MASSES:

Saturday: 8:00AM; 5:00 PM (Vigil) Sunday: 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 6:00 PM

Weekdays: Tuesday-Friday 8:00 AM (Mondays: 8:00 AM Communion Service) Holy Days & Special Services: see bulletin RECONCILIATION: Saturdays, 4:00 PM PERPETUAL HELP NOVENA: Tuesdays 8:30 AM MARRIAGES: Those wishing to be married must contact the priest at least 9 months before date of marriage.

4540 El Cerrito Dr. San Diego, CA 92115

Parish Office: 619-582-5722

Parish Website: www.blessedsacrament-sandiego.org Parish E-Mail: jyin@blessedsacrament-sandiego.org

Fr. Jon P. Kirby, SVD: Pastor Tony Albers: Deacon Herb Kelsey: Deacon

Parish ID # for United Way Contributions………..…..9753

BAPTISM INFORMATION…………………………619-582-5722

RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) ……….619-582-5722

FAITH FORMATION, grade 1-8.….........619-582-5722, ext. 124 Kerwin Molina, Coordinator

CONFIRMATION, Teens…………………………...619-582-5722 Justine Coliflores

BLESSED SACRAMENT PARISH SCHOOL……619-582-3862 Anne Egan, Principal School Website: www.bsps-sd.org

The Epiphany of the Lord— January 7, 2018

BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Epiphany of the Lord Blessed Sacrament January 7, 2018

In search of the Wise Men (Adapted from article in The Tablet 23/30 Dec 2017, by By Dwight Longnecker) Scripture scholar Dwight Longnecker has probed the story of the three wise men—something that has long been considered a myth. Is it pious myth or actual? Since the scholarly work on the infancy narratives by the famed Raymond Brown, all scholars have relegat-ed the story of the Magi to pious myth and very few have dared to launch into an in-depth investigation. Over the years there have been many apocryphal ac-counts including the Gospel of Thomas, the Arabic Infancy Gospel and the Revelation of the Magi. And there is the third-century Legend of Aphroditianus, where the Persian King sends his Magi to Judea with gifts, the star pointing their way. Later they return with a portrait of Jesus and Mary. After the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70) Gnostic writings entered the Western tradition making the Ma-gi into mystical soothsayers from Persia who followed a magical star to Bethlehem. And by the sixth century they received their names: Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar. The legend spiraled into myth in the Middle Ages positioning the wise men as kings from the three different racial groups. They represented youth, mid-dle age and old age and thus stood for the whole of Gentile humanity. And by 1857 we were singing “We Three Kings of Orient Are”. Naturally, academics dis-missed it as sentimental fluff for Christmas pageants. But believers didn’t care—they loved it and never looked into the question any further. Longnecker, however, wasn’t satisfied and beginning with Isaiah (60:5-6) started digging: “The wealth of the nations shall come to you… the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall pro-claim the praise of the Lord”. The Nabateans occu-pied these territories of Arabia at the time of Christ. They were traders from Petra in Jordan who con-trolled the water supply, and thereby the trade routes of the Arabian desert. Ships from the orient landed at Yemen where the Nabateans loaded camel caravans to Gaza, and from there to Rome. They also controlled

shipping in the Red Sea and the trade routes from Egypt north to Syria, Asia Minor and Persia. Their history is mingled with that of Israel. During the Babylonian exile (586 BC) many Jews fled into north-western Arabia where they intermarried with the indi-genes who shared their Abrahamic origins. Over the next five centuries the Nabateans eventually emerged as their own nation state, in submission to Greece and then to Rome. At the time of Christ, the Nabateans had close links with their neighbor, Herod the Great. Herod’s mother was a Nabatean princess and the Nab-atean, King Aretas IV, sent a diplomatic entourage to Herod’s court to pay homage on the occasion of the rumoured birth of a newborn King of the Jews. These historical details mesh perfectly with the simple, pared-down account in Matthew’s Gospel. In the last 50 or 60 years advances in technology, fo-rensics, archaeology and textual criticism have changed the face of New Testament studies. New questions have been raised and old certainties have been challenged. Longnecker’s research into the his-torical background of the Magi would have been im-possible 70 years ago. One of the problems was the fact that the Nabateans left no written history. Saudi Arabia was notoriously closed to archeological studies and assumptions about the Magi seemed watertight. The Nabateans were enthusiastic stargazers. American archeologist Nelson Glueck discovered a stone-carved zodiac in the ruins of the Nabatean temple of Khirbet et-Tannur and the astral nature of Nabatean religion was corroborated by the archeoastronomer Jean Anto-nio Belmonte, who discovered that the Nabatean tem-ples were built in alignment to the constellations and planetary movements. A great deal of research has now come together to present a very strong case that Matthew’s story is rooted in history. The Magi were most likely astrolo-gers and sages from the court of King Aretas IV of Nabatea on a diplomatic mission to the court of Herod the Great. If this is the case, then they did not go on a long journey, they did not follow a magical star, there were not three of them, they were not kings named Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior and they rode Arabian horses – not camels. But none of those details were in Matthew’s Gospel to start with.

From The Pastor

The Epiphany of the Lord Blessed Sacrament January 7, 2018

Weekly Mass Intentions Sat. Sun. Mon.

Jan. 6 Jan. 7 Jan. 8

Tues. Wed. Thur. Fri. Sat.

8:00am 8:00am 8:00am 8:00am 8:00am

Jan. 9 Jan. 10 Jan. 11 Jan. 12 Jan. 13

Fr. Jerry Hamperzonian † Emma Ruiz † Women’s Club Members Porfirio Islas † Elizabeth Cabrera †

5:00pm 8:00am 10:00am 6:00pm 8:00am

Larry Albers † Michael Burch † Baldassare & Caterina Ferrara † Parishioners Ignacio Muñoz †

FINANCIAL UPDATE 2017

December 24 weekend $9,080.00 December 25 Christmas Day $4,544.50

December 31 weekend $6,894.50 Thank you for your continued support.

Welcome New Parishioners

Registration Forms are available in the church office or by email.

Catholic Charities Food Collection

This weekend is our monthly food collection. All non-perishable food items will be given to

Catholic Charities College Center.

Please bring your bags to the altar after the Bread and Wine are presented.

Thank you for your continued support.

No January Coin Collection

Parish Ministry Fair THIS WEEKEND

Saturday & Sunday January 6-7, 2018

After all masses in Parish Hall

All are Invited to Attend!

As we celebrate the Epiphany we invite you to join us at our annual Parish Ministry Fair. The Fair gives you the opportunity to learn about what is happening in the parish and a chance to join the various groups. We will be welcoming our Spanish, Vietnamese and African communities this year. Want to know more about a ministry group? Come and find out. Each group will have a treat for coming. Join your faith community!

Congratulations to our Newly Baptized and Their Families

Roderic Holden Sele Delilah Marie Sele

Victoria Vanni Vargas Angela G. Osuji

Soup & Salad Wednesday

Jan. 10 - 5:00 - 7:00pm - Parish Hall

Soup, Salad, Bread, Dessert & Beverage

$6.00 per person $3.00 Children 5yrs. - 10 yrs.

Free for Children under 5 yrs. old

We Support Ride Sharing, Bring a Friend!

Share a meal with your parish community.

Second Collection to the SVD January 13 and 14 there will be a second collec-tion for Fr. Jon’s Order—the Society of the Di-vine Word (SVD). This money will go to the SVD missions around the world, Please give generously.

Christmas Trees Donations

Thanks to the Women’s Club for donating the tree inside the main North entrance, Sara Duneghy for our outside door trees in memory of her son Tony and her husband Tom and Armstrong’s Nursery, Mission Valley/Grantville, for the tall tree in our future Bible Plant Garden area.

THANK YOU The Blessed Sacrament community thanks

everyone who contributed their time, talent, and treasures to make our Christmas

liturgies beautiful.

The Epiphany of the Lord Blessed Sacrament January 7, 2018

Parish Events Jan. 7 - Parish Ministry Fair, after all Masses PH Jan. 8 - Cares for Kids 6pm PH Jan. 10 - Soup & Salad 5pm-7pm PH Jan. 11 - Women’s Club Mtg. 9am PH Jan. 14 - Diocesan African Mass & Gathering 1pm Jan. 19 - BSPS 70th Anniversary Celebration 1pm PH Jan. 21– Faith Formation, RCIA, Confirmation Classes Resume Jan. 21 - Spanish Mass 4pm CH Jan. 28-Feb. 2 - Catholic Schools Week Feb. 10-11– Annual Catholic Appeal

Interested in joining a ministry group? Contact the person listed below or church office.

(area codes are (619) except were listed)

Adoration Chapel…………………………………………………..582-5722

Altar Servers: Judy Cromwell……………………………………………………..582-5722

Cares For Kids-Blessed Sacrament Teresa Markey……………………………………………………..582-2141

Contemporary Choir: (10:00 am & 6 pm Masses)……………………………………….582-5722

Culture of Life: Margie Morrison……………………………………………………582-8651

Eucharistic Ministers: Church Office………………………………………………………582-5722

Knights of Columbus: John Agoh…………..…………………...…………..…………….278-8405

Lectors: Cynthia Gonzales………………………………………………….218-8155

BSPS Parent-Teacher Group (PTG): Kristen Crisostomo (President)…….……………….klhbones@aol.com

Traditional Choir: Patti Burch (8 am Mass)………………………………………….735-6330

Tuesday Fun Club: Peggy Raynoha……………………………………………………582-3657

Ushers: Church Office…………………………………………….………...582-5722

Vocations Committee: Dick Reid…………………………………………………………...583-1081

Women’s Club: Pat Luebbers…………………………………………………….…262-8522

Youth Ministry (High School Students): Parish Office…………………………………………………..…...582-5722

PARISH MINISTRIES & GROUPS

Readings for the Week

Monday: Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Mk 1:7-11 Tuesday: 1 Sm 1:9-20; Mk 1:21-28 Wednesday: 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20; Mk 1:29-39 Thursday: 1 Sm 4:1-11; Mk 1:40-45 Friday: 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a; Mk 2:1-12 Saturday: 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a; Mk 2:13-17 Sunday: 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19; Jn 1:35-42

Your Contribution to the Landscaping Project

Our landscaping looks great but we still need your help to pay for it. Thus Far we have received dona-tions of $16,277.30. Still $6,722.70 to go. God Bless You! - Fr Jon

Proposed Bible Garden

The Committee is considering a selection of plants, which could include the following: crown of thorns, broom, passion vine, rose, pygmy palm, aloe, Madonna lily, poppy anemone, cyclamen, wormwood, Star of Bethlehem, sage, hyssop and papyrus. The Committee has also posted on the Church Bulletin Board some photos of an example of a six-sided Peace Sign Pole with a scriptural message in six different languages. Among the messages under consideration is one which reads: “Grace and Peace To You.”

January 7 - Epiphany of the Lord

A Vocation View: God’s glory continues to shine in our world. You need to carry the light of Christ. Con-sider being a light for the world as a Church minister.

DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES and SISTER SERVANTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

800-553-3321

6th Annual San Diego Walk for Life

January 20, 2018 8:30am to 12 noon

in Balboa Park on Sixth Ave. & Laurel St.

Speaker Bishop Robert McElroy & more. Family friendly event.

More information contact Evangely Ward at 858-490-8221

Parish Calendars 2018 Make sure to pick up your complementary 2018 Parish calendar located in the church by the doors. In order for every family to receive a calendar we ask you only take one for the time being. Thank you so much and we hope you enjoy the gift.

The Epiphany of the Lord Blessed Sacrament January 7, 2018

Monday ~ January 8 Rev. Lauro Minimo Tuesday ~ January 9 Rev. Eleuterio Mireles, Jr. CJM Wednesday ~ January 10 Rev. Mel Monreal Thursday ~ January 11 Rev. Cecilio Moraga Friday ~ January 12 Rev. Alfredo Moreno Saturday ~ January 13 Rev. Jorge Moreno Sunday ~ January 14 Very Rev. Patrick Mulcahy

Jan 12-14, Retrouvaille Marriage Retreat Program. For more information about an upcom-ing Retrouvaille Weekend program for couples, call 951-259-9474. or visit our website: HelpOurMar-riage.com

Jan. 12, St. Therese Parish Fish Fry, 5:30-6:30pm Social Center; Cod, Calamari & Shrimp $9; Pre-order Baked Salmon $10 - Call Mo (619) 994-9818

Jan. 13 St. Joseph Academy High School, Open House from 10am-1pm. Call (760)305-8505 for more information Jan. 15 Academy of Our Lady of Peace, Applica-tions for Admissions are due call Erica Huebner at (619)725-9175 for more information Jan. 20, 2018 – “Day of Dialogue” The Lutheran/Anglican/Roman Catholic Dialogue Committee is planning a “Day of Dialogue.” It will be held at The Roman Catholic Diocesan Pastoral Center, 3888 Paducah Drive, San Diego, 92117.

Jan. 20, 2018 – “Walk for Life” 8:30am-12:00 pm Nationwide celebrations of life. Call Evangely at (858) 490-8221 for more information.

AROUND TOWN

Daily Prayer for Our Priests O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests; for your unfaithful & tepid priests; for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for your tempted priests; for your lonely & desolate priests; for your young priests; for your dying priests; for the souls of your priests in Purgatory. But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me, the priests who absolved me from my sins, the priests at whose Masses I assisted & who gave me Your body & blood in Communion, the priests to whom I am indebted any other way especially (name….) O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart, and bless them abundantly in time & in eternity. Amen. --St. Therese of Lisieux

Blessed Sacrament Parish School (Transitional Kindergarten - Grade 8)

Contact: admissions@bsps-sd.org (619) 582-3862 | www.bsps-sd.org

School Integration Plan for BSPS & OLSH

♦ New School Site: Blessed Sacrament ♦ New Management: Diocesan Governance Model

♦ Date for merger: 2018-2019

♦ See Flyer at Church Doors for Transition Details

Sunday Hospitality Schedule After 8am & 10am Masses

1st: Women’s Club group 2nd: Vietnamese group 3rd: Knights of Columbus

4th: Spanish group 5th: Spanish group

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: The Epiphany of the Lord; National Migration Week; Julian Calendar Christmas Monday: The Baptism of the Lord Tuesday: First Week in Ordinary Time begins Saturday: St. Hilary; Blessed Virgin Mary

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