Pastor's Corner

Cardinal Seán issued the following statement on December 19 regarding the Declaration "Fiducia Supplicans" on the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings.

“We thank the Holy Father for his love and care of all the people in the flock. We caution and make clear that the Holy Father has not endorsed gay marriage, but has recognized all Catholics, including those whose unions are not recognized by the Church, as equally in need of God's grace and love.

When you think about it, God went through “great lengths” to save humanity. At the right moment in history, in His tender mercy, God chose to come down to earth as a human being and reveal Himself in the person of JESUS! Humanity was in desperate need for meaning, purpose, hope and supernatural power / grace. We needed help to live joyfully, peacefully, and harmoniously with others, ourselves, and with Him.

This weekend, we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent traditionally known as Gaudete (Latin for “rejoice”) Sunday. It is so named because “Rejoice” is the first word in the entrance antiphon for today's Mass taken from Philippians 4:4,5: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.”

In Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) available HERE, the Holy Father focuses on the theme of the Church’s missionary role. He emphasizes our need to make the proclamation of the Gospel a lived reality in all of what we say and do. He speaks about becoming “Spirit-filled evangelizers” with a “renewed missionary impulse” marked by a “joy ever new, a joy which is shared.”

Today, the First Sunday of Advent, marks the beginning of a new liturgical year. This year’s Season of Advent is rather short because Christmas occurs the day after the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The Church’s Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar #39 explains the season in this way. “Advent has a two-fold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.”

As many of you know, our parish has been searching for a new staff member for about a year now to fill a new position entitled a Pastoral Associate. This person will serve as a close collaborator with me, assisting in the planning and implementation of the evangelization, adult faith formation and outreach initiatives to help our community grow in faith and in size.

In 2022, the United Nations declared November 18 as World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence. Cardinal Sean asks the people in all parishes of our Archdiocese to mark this weekend as a time to pray for those impacted by child abuse and to publically reaffirm our Church’s commitment to remain vigilant in our efforts to keep all children safe. Child abuse in our society is a far too frequent occurrence. The numbers are staggering, and the lifelong impact can be profound. Each of us must do all that is possible to intervene – preventing abuse wherever it occurs, interrupting and reporting it when it is happening, and helping heal those who have been abused.

How’s your pace of life? I often find myself saying, “Busy.” That seems to be the experience around Duxbury and beyond. Talking to parents of young families I will often hear references to sports: soccer, lacrosse and football among others. One parent shared that sports seems to rule their life. I marvel at the great distances some families are traveling to get to their child’s games. And, when there’s more than one family member involved in sports, the busyness is multiplied! Our lives can get so hectic that it can sometimes get the best of us. One mother shared with me that while driving her daughter and friend to a game, she “lost it,” complaining of all that she had to do - only to be reminded at a gas pump display shortly after her rant that the “word of the day” was prayer. This made her stop and think. She felt God was saying something to her in that experience.

This week is National Vocation Awareness Week (Nov 5 – 11). So, what does that mean? It’s a time to help make people aware of the fact that everyone has a vocation – the primary one is to be holy; rather basic, but not so easy all the time. However, then, each of us is called by God to a particular vocation/state in life. In faith, we understand that each of us does not live merely for ourselves, but for God – realizing that it’s part of our true nature as followers of Jesus to follow His plan for our lives in a particular way.

The escalation of violence in the war in the Holy Land weighs heavily on our minds and hearts, and those of all people of good will. There is fear that other countries will be drawn into this conflict and that it could result in a world war. Pope Francis said last Sunday after praying the Angelus, "War, any war that there is in the world -- I also think of the tormented Ukraine -- is a defeat…" "War is always a defeat; it is a destruction of human fraternity." He pleaded, “Brothers, Stop! Stop!" Later in the day, the pope spoke with President Biden in a 20-minute phone call to discuss "situations of conflict in the world" and "the need to prevent escalation in the region and to work toward a durable peace in the Middle East." Pope Francis called for prayer, fasting and penance – imploring God for peace in the world.

On October 4, Pope Francis published a follow-up to his Encyclical, Laudato Si, entitled Laudate Deum. After eight years since the initial publication of Laudato Si, Pope Francis once again makes a prophetic call to conversion in light of the looming challenges of the climate crisis that have only worsened. Laudate Deum addresses people of goodwill, admonishing the human family that has neglected its relationships with creation, one another, and above all, God – calling all people to repentance and reparation.

As the Church celebrates Respect Life Month in October, I draw your attention to some recent news about the sad death of a pregnant woman’s unborn baby who was struck by a stray bullet while the mother was riding on a public bus in Holyoke about two weeks ago. The mother, eight months pregnant, was rushed to the hospital. She survived, but despite efforts to save the unborn baby, the baby died.

The 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began at the Vatican this past Wednesday, October 4 and will continue through Sunday, October 29. This is the first of two sessions, which will be spaced apart by one year; the second session is scheduled to take place in October 2024. The decision to have two sessions stems from Pope Francis’ desire that the theme of a Synodal Church might be the subject of prolonged discernment not only by the members of the Synodal Assembly, but by the whole Church because of its breadth and importance. This choice is in keeping with an ongoing “synodal journey,” as the Pope described it, understanding that the Synod is not an event, but a process in which the whole People of God is called to walk together toward what the Holy Spirit helps it to discern as being the Lord's will for his Church.

Therefore, this Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will also take on a study of the processes involved in this consultation, configuring itself as "a journey within the journey" to foster more mature reflection for the greater good of the Church.

It’s been brought to my attention recently that some programs and workshops being offered to the general public in our community are delving into potentially spiritually dangerous areas that Catholics and all people of goodwill should avoid. They often sound interesting and harmless, sometimes billed as “fun and lighthearted.” However, whenever they involve harnessing “energy,” contacting spirits, consulting mediums/psychics, reading Tarot cards or tea leafs, caution is advised. In light of such activities taking place around us, I offer the following references from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) for your information below. As we pray to our heavenly Father in the Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from evil,” we need to do our part to avoid the many insidious ways the spirit of evil can enter our world these days – some very subtle and others, not so subtle. In 1 Peter 5:8, we read, “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”