Saint Robert Bellarmine

So, this week I was reminded that sometimes double checking never hurts. I think I've been distracted lately, and more just willing to go with the flow. So, when my brother said he knew where we were going, I did not go through my normal habit of loading it up on my phone. We were already cutting it close anyway, and well, it was one less thing for me.

We arrive there and enter the mass in progress. The strange thing is that we're already at the middle of the mass, and I was fairly sure we were only two or three minutes late. So, I look at my phone finally to see that we were at the wrong church. Needless to say, our two or three minutes late took us about to the point where we entered the mass at Saint Robert Bellarmine about the same point as that first mass (due to some wandering thanks to the strange route my phone picked).

Well, like I was saying, we went to Saint Robert Bellarmine (11802 Pacific St)

I really liked the hanging above the altar.

Our group for the week, minus Joe since he was manning the cameras and didn't get back in time

Left to Right: Patrick, Teri, Eric, Brianne, Me.

I've already painted the somewhat incomplete picture that was available to me. We were unable to sit with the rest of our Mass Chaos friends, but the friendly usher found space in the row behind them.

This week's Gospel (Luke 9:18-24) is one of those challenging passages. Not really challenging in terms of getting the point, more in terms of doing it. After discussing who He is and what will happen to Him to his disciples, Jesus follows it up with this:

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

This is no easy task. This is not go to church every Sunday. This is not don't forget to double check which church you should be at. This is an every day struggle we must remind ourselves that we face as followers of Jesus, and those little things should be the result of wanting to put ourselves in the right place. By denying ourselves and taking up our cross we allow Jesus to be a part of our lives. And in doing so we gain life with Him. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

-Frank