Today we hear from Saint Luke (Lk 3:15-16) who quotes John the Baptizer: “I am baptizing you in water, but there is one to come who is mightier than I. I am not fit to loosen his sandal strap. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.”
The question I asked those who came to the Christmas liturgy was, “Have you accepted the gift of the Father in receiving Jesus or have you laid his present aside?” Today I ask you, “What happened to the fire you received when you were baptized?” Saint Paul had to urge Timothy, when the young pastor faced difficult circumstances, to fan the flame of his devotion for God. “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you” (1 Tim 4:14).
You know you have to “fan the flame” in yourself, i.e., live the baptismal callings you have received. You know that your flame is cooling when:
- Your prayer life has dwindled or you have come to believe that God does not listen to your prayers.
- Your church attendance becomes irregular and you find yourself making excuses for not going to church each weekend.
- You give less time and money for the support of the parish. You feel you are always too busy or you can’t afford to sacrifice much to the life of the parish.
- You become defensive about your lifestyle and you rationalize making compromises so much so that people would not suspect that you are a Christian.
- You begin to lose your joy when everything connected with God becomes a duty instead of a passion.
- You begin to doubt God’s existence and presence in your life and all you can do is criticize the Church and its leaders.
- You stop paying attention to the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
You have to ask yourself if the flame has dimmed, died down, gone out to ash. What can you do about it if you want change in your life and the renewal your baptismal vows? First of all, you have to recognize your condition and really want to do something about change. You have to repent of sin if that is what is keeping you from following the Lord. You must take up the practice of prayer and worship, for all need the strength that comes from the sacraments and the community. You need to refocus your attention on the Lord for what all of us really want is what the Lord wants, and that is an intimate relationship. Finally, if we want to be baptized with the Holy Spirit we must rely on that Spirit to kindle the flame of faith in us.
Readings for the Week Of Sunday, January 11, 2009
| St. Brigid Church |
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| 9:00am | Tuesday January 13th | Helen Watson |
| 9:00am | Thursday January 15th | Jeannette Riches |
| 8:00am | Saturday January 17th | Anna Marie Fierro |
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| Sacred Heart Church |
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| 9:00am | Saturday January 17th | Sophie Fyfield |
In Service For Their Country
Lt. John Schiavi, Sgt. Christopher Considine, Timothy Dunbar, Richard Rigley, Timothy Busa, Chris Cullen, Caitlin R. Battell, Robert McLaughlin, Sean Maddigan, Rev. Paul Passamonti, Airman Jason Cunha, Mark Zarnecki, Patrick J. Nordahl, Scott and Michael Donahue, Lt. Brian Casey, and 1st Lt. Brian Geary.
We want to welcome home Elizabeth Leyne from Iraq and we thank God she is safe and sound and back with her family!
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.
Please pray for all who are in need of our prayers that God’s healing and comforting presence may be with them, especially Father Smith, Bill Kenney, Marylou Merry, Josephine Siders, Mary Collins, Philip Johnson, Olivia Moran and Brianna Cimino. Please also remember all of our deceased relatives and friends.
Lexington Food Pantry Collection at St. Brigid and Sacred Heart
The weekend of January 17th and 18th is the collection of non-perishable food items. We thank you for your generous response during the holiday season. The food pantry also accepts non food items such as hygiene items (toothpaste, toothbrushes, bar soap, deodorant, shampoo, etc.) and paper products (toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, napkins, etc.). Food stamps cannot be used for these items. These items may be left in the food bins at the entrances of St. Brigid or on the altar at Sacred Heart. Cash, supermarket gift cards and checks made out to the Lexington Food Pantry are also accepted. These may be placed in an envelope marked Lexington Food Pantry and placed in the offertory basket or dropped off at the parish office. We would like to thank you for your past generosity and support of this endeavor.
Arlington Adult Religious Education
Workshop # 61
“Prospects for a New Administration” will be presented by Rev. Raymond G. Helmick, SJ, Professor of Conflict Resolution, Department of Theology, Boston College on Thursday, January 22nd @ 7:30pm in the Msgr. John Sullivan Parish Center of St. Camillus Parish, 1175 Concord Turnpike, Arlington
Do You Say or Pray the Rosary?
The next session of WINGS (Women IN God’s Spirit) Winter Series is Praying the Rosary. Donald Bumiller will help us move from just saying the rosary to praying the rosary this Thursday, January 15, at 9:30 – 11:15am, in the hall at St. Brigid Parish Center. For transportation, contact Carol Flynn at 781-862-1637. For child care during the session, contact Janet Fraser at 781-862-6853 or jfraser at alum dot mit dot edu. Membership in WINGS is not required to attend this or any WINGS program.
St. Andrew Dinner
The St. Andrew Dinner is a gathering of young men and their parish priest or high school chaplains joining together with the Vocation Office, seminarians and Cardinal Seán for dinner and a short presentation. The event is casual and provides a time for conversation and discussion. In the three St. Andrew gatherings we held last year, over 200 high school boys were invited by their pastors, campus ministers and religious education teachers. In a few parishes, priests and youth ministers decided to invite every young man in their youth group or Confirmation class in order that they all get a closer look at the call to priesthood. The next St. Andrew Dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 5:30pm at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA.
Monsignor James J. Haddad Middle School
Monsignor James J. Haddad Middle School, at 110 May Street, Needham, MA will host an information night on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 7:00pm in the middle school dining room. Please join us for a presentation and tour of the facilities. MHMS is co-ed and serves 220 students in grades 6-8. For more information, please call the school at 781-449-0133 x211.
Mark Your Calendar Now:
Season Two Of Arise Begins In February
“I would definitely take part again. These were upbeat, insightful, thought-provoking sessions!” “The best part was the sense of community, and our sharing.” “This deepened my prayer life, made me more attentive and recollected during the week.”
These comments came from the participants of last fall’s First Season of ARISE Together in Christ, the Archdiocesan-sponsored program for faith-sharing groups. Plan now to take part in the second season—during Lent. The first sessions will take place the week of February 22nd, (Ash Wednesday is February 25th). New groups will be forming, and we will do our best to honor the wishes of Season One folks who hoped to stay together! Leaders of already-existing small faith groups, please let us know now if you’d like us to order ARISE materials for your group. To get more information about ARISE, please contact pastoral associate Beverly Good at 781-863-0319 or by email.
Holy Humor
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School.
“Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.
“Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?” his mother asked.
“Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!”
Faith & Environment
“Created things belong not to the few, but to the entire human family”
(US Catholic Bishops, Renewing the Face of the Earth.) Ah winter, a snowy wonderland to enjoy or a disastrous layer of ice bringing down power lines and rendering homes cold and dark? Just small changes in temperature and humidity produce the difference. Globally, small increases in temperature are causing changes affecting whole populations. One example is the melting of Arctic ice which displaces those living on coastal lands and adversely affects the natural resources on which they rely for food and employment. Probably everyone reading this has a warm home and warm clothing. Can we make alternative small changes that will slow global warming? We can easily lower the setting on thermostats and use warm clothing indoors. We can insulate our homes as completely as our budget allows. A small fee can offset the fuel used in any recent holiday air flights through www.nativeenergy.com. Using the frigid winds that sweep the plains to produce clean energy not only reduces carbon emissions but also provides local power that our Lakota brothers and sisters urgently need to light and heat their homes. To make these small changes truly effective we have to recruit all those we influence to make similar efforts. Widely occurring small changes have big effects.
Pancake Breakfast
The Religious Education staff along with Frank Bellini, has scheduled a pancake breakfast for February 1st at Sacred Heart. Breakfast will be served after both the 7:00am Mass and the 10:00 Mass. Professor Emeritus, John Mahoney from Boston College, will speak on the topic of the importance of religious education for children after the 10:00 Mass.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
8:45 – 11:00 – RCIA – St. Brigid Library
11:15 – Religious Education Classes – Sacred Heart
6:00 – Youth and Grade 6 Mass
7:00 – 8:30 Youth Group - Sacred Heart
Ice Cream Social
Monday, January 12, 2009
7:00pm – Sacred Heart Parish Council Meeting-PC
7:15 – 8:30 – Confirmation Classes - St. Brigid PC
Tuesday, January13, 2009
3:45 - Religious Education – Grades 1-6 - St. Brigid PC
5:30 - Religious Education Grade 7 - St. Brigid PC
7:30 – Confirmation Classes - Sacred Heart PC
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
3:45– Religious Education – Grades 1-6 - St. Brigid PC
5:30 – Religious Education – Grade 8 St. Brigid PC
5:00-5:45 – Children’s Choir - Sacred Heart Church
7:00 – Choir Rehearsal - Sacred Heart
Thursday, January 15, 2009
10:00 – WINGS - St. Brigid PC
11:00 – Tai Chi Classes – St. Brigid KH
3:00 – Youth Choir Rehearsal - St. Brigid Church
7:00 - Young Adult Meeting - St. Brigid
7:00 Youth Mass Planning Mtg. – Sacred Heart
7:30 – Choir Rehearsal - St. Brigid
Friday, January 16, 2009
NO EVENTS PLANNED
Saturday, January 17, 2009
NO EVENTS PLANNED
The Lexington Catholic Young Adult Group presents its monthly Theology on Tap for all young adults (people in their 20s and 30s, single or married) of Lexington, all neighboring towns, and beyond:
- Speaker/Topic: Bill Hobbib, former director of a Young Adult Choir, will be speaking about “Those Who Sing Pray Twice”. This will be a great time to learn about faith sharing, meet new people, and enjoy your favorite drink.
- When/Where: Join us on Thursday night January 15th at 7:30pm at the Bickfords Bar and Grill Restaurant in Woburn. The address is 325 Montvale Ave, Woburn,
MA 01801.
- Future Theology on Tap dates, speakers and topic's: February 19th Fr. Jim Wenzel, OSA "St. Augustine"
- For Questions and More Info: information contact Cindy Truesdale at 781-233-4883 or cindy.truesdale at gmail dot com. Feel free to just show up and brings friends too!
- What is Theology on Tap? Theology on Tap is an official program of the Archdiocese of Boston. Theology on Tap is about hearing a speaker discuss an interesting topic over drinks and food with other young adults at a good bar/restaurant. It is a time of hanging out, having fun, and learning more about the Faith. You can be sure that Theology on Tap will be a great time every time! It is going to be a great time, we hope you can come!
Joint Parish Pastoral Council
The Joint Parish Pastoral Council will meet on Sunday, January 18th at 7:00pm at Sacred Heart Parish Center
Update on Refurbishment
The Refurbishment Committee under the direction of Richard Galehouse has presented a plan for the refurbishment and renovation of Sacred Heart Church to the Parish Council and to members of the parish after each of the weekend liturgies. Using their suggestions we now have architectural drawings from the firm of Colin Smith and these are on view at the library of Saint Brigid’s Parish Center. In addition to new paint and carpet with reupholstering of our chairs we envision a new bathroom, creating a Chapel of Reservation for the Blessed Sacrament and handicapped entrance to the altar. We will now put all of these projects out to bid before we can prioritize items to be accomplished.
I had hoped that the Grand Annual Collection would bring in enough money to complete the project. The Finance Council agreed to spend up to $300,000 for renovation. The Grand Annual has brought in $65,752 which is only enough to balance the budget for the year because the Offertory collection each week does not cover our expenses.
Throughout the whole process, I have heard a consensus: that we move slowly and deliberately, that whatever we do must respect the architectural integrity of our historic church building, that it be done of the highest quality and that it be done with fiscal responsibility.
I want to thank the Refurbishment Committee for their great work. Let us continue with prayer for God’s guidance to help us make good decisions about renovating the church. Let us together take the best of what God has given us in the past, let us tend it well now, and with care and repair, let us present it to future generations.
Joanne Messier McCandless has formed a children’s choir at Sacred Heart. The choir is open to all children in grades 3 through 7. Rehearsals are held every Wednesday from 5PM to 5:45PM in the church. We would like to have the children’s choir sing once a month at the 10am Mass during the Preparation. Chaperones will be needed during these rehearsals. Please contact joannemessier at aol or come and see Joanne after the 10am Mass on Sunday.
| St. Brigid |
| Offertory for January 3rd & 4th |
$ 11,094.00 |
| Envelope Offerings |
$ 9,680.00 |
| Loose Cash |
$ 1,414.00 |
| Grand Annual Collection to date |
$107,754.00 |
Out of the 548 envelopes we sent to St. Brigid parishioners, 280 have used their envelopes.
| Sacred Heart |
| Offertory for January 3rd & 4th |
$ 5,750.00 |
| Envelope Offerings |
$ 5,232.00 |
| Loose Cash |
$ 518.00 |
| St. Katharine Drexel |
$ 466.00 |
| Grand Annual Collection to date |
$65,752.00 |
Of the 265 envelopes we sent to Sacred Heart parishioners, 93 parishioners have used their envelopes this week.
Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week!
—Fr. Colletti
Travel To Greece And Its Islands
A few more seats have opened up for our Greece trip!!! The seats are available on a first come, first serve basis. Please call 781-862-0335/4646 for details. If there is an interest, we will have another presentation by Collette Tours on the trip!
We are planning a trip to Greece and its islands beginning April 23, 2009. This will be a 14 day trip starting in Athens, going to the island of Mykonos for 3 days, then we are off to the island of Santorini for 3 days. We will fly back to Athens to begin exploring classical Greece.
Adult Education/Discussion Program
St. Irene’s Parish, 187 East St., Carlisle will present “How To Be a Catholic In a Changing church (and In A Changing World)” on January 15th at 7:30pm in the Parish Hall (lower level). The presentation will be given by theologian and popular author, Michael O’Laughlin, Th.D., The Institutional Church—Our Anchor or Our Millstone? For additional information please call Ernest Carabillo, 978-371-2166.
Advent Giving Tree
Sometimes you get to "toot your own horn" and this the perfect opportunity....what an amazing congregation we are to have donated 378 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. Thank you very much!
For St. Brigid Parish
New schedules will be made within the next
few weeks for Feb., Mar., Apr. and May.
Please submit any dates that you will be unavailable
to Jean and Dick Horigan at
781-861-8052 or horigans30 at rcn dot com
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.
The Cross
The most common of all Christian signs, the cross, was not known as a symbol much before the fifth century.
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Prior to this it was shown in a veiled way. Christians were signing themselves with the cross as a mark of identification and as a blessing. It was not used openly, as it is today, a symbol of faith and principles. It was hidden to avoid betrayal to enemies of the Faith. |
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Early Christians avoided representing the body of Jesus on the cross. A popular hidden form of the cross was the anchor. The anchor has been for many ages the symbol of hope; the Christians based their hope in the saving merits of Jesus Christ, and thus, very appropriately, the anchor came to symbolize the Savior. The initiated saw in its upright bar and transverse beam the figure of the cross.
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During the fifth and sixth centuries, the cross was decorated with precious jewels to represent the victory achieved through the cross and its power. Another motivation may have been the desire to erase the ugliness associated with crucifixion. Once popularized, the cross was so adorned and modified that there were, and are, many versions varying in form and decoration.
An Invitation From Our Sixth Graders!
Our parishes’ Sixth Graders cordially invite you to join them at their grade-level Mass this Sunday, January 11th, at the 6:00pm Youthful Mass at Sacred Heart Church.
Sunday at Sacred Heart: 11:15 – 12:15 – Gr. 1 – 7
Tuesday at St. Brigid: 3:45 - 4:45pm – Gr. 1 - 6
Tuesday, JANUARY 20TH at St. Brigid:
5:30 – 6:30pm – Gr. 7
Wednesday at St. Brigid: 3:45 - 4:45pm – Gr. 1 - 6
Wednesday, JANUARY 21ST at St. Brigid: 5:30 – 6:30pm – Gr. 8
JUST A REMINDER DURING THESE WINTER MONTHS. THERE WILL BE NO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLASSES HELD IF THERE IS NO SCHOOL IN LEXINGTON.
Megan Chenaille, Director of Youth Ministry
E-mail: Megan Chenaille
781-862-8724
Our NEXT Youth Mass is
Sunday, January 11, 2008
Sacred Heart Church , 6pm
Hope you and your family can join us!!
This Youth Mass will be followed by an Ice Cream Social in the Parish Center for all High School Students who would like to attend.
Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail with any questions or concerns. 
