Pastor's Corner

I came across this beautiful personal reflection from Nancy Hallczuk about how the Lord invited her to a closer relationship with Him, even when she had stayed away. Does that sound familiar? Have hope – nothing can separate you from the love of Jesus! He’s always ready to fill you with His mercy and His peace.

Do you know that as a lay person, you have a unique contribution to make in God’s plan for our society? The holy People of God indeed have a very special and important role. This is described in the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church #31. “It belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will. They live in the world, that is, they are engaged in each and every work and business of the earth and in the ordinary circumstances of social and family life, from which, as it were, the very web of their existence is woven.

This past week a reflection from a stranger confirmed for me an observation I have witnessed myself among members of our society lately. There seems to be a “pall” hanging over people these days. Do you feel it? It comes out in various forms. There seems to be a growing anxiety about the state of our world with the war in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and other troubled areas causing fear and uncertainty about the future of our country and our world, including the specter of nuclear war.

Pope Francis included this prayer in his encyclical, Laudato Si (On Care for Our Common Home) published in May 2015. May it serve to inspire your heart and actions in this new year.

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.