August 2nd - Monday Flocknote
The Eucharist Does Not Renew Us,
It Transforms Us!
Transformation is the word I want you to keep an eye on this week. It is the work that the Eucharist does on us. Renewing involves recycling or changing the contents of the structure. To transform is to change structure and system itself, it is a new culture – a new way of seeing, interpreting, and understanding things God, the world, humanity, country, our own selves.
Six years ago, I preached here at Saint Charles on the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time on “The Power of the Eucharist to Transform Us.” At the time, I focused on the fact the Eucharist transforms our culture (mindset) against racism and other -isms and discriminations. You may click HERE for that homily and its importance in our times.
Today, I draw your attention to the power of the Eucharist to transform our culture against all the mindsets that prevent us from peaceful and healthy association with one another. In our current reality, we are struggling to come together in person in the midst of disease outbreaks and the partisan politicization of practically every issue in our world – including our own faith. As a result, our challenges include anti-science, anti-vaccines, anti-learning, anti-change, anti-difference, anti-dialogue, anti-critical biblical interpretation, and the like. All these were produced and we have allowed them to characterize our social structure, our culture, and our systems.
Thus, they are products of our culture – the mindset, our consciousness. Yes, culture is that huge overarching perspective in us with which we understand and make meaning out everything we experience without exception, including God and God’s will. A culture is a meaning-making machine or chip in us. For that reason, culture is what the Eucharist goes after our culture because, like it, the Eucharist itself is also a sign. It is a sign with meaning that seeks to change another sign and meaning.
Lest we think this is a mere sign, the Eucharistic sign implies significance or meaning. And today Jesus invites the crowd whom he fed in our last Sunday’s gospel to look for the sign of the feeding, beyond the physical food. As a sacrament, the Eucharist is not meant to satisfy our physical hunger: we are not looking for bodily nourishment or to taste a good wine; we are looking for the reality of our relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
The Eucharist goes after our culture because, like it, the Eucharist itself is also a sign. It is a sign with meaning that seeks to change another sign and meaning. Lest we think this is a mere sign, the Eucharistic sign implies significance or meaning. And today Jesus invites the crowd whom he fed in our last Sunday’s gospel to look for the sign of the feeding, beyond the physical food. As a sacrament, the Eucharist is not meant to satisfy our physical hunger: we are not looking for bodily nourishment or to taste a good wine, we are looking for the reality of our relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
If we are going to make it as a true Christian community, we must come back to Church, and let the Eucharist seal our bond of love and peace. For this, we need to change our mindset – our thinking and see that God is healing us through the vaccines, we need to change our thinking about people who are different from us, see life differently than we see life, we need to stop listening to the partisanship of politics and adopt the attitude of Jesus Christ towards every human being. We need transformation – a complete uprooting and revamping of our theology and our practices.
As Bryan Massingale said in his book Racial Justice and the Catholic Church, we Catholics have the most powerful tool to crush racism and all discrimination and disunity: it is the practice of the Eucharist. This practice is an ongoing transformation of our culture and mindset. It is my prayer, that as we seek to come back to Church, each and every one of us makes the effort to remove all obstacles to our safe association from your life. Get vaccinated as an act of love and desire of coming back in person while protecting yourself and other folks in our spiritual family.
Finally, I commend all those who showed up last Saturday after the 5:00 pm Mass for our first homecoming picnic. We had over 140 parishioners, and I got to hear some newly registered parishioners as well. I was completely blown away when I saw the scene of fellowshipping, food, and exchange of welcome. In our staff meeting, we talked about lessons learned to help in the next picnics to come.
Let your mind be transformed to see that it is possible to come together in the same Church with other children of God, Catholics like you are but different in other ways.
Fr. Kwame
Effective Midnight tonight August, 2nd the
Alameda County Public Health Department and the Diocese of Oakland are implementing face mask requirements for all persons entering indoor facilities.
We would like to extend a Thank You to Police Chief Jeramy Young, as well as Detectives Thompson and Bloom for speaking at St.Charles Borromeo on July, 28th!
To listen to the presentation click HERE
Click HERE to read important points of interest from the presentation.
If you have any questions regarding police matters please contact Chief Jeramy Young at 925.371.4710
For emergencies dial 911
We are happy to announce that there will be a CYO Cross Country season this year. The Diocese is still working out the remaining logistics and we will provide further information as soon as it becomes available.
CYO organizers are planning for the first sign-up to be held at Bothwell Park on Tuesday, August 3, from 6:00 pm-7:00 pm.
The second sign-up will be on Wednesday, August 11th. Registration is open to runners from Kindergarten through eighth grade.
Please contact Celene Boggs for more information.
Aug
6
Adoration: 3:00PM - 6:00PM Benediction: 6:00PM-6:30PM
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Reconciliation Appointments
on Saturday, August 7th
between 4:00 pm and 4:30 pm
Aug
9
Join us in the Keeley Center Monday, 6:30-8:30 PM
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Men of Faith will hold their next monthly meeting on Monday, August 9th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Father Leo Edgerly, Pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Piedmont, CA since 1999, has served the Diocese of Oakland in several important roles since he was ordained in 1984.
Please join us for his talk, God Writes Straight with Crooked Lines, and enjoy some particularly Good News!
Dinner will be provided. Confirm your meal HERE.
Jim Lucas
(925) 980-7871
Aug
11
Wednesday, 7:00-8:15 pm.
"How Does Your Community Provide For Those In Need Of Forgiveness?"
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
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.
Aug
14
Our Second "God, Gospel & Gather Fest" Picnic on the Lawn!
Free Mexican food will be available courtesy of St. Charles Borromeo immediately following the Mass at 5:00 pm.
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
This will be a fun time to enjoy gathering with friends and discovering new opportunities for learning in the fall.
At the listening table, continue to share your thoughts regarding returning to church. Free Mexican food will be provided courtesy of St. Charles Borromeo, immediately following our 5:00 pm Mass.
See you on Saturday, August 14th!
Aug
14
JustFaith - Small Faith Group Registration
Join us and register for your small faith group on August 14th.
Then, beginning in September, you will be exploring A Biblical Response to God's Call.
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Faith and Poverty: A Biblical Response
How do I respond to poverty and injustice?
What tools does my Catholic faith have to offer?
"Faith and Poverty: A Biblical Response" explores God’s call to respond to poverty in our local communities by equipping participants to take action. It's time to explore God’s call to respond to poverty in our local communities and take action in effective and sustainable ways.
To participate in this fall's exciting new faith and relationship-building program, sign-ups will begin on August 14th in the church and online.
For more information, click HERE to watch the video.
Aug
14
St. Bartholomew's is Hosting a Vaccination Clinic
Event will be held from 8:00am -12:30pm.
For more information please call 925.273.4220
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Calling all Parishioners!
"Not a Place Where, But a People Who...!"
Please contact the leaders of your former ministries
to discuss coming home.
You can also contact Tree Gorman, Director of Liturgy,
to determine if your ministry has returned.
We welcome and encourage you to look into joining one of
a number of ministries at St. Charles Borromeo.
We are here to answer any questions you may have.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community
1315 Lomitas Ave.
Livermore, CA 94550
"Not a Place Where...But a People Who"
