The biblical virtue of humility often gets mistranslated in our world. Many think of humility as ongoing self-effacement or even self-degradation. Humility, as the scriptures use it, is a sense of true self-awareness, of one’s capacities and abilities. A false humility is actually a kind of deceit, and is often a mask for the face of arrogance that lies beneath it. Thus Sirach today tells us not to seek what is too sublime for us, or to search out what is beyond our strength. We are called to have an awareness of what we are able to rasp, and with what is best in them. That is why both Sirach and Luke’s Jesus instruct us not to deny our own selfworth, but to be ready to elevate and acclaim what is good or great in others. When we live this way, we are closer to under-standing how God views all of us. We ought not place ourselves, but others, first. In living this humble way, we are living out of the heart of God, who is always ready to raise us up in honor at the table of the heavenly banquet.

La virtud bíblica de la humildad a menudo no se traduce bien en nuestro mundo. muchos piensan que la humildad es un continuo ensimismamiento hasta autodegradación. La humildad, tal como se usa en la Biblia, es sentir tener un real conocimiento de las capacidades y habilidades propias. La falsa humildad es en realidad un tipo de engaño, y a menudo enmascara a una arrogancia subyacente. Por eso, Eclesiástico nos dice hoy que no busquemos lo que es demasiado sublime para nosotros, o procuremos lo que está más allá de nuestras fuerzas. La humildad en la Biblia también está abierta a lo que bueno en los otros y lo que es mejor para ellos. Es por eso que Eclesiástico y el Jesús según san Lucas nos instruyen que no neguemos nuestro propio valor, sino que estemos listos para elevar y aclamar lo que es bueno o grande en otros. Cuando vivimos de esta manera, estamos más cercanos a entender cómo Dios nos ve a todos. No debemos primer lugar. Al vivir de esta manera humilde, vivimos según el corazón de Dios, quien está siempre listo para elevarnos en honor a la mesa del banquete celestial.

The Sunday, August 1st edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune carried a sizable article describing the alleged ordination of a woman as a Roman Catholic Priest at the “St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Community” in San Diego. The report in the paper could very likely cause confusion among some of the faithful of the Diocese. I assure you that “St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Community” is not a Roman Catholic community, that the Roman Catholic Church has never validly ordained women to the priesthood and, thus the alleged ordination reported is not valid and is in no way recognized by the Catholic Church. Furthermore, the St. Mary Magdalene the Apostle Community is outside the communion of the Roman Catholic Church and, thus, has no entitlement to any connection with or possession of the sacraments of the Church.

NEW TIME CHANGE: Our Parish office will now be open longer hours for your convenience. Beginning Monday, August 16, 2010, our new hours will be: Monday: 1:00pm-7:30pm, and Tuesday through Friday: 8:30am-7:30pm.