Monday thru Friday: 9am-12pm & 1pm-5pm
Lunes a Viernes: 9am-12pm Y 1pm-5pm
Our parish is staffed by the
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (M.S.C.)
Weekly Mass Times / Horarios habituales de misas semanales:
Weekend Mass Times Weekday Mass Times
Saturday / Sábado: Monday – Friday:
4:00 pm English Mass 7:30 am English Mass
6:00 pm Misa en español Thursday / Jueves:
6:00 pm Misa en español
Sunday / Domingo: Confessions:
7:00 am English Mass Saturday 5:00 pm to 5:45 pm
9:00 am Misa en español or by appointment during the week.
11:00 am English Mass
4:00 pm English Mass Las confesiones son los sábados de 5: p.m. a
6:00 pm Misa en español 5:45 p.m. o por cita durante la semana.
Por favor llame a la oficina si desea ua cita.
February 22, 2026
First Sunday of Lent
22 de febrero de 2026
Primer Domingo de Cuaresma
“No solo de pan vive el hombre,
sino de toda palabra que
sale de la boca de Dios.”
“One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”
Reflexión sobre las lecturas dominicales del P. Luis y el P. Raj
Reflection on Sunday Readings by Fr. Luis and Fr. Raj
PRIMER DOMINGO DE CUARESMA. 2026
El Miércoles de Ceniza comenzamos la Cuaresma marcándonos la frente con una cruz de ceniza. Con esta señal nos reconocemos pecadores, necesitados del amor y la misericordia de Dios, y en camino de conversión. La Cuaresma es un tiempo de 40 días comprendido entre el Miércoles de Ceniza y el Domingo de Pascua. Es un tiempo de preparación para celebrar el misterio pascual: la pasión, muerte y resurrección de Jesús. Se caracteriza por prácticas religiosas como el ayuno, la oración y la caridad, que nos ayudan a transformar nuestros corazones para que se asemejen al corazón de Cristo.
Algunas preguntas para comenzar esta reflexión: ¿Te has sentido tentado alguna vez a hacer algo incorrecto? ¿Has sentido deseos de comer alimentos poco saludables? ¿Has dejado de hacer cosas mportantes por estar conectado a las redes sociales? ¿En momentos difíciles, has encontrado apoyo en tus familiares y amigos para no ceder a las tentaciones? ¿Has hablado con alguien cuando te has sentido tentado?
La primera lectura, tomada del libro del Génesis, nos muestra que Dios creó al hombre y a la mujer y los puso a vivir en el paraíso. Pero, como no todo puede ser perfecto, apareció la tentación en forma de serpiente y el hombre y la mujer cayeron en ella. En su carta, san Pablo nos recuerda que por Adán entró el pecado en el mundo y que por Jesús entró la gracia, y que esta es más grande y abundante que el pecado. En el Evangelio vemos cómo Jesús es tentado en el desierto por el Diablo, pero, lleno del Espíritu Santo, resiste y no cae ante sus seducciones.
Cabe destacar un pequeño detalle presente en las dos lecturas: Eva estaba acompañada de Adán y ambos cayeron en el pecado; Jesús, en cambio, estaba acompañado del Espíritu Santo, que fue su fortaleza para no caer. Podríamos decir que hay compañías que, en lugar de ayudarnos a resistir las tentaciones, nos llevan a sucumbir a ellas. De hecho, hay personas que se convierten en nuestras propias tentaciones y que, abiertamente, desean desviarnos del camino que hemos elegido. Sin embargo, también hay compañías que, como el Espíritu Santo, son nuestra fortaleza y nos ayudan a no caer en la tentación o a levantarnos si hemos caído. Jesús encontró fortaleza en el Espíritu Santo y en la palabra de Dios para no caer en la tentación. Eva se acercó a Adán y no encontró en él apoyo ni fortaleza para no caer.
Piensa en tu vida cotidiana: ¿quiénes han sido para ti una tentación y quiénes han sido tus amigos y tu fortaleza para no caer? ¿Quiénes han permanecido a tu lado y quiénes te han dado la espalda cuando has caído? ¿A quién buscas en tus momentos de debilidad? Recuerda que no estás solo en tu lucha contra las tentaciones: tienes a Jesús, al Espíritu Santo, a los ángeles, a los santos y a muchos familiares y amigos que están a tu lado para ayudarte a no caer.
Finalmente, voy a proponerte algunas acciones para practicar en esta Cuaresma.
Ver menos televisión, estar menos tiempo en las redes sociales y con el celular, no decir palabras groseras, evitar participar en chismes, perdonar a alguien que te haya ofendido, compartir más tiempo con la familia, sacar un tiempo para hablar con la pareja y los hijos, hablar con alguien con quien estés desconectado desde hace mucho tiempo, visitar a un enfermo, leer la Biblia, comer menos y beber menos alcohol, y guardar ese dinero para compartirlo con alguien necesitado.
P. Luis Segura M.S.C.
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FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT 2026
On Ash Wednesday we begin Lent by marking our foreheads with the sign of the Cross, with which we recognize ourselves as sinners in need of God's love and mercy and on the way to conversion. Lent is the time of 40 days, between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. It is a time of preparation to celebrate the Paschal Mystery: The Passion-Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is a time of conversion marked by religious practices such as fasting, prayer and almsgiving, which can help us to transform our hearts to reflect the measure of Christ's heart.
Let me begin today by asking you some questions: Have you ever been tempted to do something wrong? Have you felt a desire to eat what your doctor has forbidden you to eat? Have you ever bought things that you don´t need? Have you ever criticized your spouse, your coworkers, your priest, your bishop or your friends? Have you ever spent a lot of time in social media? Have you found support in your close family and friends not to fall into temptation? Do you talk to somebody when you are tempted?
The first reading shows us that God created man and woman and placed them in paradise. However, since nothing is perfect, temptation appeared, and man and woman fell into it. In his letter, St. Paul reminds us that through Adam, sin entered the world, but through Jesus, grace came, and grace is greater and more abundant than sin. In the Gospel, we see Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. However, because he is full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus does not succumb to his seductions.
There is one detail that is given in the two readings. Eve was accompanied by Adam and both fell into sin, Jesus was accompanied by the Holy Spirit who gave him strength not to fall. We could say that there are people that instead of helping us resist temptations lead us to succumb to them. Moreover, there are people who are our temptations and openly want to take us off the way we have chosen. But there are also people close to us that, like the Holy Spirit, are our strength and help us not to fall into temptation or if we have fallen, they help us rise again. Jesus finds strength in the Holy Spirit and in the Word of God so as not to fall into temptation. Eve approaches Adam and finds no support and strength in him so as not to fall.
Think about your daily life. Who has been for you a temptation? Who has been a friend that helped you not to fall? Who has stood by your side and who has turned his back on you when you have fallen? Think about those friends you go to in your moments of weakness.
We all have temptations. If somebody says that he has never been tempted he is a lier, even Jesus was tempted but he did not follow into it. Do you think that those temptations the devil presented to Jesus were bad, No, they were really good, but Jesus understood that they were temptations, that even though they seem to be good they were really bad. Jesus shows us today that with the strength of the Holly Spirit and the Word of God we can defeat every temptation that comes to our life.
Finally, I would like to suggest some actions for you to practice during Lent. Watch less television. Spend less time on the internet and on your cell phone, and don't say rude things. Avoid gossip. Forgive someone who has offended you. Spend more time with your family. Take time to talk to your spouse and children. Reach out to someone you haven't spoken to in a long time. Visit a sick person. Be kind and merciful to everyone you meet. Read the Bible, eat healthy, and don't drink alcohol. Save the money you would have spent on alcohol to help someone in need.
Fr. Luis Segura M.S.C.
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Resisting Temptation with the Word of God…
On this first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel narrates that, after being baptized in the River Jordan, Jesus “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”. Jesus prepares himself to begin his mission as proclaimer of the Kingdom of Heaven. He enters into “Lent”.
The first temptation arises when Jesus is hungry. The devil suggests, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread”. A challenge. But Jesus’ response is clear: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. The devil then makes a second attempt. he too, quotes the Sacred Scripture. Which affirms that you will be aided by the angels. Thus, to the words of the Bible that Satan interpreted for his own purposes, Jesus responds with another quotation: “Again it is written; ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’”. Lastly, the third attempt reveals the devil’s true reasoning: since the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven marks the beginning of his own defeat, the evil one wants to distract Jesus from accomplishing his mission by offering him a perspective of political messianism. But Jesus rejects the idolatry of power and human glory and, in the end, drives the tempter away, and says “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’”. At this point, the angels draw near to serve Jesus, who is faithful in handing himself over to the Father.
This teaches us one thing: Jesus does not dialogue with the devil. Jesus responds to the devil with the Word of God, not with his own words. In temptation, we often begin to dialogue with temptation, to dialogue with the devil: “yes, I may do this..., then I will go to confession, then this, then that...”.
Today too, Satan breaks into people’s lives to tempt them with his enticing proposals. Messages come to us from many places, inviting us to “allow ourselves to be tempted”, to experience the intoxication of transgression. Jesus’ experience teaches us that temptation is an attempt to walk paths that are alternative to those of God. However, all this is illusory. We soon realize that the more we distance ourselves from God, the more defenceless and helpless we feel when facing life’s big problems.
May the Virgin Mary, the Mother of he who crushed the head of the serpent, help us during this Lenten period to be vigilant when confronted with temptation, not to submit ourselves to any idol of this world, and to follow Jesus in the struggle against evil. Thus, we too will be victorious as Jesus. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Angelus, 1 III 20]
Rev. Rajesh Peter M.S.C
First Sunday of Lent – 2026
My friends, as it happens every year, the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent is the story of the Temptation of Jesus in the Desert.
This is a most sacred story because it had to come from no other source than Jesus’ own lips. He was alone in the desert and there was no one else with him to give an account of what happened. At some time, he himself must have shared with his disciples this most intimate experience of his soul and his dealing with one of the basic human conditions: Temptation. No one is exempt, not even Jesus.
In Luke’s account of the Temptations of Jesus, we are told: “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him – for a time.”
Our gospel today immediately follows the Baptism of Jesus and his decision to begin his public ministry. He went into the desert to fast and think about what he was about to do and the consequences he would face because of his ministry. Jesus knew the things that he would say would ultimately cost him his life. To speak out against injustices is never popular….
I’m always struck by the beginning of our gospel, “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” That seems so strange. Why would Jesus be led by the Spirit to be tempted ?
Well, the gospels were written in Greek and the Greek word for “tempt” is “peirazein” which actually means, “Test.” In English, the word "tempt" has a negative meaning: “to entice someone into doing wrong.” In Greek – “tempt” or “peirazein” has a more positive meaning “to test…”
Like in the Old Testament when Abraham almost sacrificed his only son, Isaac. That story begins, “It came to pass that God tempted Abraham." Now, we know that God was not trying to seduce Abraham into sinning… He was testing Abraham…
So now, looking at the Spirit leading Jesus into the desert, not so much to be tempted but to be tested, we have a different understanding.
My friends, if we look at our gospel reading and our own life experiences with the emphasis on testing more than tempting and look at it in a positive sense instead of negative, we have a great and uplifting truth:
What we call temptation is not meant to make us sin; it’s meant to help us conquer sin.
It’s not meant to make us bad but to make us good.
It’s not meant to weaken us but to make us stronger.
Temptation is not the penalty for being human but simply part of our human condition. We are confronted with the same temptations as Jesus: Power, Prestige, and Wealth or Materialism. In the end, these count for nothing in the Kingdom of God – unless they are used for the good of humanity.
So, what do we do when we’re tested ? And how can we use this Lent to help us deal with temptations or testing in our life ? I would say that we don’t just think about Lent but do something in Lent.
When I was a young boy attending Catholic School, the nuns would tell us that we should give up something for Lent. That certainly is not a bad thing, especially if whatever we give up is donated to help others.
But perhaps a better thing would be to do something for Lent, like increasing our prayer life. Or, recognizing that there is so much need everywhere, we could help those in need with food, clothing, and shelter. Another thing would be to visit the sick or hospitalized or homebound.
Many years ago Saint Theresa of Calcutta said: “Let us be careful not to allow ourselves to be aroused only by sentimental feelings of Lent and have only those feelings at the end of Lent. Instead, let us use this season as a time to increase our relationship with God by increasing our prayer and by serving our brothers and sisters in whatever way we are able…..”
That’s what Jesus did in his public ministry: Prayer and Service.
He also taught these two: Love God and Love One Another
“Before you speak of peace, you must first have it in your heart.” –Francis of Assisi
“Antes de hablar de paz, primero debes tenerla en tu corazón”. –Francisco de Asís
