God needed to reach us, to come in a way that we would recognize him and hear his voice, and so God made himself a mere human. What amazing love Our Lord has for us! Let us spend some time together today reflecting on this love as we read of it in the first two readings and then as we hear of Christ as our good shepherd, keeping us safe from harm.

Each Sunday Jesus invites you to share a meal with him—to encounter him in the most intimate of ways. How do you approach the Mass? Do you show up late, wearing what you worked in all day, and with your laundry list of “to-do’s” on your mind? Jesus wants to encounter us and touch our hearts every time we meet him in the Eucharist. Take some time this week to reconsider the invitation of the Mass.

Come to our annual Wine, Beer, & Cheese Event on April 28, 2018. Pre-sale tickets cost $30. Tickets include wine & beer tasting, appetizers, raffles, and live entertainment. Featuring Tastings from San Antonio Winery and Pacific Plate Craft Beer. All proceeds will benefit Annunciation Young Adult Ministry. For more information or to RSVP contact the Religious Education Office at (626)446-1625.

God’s merciful love is the Good News of the Gospel, and the reason why Christ suffered, died, and rose again. The Catechism goes so far as to say that, “The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners” (CCC 1846). God’s mercy reached down to us in our sinful state and sent us a Savior, who took on human flesh so that we might have life with him.

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday! Check out Fr. Michael Gaitley's Divine Mercy in the Second Greatest Story Ever Told on Formed.org. You can also sign up on Formed.org to have reflections sent to you each day for 10 days.

Happy Easter! This is truly a day to rejoice and be glad. In fact, the Catechism tells us that Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the “Feast of feasts.” It is the day that we look forward to all year long, in much the same way that we look forward to Heaven our whole lives long. Today we celebrate what Jesus has done for us and the ultimate destiny he won for us this day. Easter is all about Heaven!

This Sunday we find ourselves at a crossroads. As we approach the great mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection, we are coming to the end of our Lenten journey. It is a time to both look back and reflect, and to look forward and prepare. Holy Week is a unique time in the Church calendar where we are suddenly walking minute by minute with Jesus as he goes through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Starting today with Palm Sunday, we enter into Jesus’s life in “real time.” The way God works in time during this week can really help us to enter into friendship with Jesus as we walk with him in his sufferings.

Chúc tụng Đấng ngự đến nhân danh Đức Chúa.

Ai phục vụ Thầy, thì hãy theo Thầy; và Thầy ở đâu, kẻ phục vụ Thầy cũng sẽ ở đó.

Many of us fear death. It brings sadness and an unknown. We may have experienced the grief of losing a loved one, and we may be angry that God allows death. But today’s Gospel lends itself to hope. Jesus tells us that we must die in order to have new life. What a strange command. Let’s pause a minute though to reflect on the nature around us. Every year, we see death come to the plants around us. The weather becomes cold and often gloomy and the trees are bare and flowers unfound. As we wait though, we slowly notice the days warming, the sun shining, and new life springs forth. There’s a hustle and bustle with the birds chirping and the plants coming back to life with their colorful vigor. So too with us. We must experience a death of things in our lives that hold us back from blooming into the creation God has called us to be. We must allow these parts of ourselves to be put to death so that we may bloom in full color as we become fully alive, the man or woman God created us to be.

Thiên Chúa yêu thế gian đến nỗi đã ban Con Một, để ai tin vào Con của Người thì khỏi phải chết, nhưng được sống muôn đời

Have you ever walked from a dark room out into the sunlight? It hurts. You end up squinting and wiping away tears from watery eyes. It takes time to adjust, and you may wish to return to the darkness where it’s a bit more comfortable. Think of the reverse scenario: when you go from the sunlight into a darker room. Again, it is hard to adjust, and this time you can hardly see. Everything is blurry and out of focus. God calls us to live in the light. The transition to the light can be painful if we are accustomed to the comfort of the dark, but we see much better and can walk in confidence when we’re in the light rather than stumbling through life unsure of where we are going in darkness. Are you open to Jesus’s invitation to live your life in the light of truth today?

Thiên Chúa yêu thế gian đến nỗi đã ban Con Một, để ai tin vào Con của Người thì khỏi phải chết, nhưng được sống muôn đời.

Today's readings are the midway point in our Lenten journey, focusing on the relationship between God's laws and the state of man's heart. The First Reading begins with words many of us have heard frequently throughout our lives—the Ten Commandments. Before giving all of the Commandments, God proclaims to Moses, "I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery" (Exodus 20:2). The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament: loving, merciful, steadfast, and forgiving, who seeks the happiness of man. The Father provides the Chosen People with the Ten Commandments to show them how to love God and neighbor properly, and cultivate a pure and holy heart. Above all, the Ten Commandments help guide us to our ultimate end: life with the Divine.

Safeguard the Children: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles requires that all parish/school Ministry chairpersons, volunteers, teachers, staff and students over 18 years of age who work in ANY capacity with children, elderly or special needs persons MUST be fingerprinted, participate in a VIRTUS initial training session and have ongoing VIRTUS recertification every four years. Dianne Logan, Safeguard the Children Ministry

“Đây là Con Ta yêu dấu, hãy vâng nghe lời Người.”

Annunciation Altar Server Ministry Mission Statement The vocation of Altar Server is to assist the priest at Holy Mass and at other liturgical celebrations during the year. The Altar Server function is a very important and honored role. In assisting the Priest, the Altar Server is, in a very special way, helping to offer the sacrifice of the Mass. This includes several tasks such as cross bearer, candle bearer and incense bearer. Normally, an Altar Server will be scheduled to serve at least once or twice per month (depending upon the number of servers available). However, they should be willing to serve if and when they arrive at Mass and there is a need for them to fill in. We are always looking for Children, Fourth Grade and older, who have completed their First Communion, to join our Ministry. Frances Luna 626-327-6147 Altar Server Coordinator

This parish is so grateful for all of you involved in ministry as Lectors, Altar Servers, Eucharistic Ministers and Youth Ministry, along with all of the other ways you contribute to the life of Annunciation parish. From the Family Fun Fest, your awesome Bake Sales, and Color Runs, to all the services you provide helping whenever there is a need!

Đức Giê-su chịu Xa-tan cám dỗ, và có các thiên sứ hầu hạ Người.

Chứng phong hủi biến khỏi anh, và anh được sạch.