In today’s second reading (2 Cor. 12:7-10) Saint Paul continues to defend himself to the Corinthians. He is an ordinary human being who cannot boast of his accomplishment because everything he has been able to do as an Apostle is through the grace of God. If he were to boast, he must boast in the Lord for giving him divine wisdom. He does not try to exalt himself, but exalts his apostolic ministry for the sake of the Corinthian’s salvation.
Not only is he an ordinary human being without reason to boast but lives humbly with God and suffers like other human beings. We can easily imagine Saint Paul telling God in prayer to release him from the “thorn in the flesh.” “Take this away and I can accomplish even more for the kingdom of God”, he might say. He must have been shocked when God told him, “My grace is sufficient, for power is made perfect in weakness.” We do not know what the “thorn” was, but some have speculated that it was some physical ailment, or some personal opponent or maybe even some moral flaw. With this “thorn’ still with him he had to focus on God. One can either keep the pain of a “thorn” before one’s eyes or look to the One who can heal or give sufficient grace. It is obvious that Paul chose to keep focused on Jesus.
The one kind of person Jesus could not tolerate was the self-righteous folks. “In recent years, social psychologists have begun to study what they call the holier-than-thou effect. They have long known that people tend to be overly optimistic about their own abilities and fortunes—to overestimate their standing in class, their discipline, their sincerity. But this self-inflating bias may be even stronger when it comes to moral judgment, and it can greatly influence how people judge others’ actions and ultimately their own.
Culture, religious belief and experience all help shape a person’s sense of moral standing in relation to others.” writes Benedict Cary in All you self-righteous folks take note, The New York Times, May 7, 2009.
All of us can take our example of humility from Saint Paul. Certainly all of us need to focus on Jesus as the source of all our gifts; the gifts that are given to us for the good of others. It is Jesus working through us as Saint Paul would later say, “I live now, not I, but Christ lives through me” (Gal.2:20). And in another place he writes, “For none of us lives to self alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:7-9).
Readings for the Week Of Sunday, July 05, 2009
| St. Brigid Church |
| |
| 9:00am | Monday July 6th | Michael McLoughlin |
| 9:00am | Tuesday July 7th | Alan J. O’Neil |
| 9:00am | Wednesday July 8th | Michael McLoughlin |
| 9:00am | Thursday July 9th | Grace & Joseph Mazzeo |
| 9:00am | Friday July 10th | Thomas Dawson |
| 9:00am | Saturday July 11th | Evelyn B. Iandali
Rita Volpicelli
Margaret Florencourt Mann & Robert Mann, and Catherine Florencourt Firth |
| |
| Sacred Heart Church |
| |
ALL SCHEDULED MASSES AND FUNERALS DURING THE WEEK WILL BE HELD AT ST. BRIGID CHURCH
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, , Father Thomas Nestor, Catherine Morley, Elaine Murphy, Deacon Bill Wildes, Joseph O’Brien, John Harper, Tina Durks, Patsy Heuchling, Bob Finn, William McCarthy, Verner and Marie Dempsey, Pat White, Anita and William Gorham, Eleanor Mann, Gerald McCue, Kathleen Brown, Theresa A. Myles, Rev. James O’Donohoe, Betty Garrity, Marylou Merry, Josephine Siders, Kathleen Brown, Olivia Moran, Suzy Keating, Matthew Langone, and Brianna Cimino. Please also remember in your prayers all of our deceased parishioners especially Helen Jenson, mother of Richard Jenson who died this past week.
Helping Hands
Helping Hands for the month of July is:
Alice Mellican – 781-861-7226.
We hope that everyone will have a safe and Happy 4th weekend!
In Service For Their Country
Lt. John Schiavi, Sgt. Christopher Considine, Timothy Dunbar, Richard Rigley, 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, Lt. Cmdr. Michael P. MacLellan and 1st Lt. 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.
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. 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)
Parish Trip
We are going to Oberammergau in 2010 to see the PASSION PLAY!
It is a 12 day trip, to see the play and then to the Dalmatian Coast, Medjugorje, where six young people from the village of Bijakovici in the parish of Medjugorje, claimed to have seen an apparition of the Blessed Mother and child and on to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We will visit four beautiful countries: Germany, Croatia Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The date has been set!!! We will leave on July 14, 2010. We have set the date for the slide presentation on the trip for Tuesday, June 30th at 6:30pm in the Parish Center Hall at St. Brigid.
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 the office and we 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.
You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing!
2009 Catholic Appeal
Responding to God's Grace, Renewing Our Church
Thank you to all supporters of the 2009 Catholic Appeal. St. Brigid Parish has raised $79,261 from 220 households, reaching 61.2% of the parish goal of $129,500. Sacred Heart Parish has raised $23,986 from 85 households, reaching 52.7% of the parish goal of $45,500. If you have not yet pledged, please consider a gift today and help us meet our goal. Remember, our parishes will receive 25 percent of all funds we raise above our goal. Last year St. Brigid Parish received 25% back because they reached their goal. Please remember to make your pledge now even if you plan on fulfilling that pledge towards the end of the year. You can pick up information packets with pledge forms in the back of the Church to be mailed in, or for more information please visit www.BostonCatholicAppeal.com or call 617-779-3700. Every gift matters. Thank you!
St. Katherine Drexel Food Pantry
St. Brigid And Sacred Heart
This weekend, July 4th and 5th is the collection of non-perishable food for St. Katherine Drexel in Roxbury. Please remember that during these economic times there is a great demand put upon food pantries and your contributions are needed more than ever before. These items are always needed: cereals, canned fruit and vegetables, soup, chicken broth, pasta, rice, peanut butter and tomato sauce. Cash, supermarket gift cards, and checks made payable to St. Katherine Drexel may be placed in an envelope and put into the offertory basket or dropped off at the Parish office. Thank you for your past generosity and support.
Faith & Environment
The chapters in Mark’s Gospel, before and after our reading today from Chapter 6, report many miracles; wonderful but also connected to the practical. For example, after raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, Jesus reminds her parents to “give the child something to eat.” After what we call ‘the feeding of the five thousand’ (with 5 loaves and 2 fish} he directs the disciples to pick up the leftovers-very practical in a deserted place. Jesus does the seemingly impossible but remains in touch with every-day needs. As we learn more and more about the effects of Climate Change it is easy to think that it is beyond us to do anything about it. But, Jesus shows us that we can. One way of doing the almost impossible is to join NETWORK at www.networklobby.org. This is a Catholic lobby in Washington D.C. The website presents: analyses of proposed legislation from the point of view of Catholic Social Teaching, clearly sets out the need for us to contact our Congressional representatives, the pros and cons of specific bills or parts of bills and the points that need to be raised with our legislators-BY US.
“I have strength for everything through him who empowers me.”(Phil 4:13)
Holy Humor
The Unanswered Prayer
The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon.
One day, she asked him why. ‘Well, Honey,’ he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. ‘I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.’
‘How come He doesn't answer you?’ she asked.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
HAVE A WONDERFUL 4TH OF JULY!
Monday, July 6, 2009
NO EVENTS
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
NO EVENTS
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
NO EVENTS
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Fradette/Cooper Wedding Rehearsal
Friday, July 10, 2009
3:30 – Fradette/Cooper Wedding
5:00 – Sharon/Pennacchio Wedding Rehearsal
Saturday, July 4, 2009
2:00 - Sharon/Pennacchio Wedding
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW COUPLES!
Have a safe weekend!
Light of the World
Prayer with our children often begins with a game. At sunset we turn off the lights and sit close together in a quiet, darkening house. We hold the younger children close so they won’t get frightened in the dark, and we say, “Let’s see how quiet we can be.”
After a few moments the squirming and giggling begin to fade. A few minutes more and the silence starts to build. Slowly we find ourselves embraced by an ever-deepening sense of stillness.
As the quiet grows, we feel the hushed amazement of our children as they suddenly realize that our silent room is actually teeming with sound. They begin to sense neighbors talking, playing, shouting, living.
Gradually, fainter sounds begin to claim a place: a factory whistle, the hum of machinery somewhere, a far-off siren. The longer we listen, the more we hear of the world around us.
We let this life-filled silence build in us until it seems ready to burst. Then we light our candle, proclaim Jesus Christ “the light of the world,” and begin our prayer, much more receptive, much more aware of our connections to others, than we had been a few minutes before.
Copyright © 2002 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1800 North Hermitage Avenue, Chicago IL 60622-1101; 1-800-933-1800; www.ltp.org. Text by Brendan Matthews. Art by Steve Erspamer, sm. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
| St. Brigid |
| Offertory for June 27th & 28th |
$ 7,146.00 |
| Envelope Offerings |
$ 6,095.00 |
| Loose Cash |
$ 1,051.00 |
| Sacred Heart |
| Offertory for June 27th & 28th |
$ 3,845.00 |
| Envelope Offerings |
$ 3,383.00 |
| Loose Cash |
$ 462.00 |
Thank you to all who so generously contribute to our parishes each week!
—Fr. Colletti
3 Projects Underway at St. Brigid’s
Work is underway on three projects at St. Brigid’s:
- Repair and refurbishment of the church’s steeple
- Replacement of the church’s two rear side doors and the center’s rear side door and repair of the parish center’s front door
- Replacement of the former rectory’s front porch. The architectural style and color of the steeple, doors and porch will not be changed.
Sacrament of reconciliation
During the summer months we will not have the Sacrament of Reconciliation at St. Brigid on Saturday 3:30-4:30pm.
Most of our visiting priests have gone away for the summer, so we are limited on what we can do to keep the schedule the way it is when they are here to help out.
Please call the office to set up an appointment for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The numbers to call are 781-862-0335/4646 for an appointment.
Be Cool With The Lord!
Visit the Lord this Friday and every Friday during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 12:00 – 2:45pm in air-conditioned St. Brigid Church.
Interfaith Garden
An Interfaith Garden is being planned for Lexington! The garden would provide an opportunity to give fresh fruits and vegetables to those in need along with an opportunity for our faith communities to work together on a joint effort. Rev. Dana Allen Walsh will host an interest meeting on Monday, June 29th at 7:30 p.m. at Hancock Church in the Kathie Stuart Room. At the meeting, possible locations, a timeline, models of operation, and the scale of the project will be discussed. Please RSVP if you will plan to be there 781.862.4220.
Looking for Summer Reading?
Join
parishioners from Sacred Heart and
St. Brigid as they read My Life with the Saints by James Martin, SJ.
Our women’s book club
officially begins on Thursday, September 17th, but the group invites
you to savor their first selection as the less-chaotic days of summer unfold.
Here’s the scoop on the book:
James Martin has led an entirely modern life:
from a lukewarm Catholic childhood, to an education at the Wharton School of
Business, to the executive fast track at General Electric, to ministry as a
Jesuit priest, to a busy media career in Manhattan.
But every step of the way, he has been accompanied by some surprising
friends—the saints of the Catholic Church.
Martin's best-selling memoir encompasses saints throughout Christian
history—from St. Peter to Dorothy Day, St. Francis of
Assisi to Mother Teresa—and chronicles the author's
lifelong relationship with them. His
witty, vibrant, and stirring stories enable readers to discover how the saints
guide us throughout our earthly journeys and how they help each of us find
holiness in our own lives. Our
insiders tell us the book has short chapters, and is easy pick up for a short
time.
My Life with the Saints is readily available at your
favorite book vendor…for more information about the fledgling book club, contact
Maria Griffin at avempg(4)
or Beverly Good
at Beverly.Good
(1); 781-863-0319, ext. 20.
REGISTRATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND CONFIRMATION CLASSES ARE IN THE MAIL. PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN THE FORMS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Taking a Vacation this Summer?
Here is a suggestion to ponder while you are soaking up sun and sand: Teaching a class in religious education in the Fall. We will welcome all volunteers; returning teachers; teachers who have been on “sabbatical” from teaching; volunteers looking for a new ministry. If interested, please call the Religious Education Office 781-862-8724. You can also email us. For grades 1-8, George Begin at george.begin(1). For grades 9 & 10 Megan Chenaille at megan.chenaille(1)
A Million Years for God
A young man once asked God how long a million years was to Him.
God replied, “A million years to me is just like a single second in your time.”
Then the young man asked God what a million dollars was to Him.
God replied, “A million dollars to me is just like a penny to you.”
Then the young man got his courage up and asked: “God, could I have one of your pennies?” God smiled and replied, “Certainly, just a second.”