Together, we looked over today's readings, keeping in mind that October is Respect Life Month. Each reading seems to speak to us of people who are going through intense sufferings: Captivity, exile, emotional, physical, spiritual pain, discouragement, fear, weakness, tears of sorrow and even blindness. Places in which we find ourselves today.

God tells us He is our Father, who is always with us. He can and will help us. Because of His great love for us, He sent his Son Jesus into our human life. Jesus understands all our weaknesses and suffering - He has experienced it all! Through His suffering and death, Jesus became one with us.

In today's Gospel, we see Jesus' compassionate love in action. All that Bartimaeus had to do was call out to Jesus. As soon as he said Jesus' Name, He was moved with pity and returned to Bartimaeus his long-lost gift of sight. All we have to do is to call out to Jesus - He is listening!

This very day, Jesus is with the woman facing an unexpected pregnancy and with her baby; with those who are oppressed and with people living with the threat of violence, terrorism or war; with children who have been neglected or abused; with the prisoner awaiting execution; with the frail elderly who can no longer take care of themselves; with those who are terminally ill in their final hours.

Jesus lives our life with us; our life at all its stages. He asks us to open our eyes and see Him in everyone who suffers. He wants us to reach out to them and to help them - for it is in these precious children of God that Jesus lives!

LOVE LIFE - LIVE LOVE!

This weekend after the Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses, one of the Bethlehem Christian Families will be here to sell the lovely olive wood crosses, nativity sets, statues and Bethlehem rosaries made by 86 Palestinian Christian families. Besides the fact that these items would make lovely Christmas presents, your purchase will help these families who have suffered greatly because of the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Families living in the West Bank (of the Jordan River) which includes Bethlehem and Jerusalem had hoped for ten million tourists during the past year, but welcomed fewer than 10,000 visitors. Palestinians who traditionally work in the Israeli sections have not been allowed in because of the fear of violence.

Q. Are Roman Catholics really biblical Christians?

The Catholic faith is a living faith that traces its history back to the witnessing of the apostles and the communities they formed. Catholics recognize the Bible to be the authentic written expression of the faith of the early Church. We also believe that the Holy Spirit guides the Church so that it interprets the biblical revelation without error. Therefore, we look to Scripture in its entirety but also to the rich Tradition of the Church, including its teaching, when we seek the meaning of Scripture. We are biblical Christians in the sense that we reverence Scripture as inspired by God. But we do not treat Scripture as a document that is extra-ecclesial (outside the Church). We approach Scripture as a gift from God to the Church—a gift which has its home within the Church—because we believe that Christ came primarily to form a community of believers, not primarily to write a holy book that has its total meaning apart from the faith community.

Q. But we know the Bible is the Word of God. Why should anyone believe sacred Tradition is important? On the contrary, the Bible warns against placing mere human traditions above the Word of God!

We welcome you into our Parish!

John Paul & Grace Santos
Tom & Nancy Masucci
Marvin Santos & Rachel Tungol & Family
Amy Booth
John & Cynthia Zolezzi & Family
Pamela Machado
Gary & Stacy O'Grady & Family
Paul & Mary Newman & Family
Michael & Waltraud Ryan & Family

Dear Parish Family,

Greetings! I want to thank everyone who attended the Inaugural Youth Mass last week. It was a very special night and all the hard work was well worth it. My personal thanks to Father Ring, Father Tom, those in the Music Ministry, the Core Team, the adults who chaperoned the Social, The Men's Club, and everyone who helped in someway to make the night so wonderful. I apologize if I left anyone off that list, but please know I am very grateful. If you could not make it last week, or if you liked it so much you want to do it again, please join us next Sunday at 5:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please call me at (650) 255-0791. God Bless!

God is Good, All the time,
All the Time, God is Good!

The most fundamental building block of a just social order is respect for human life. Until men and women individually and collectively make a profound commitment to the value and dignity of all h human life, we will never find the true peace, justice and reconciliation, God desires for us.

Have you ever wondered who works behind the scenes, taking care of all the many details that make our Eucharistic Celebration run so smoothly? Who washes and irons altar linens and servers' robes? Who removes wax from candle-holders and the carpet? Who polishes and keeps the holders shiny? Who dusts the altar, ambo, Baptismal Font, piano and organ? Who keeps the sanctuary clean and tidy?

As the turning of the leaves and the wondrous harvest of squashes and pumpkins remind us of nature's fullness, the feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day remind us of the fulfillment of our faith, the joy of heaven. All Saints Day is this Saturday when we remember those saints recognized by the Church. If we're of the older generation and our parents were Catholic, we probably bear the name of one of those saints. They have gone before us and inspire us by their lives of dedication and self-giving. All Souls Day falls on Sunday this year when we remember other people, perhaps our parents, God parents or grandparents, beloved priests or teachers whose lives also inspire us. About some of them we say, "If he's [she's] not in heaven, no one is!" Others, we know, need our prayers.

We've all seen the baby who puts everything including a foot into her mouth, since she is the center of her world. As we grow, we hopefully learn that we are not the center of the world, but only part of a much bigger cosmos including many other people as well. We learn to recognize the presence of others, to share, to give of ourselves. Perhaps, purgatory helps us with that last phase of giving of ourselves so that we can be open to experience God in all God's goodness. Somehow, we believe as Catholics, that our prayers help those we love in that phase of spiritual growth. Hispanic Catholics celebrate the Día de los Muertos with skeleton-shaped candies and family picnics as a way of laughing at death and affirming their faith in the resurrection.

Here at St. Robert's, we'll continue the custom of bringing photos, prayer cards or other mementos of our loved ones to place by Mary's shrine throughout the month of November. Please bring the item Saturday or any time during the month and put your name and phone number on the back, so that it can be returned to you when the month is over.

Next weekend please bring your Clean Men's Clothing including jackets, coats, pants, shirts, shoes and sweaters to the Reconciliation Room after the 4:30 p.m. Mass on Saturday or between Masses on Sunday. There will also be a special pickup at the Men's Club meeting on Monday, November 3rd. Please no uniforms and remove all company logos to avoid against corporate misrepresentation and identity theft. Thank you!

With consistency, beautiful and undeviating, human life from its commencement to its close, is protected by common law...By law it is protected not only from immediate destruction, but from every degree of actual violence, and in some cases, from every degree of danger.

November's book is "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham. This is a fun book as the holidays approach. It is a story about a couple that try to avoid the hubbub of Christmas, by going on a cruise. It is a humorous look at the craziness of Christmas.