Ash Wednesday – Year A February 22, 2023 – 7:00 PM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community Rev. David Justin Lynch Joel 2:12-18 Psalm 51:3-6; 12-14; 17 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18 + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN. Today is the beginning of Lent, a time of penance and reconciliation. Lent was originally a period of preparation for Easter baptisms. Lent is also traditionally the forty-day season of preparation for…
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A February 05, 2023 – 10:30 AM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community Deacon Sharon Kay Talley Isaiah 58:7-10 | Psalm 112:4-9 I Corinthians 2:1-5 | Matthew 5:13-16 +Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our Strength and our Redeemer, AMEN. “You are the light of the world,” Jesus tells us today! Following the Sermon on the Mount and the teaching of…
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A January 29, 2023 – 10:30 AM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community Rev. David Justin Lynch Zephaniah 2:3’3:12-13 | Psalm 146:6-10 I Corinthians 1:26-31| Matthew 5:3-12 +In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN. Some churches exhibit an established reputation for a legalistic approach to religion tied to a theology that goes something like this: Obey the human-made rules of the church, and God will reward…
Feast of the Epiphany January 08, 2023 – 10:30 AM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community Deacon Sharon Kay Talley Isaiah 60:1-5 | Psalm 72:1-2;7-8;10-13 Ephesians 3:2-3A;5-6 | Matthew 2:1-12 + Bless thou the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts that they may be of profit to us and acceptable to thee, our rock and redeemer. Amen. An epiphany is an experience of sudden and striking realization. Generally speaking, the term is used to describe a scientific breakthrough…
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary January 01, 2023 – 10:30 AM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community, Palm Springs CA Rev. David Justin Lynch Numbers 6:22-27 | Psalm 67:2-3;5-6;8 Galatians 4:4-7 | Luke 2:16-21 +In the name of the Father, and of Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Several weeks ago, one of our valued choristers, Laura Bloom Farber, asked me why God chose Mary, in particular, to be the mother of Jesus, whom some scholars also know by…
Christmas Day – Year A December 25, 2022 – 10:30 AM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community Deacon Sharon Kay Talley Isaiah 52:7-10 | Psalm 98:1-6 Hebrews 1:1-6 | John 1:1-18 +Bless thou, the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts that they may be of profit to us and acceptable to thee, our rock and redeemer. Amen. Merry Christmas! For about twenty-five years after my father retired and my parents moved to Whidbey Island, Washington, I would travel…
Christmas Eve December 24, 2022 – 7 PM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community Rev. David Justin Lynch Isaiah 9:1-6 | Psalm 96:1-3;11-13 Titus 2:11-14 | Luke 2:1-14 + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN. Every year for the past thirty years, starting in nineteen ninety-three, the first Christmas we were together in person, around the first of November, Deacon Sharon has asked me what I want for Christmas. Yes, there will…
Second Sunday of Advent – Year A December 04 2022 – 10:30 AM Saint Cecilia Catholic Community Rev. David Justin Lynch Isaiah 11:1-10 | Psalm 72:1-2;7-8;12-13;17 Romans 15:4-9 | Matthew 3:1-12 +In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The non-penitential, non-Christmas, Season of Advent has us joyfully anticipating the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Christians repeatedly hear that they must accept Jesus as God’s Son in order to “be saved.”…