We have just celebrated the New Year 2010 in the church as a feast day of the Mary, the Mother of God. This feast has had various titles: The Feast of Circumcision; The Octave of Christmas; World Day of Peace. I would like to see it called The Sacredness of Time.
When we begin the New Year we almost hope that things will be different and we can start anew. Why else would we be making New Year’s Resolutions?
Many years ago, Carl Sandburg wrote a four volume work on the life of Abraham Lincoln. In it he records an unusual story. One night when Abraham Lincoln was getting ready to go out to deliver a lecture, he stopped in front of the hall mirror in his home. He saw a double reflection of himself. He asked his wife to give an interpretation as to what this double reflection could mean and she said your life is going to experience great triumph and then great tragedy. Your life is just a question of time. For all of us on this earth our life is just a question of time. Yet, for most of us the time we have—1440 minutes in each day—is associated with things external to us like sleeping, waiting, working, eating, but not really our own personal time.
The Greeks had two words for time: Chronos was ordinary time, clock time; profane time, and Kairos or sacred time, time of fulfillment, personal time. The ancient Jews taught that Yahweh manifested himself to his people in their irreversible, historical time, thus giving history a certain sacred value. Christianity went even further. By having the historical events of the Gospels and sacraments turned all of history into sacred history. Jesus spent most of his time in periods of prayer, meditation and contemplation that is sacred time. He taught us the value of a hidden life, a life that should be filled with moments allowing us to think, to meditate, and to deepen our personal relationship with God.
Rev. Mark Connolly, in his work The Sacredness of Time, writes: “Every one of us has justification for the schedule we keep and the work we perform. But if that schedule prevents of from developing a closer relationship with God while we are on this earth, then we are paying a very high price. If you study the Lord’s prayer, Christ makes it very clear when he said give us this day our daily bread, it was a reminder to each one of us that literally all we have is today. Yesterday was history, tomorrow is mystery, and today is reality. Each one, even though we talk about living 70 or 80 years, each one is given 1440 minutes. God is very democratic on this point. Whether you are rich or poor, in good health or in poor health, every one gets the same 1440 minutes…each day is an opportunity to show more forgiveness, more kindness, more compassion and love. When you do that on a daily basis and then multiply it by the 70 or 80 years, you are on this earth, whether you realize it or not, you have developed a solid foundation of spirituality that deepens your personal relationship with God.”
One of the greatest things we can do for ourselves in this New Year is to recognize the preciousness and the sacredness of this commodity that we call time.
Readings for the Week Of Sunday, January 03, 2010
| St. Brigid Church |
| |
| 9:00am | Tuesday January 5th | John Beaton |
| 9:00am | Thursday January 7th | Grace Burns |
| 9:00am | Saturday January 9th | Patrick & Margaret Desmond
Philip & Hannah Dawson |
| |
| Sacred Heart Church |
| |
| 9:00am | Monday January 4th | Margaret & Paul Wright |
| 9:00am | Wednesday January 6th | Eleanore Lukez |
| 9:00am | Friday January 8th | William and Margaret Brady |
Please pray for all who are in need of our prayers that God’s healing and comforting presence may be with them, especially Father William Smith, Jen Bombaca, Marianne Slack, Elaine Murphy, Bob Kozlowski, Deacon Bill Wildes, Edward Ronayne, William McCarthy, Marie Dempsey, Pat White, Anita and William Gorham, Mary Whelan, Eleanor Mann, Amy Galehouse Goolkosian, Henry Downes, Billy Wedgwood, Gerald McCue, Kathleen Brown, Brendan Murphy, Kevin Johnson, Monica Cotter, Ann LaMantia, Christine Griffin, Josephine Siders, Douglas DiVito, Mary McGuinnes, Jewel Douglass, Marjorie Kearns, Shannon Capriulo, Olivia Moran and Brianna Cimino. Please also remember in your prayers all of our deceased family members and parishioners.
In Service For Their Country
Lt. John Schiavi, Sgt. Christopher Considine, Timothy Dunbar, Richard Rigley, Chris Cullen, Caitlin R. Battell, Robert McLaughlin, Sean Maddigan, Michelle Leverone, Marissa Leverone, Rev. Paul Passamonti, Airman Jason Cunha, Mark Zarnecki, Elizabeth Leyne, Patrick J. Nordahl, Scott and Michael Donahue, CDR Michael P. MacLellan and Captain Brian Geary.
Lord Jesus, watch over our sons and daughters in the service of their country. Give them the courage to serve their country with honor and dignity and grant that when their service is finished they may return to us, sound in mind, body and soul.
Haiti Appeal
By now you will have received a letter from the St. Brigid/Sacred Heart Haiti Committee. Please do not overlook this important message: it is our annual appeal asking for funds to pay teacher salaries in our sister parish of Fond des Blancs. Your generosity makes all the difference in the lives of so many children. Thank you!
Looking For Support During Your Job Search?
Seasoned Human Resources and Marketing pros to lead the Lexington Job Support Group (LJSG) for the Catholic Community of Lexington and our friends. Learn and share job search strategies, resources and networking tips while getting support during your search for that next great opportunity. Meetings are the first and third Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm - 9:00pm at Sacred Heart Parish Center. The next two meetings are January 6th and January 20th. Informal, no need to sign up, come on the evenings you are free with a cup of coffee or supper, and invite a friend. If you have any questions, contact Bob Ludwig at 781-861-7231 or Donna Heuchling at dheuchling (3)
New Altar Servers Training
Children of the Catholic Community of Lexington, in grades 4 through 12, are invited to become Altar Servers at Saint Brigid's. This is an important ministry, and a wonderful way for children to become more involved in the liturgy. Training can be arranged at your convenience. For questions or to sign up, please contact Jeanne Hobbs at 781-248-9722, or email JeanneHobbs at Verizon dot Net
Mark Your Calendar for WINGS Winter Season!
Mark your calendar for the WINGS (Women IN God’s Spirit) Winter Season on January 7, 14, 21, 28, and February 4. Celia Sirois, one of our favorite WINGS speakers, returns to present a five-week series on Spirituality of the Psalms. The sessions will be on Thursday mornings, 9:30 – 11:15am, in the hall in St. Brigid Parish Center. Membership in WINGS is not required to attend these sessions or any WINGS program.
Christian Vocations
Christian Vocation: being attentive to our Christian call to witness to God’s tremendous love.
On the Feast of the Epiphany, the solemnity that celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the nations, the Church invites us to consider our own vocation. How can I discern God’s call? How can I listen to God’s invitation? Marriage, lay ecclesial ministry, religious life, priesthood, diaconate…What am I to offer: my talents, my skills, my entire being? We have all been chosen by God through our Baptism to respond to our vocation. A panel of men and women will speak about their vocations. Take time with God and others to explore your vocational call. The time is right, God is waiting for you.
When: Sunday, January 10, 2010
Where: St. Michael Parish Hall, North Andover, MA
Time: 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., including Vespers and Benediction
Please RSVP to Sister Marian Batho, CSJ at 617-746-5637 or Sr_Marian_Bathol(9).
Women’s Book Group
OUR WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB meets next on Thursday, January 21, 2010. The group meets from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 9 at Sacred Heart Parish Center. January’s selection is In My Brother's Image: Twin Brothers Separated by Faith after the Holocaust by Eugene Pogany. In My Brother's Image is the extraordinary story of Eugene Pogany’s father and uncle—identical twin brothers born in Hungary of Jewish parents but raised as devout Catholic converts until the Second World War unraveled their family. In eloquent prose, Pogany portrays how the Holocaust destroyed the brothers’ close childhood bond. His father, a survivor of a Nazi internment camp, denounced Christianity and returned to the Judaism of his birth, while his uncle, who found shelter in an Italian monastic community during the war, became a Catholic priest. Even after emigrating to America the brothers remained estranged, each believing the other a traitor to their family’s faith. This tragic memoir is a rich, moving family portrait as well as an objective historical account of the rupture between Jews and Catholics.
A Resource For Those Getting Married or Already Married
www.FORYOURMARRIAGE.ORG. Sign up for a daily inspirational e-mail “tip,” read online articles on specific areas of married life (in-laws, fair arguments), or check out official Catholic documents on relevant subjects, such as Theology of the Body. Here below, an introduction to one of their sections on marriage enrichment.
Stages of Marriage
The psychologist Paul Tournier said, “I’ve been married six times – all to the same woman.” Tournier explained that he never got divorced, but rather his marriage transitioned from one stage to another. All healthy marriages experience change and transition. That’s what keeps them alive and growing. Some of the stages of growth are predictable, others are not.
The website provides an Overview of the Stages of Marriage. Then, for simplicity, they’ve divided marriage into the chronological time frames of:
Not all marriages fit neatly into these categories. Those in second marriages may find times shortened; however, certain developmental tasks generally take place during each stage. Another way of looking at transitions in marriage is through cycles of growth. Most relationships move through cycles that include:
- Romance, Disillusionment, Mature Love
In this framework, the stages emerge more quickly, with disillusionment often coming soon after the honeymoon. Mature love evolves-hopefully-after several years of marriage.
In The 7 Stages of Marriage (2007), Harrar and DeMaria identify the stages as:
- Passion, Realization, Rebellion, Cooperation, Reunion, Explosion, Completion
However you describe it, the essential point is that a marriage is a process. It evolves. It helps to know what to expect at the various stages. Otherwise, normal transitions may be misinterpreted as loss of love or reasons to divorce.
To check out more details for each “stage” of a marriage, go to
www.foryourmarriage.org.
Last year we set up an emergency system for the Mass schedule in the event of a snow storm…If there is a 6” snowfall or more and/or icy conditions prevail, we will contact the answering service and leave a message with them. Please call St. Brigid, 781-862-0335 or Sacred Heart, 781-862-4646. We will also put the message on WBZ Storm Center and Channel 7 News. As always, common sense should be your guide; your safety should come first. If we adhere to this system it will give the towns a chance to finish their plowing. It will also give our plows a chance to clear the parking lots.
All children are invited to join in the Children’s Liturgy of the Word, a special weekly presentation and discussion of the day’s scripture readings. After a blessing and dismissal by the priest before the first reading during St. Brigid’s 9:00am Mass, the children proceed downstairs to Keilty Hall to participate in this program. They rejoin the Mass after the homily.
Adoration
Since Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Friday, we will not have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on those days. Adoration will resume on Friday, January 8.
Women’s Retreat
Spring Women’s Overnight Retreat
Rest, renew, refresh yourself at Craigville Beach on the Cape!
from 5 p.m. Friday, April 30th to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 1st, 2010.
Celebrate with other women of our community
on an overnight retreat designed by our parishioners
to help you “come to the waters” and be open
to the gifts God has for you!
Reserve your space now;
Total fee: $125.
A published spiritual writer
will be joining us!
For more information, contact Beverly Good (Beverly.Good(1) ) , 781-863-0319, X 20) or Mary Peterson (mary.peterson55(7); 781-863-0319, X 30).
| St. Brigid |
| Offertory for December 19th & 20th |
$ 5,229.00 |
| Envelope Offerings |
$ 4,724.00 |
| Loose Cash |
$ 505.00 |
THIS WAS THE SNOW DAY-ONE MASS
Out of the 548 envelopes we sent to St. Brigid parishioners, 113 have used their envelopes. Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week! To operate the parish our offertory should be $11,730 per week.
To date we have received $89545.76 in our Grand Annual Collection from 147 parishioners. Our goal this year is $140,000.
| Sacred Heart |
| Offertory for December 19th & 20th |
$ 1,853.00 |
| Envelope Offerings |
$ 1,682.00 |
| Loose Cash |
$ 171.00 |
| St. Katharine Drexel |
$ 300.00 |
THIS WAS THE SNOW DAY-ONE MASS
Of the 265 envelopes we sent to Sacred Heart parishioners, 45 parishioners have used their envelopes this week. Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week! To operate the parish our offertory should be $7,500 per week.
To date we have received a total of $55,640 from 74 parishioners in our Grand Annual Collection. Our goal this year is $313,000.
Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week!
—Fr. Colletti
Sacred Heart Liturgical Planning Committee Presents
What Is Liturgy? Part III
Why do we decorate for some liturgical seasons and not for others? When do we use the colors red or purple or white? To learn why and more, please join us on Mon., Jan. 11 at 7:30 pm in the Sacred Heart Parish Center to hear Catherine Downing and Eric Haydel from Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola discuss “Art & Environment & Its Role In Liturgy”. (Alternate weather date is Thurs., Jan. 14.)
Thank You!
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your prayers, your cards and your many good wishes. Fondly, Monica Cotter
A Prayer for Priests
In this Year for Priests, O Father, we ask your blessing on those You have called to priestly ministry. Show them Your love and give them Your strength. May they, above all, be faithful and passionate followers and friends of Your beloved Son, Jesus. May they be prayerful like Jesus, hearts burning within them and set upon You above all. May they celebrate the Mass with reverence and love and grow in devotion to the Eucharist. May they be compassionate like Jesus toward all who seek peace and forgiveness. May they be teachers like Jesus, on fire with Your Word. May they be prophets like Jesus, proclaiming Your Kingdom to all. May they entrust themselves into the care of Mary, Mother of Priests. May they inspire and guide many men to answer a call to the priesthood. St. John Vianney, beloved priest of God, pray for us and for all your brother priests. Amen.
Homebound Parishioners
As always, if you know of anyone who is homebound and unable to get to church, please contact the office so that we can make sure they receive the Eucharist.
Most of us see the same people week after week at “our” Mass. If you find that you are not seeing a certain person or people who are always at “your” Mass, please call Mary Peterson at the office and she will be happy to call and check to see if they are in good health or if they need some help or a visit from our Ministers to the Homebound.
Advent Giving Tree
Thanks to all who contributed to the Advent Giving Tree....what an amazing congregation we are to have donated so many gifts in the form of Christmas presents for children, nourishing food for families in need, and warm clothing which will help keep so many cozy and safe this cold winter. You gave those in need such a wonderful Christmas, we couldn't have done it without you, and they are so grateful for your generous contributions!
Thank you very much! ~ The Advent Giving Tree Committee
Leave a Candle in the Window
In Ireland, after the practice of Catholicism had been outlawed in the late 17th Century, families would place a candle in the window at Christmas, an invitation that a priest was welcome to celebrate a clandestine Mass in that home. The candle was also a symbol of welcome to the Holy Family, looking for a place at the inn.
Today, in the Archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal Seán has encouraged all Catholics to again use the candle as a symbol of welcome. If you are a non-Catholic, we invite you to learn more about Catholicism. If you are a Catholic who has been away from the faith, we would like to welcome you home. Yes, there is a place for you. St. Augustine, upon returning to the Church after some time away, addressed the Lord with the words, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” If you are experiencing restlessness, Jesus can help you experience peace. Like St. Augustine, you can come home. The candle in the window is for you.
The opportunity to welcome others is one that belongs to Cardinal Seán, to our clergy and religious, and to all Catholics. Faith is a gift of God, a gift we have the honor of handing on. Evangelization, the calling of every Christian, is sharing the Good News with others in order to reveal God’s love for us to the world and to help build a civilization of love. We can do this by inviting a family member to join us at Mass and by being open about our faith, not hiding the light of Christ under a bushel basket. For we are only fully living our faith when we are sharing it with others and inviting others to experience the joy of knowing Christ and His love for us.
THERE ARE NO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES THIS WEEK
CLASSES RESUME JANUARY 10TH.
CONFIRMATION CLASSES WILL RESUME
JANUARY 11TH & 12TH
First Confession and First CommunionParents
For parents of a child preparing for First Confession and First Communion there is an important meeting for parents on Thursday, January 7th at 7:30pm in Keilty Hall of St. Brigid Church.
An Evening in Tuscany
Reserve the Date: February 6th, 2009
Come and enjoy a Italian dinner, dance, and fellowship in support of
the Youth Scholarship Fund
An Evening in Tuscany!
February 6, 2010, 6:30 P.M.-10:30 P.M.
In Keilty Hall (lower level of St. Brigid Church)
Choose Your Sponsorship Level !
“Senior” $50
“Junior” $40
“Sophomore” $30
“Freshman” $25
Tickets will be on sale after all masses at Sacred Heart and St. Brigid on January 17/18, 23/24, and 30/31, and at the St Brigid Parish Center during the week. Tables may be reserved for you and your friends!
(Table seats 8.)
Rides can be arranged by calling Anne Doyle
at 781-643-8177.
For more information, see posters at the doors of the church or contact Anne at amcdoyle(8)
Welcome to New Parishioners
No matter what your present status in the Catholic Church, no matter what your current family or marital situation, no matter what your current personal history, age, background, race, etc., no matter what your own self-image; you are invited, welcomed, accepted, loved and respected here with the Catholic Community in Lexington. . If you are new to Sacred Heart or St. Brigid Parishes, please introduce yourself to either Father Colletti or one of the Pastoral Associates, Beverly Good or Mary Peterson, after Mass or at your convenience. Also, please contact the Office to register as a member of the parishes.
Hospitality
Please join us for hospitality and fellowship at our parishes.
Hospitality at St. Brigid Parish is after the 9:00am Mass in Keilty Hall.
At Sacred Heart Parish the hospitality is after the 10:00am Mass in the parish center.
Quote of the Day
What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson