Dec 10, 2018
English | Spanish
Tháng 12 năm 2018
Anh Chị Em thân mến,
Nguyện xin ánh sáng, ân sủng và bình an của Chúa Kitô, đấng đã đến, đang đến và sẽ đến, ở cùng anh chị em!
Mùa Vọng và Lễ Giáng Sinh hằng năm đến với chúng ta vào dịp cuối năm dương lịch. Nhìn lại một năm qua, là khoảng thời gian với những chuyện thật đáng buồn và thất vọng, nhưng chúng ta vẫn tràn đầy hy vọng, trông chờ những gì sẽ đến. Niềm hy vọng ấy được đặt nền tảng nơi Đấng sẽ đến: Chúa Giêsu Kitô, Chúa chúng ta.
Những tuần lễ mùa Vọng dẫn đến Giáng sinh khích lệ chúng ta đồng lòng cùng các vị ngôn sứ đã tiên báo ngày Chúa đến, khi họ nhiệt tình hy vọng trông đợi ngày chấm dứt ách nô lệ và giam cầm từng đóng dấu cuộc đời của con dân Israel. Ngay cả bây giờ, chúng ta sống trong cùng một niềm hy vọng này, như chúng ta thường hát “Hãy đến, hãy đến, hỡi Đấng Emmanuel, xin đến cứu chuộc Israel lao tù.” Chúng ta vui mừng, vì chúng ta tin tưởng rằng, bất chấp mọi sự, Thiên Chúa luôn ở cùng chúng ta.
Mùa Vọng giúp chúng ta chuẩn bị mừng Lễ Sinh Nhật Chúa, với tình yêu của Đức Maria và Thánh Giuse bao phủ, với tiếng hát thiên thần và các mục đồng chứng nhân. Chúng ta trìu mến hướng về đêm Giáng Sinh đầu tiên, là lý do chúng ta mừng kỷ niệm biết bao năm sau.
Những tuần lễ này trước Giáng sinh thôi thúc chúng ta nhận ra và chào đón Chúa bước vào cuộc sống của chúng ta, chắc chắn như Ngài đã bước vào đời sống và lịch sử nhân loại từ lâu ở Bethlehem.
Ở nơi nào chúng ta nhận ra Chúa hôm nay? Chúng ta có để tâm nghe tiếng Ngài nói với chúng ta qua Kinh Thánh không? Chúng ta có gặp sự chăm sóc yêu thương của Ngài đối với chúng ta trong các bí tích, đặc biệt bí tích Thánh Thể không? Chúng ta có nhận biết Ngài trong người khác và trong những người nghèo khổ và thiếu thốn, những người gõ cửa vào cuộc sống của chúng ta? Hôm nay, vào tháng 12 năm 2018, nhiều cha mẹ và con cái bé thơ, không khác gì Thánh Gia, đang tìm kiếm nơi an toàn đào thoát bạo lực đe dọa họ. Họ đến biên giới của đất nước này với hy vọng rằng, như Thánh Gia tìm thấy sự an toàn ở Ai Cập, những gia đình này sẽ tìm thấy sự chào đón mà chúng ta dành cho Chúa Giêsu, Mẹ Maria và Thánh Giuse.
Trông đợi Lễ Giáng Sinh và Năm Mới, chúng ta không thể xóa bỏ những sai lầm và bi kịch của quá khứ, nhưng chúng ta chắc chắn có thể tái cam kết bản thân và Giáo hội trung thành với Chúa mà chúng ta chuẩn bị mừng Sinh Nhật ngài với niềm vui và tình yêu.
Ước mong lời nguyện cổ xưa này ở trên môi và trong trái tim chúng ta: “Lạy Chúa Giêsu, đang sống trong lòng Đức Maria, xin đến và sống trong lòng chúng con.”
Xin gởi đến quý ông bà anh chị em lời cầu chúc tốt đẹp nhất, với lòng ưu ái chân thành.
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Patrick J. McGrath
Bishop of San Jose |
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Oscar Cantú
Bishop of San Jose |
Mar 14, 2018
From Bishop McGrath on the occasion of the
17-Minute Walkout to Commemorate the Killings In Parkland, FL.
Archbishop Mitty High School
March 14, 2018
I must begin my brief words by thanking you for this observance and for inviting me to be part of it.
There is absolutely no place I would rather be than to stand here in solidarity with you as you stand in solidarity with young people across our nation, and perhaps around the world.
The tragedy at Parkland is not even the latest of far too many shooting tragedies, for last Friday, we lost one of San Jose’s own, Saint Francis High School graduate, Dr. Jennifer Gonzales, and her unborn child, who were among the four gunned down in Yountville.
But today, your voices are being heard as never before. Your calls for sanity reverberate throughout the halls of power. Today, your outrage is shared by others, and you are our teachers.
Prayer, of course is good.
Likewise, Education is good.
And Solidarity, too, is good.
But we need to act.
To demand change.
To protect the lives of innocents.
Contrary to some, the answer is not more guns, not arming teachers with Oozies or AK-47s.
My generation and your parents’ and grandparents’ has failed. You may be the last chance for real change. You have something to say, and you must.
Some of you will vote in June and November. The rest of you must do the same when your time comes. Politicians live and die by elections. You can be the change that guarantees a chance for life for many.
Swords, guns and all weapons need to be turned into proverbial plowshares. But before this can happen,
Hearts must first be converted…
To peace, to justice, to care for one another,
Each and all as sisters and brothers,
Dedicated to the common good,
Sharing the common humanity,
Even if not a common faith.
And let us heed the words of the prophet Isaiah who foretold that when peace comes, it will be a child who leads all the rest of us.
May God bless you for what you do today and for all that you will do in the tomorrows yet to come.
Aug 16, 2017
Tolerance is one of founding principles of the United States. It is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, which declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Sadly, we have not always lived up to such lofty rhetoric, as evidenced most notably in the practice of slavery, the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War and racism and bigotry that historically have scarred our society. But we have the capacity to learn from past errors, and we continue to do so. The American dream lives on, in spite of the many challenges we still face. But it is threatened.
Recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, are indicative of the limits of tolerance. The hate-driven speech and actions of neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the KKK are rooted in a racism that can find no home in this country or our world. To invoke the name of God as justification for racist bigotry is an affront to all believers.
Santa Clara County, in which we are privileged to live, to raise families, and to contribute to the common good, is enriched by the religious, cultural and ethnic diversity of its residents and workers. This diversity is not only our strength; it is also our beauty. As Catholics, we are involved in a dialogue that builds bridges within our own parishes and diocese and with the larger community. We cherish the descendants of those who were here before the Europeans, as well as all whose relatives – or even themselves – have come to this Valley in successive waves of immigration. In the same way, we must foster and defend the rights and the dignity of all who are vulnerable because of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, language or any other defining characteristic.
I ask our Catholic community – and all people of good will – to join with me in prayer and work that is rooted in justice and peace.
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*Spanish and Vietnamese versions are currently being translated. Please contact Liz Sullivan (easullivan@dsj.org) from the Office of Communications for a copy of the translated version.
Dec 5, 2016
A training session for brand-new detention volunteers will be held at the Chancery on Saturday, February 18, 2017 from 9:00-11:30.
This session will be for new volunteers only. So if you are trying to decide if this ministry is for you, please come and find out!
The session will focus on the requirements for detention ministry, the security procedures that must be followed, and our role as ministers within this environment.
If you are interested in attending and would like to register, or if you would like further information, please contact Sister Maryann Cantlon at csjmaryann@gmail.com or at (408) 983-0131.
Nov 23, 2016
Spanish
November 23, 2016
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I address myself today to all Catholics and people of good will, here in Santa Clara County. In a special way, I am writing to those among us who live in fear – fear of discrimination, of deportation, of having their families torn apart.
There is a great deal of uncertainty in these weeks following the national elections. Yet we must respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and friends, and those who live and work with us in this Valley of Saint Clare.
While I will not attempt to offer any false hope, I do want to assure you that the Diocese of San Jose is working in partnership with Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose and other agencies, including Catholic Charities, to address both the fears of our people and steps to defend the human rights of every individual, regardless of ethnicity, place of origin, or religion.
On November 14, Mayor Sam Liccardo pledged to all who feel threatened by possible action, “We’ve got your back.” He went on to explain that “we cannot control the events in Washington, D.C., but we can do much to care for each other here at home.”
The Church makes the same pledge as we stand together in solidarity and accompaniment with those most in need. We cannot and will not abandon you because Jesus promised never to abandon us.
As a community that professes that kind of hope in Christ, our greatest strength lies in our ability to gather together in prayer. It is what the Lord Jesus did prior to every major event in his life. It is what we must also do as we continue “to promote a culture of mercy in which no one looks at another with indifference or turns away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters” (Pope Francis, Misericordia et Misera).
Therefore, I invite all to observe a Day of Prayer on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. For almost 500 years since the Blessed Virgin Mary’s appearance to a poor Indigenous Mexican named Juan Diego, Catholics have prayed for our Lady of Guadalupe’s protection and strength under her title as Patroness of the Americas.
It is in this image of Mary that we find comfort, consolation, strength, and hope. And it is in the union of our prayer with her that we encourage one another for the work that lies ahead.
So that we might pray together, I ask our churches to remain open throughout December 12, from Las Mañanitas (or the first Mass) in the morning until evening, as determined in each parish.
As we pray that day under the loving gaze of Guadalupe, the Mother of us all, let us remember that “we cannot love Our Lady of Guadalupe unless we love el pobre [the poor one] Juan Diego with the commitment of our lives”
In closing, I wish to recall the opening words of the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes:
The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.
Know that your joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties are ours, and I offer my prayers and solidarity with and for you. We stand with you.
With every best wish and kind regard, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Patrick J. McGrath
Bishop of San Jose
