St Francis Xavier Chapel "Maryknoll" Japanese Catholic Center, 222 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Formerly known as "Maryknoll"
Mission Statement
We of Saint Francis Xavier Chapel, as members of the Body of Christ, are called to announce in word and in deed the Good News of the Lord Jesus, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
We recognize our community's call to holiness based on mutuality, reciprocity, and interdependence and its ministry focusing on Japanese Catholics while also welcoming all in our greater community.
Fr. Doan Hoang's Message for the April 6, 2025
Brothers and sisters,
Let us take a moment to make a meditation with the gospel of today: … She had been found early this morning, in bed with a man who was not her husband. Neighbors had come out of their houses, more and more of them. They all liked a scandal like that. They have taken her out of the house, and hustled her to some Pharisees, to some scribes, the defenders of the law. They asked them what to do. They had been speaking about mob justice, about killing her. Then one of the Pharisees got an idea. He thought: "What if we confront Jesus with this woman? Let's ask him what we should do."
He did not want Jesus' advice. What he wanted was to catch Jesus. If Jesus said: "Yes, stone her, kill her," he would most probably lose his good name with the crowd as the merciful miracle worker. He would lose his popularity! If he said: "No don't kill her," he would be caught, because then they would be able to accuse him of being against the law, their most sacred traditions. He talked to the others and they liked his idea, and so off they went to Jesus who was teaching near the temple.
They pushed the frightened woman in front of Jesus, and not even wanted to touch her. Because she was unclean, a sinner. Jesus did not even look up at them. He remained sitting, doodling some lines on the ground with his fingers – crosses, circles, triangles. They told him: "This woman was caught in the act of adultery this morning. What should we do?" He did not answer them. How could they draw that line between themselves and her? Was she a sinner and they not sinners at all? When they persisted, he finally looked up, rightly at their eyes, their minds and their hearts, and gave them his question. He told them: "All right, let the one of you who is without sin throw the first stone," then he continually drawing the lines on the ground.
They looked at him, and then at her. They looked at the stones they had ready in their hands, and then they looked at one another, and suddenly it must have dawned on them what he meant. They had declared her a sinner, but now they understood that they were sinners, too. By the written in their law, they knew nobody cleaned without sin on the eyes of God. Then one after another –the elder one first- they dropped their stones and disappeared as quickly and silently as possible. Finally, she was alone. Jesus looked at her and said: "Is there no one left to condemn you?" She answered: "No one, sir," and he added –not only for her, but for all those who had left and were in the same position as she: "Don't sin anymore."
How often do we frustrate, boycott, arrest, torture and execute each other in our families, schools, businesses and national affairs? Jesus reminds us all: "You are all sinners. You have to leave your ways and sin no more."
Fr Doan
兄弟姉妹の皆さん。
今日の福音書を使って、ちょっと黙想してみましょう。彼女は今朝早く、夫ではない男とベッドにいるところを発見されました。近所の人たちが次から次へと家から出てきました。彼らは皆そのようなスキャンダルが好きだったのです。彼らは彼女を家から連れ出し、ファリサイ派や律法学者のところへ連れて行きました。近所の人たちは、彼らにどうしたらいいか尋ねました。その人たちは群衆が知っている正義について、つまり彼女を殺すことについて話していたのです。その時ファリサイ派の人があることを思いつきました。彼はこう考えました。「この女をイエスに突きつけたらどうだろう。どうすべきかイエスに尋ねよう」と。
彼はイエスの助言が欲しかったわけではありません。彼が欲していたことは、イエスを捕らえることでした。もしイエスが「その通りだ、この女を石で打て、殺せ」と言ったなら、彼はおそらく群衆の間で、慈悲深い奇跡の人という評判をなくしてしまうでしょう。それは人気を失うということです。もしイエスが「彼女を殺してはいけない」と言ったなら、ユダヤ人にとって最も神聖な律法に背いたかどで、イエスを捕らえることができます。そのファリサイ派の男が他の者たちに相談したところ、彼らはその考えを気に入ったので、神殿の近くで教えておられるイエスのところへ行きました。
彼らは怯えた女をイエスの前に押し出し、彼女には触れようともしませんでした。なぜなら彼女は汚れており罪人だったからです。イエスは彼らを見上げようともしませんでした。イエスはしゃがんだまま、指で地面に十字、円、三角などの線を書いていました。彼らはイエスにこう言いました。「この女は今朝、姦淫の罪で捕まりました。私たちはどうしたらいいのでしょうか？」イエスはそれに答えません。自分たちと彼女との間に、どうしてそのような線引きができるのでしょうか。彼女は罪人で、自分たちは罪人ではないのでしょうか。彼らがしつこく聞くので、ついにイエスは顔を上げ、彼らの目、彼らの心をまっすぐ見て、彼らに質問を投げかけました。イエスは「あなたがたの中で罪を犯したことのない者が、まず、この女に石を投げなさい」と言い、地面に線を引き続けました。
彼らはイエスを、また彼女を見つめました。手に持っていた石を見、互いに顔を見合わせました。そして突然、イエスの言っている意味がわかったのでしょう。彼らは彼女を罪人だと言いましたが、今彼らは自分たちも罪人であることを理解したのです。律法に書かれているように、神の目には罪なくきれいになった者はいないと知っていたのです。そして次々と - 年長者から最初に - 彼らは石を置き、素早く静かに姿を消しました。最後に彼女は一人残りました。イエスは彼女を見て言われました。「だれもあなたを罪に定めなかったのか」。彼女は答えました。「主よ、誰も」。そしてイエスは彼女だけでなく、その場を立ち去った人々や彼女と同じような境遇にあるすべての人に向けてこう言ったのです。「これからはもう罪を犯してはいけない」と。
私たちは家庭、学校、企業、国家的な問題において、どれほど頻繁にお互いを貶め、排斥し、逮捕し、拷問し、処刑さえしているのでしょうか？イエスは私たち全員に「あなた方は皆、罪人である」と念を押しています。私たちは皆罪人であり、自分の道を捨てもう罪を犯さないようにしなければなりません。
ドアン神父
in-church masses Schedule
Sunday: 8:30 am. Japanese Mass
10:00 am. English Mass
Saturday: 5:00 pm English Vigil Mass
Weekday Masses are on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 12:05 pm.
Weekday Masses are subject to change due to funerals or illness.
ASH WEDNESDAY: March 5, 2025
Mass with Ash Service at 12:05 pm.
First Saturday Devotion: 9:00 am, Mass followed by Rosary and Divine Mercy.
COVID, Cold and Allergies:
- If you are not feeling well, please stay home and get well; you are in our prayers.
- Hand Sanitizers are available for you to use.
- Masks are optional.
Donations
Thank you for your continued support! We are grateful to all who donate to SFXCJCC. We are open for weekend and weekday Masses. And are slowly opening our facility to our ministries and groups.
We are still in need of your financial help! Would you please continue making your Sunday Collection contributions or donating to St Francis Xavier Chapel?
You can mail checks to the office:
SFXCJCC
222 S Hewitt Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
To donate by credit card, click the button below.
Get Involved
Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! We are always looking for volunteers to help us make our vision a reality. We'll help you find a way to volunteer that best suits you. We're excited to have you join the team!
Thank you!
Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of supporters like you. .