & creative individuals who have a passion
for knowledge and teaching.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community
1315 Lomitas Ave.
Livermore, CA 94550
"Not a Place Where...But a People Who"
