The Unsisterly Sisters

There is a true story told of two unmarried sisters, who lived together, but because of an unresolved disagreement over an insignificant issue, refused to speak to each other—one of the inescapable results of refusing to forgive.

Since they were either unable or unwilling to move out of their small house, they continued to use the same rooms, eat at the same table, use the same appliances, and sleep in the same room—all separately, without one word. A chalk line divided the sleeping area into two halves, separating doorways as well as the fireplace. Each would come and go, cook and eat, sew and read without ever talking to the other.

Through the black of the night, each could hear the deep breathing of the other, but because both were unwilling to take the first step toward forgiving the silly offense, they coexisted for years in grinding silence (Great Church Fights by Leslie B. Flynn).

Lines of Resentment

It would be rare to find such a situation today with two people living in the same house and a line drawn down the middle. But it would not be rare to find this situation between two people who live in separate houses or even separate parts of the world. Imaginary lines can be just as powerful as lines drawn with chalk. Resentment and anger can lead to a complete separation of two people for very many years, often till the death of one of them. If you are caught in the web of resentment, you know firsthand how it can entangle and strangle you.

The older brother in today's dramatic story was unable to rejoice with his father. His resentment made him unable to feel any happiness when his younger brother returned to the family. He was frozen in his attitude, both towards his brother and his father. He had become a slave of his own self-created bitterness.

Self or Other?

How is it that the father and the older brother both had very different reactions? One simple, but radically different, thing about their attitudes can be found in this important difference. The older brother thought only about himself, while the father thought only about his son. The older brother became resentful because he judged that the father had not been fair to him.

The inner life of the older brother seemed to be controlled by his own small view of the world. In his view, he was at the center and everything had to revolve around him. He had made himself powerless to enter into the world of another person. So instead of rejoicing with his younger brother, he could only judge him. Being trapped by his own narrowness, he became the victim of resentment.

The father, on the other hand, was able to see beyond his own narrow self-concerns. He was filled with joy when he saw his younger son coming home, because he had the ability to enter into the feelings of his once-lost son. His compassion made it possible for the father to sense what was going on in his younger son. And so the father declared: "...we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found."

On Our Side

Both the father and the older brother were confronted with the same situation, and both reacted in completely different ways. If I asked you who of the two you would like to have on your side, the answer would be quite obvious. We all yearn for someone who can enter into our world and feel something of what is going on there. We fear the person whose vision of life is so narrow that everything is only seen through a cramped and constricted vision.

The obvious, but rather frightening and complicated, question is: how wide is my vision? Am I able to rejoice and be supportive with people when significant things happen in their lives? If someone injures me, are they in my bad books forever? Is my world so narrow that I don't want to hear what is really happening to other people if it doesn't affect me? Are there whole groups of people whom I automatically exclude from my mind and heart? Am I resentful whenever I hear about something good happening to another person? Is jealousy my first reaction? Just being aware of any tendency towards resentment can be a valuable first step in widening my own person vision of life.

Always Waiting

But let's not forget that in God's eyes, we are all the younger son. God, our loving Creator, is always waiting for our return with open and welcoming arms. Today's story is the strongest possible reminder that we are all loved by God, no matter in what emotional or spiritual shape we may find ourselves. If we have moved off the path of right and honest living, there is no need to fear. If we have even the smallest desire to change, that is enough.

We don't have to wait for any remarkable thing to happen inside of ourselves. Wanting to come home to God and to God's people is enough. In his book, The Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen wrote these words: "The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace...We must dare to opt consciously for our choosiness and not allow our emotions, feelings, or passions to seduce us into self-rejection."

May we allow God to love and embrace us as only God can.

Mother Teresa said that Christ comes to us in the distressing disguise of the poor. She also said that it is a terrible poverty that a child must die so that people might live as they wish. Taken together, I believe that the poorest of the poor are those whose poverty lies in the loss of a child. We should consider them the face of Christ in our lives and help them with a kind word, a listening ear, a healing embrace. Only love can overcome the tragedy of abortion, and that love must begin with each of us.

– Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus, Address at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Project Rachel

For mothers and fathers who suffer remorse and pain after an abortion: may they find peace through the sacrament of reconciliation and be consoled through the ministry of Project Rachel; we pray to the Lord. Amen.

They need you to pray for them. Please take 90 seconds out of your busy schedule and offer one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be for the sick of our parish family: Frank Sabido, Luciano Longoria, Mary Garcia, Fabi Serna, M/M Bill Holzer, Alicia Garces, Fulmer Family, Robert Donohue, Bert Bednarz, Ruben Cruz, Clement Zuehr, Theresa & Cecil Toudouze, Richard Ledesma, Sam Patterson, Rosie Vontur, Florence Alcoser, Nina Reyes, Bruce Knutson, Janet Barton, Barbara Torres, Carmel Van Alen, Ed Fischnar, Julian Galindo, Charlie & Billie Sievers, Rosaura Trevino, Marie Denman, Mary Cerha, Nancy Souhrada, Sandra Cave, Carlos Vazquez, Robyn Marcum, Dee Hancock, Mark Spiekerman, Randy Schriedel and Louis Perez.

(Names run for four consecutive weeks unless the church office is otherwise notified.)

In Sympathy…The parish community extends its condolences to parishioner Joann James, whose husband, Robert Byrne James, recently passed away. Absolve, we beseech You, O Lord, the soul of Your servant Robert from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THIS WEEK’S PARISH SPOTLIGHT

BAPTISMS

Jacob Alan Souhrada, child of Jeffery & Melissa Souhrada

Jacob Michael Ramirez, child of Michael & Olivia Ramirez

Pete Joaquin Morales, child of Pete & Monica Morales

Derek Roger Carlos, child of Rogelio & Myrna Carlos

Jaron Rhys Zarate, child of Ronald & Teresa Zarate

Justin Jorge Dominguez, child of Arturo Dominguez & Sophia Gonzalez

Sophia Comeau child of Ron and Kelly Comeau

WEDDINGS

Gabriel Galvan & Jackie Cortez

Louis Bonilla & Cristina Rodriguez

Pray for an unborn child!

St. Anthony Claret Respect Life Ministry

3rd Annual Spiritual Adoption: Sept. 2009 to June 2010

Our parish’s Respect Life Ministry invites you to join in this year’s Spiritual Adoption.

Offer this prayer daily for a baby forming in the womb of an unknown mother and for an end to abortion: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you very much; I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child that I have spiritually adopted, who is in danger of abortion.

During your earthly life, this child which you have adopted will be known only to God, but in the hereafter, you will enjoy each other’s company for all eternity.

Developmental Update—Your spiritually adopted baby at 28 weeks

By now the baby’s brain-wave patterns resemble those of a full term baby. In fact, the mother’s voice can be heard and recognized at this point in development. There is a good chance of survival if birth occurs at this stage of development. The baby is about 10 to 13 inches long and weighs about 2 to 2 1/4 pounds.

New Altar Server Training

Young men and ladies: have you ever thought about becoming an altar server at the Lord’s Table? If so, join us at the new altar server training session March 20, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. in the church. To be eligible you must have received your First Communion, or receiving it soon, and have a deep love for God. We’ll have a brief meeting followed by a training session. If you or your parents have any questions please call Deacon Jerry at 210-679-8434.

Seder Meal

Wed., March 31, 6:30 p.m., Monsignor Hubertus Hall

Adults: $10; children 6-12: $5; children under 5: fee

Tickets on sale after all Masses.

Seder celebration volunteers needed! For more info, if you can help, call Darlene Belanger at 210-679-6775 or Tracey Kollmansberger at 210-273-4818.

High School Seniors: Don’t procrastinate!

Three parish organizations—the Men’s Club, the Knights of Columbus and the Ladies of St. Anthony—are ready to help offset some of your college expenses. They will offer a few $500 scholarships to deserving high school seniors. NOW is the time to work on completing your St. Anthony Claret scholarship applications! Don’t wait until the last minute because you need to obtain three character references from individuals who need time to complete the forms and mail them in to our office. Pick up your application in the narthex. And hurry, they must be postmarked on or before March 26!

Unsure if you’ll qualify? Read the guidelines which accompany the application.

If you meet the minimum guidelines, then apply.

You just might have $500 to show for your few hours of effort!

Gabriel Project Open House Please join us for an open house in the new Gabriel Project building after all Masses March 20/21. Gabriel Project team members will be available to answer questions about the ministry.  Donations of baby items (diapers in larger sizes) and monetary donations will be accepted.

Men’s Club Lenten Fish Fry

Fridays, 5 – 7 p.m., through Mar. 26, Monsignor Hubertus Hall

Shrimp or fried or grilled pollock, bread, choice of 2 veggies; tea or coffee

$6/plate; desserts: 50 cents ea. Kids under age 7 eat free!

Natural Family Planning builds strong families, is medically safe, morally acceptable and highly effective. Build intimacy and increase communication in your marriage. Share the responsibility for family planning. NFP is inexpensive and reversible. All new, dynamic, easier to learn class series begins March 21 here in our parish.  For more information call Chris and Nicole Glowe at 210-257-6616. Order materials before the class at www.ccli.org.

Learn to Make Rosaries!

Can you string a bead and count to ten? Making rosaries is a very easy skill to learn, and provides a wonderful opportunity to share in our devotion to Our Blessed Mother. A group of dedicated parishioners meet regularly to make both beaded and cord rosaries. 

1:15 – 3 p.m., first Sunday of the month; 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., every Tuesday*

Here at St. Anthony Claret (Look for the sign!)

Questions? Contact Maria Herrera: 210- 679-7091 (Sunday group);

or Lindsey Kindt: 210- 474-6811 (Tuesday group)

All ages welcome!

*NOTE: March 16 Tuesday morning meeting will not take place due to spring break.

YOU did it again! Father McCaffrey blown away by YOUR generosity!

Father Daniel McCaffrey, S.T.D. led our parish Lenten mission last month. Recently he sent a note of gratitude to Father Jan which he shares here with us:

“Once again, I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your priestly hospitality…It was a great joy for me being with you, a faithful priest and true shepherd of God’s people!

Please let your dear parishioners know how I truly enjoyed being with them earlier in the week. They are a credit to your fatherly care. Their overwhelming generosity amounted to over $9,000.00! I’m most grateful. Assure them that these offerings will go a long way in supporting my Apostolate to married couples.

May you and your people be blest abundantly throughout this holy season of Lent.”

Mandatory Ministry Training for BOTH current and new ministers:

7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 17 – Ministers of Hospitality

7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 24 – Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion*

* IMPORTANT: New date! This is rescheduled from original date of March 3.

10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 20 – Altar Servers (new only)

There is an especially urgent need for individuals to assist with these ministries at the Sunday 3 p.m. Spanish & 6 p.m. Masses.

Importantes y obligatorias sesiones de entrenamiento los cuales

para AMBOS actuales y nuevos ministros:

7:30 p.m. Miercoles, 17 de Marzo – Ministros de Hospitalidad

7:30 p.m. Miercoles, 24 de Marzo–Ministros extraordinarios de la Santa Comunión*

*IMPORTANTE: Nueva fecha!  Esta fue reprogramada de la fecha original del 3

de Marzo.

10:30 a.m. Sábado, 20 de Marzo – Acólitos (nuevo)

Hay una necesidad urgente de personas para ayudar con estos ministerios en las misas de las 3 p.m. (la Misa en español) y las 6 p.m.

Men, want to be a better husband, father, worker, Catholic, and person? 

The St. Anthony Mary Claret ACTS community

invites men 18 & over to improve themselves and make new friends in the parish. 

April 8-11; Cordi-Marian Retreat Center

Cost; $150; confidential financial help available for those in need

Pamphlets available in the narthex.

Questions? Contact Ron Comeau: 210-846-6075; Will Phinizy: 210-669-1871;

or Doug Murphy: 210-414-0416.

Journey through Scripture: The Bible and the Sacraments

The Bible and the Sacraments is a six-week Bible study where we will examine the sacraments of our Catholic faith to understand where the sacraments come from, what they mean, and why they are so important and foundational to our faith.  The Bible and the Sacraments, the newest of the parish studies written and supported by Dr. Scott Hahn and the team from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, incorporates live and multimedia presentations along with small group discussion, with some outside reading.  To learn more visit St. Paul Center’s website at www.SalvationHistory.com. For more info on classes contact Charolette J. Garcia-Aboytes “CJ” at 210-692-1916 or the parish at 210- 688-9033.

Registration will be held after all Masses March 20/21.

Classes begin Sunday, April 11, 6 – 7 p.m.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Prayer Intentions for March

General Intention: World Economy. That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equality, taking into account the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest.

Mission Intention: Churches in Africa. That the churches throughout Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice.

Daily Offering Prayer for the Holy Father’s Intentions

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

Sunday Vespers

Please join us in praying this beautiful prayer of our church.

It will be sung in the church at 5:30 pm each Sunday throughout the season of Lent.

Mark your calendars now!

June 21- 25; Vacation Bible School. Registration begins May 8.

News from the Ladies of St Anthony Mary Claret

Monthly Meeting

Sunday, Mar 21, 12 p.m., Msgr. Hubertus Hall

Members are encouraged to attend to share prayer, fellowship and discuss future projects.

All ladies of the parish over age 18 are invited to visit and learn about our ministry.

Religious Goods Sale

First weekend of every month. Think First Communion, Mother's Day, Father's Day gifts. All net proceeds benefit our parish.

Upcoming Events

April 17; Bunco, 6:30 p.m., Msgr. Hubertus Hall

May 29: Mother/Son Party, 6:30 p.m., Msgr. Hubertus Hall

(This celebration happens only once every three years!)

Watch this bulletin for more information.

Annulment Workshop: Declaration of Nullity

Msgr. Mike Yarbrough and Carmen Mason, a former member of the Marriage Tribunal, will hold their semi-annual workshop on the Declaration of Nullity, commonly called the Annulment Workshop. This informational and educational session concerning annulment in the Archdiocese of San Antonio will allow attendees to do a “walk through” of the actual petition. Open to those wishing to learn about the process and deepen their knowledge of Catholic annulment.

Monday, March 22, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

St. Matthew Catholic Church Parish Hall

10703 Wurzbach Road, San Antonio, TX 78230

For more info call Carmen Mason at 210-492-240.

Project Rachel Retreats

Now is the time to put down the burden of abortion. 

Don’t suffer any longer; know the joy of God’s healing love.

March 20: Spanish-language retreat; call 210-722-4213 for more info.

April 9-10 retreat in new Braunfels: call 830-481-3546.

Feeling Guilty

Did you hear about the man who sent a check to the government for back taxes with a note attached that said: "I felt so guilty for cheating on my taxes I had to send you this check. If I don't feel any better, I'll send you the rest."

Well that's hardly the kind of repentance Jesus was talking about. Jesus wants us to put away everything that keeps us from being his wholehearted followers. And he wants us to do it now. The message is clear, simple and direct. We don't have forever to change. Death will come to all of us at some unknown point of time. In the book of Psalms we read: Make us know the shortness of our lives, so that we may gain wisdom of heart.

And so my job today is to convince you that you really are going to die and that you had better get your act together right now before it's too late. Now that should cheer you up, shouldn't it? But no matter what angle we take, as we look at today's gospel, we just can't get away from the fact that the message is loud and clear—we don't have forever to change the way we live. For some of us, it's now or never.

John Climacus, a seventh-century ascetic urged Christians to use the reality of death to their benefit: "You cannot pass a day devoutly unless you think of it as your last," he wrote. He called the thought of death the "most essential of all works" and a gift from God. "The man who lives daily with the thought of death is to be admired, and the man who gives himself to it by the hour is surely a saint."

I hope you can see that this spiritual writer actually used the thought of death as a source of freedom and peace. He calls it a gift from God. When we realize that we are not going to live forever on this earth, then so many things in life lose their undue and inflated importance. When we are able to see life in perspective, we begin to relax about issues that would normally drive us to distraction. Since our life on earth is only for a time, then it doesn't make sense to live as if there were no end in sight.

Looking Good

For example, take our physical appearance. We do have a responsibility to look after our health. And so we should be concerned about sleep, diet, exercise and so on. But so many people act as if they were going to live forever. They want to look young even when they are no longer young, and so they take drastic steps to hide any signs of aging. There is nothing wrong with aging. It is simply a part of life. To act as if God made a mistake in allowing us to grow older is in some sense a defiance of God's plan for us. But the real problem is that when we do things to ourselves in an attempt to deny our age, we create a subtle illusion within ourselves that we can somehow cheat death for a while longer. Anything that keeps us from living in the world as it is can't be good for us.

We've all heard of, or known about, the middle-age man who suddenly buys a sports car and starts wearing clothes that only look good on a 20-year old. He may even dump his wife for a younger model. It's very clear what's happening to that fellow. He has come face-to-face with the fact that he is growing older and he just can't stand that thought, so he does everything possible to live in denial. But the reality is, no matter how many sports cars he buys, no matter how many younger women he seduces, no matter how loud he plays his music, he is still going to die.

A Date with Death

An ancient story is told about a slave who traveled with his master to Baghdad. As he walked the busy streets he found himself in the market place where he saw Death in human form. Death looked at him with such a piercing look that it frightened the slave, and he interpreted that look to mean that Death was planning soon to take his life.

He quickly rushed back to his master and told him what he had seen in the market place and asked if he might ride his camel to Samara, 15 hours away; because he was sure that he would be safe there, for Death would not know where to find him. The master gave him permission, and quickly the slave was on his way to Samara.

A few hours later the master was in the market place where he also saw Death in human form. He walked up to Death and asked, "Why did you look at my slave with such a threatening look?" Death answered, "That was not a threatening look. That was a look of surprise. I had a date with him tonight in Samara and I was surprised to see him here in Baghdad."

Running From Sin

Instead of running away from death, we should be running away from sin. Sin is the real death. It kills our capacity for real living, and so makes life distasteful and empty. When we get caught up in a sinful habit, we lessen our capacity to bring life to other people. Sin drives us inward and so we become self-centered instead of other-centered.

Life can be cut short for anyone of us at anytime. The roots of living in the illusion that we will never die seem to go very deep. And so today we are given a double-headed task. We are asked to shatter the illusion that we will never die, and break the attachment to sin. If we can start to accomplish both of these tasks, we will live a fruitful and other-centered life. And please remember that we do not have to do these things by ourselves. The Divine Gardener will be more than happy to nourish and strengthen us so that we might become healthy trees bearing life-giving fruit.

The Second Vatican Council reminded the entire Church that we are to be a leaven for the world’s transformation. … Recently, we have tried to be such a leaven in the debate about health care. It is not for us to speak to particular means of delivering health care; it is our responsibility, however, to insist, as a moral voice concerned with human solidarity, that everyone should be cared for and that no one should be deliberately killed.

– Cardinal Francis George, Presidential Address to General Meeting of U.S. bishops, Nov. 16, 2009

For all who have been involved in abortion, euthanasia, or other sins against the dignity of human life: that our merciful and compassionate Lord will allow them the grace of repentance before their death; we pray to the Lord. Amen.