During the Easter season, Jesus tells his disciples that after He departs, the Holy Spirit will enable them to be His witnesses. We, too, by our baptism, are called to be witnesses of Christ. The amazing thing about this is we have no idea of how or when Christ will ask us to witness.

Recently, one of my friends told how she was at work when a co-worker called and said her nephew was involved in a car accident. She said while the family belonged to no faith tradition, she knew that my friend did and wondered if she would pray for the 8 year old boy. Apparently the boy had been riding in a car which when hit the air bags deployed. He was banged up pretty good.

My friend immediately called the St. Robert’s Prayer Network. The next morning the woman called my friend and told her how the boy was doing so well he was sent home from the hospital. There was no permanent brain damage and the facial lacerations would not leave any permanent scars. In other words, the boy would be fine. My friend phoned the prayer network with the status and thanksgiving to all.

I don’t know if this situation will have a change in the faith experience of the co-worker or the boy’s, family but it certainly boosted the prayer and faith confidence of my friend and those who know her. The Spirit does work through us as witnesses of Christ.

Monday-May 22nd
Readings: Acts 16:11-15 - Jn 15:26—15:4a

Tuesday-May 23rd
Readings: Acts 16:22-34 - Jn 16:5-11

Wednesday-May 24th
Readings: Acts 17:15,22—18:1 - Jn 16:12-15

Thursday-May 25th
Readings: Acts 18:1-8 - Jn 16:16-20

Friday-May 26th
Readings: Acts 18:9-18 - Jn 16:20-23

Saturday-May 27th
Readings: Acts 18:23-28 - Jn 16:23b-28

We continue to ask each week that parishioners pray for the chronically ill of our parish. If you have a friend or loved one in need of our parish prayers please call the Rectory at 589-2800.

Can you spare some time?

We have been back in touch with our adopted parishes in Long Beach, Mississippi, and they still have a lot of work to do. They are in need of general laborers, as well as people with skills in the trades (electricians, plumbers, sheet rock hangers, etc.) We will set up a coordinated effort for anyone who can spare some time (maybe a week?) to go down and help out. I’ll be going down on Saturday, June 3rd thru Friday, June 9th, but they can use help through out the summer. If you think you can help, give me a call and we can put something together.

Separately, if you can’t give time, but can spare a donation we’ll put envelopes in the pews the next 2 Sundays (weekend of the 20/21 and 27/28) to take down to St. Thomas the Apostle and St. John’s to help families that are still getting by with friends or in trailers. Anything we can do for them is greatly appreciated.

Call Rob Aveson if you have any questions or can help.

Saint Roberts Church Library

Spiritual Reading will be available at St. Robert’s after the Masses on Sundays. Please take a few minutes either before or after Mass and check out a book or two that interest you. You may keep the books until you have them read. We have some books on the Library cart but we have many more in the Library/Reconciliation room.

The floral offerings and coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be held on Sunday, May 21st at 11:30 a.m. Mass.

CONGRATULATIONS!

on receiving the Puis X Award for their service in our Parish Religious Education Program. The Award was presented by Sister Celeste Arbuckle, at a celebration Friday May 19th at the Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco.

   
Thank you for your generous donation of $2640.30
to our School, CCD and Confirmation programs.

2ND COLLECTION-THIS WEEK-May 21st Is for Catholic Charities Appeal

God's Gift of Water
During the Easter Vigil liturgy, Fr. Bruce blessed the water in our font in front of the altar. The prayer traced the importance of water in our history as a people of faith: God’s separation of the waters to form dry land; the waters of the flood which Noah and the creatures escaped; our fleeing ancestors crossing the Red Sea; Jesus baptized in the Jordan by John; water and blood flowing from the side of the Savior; and the disciples baptizing “all nations” in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus promises the Samaritan woman “a spring of water” welling up within her, thus our fountain of flowing water, not stagnant. What a history! And we could add that early life forms may have evolved from the oceans and that we ourselves develop in the waters of the womb and that our bodies are mostly water. Water has a spiritual meaning in every religious tradition.

Nearly 1.1 billion people (17% of world population) are without access to improved sources of water and about 2.4 billion (40%) have no access to any form of improved sanitation services. Consequently, 2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die from diseases associated with lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. At least 90% of potable water n the world is groundwater. This source of water is increasingly threatened with depletion and contamination.

What can we do about all this? For starters, we can see water as the gift of God which it is and be sure we don’t waste it. If you were reared as I was to run the water while you brush you teeth – who knows why - you can begin by NOT doing that and teaching your children and grandchildren not to do it either. I used to think (foolishly) that most water which went down the kitchen sink or down the gutter was somehow recycled, but of course, it is not. I need to use water as the precious element it is, turning it off when I do dishes, watering plants with drinking water left over from dinner or in a plastic bottle. I could choose NOT to buy bottled water; studies have shown that it actually contains more contaminants than tap water since bottled water isn’t regulated and tap water is. “Bottled at the spring” sounds good, but who knows what else is near that spring? Also, you may not have noticed that it says on the bottle not to reuse it since the plastic actually leaches chemicals into the liquid when the temperature changes. In addition, our buying bottled water contributes to water being seen as a commodity instead of as a basic human right. Something to think about, yes?

MERCY CENTER
2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010
Tel: 650.340.7474, Fax: 650.340.1299
mc@mercyburl.org

May
28 Ruben Habito: Walking the Zen Christian Path

June
1-4-David Keller: Men’s Spirituality
12-18 Jesus: The Compassionate Face of God
16-18 Sr. Ishpriya: Finding a Spirituality in Chaotic Times
18-Sr. Ishpriya: Spirituality for a Borderless Planet
16-23 Weeklong Mediation Intensive

July
17-21 Summer Home Retrat

August
18-25 Weeklong Meditation Intensive

SAN DAMIANO RETREAT
P.O. Box 767, Danville, CA 94526
Tel: (925) 837-9141
www.sandamiano.org

Today's Gospel urges us to live a life centered on Christ. Let Worldwide Marriage Encounter help your marriage to be more Christ-centered. Call Paul and Yvonne at (650) 366-7093 or go to www.lovemoredeeply.org. Next weekend is July 14-16 in Burlingame

Dress Code: Full length black slacks, (jeans or spandex are not permitted), white shirt with collar, closed toe comfortable shoes (preferably black or white).

We will car pool from the rectory. For those working in San Francisco, you can meet the group at the gate.