God's blessings...

USCCB - (NAB) - February 21, 2008:

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit."

The Lord has a plan and a purpose for each one of us and if we only would listen to Him and obey Him, then He will see us through the tough times. You see...He doesn't promise us that we will never experience a 'year of drought' but He does promise that we can still continue to be fruitful in spite of it. Praise God!

to serve

USCCB - (NAB) - February 20, 2008:

"Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”"

When we think of 'serving others' we often think of 'active service'...the kind that requires us to be able bodied and abounding in ample health...which leaves a very large section of the population unable to fulfill this command...or does it? How about small children, the elderly, the sick, the institutionalized? Can they be of service? Can we be of service when our health and strength fail? Well...let's look at that Crucifix again...that was THE MOMENT when Jesus performed the greatest service to us. There He was hanging on that Cross, His physical strength all gone, His blood dripping to the ground and once He drew His last breath that is when His most important job was done...the curtain between heaven and earth was ripped in two and salvation was won for us. POWERFUL! We are not Jesus though, so how can we weak as we are be of service? By following Jesus' example of obedience and offering Our Heavenly Father all that we do possess at the moment...God will do the rest!

flower of carmel -Flos Carmeli

I've been pondering lately about this 'dual' calling that the Lord has put before me...the Contemplative world of the Carmelites and what at first glimpse seems to be a more 'worldly' call of the Charismatic Renewal. How do they fit together? Are they diverging? Do they unite at some point? So many questions that I've posed to Him. My answer came quickly and simply to me today. If Carmel is the stem, long and dignified with its deep roots and occasional thorns...the Charismatic movement then is the bloom...it reaches out to heaven with arms out stretched giving off its delicate aroma in worship and praise of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary then is the perfect model for both.

FLOWER of Carmel,
Tall vine blossom laden;
Splendor of heaven,
Childbearing yet maiden.
None equals thee.

Mother so tender,
Who no man didst know,
On Carmel's children
Thy favors bestow.
Star of the Sea.

Strong stem of Jesse,
Who bore one bright flower,
Be ever near us
And guard us each hour,
who serve thee here.

Purest of lilies,
That flowers among thorns,
Bring help to the true heart
That in weakness turns
and trusts in thee.

Strongest of armor,
We trust in thy might:
Under thy mantle,
Hard press'd in the fight,
we call to thee.

Our way uncertain,
Surrounded by foes,
Unfailing counsel
You give to those
who turn to thee.

O gentle Mother
Who in Carmel reigns,
Share with your servants
That gladness you gained
and now enjoy.

Amen Hail, Gate of Heaven,
With glory now crowned,
Bring us to safety
Where thy Son is found,
true joy to see.

article by Ralph Martin

Charismatic and Contemplative? What would St. John of the Cross Say?

Immaculate Heart

Universalis: Morning Prayer (Lauds)

: "Short readingJoel 2:12 - 13 ©
Come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning. Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn, turn to Yahweh your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent."

Geesh...why do we keep straying? God is so good, so patient, so mercyful...He keeps calling us back to Him. He wants our whole heart...not just some show of affection. Puritas Cordis...purity of heart! Meaning, a heart with no other attachments but God.

YouTube - I Offer My Life

true humility

USCCB - (NAB) - February 19, 2008:

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”"

True humility is not about thinking of yourself as worthless but it is instead the deep knowing that without God you can do NOTHING! I've heard it said that 'God laughs when you make plans'...well, I don't know about outright laughter, but I can imagine a little chuckle coming forth from His lips right about now as so many of us are well on our way with our Lenten disciplines...then again...maybe you are all doing better then I am. You see...I get 'derailed' easily. Know what did it for me this time? a bug. yep...something so microscopic that it would be totally inconsequential if it weren't for the devestation that it can cause...the flu! I've been knocked out and dragged out of the race. I've been 'humbled'...not a bad thing in the long run I guess.

YouTube - Free Hugs Campaign.

give to get

USCCB - (NAB) - February 18, 2008:

"Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”"

When we find ourselves in a dried up phase of our lives where not much is being received (both physically and spiritualy), it is time to take a look at our 'giving'. What have we been holding back from the Lord and from each other? Never mind if others 'appreciate' it or not...you will get your merit...for you can never out give God. I don't know about you, but I for one want every single one of the blessings that the Lord has destined for me.

reconciling the family

USCCB - (NAB) - February 15, 2008:
"Gospel
Mt 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you,
unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”"

healing the family

healing generational curses

Fr. McDonough

Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world:

"Please pray for major healer Father Ed McDonough, Boston, who died today:
Friday 2-8 Wake at Mission Church, followed by 8 p.m. Vespers Saturday the Mass 10 a.m."

I remember going to Fr. McDonough's healing Masses as a kid with my mom when he was still in Cambridge. He will be greatly missed.

Lenten Resources Home Page

USCCB - Lenten Resources Home Page

February Readings

Today's Mass Readings and Homily

This is a great list to print off and then get into the Word at your own pace.

I like Mike

Mike Huckabee for President

Instead of going for who is most 'electable', I'm going for who the Lord is putting in my heart.

Praying for all those running for president as well as for all heading out to vote on Tuesday. Come Holy Spirit!

thorns?

USCCB - (NAB) - January 30, 2008:

"Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain."

As we prepare to enter into the Season of Lent...it is a good time to look around us and note any 'thorns' that may be trying to 'choke' God's Word from our lives. The thing with 'thorns' though, is that they don't always appear sinister...if they did, then it would be easy enough to stay away from. But regardless of appearances...what is the fruit? If it is not bearing fruit...let's chop it off.

Women's Conference

Hi, all,
The Boston Women's Conference is scheduled for Friday, April 18th, starting at 5PM at Boston College. The Keynote speakers this year are Kimberly Hahn, Patti Mansfield, and Stacy McGovern. I've heard both Kimberly Hahn; Patti Mansfield speak; they are fabulous! You can read more info about these women; get more info on the conference at BBCCspeakers2008.pdf

Anne

I got the above from my homeschooling group and I really, really want to attend. Anyone else thinking of going?

Parish Bulletin

Dear Parishioners,
We begin our season of Lent this Wednesday. Lent is starting early
this year. To give a simple explanation as to why Easter is celebrated
on a different date each year, the first Sunday after the first
full moon of spring is Easter Sunday. With the first full moon of
spring being on March 21st this year, Easter is then on March 23rd,
the first Sunday after the full moon. It is one of the earliest Easter
that is celebrated.

Lent is a season for repentance. It is a time of spiritual house cleaning. This is a time to look at our relationship with Jesus. What do we need to do to grow deeper in our relationship with Him? For some it may be addressing a sinful behavior and for others it may be engaging in activities that help us to grow. I would suggest that you spend some time in quiet prayer and ask Jesus what it might be that He is asking of you to do. Lent is a season for us to seriously care for our spiritual relationship. May what we do see us rise on Easter to a new level of relationship with Jesus.

This Lent we will hold a parish mission from Sunday, March 2nd to Tuesday, March 4th. Our guest will be internationally known speaker, Ralph Martin. Ralph is the host of the TV program, “The Choices We Face.” You can see this program on his web site: www.renewalministries.net. It is also on EWTN on Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. Ralph has traveled the world preaching a call to holiness and personal relationship with Jesus. He has written many books, the latest, “The Fulfillment of All Desire”, which is a guidebook for the journey to God based on the wisdom of the saints. He is currently Director of Graduate Programs in the evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Please plan to attend the mission if you are able, for we are blessed to have Ralph be with us.

The Scripture is the Word of God. For many Catholics, we are weak in the reading and understanding Scripture. St. Jerome said that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. The Bible is a necessity in growing in our relationship with Jesus. Very simply, Scripture is Jesus speaking to us. There is a program called Scripture from Scratch. It presents contemporary Catholic biblical scholarship in a clear, easy to follow and welcoming manner. It is a program both for those with little or no knowledge of the Bible and for those who have some experience with it. This program will be on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the hall. It will be an eight week course. We will begin on Tuesday, February 12th.

Just a reminder, that LIFT will be here on Monday, February 4th at 7 p.m. It is a young adult group that offers praise and worship with teaching. You are encouraged to come and experience this form of prayer.
For you snowbirds who are reading this on the web, we have added wooden borders to the back wall.
It is something simple and everyone loves it (taking the positive outlook).
May Jesus continue to shepherd you in all of your needs.
God love you,
Fr. Ron

Events Schedule

Renewal Ministries - Events Schedule:

"March 2-4 Parish Lenten Mission at St. Joseph Church
Wakefield, MA

Ralph Martin

Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts (PDF file)