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 November 23, 2025
Dear brothers and si Dear brothers and sisters
While Jesus hung on the cross, he was mocked as “King of the Jews.” The inscription on the cross over him calling him by that title was meant to be ironic. And yet Jesus had told Pontius Pilate, “I am a king. I was born for this. I came into the world for this” but he also declared that his kingship was not of this world. Today it is only with difficulty that we can empathize with kingship. To the mind of most people in the modern world the concept of kingly rule has echoes of authoritarianism, class distinction and a world of unjust, unearned privilege, but this is far from the biblical notion. The kingship of Christ is non-political, universal and non-national. Its core is a special kind of justice, not based on fallible human laws, but with help and protection for the weak, the poor and the helpless. If the justice of God really operated in our world it would bring peace between nations, and between individuals.
It is interesting how people vested with royal and imperial power were at a loss when confronted with the moral power of Christ. Their reaction was to strike out blindly, to use violence against his threat to their power. For power is often recognized only by winning in a contest. In Jesus’ time, justice in many ways trampled underfoot by the rule of the powerful in the days of the Roman Empire. To remedy this a completely fresh start was necessary, something that he alone could initiate, ultimately through the complete sacrifice of himself. Although Christ died in apparent powerlessness, nevertheless he holds real, spiritual power, which will be revealed at the end of time. The repentant thief caught a glimpse of this when he called out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God in parables, in every one of which a mystery lies hidden. For example, to Jews the mustard seed was the smallest of all seeds, the most insignificant of all things. Yet out of it comes a huge tree. God’s kingdom comes in a hidden way, even in spite of seeming failure. But, as with the mustard seed, this small beginning holds the promise of a magnificent ending. “I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us,” St Paul wrote (Rom 8:18). At first sight there seems to be a contradiction between the present and the future in Jesus’ references to the kingdom. The kingdom is here and now, we are told and yet we are asked to look forward and in the Our Father pray, “Thy kingdom come.” Jesus gives the answer to this. “The kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, “Look here it is,” or, “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk 17:20f).
親愛なる兄弟姉妹の皆様、
イエスが十字架にかけられている間、彼は「ユダヤ人の王」として嘲笑されました。彼をその称号で呼んでいる彼の上にある十字架の碑文は、皮肉を込めて意図されていました。それでも、イエスはポンテオ・ピラトに、「私は王です。私はこのために生まれました。私はこのためにこの世に生まれました」しかし、彼はまた、彼の王権はこの世のものではないと宣言しました.今日、私たちが王権に共感するのは難しいことです。現代世界のほとんどの人々の心には、王の支配の概念は、権威主義、階級差別、不当で不当な特権の世界の反響がありますが、これは聖書の概念とはかけ離れています.キリストの王権は非政治的、普遍的、非国家的です。その核心は、誤りやすい人間の法律に基づくのではなく、弱者、貧者、無力者を助け、保護する特別な種類の正義です。神の正義が私たちの世界で本当に機能するなら、それは国家間、そして個人間に平和をもたらすでしょう.
キリストの道徳的な力に直面したとき、王権と帝国の権力を与えられた人々がどのように途方に暮れたかは興味深いことです。彼らの反応は、彼らの力に対する彼の脅威に対して暴力を行使するために、やみくもに攻撃することでした。コンテストで勝つことによってのみ力が認められることが多いからです。イエスの時代、ローマ帝国時代の権力者の支配によって、正義は多くの点で踏みにじられました。これを是正するには、完全に新たなスタートが必要でした。最終的には自分自身を完全に犠牲にすることによって、彼だけが開始できるものでした.キリストは一見無力な状態で死にましたが、それにもかかわらず、彼は本当の霊的な力を持っており、それは時の終わりに明らかになります。悔い改めた泥棒は、「イエス様、あなたがあなたの王国に来るとき、私を思い出してください」と叫んだとき、これを垣間見ました。
イエスはたとえ話で神の王国について話しましたが、そのすべてに謎が隠されています。例えば、ユダヤ人にとってからし種は、すべての種の中で最も小さく、すべてのものの中で最も取るに足らないものでした。しかし、そこから巨大な木が出てきます。たとえ失敗に見えても、神の国は隠れた形で訪れます。しかし、からし種と同様に、この小さな始まりには壮大な結末が約束されています。 「私たちがこの世で苦しむことは、私たちを待ち受けているまだ明らかにされていない栄光とは比較にならないものだと思います」と聖パウロは書いています（ロマ 8:18）。一見すると、イエスが王国に言及したことには、現在と未来の間に矛盾があるように見えます。御国は今ここにあると言われていますが、私たちは前を向いて「あなたの御国が来ますように」と御父に祈るよう求められています。イエスはこれに答えます。 「神の国は目に見える形で来るのではない。神の国はあなたの内にあるからです」（ルカ17:20f）。
in-church masses Schedule
Sunday: 8:30 a.m. Japanese Mass
10:00 a.m. English Mass
Saturday: 5:00 p.m. English Vigil Mass
Weekday Masses for Thanksgiving Week.:
Tuesday, Nov. 25th and Wednesday, Nove 26: 12:05 p.m. Mass
Thursday, Nov.27th, Thanksgiving Day: 9:00 a.m. Mass
No Mass on Monday and Friday this week.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW DAYS FOR WEEKDAY MASSES
Weekday Masses are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 12:05 p.m.
Weekday Masses are subject to change due to funerals or illness.
First Saturday Devotion: 9:00 a.m., Mass followed by Rosary and Divine Mercy. Confessions are available after the Mass.
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. .