On this Feast of the Holy Family, I share with you a reflection by Fr. Bob Sherry, Spiritual Advisor to Dynamic Catholic. (FrBob.Sherry@dynamiccatholic.com) How do you and your family handle disagreements? Do you look for how God might be leading your family to a "greater good"? Maybe these three words will help:

Prayer: Always pray. Use the Prayer Process (below) and talk to Jesus. Talk to God the Father and ask the Father how he sees the situation or the other person. And pray for the other person, too!

Empathy: See if you can satisfactorily articulate the argument of the other person. Ask the person to give you at least three tries. Sometimes we argue on different wavelengths. No wonder we get heated!

Cardinal Seán O'Malley has declaring a Year of the Eucharist for the Archdiocese of Boston. The year will officially begin on Holy Thursday (April 9, 2020) and end on the Feast of Corpus Christi (June 6, 2021). He explains what prompted his decision in a letter dated December 10. Excerpts are included below.

"A recent Pew Study entitled "What Americans Know About Religion" reported that only 31% of Catholics believe that the bread and the wine consecrated during the Mass actually become the body and blood of Jesus, and that only half of Catholics know of the Church's teaching concerning the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. In order to help people gain a better understanding of the Eucharist, on Holy Thursday 2020, the Archdiocese of Boston will begin a Year of the Eucharist. It is my hope and prayer that through this spiritual initiative we can invite and encourage our brothers and sisters to find the consolation of the Lord through participation in the celebration of the Eucharist and in times of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament."…

Mary Anne fell ill with pneumonia at the age of eighty-seven. She survived but the recovery has left her bedridden. She is weak, no longer able to carry out the daily demands of feeding, washing, and dressing herself. She has gone from being an incredibly active and self-sufficient woman to depending completely on those around her. Mary Anne has struggled with this transition in her life. Her self-worth was wrapped up in her ability to give. "What's the purpose of living life stuck in a bed?" she would ask God. For the first time in her life, she has grappled with despair. Nearly every day, despite an hour-long commute each way, Mary Anne's daughter bursts in the door with a huge smile and a story to tell. Danielle has her mother's energy and joy for life. Mary Anne's despair has met its match in Danielle. Together they laugh and talk through the hard reality of Mary Anne's new life. Danielle helps keep some semblance of normalcy for her mother by dyeing her hair to cover the gray and painting her nails so she has something pretty to look at when the nights get lonely. When asked by her husband why she feels the need to visit her mother so often Danielle responds by saying, simply, "As a kid I went to bed every night knowing I was loved because of my mother. She deserves to feel the same way now." That's beautiful mercy.

If you haven't already, I ask that you sign-up and come to our parish Dream Event which will take place this Monday, December 9 from 7 – 8:30 pm here at Holy Family Church. As the inaugural event of Matthew Kelly's Dynamic Parish initiative, we'll have guest, Tony Ferraro, lead us in a unique exercise intended to engage our imaginations to dream about a bigger future for ourselves, our parish and our Church. Collaborating with God on a bold vision for the future and then doing what we can to make that dream a reality has the ability to animate the human spirit in a way nothing else can! Share this engaging evening with family members, friends and fellow parishioners and sign up at Duxbury.Eventbrite.com or register in the narthex this weekend. To get an idea of what the Dream Event will be like, visit vimeo.com/dynamiccatholic/review/365287546/58303abba4. Bring your smart phone to the Dream Event and see what you have in common with other dreamers! I look forward to joining you at this special evening kicking off Dynamic Parish – the five-year partnership our parish has begun with Dynamic Catholic to help us bring about a bigger and better future for Holy Family.

The Church is waiting to be reinvigorated. It's time for Catholics to step it up a notch—work together and take our parishes to the next level. It's time to boldly envision an incredible future for the Catholic Church in America and get to work, invoking the inspiration and grace of the Holy Spirit. I believe our future can be bigger than our past. I have great hope that Holy Family Parish can become everything God intends it to be. That's the reason I have accepted the wonderful offer we've been privileged to receive to be part of Matthew Kelly's new initiative, Dynamic Parish, to help us accomplish this goal. It begins with dreaming together and becoming excited about the possibilities for ourselves, our parish and the wider Church.