SS Peter & Paul-Rocklin, CA

09/07/2026

September 7, 2026 - Gifts
The author of a film review wrote, “The film draws an implicit connection between caring for creation and artistic creation, the idea of nurturing and protecting the gifts that have been given to you in the face of a world that’s only interested in what it can sell.” (John Dougherty). In the Wake-Up men’s group we have teachers, trades men, engineers, doctors, business men of many backgrounds, musicians, and administrators. As a professional group we could not be more diverse, yet we are united by a desire to practice our faith more fully. Each of us may interpret that desire a little differently. What we have in common is that we all live in the same world, on the same earth. From that physical place in the universe, we derive energy, food, and experiences of nature’s complexity and beauty. These are all gifts.
Yearly, we dedicate a Wake-Up gathering to help manage the grounds at SS Peter and Paul. We clear hedges, trim palm trees, uproot and replace shrubs to beautify the church grounds; whatever is needed to help move various projects along. At these times, the diverse backgrounds of the group come together for a common cause. If only we could carry that unity of purpose, caring for each other and our world beyond the church property, without the divisions in our world today. I pray for a new unity of purpose among us all, listening first to Jesus’ words and direction and then finding common ground to live them out.
Ray Frink

09/06/2026

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SS Peter & Paul Church in Rocklin, California will virtually celebr...

09/06/2026

September 6, 2026 - Treat Them as You Would a Gentile or Tax Collector
In the Gospel reading Sunday (Matt 18:15-20), Jesus instructs the disciples regarding how to handle a grievance, “if someone sins against you.” First go to the person, then if that doesn’t work bring a friend, go to the church, etc. Finally, if they don’t listen, treat them as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. On the surface, Jesus seems to be giving them/us an out, permission, after multiple attempts, to dismiss. But, I think not…

Ah, Jesus, you would have me treat the one who wrongs me like you treated Matthew, the tax collector? Matthew, your disciple? Or shall I see the one who annoys me as the Samaritan, the one who cares for the stranger, the hero of the parable? Or like a gentile… the ones you sought out to share the good news and minister to? There is no end to reconciliation, is there? No end to the circle of love. Where two or three are gathered together, you are there. You don’t tell us when two or three like-minded Christians gather… I think you mean when I gather with those who annoy and “wrong” me, you are there too.
Renee Regacho-Anaclerio

09/05/2026

September 5, 2026 - Jesus on the Plane
Jesus was on our plane flying home. He kept shapeshifting. First he was a women who ran over to an elderly couple and helped them with the man’s wheel chair. Then he was a woman who gave up her seat in first class to a man who was celebrating his 100th birthday. He was in a middle eastern dad singing “The Wheels on the Bus” to his four year old son, and in the child dancing through the seating area at the gate.
And then I felt him in me when he nudged me to comfort the family with the screaming five-month-old baby.
If we are looking for the Jesus pictured in famous paintings or children’s books, we are not likely to find him. Although we might find some handsome look a-likes. But when we see with new eyes, Jesus is everywhere… always waiting to be welcomed into expression in us.
Renee Regacho-Anaclerio

09/04/2026

September 4, 2026 - Act of God
I have never been in a severe storm. The kind that can uproot trees and toss around cars and boats. Interesting that insurance companies call these events “acts of God.” God gets blamed when we are not in control. While we were in Hawaii, hurricane Lala struck the islands. Most of the severe winds and rains hit Hilo and on the windward side of Hawaii. The Oahu and Maui area had flooding and lost power. Kauai, where we were, had heavy rain, respectable winds and some exciting waves. But we did not lose power and there was minimal damage—a few trees blocking roads. The power of nature is amazing, and I do understand seeing God in it. But I wish we were also attentive to seeing God the rest of the time. In the beautiful blossoms, the smiles of children, the sun reflecting off the waves. Creation is awesome in all its forms.
The day following the storm, we were watching the ocean with a clear blue sky over head. Suddenly we caught a glimpse of something in the waves. First one, then another. Then there were dozen and dozens of dolphins swimming past. Some were leaping and rolling on their sides as they swam. Whether they had just found a big school of tasty fish or were celebrating the sunshine, I do not know. I know I felt blessed by their presence and knew they were an act of God.
Renee Regacho-Anaclerio

09/03/2026

September 3, 2026 - The Long, Bumpy Road
The gardener told us about a sugar cane hauling road that leads to the beautiful white sand beach of Polihale. Most tourists don’t visit because of the dirt road. We were feeling adventurous and drove the 30-40 minutes of bumpy road, maneuvering from side to side. We could have walked as fast as we were driving. We finally arrived at a small park with six parking spots. Walking a short distance, we were suddenly looking down on the most beautiful white sand beach I have ever seen. It is on the edge of the inaccessible Napoli coast and near a native Hawaiian heiau and burial ground. Pure paradise. Within minutes, up came a young man on a loud ATV. I’m sure my face registered disgust. He was a park ranger who told us they were closing the park because of the incoming hurricane. We arrived in paradise only to be kicked out. He said he would start notifying campers further down and work his way back…code for “you have a short time.”. Is it overly dramatic to say I felt like Moses stopped at the edge of the promise land? We took our 15-minute gift and ran down the sandy dunes like children to where the waves were wetting the shore—excited at the amazing creation before us, breathing in the salty, humid, pre-storm air. Then we trudged uphill through the sand and made our way back down the long, bumpy dirt road that somehow seem much shorter.
Renee Regacho-Anaclerio

09/02/2026

September 2, 2026 - Hen with Her Chicks
When we arrived at the airport on Kauai, it quickly became apparent that getting to our rental car was not going to be easy. We rented a lesser known brand, and no shuttle magically appeared to pick us up. The instructions were complicated and involved an app on the phone with not a single human being available. We walked back and forth across the busy intersection that separates the airport from the shuttle pickup and parking area trying to follow the cryptic directions. It was hot and sticky, and we were tired after a long trip. Just as we were about to cross the same busy road for the fourth time, I looked to my right and there were a mother hen and her five chicks next to us. She stepped off the curb and marched her family through the intersection to the other side. (If you have any familiarity with Kauai, wild chickens are everywhere.) I smiled at her and at myself. A moment of grace and a reminder, “you can do this; stop whining!” Within minutes we found someone who directed us to the right place. Life is full of options to see things differently. I can wallow in my frustration and tiredness, or I can look up and smile at God’s spunky creatures and learn from them.
Renee Regacho-Anaclerio

09/01/2026

September 1, 2026 - Not What We Planned
We just shared a Kauai vacation with friends. Our plan was to divide our time between the north shore and Poipu, and I was in charge of reserving the VRBO rentals. I had carefully downloaded directions to the first house on the north shore. As GPS signaled that we were within a few blocks of our destination, it was clear we were not where we thought we would be. We stopped in a store just as the sun was setting over the ocean behind us and asked, “What side of the island are we on?” The woman smiled and said, “You’re on the west side, honey.” So we spent five days exploring Kekaha and Waimea at the base of the road to the Waimea Canyon. The gardener came to visit and told us the history of the town and the families that lived there. He had come from the Philippines as a young man of 20 to work in the sugar cane fields and eventually at the factory. Founded in 1898, the area was built as a plantation camp housing immigrant laborers. The old, rusty factory still sits in town where it was abandoned.
When life surprises me with something unexpected, of my own making or not, I am reminded to be open-minded. God might be guiding me to unknown places that will help me grow. God is always there with me, saying, look at this, listen to this story, open your heart to something new.
Renee Regacho-Anaclerio

08/31/2026

August 31, 2026 - A God Who Suffers
In Sunday’s Gospel (Matt 16:21-27), “Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer from the elders, the chief priests… and be killed and on the third day be raised.” I thought to myself, wouldn’t we all be like Peter and say, “No! that cannot happen!”? It is such an understandable reaction. How hurt Peter must have felt to be rebuked by Jesus.
I think when I am honest with myself there is more to this than me not wanting Jesus to get hurt and killed. The truth is, I don’t like the idea of a vulnerable God. I want a God who is strong and protects the good guys—"us,” and when I’m feeling particularly gracious, “them.” I don’t like being vulnerable, and if God choses vulnerability, what does that say about me?
I’ve learned about and experienced the suffering of many who have done nothing to deserve it—as if anyone could deserve it? And I have come to know God who suffers with us. God enters into the world’s suffering, identifies with it. “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” We are all vulnerable, and I believe God meets us there in the tenderest of moments. We are also capable of being vehicles of healing and hope. Maybe there IS a way we can join Peter’s exclamation of “No that cannot happen!” when immigrants are scapegoated, children trafficked, and the poor suffer the cost of our excess.
Renee Regacho-Anaclerio

08/30/2026

August 30, 2026 – Come as You Are
I heard someone tell the story of when, in his early twenties, he stopped going to church because he felt he didn’t need organized religion. Like many stories, a girl became the reason he decided to try Mass again.

This was in the early 1970s, when most people dressed in their Sunday best. Instead, he showed up wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and sandals. He expected someone to tell him to go home and change. In a way, he was hoping they would because it would confirm what he already believed about the Church.
Instead, the priest greeted him and thanked him for coming.
He stayed for Mass and began returning week after week. What kept him coming back wasn't necessarily the Mass at first. It was that he felt seen.

That story makes me ask: When someone walks into our church for the first time, do they simply sit down and feel invisible, or do we make them feel wanted?
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus welcomed those on the outside such as Matthew, Mary Magdalene, Zacchaeus, the woman at the well, and countless others. Jesus saw them, welcomed them, and invited them to stay.

I am called to do the same. Each of us was once the stranger, until Jesus invited us to stay.
Kurt Peterson