Sacred Heart Parish

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Monday, July 20

12:05 PM Sarah Ka Yang

Thursday, July 23

7:00 AM Blanche Gaulin

Saturday, July 25

4:00 PM Karol Downey

Sunday, July 26

9:00 AM Parishioners of Sacred Heart

CELEBRANTS FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S MASSES

Saturday, July 25

4:00 PM Fr. Imbelli

Sunday, July 26

9:00 AM Fr. Collins, S.J.

10:30 AM Fr. St. Martin

11:45 AM Fr. Connelly

CONFESSIONS

Saturday, July 25 – 2:00 to 3:30 PM – Fr. Connelly

READINGS FOR THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

First Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6

Gospel Reading: John 6:1-15

CHURCH IN CENTRAL AND EASTER EUROPE COLLECTION

Next weekend there will be a collection for the support of the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. While the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union endured decades of communist oppression, the Church suffered grave wounds to its spiritual life and its ability to serve the people. Through this collection, Catholics can now build bridges to these countries, spread God’s Word over vast areas with modern communications media, train Church leaders of tomorrow, help needy families materially and spiritually, rebuild churches that have fallen, and support the sisters and brothers who have suffered for the faith. For more information, please visit www.usccb.org/aee.

ST. FRANCIS HOUSE

Items needed for July are condiments – salad dressings, mayo, ketchup, mustard, etc. Donations may be placed in the cart or the containers at the church entrances.

OFFERTORY INCOME

Weekend of July 11/12 $3,741

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS

Have you thought about giving more of your time and talents out of love for God? Right now, we are looking for new teachers for both our Tuesday afternoon and Sunday morning programs. Will you share your gifts of faith, hope and love with our children? Please contact the religious education office now, so that we can plan for this upcoming year. I look forward to hearing from you by phone or email: religious.education@sacredheart.ws !

Fr. St. Martin would like to meet with all families of 2nd year Confirmation students before the end of August as part of their preparation and formation for receiving the sacrament. He is available to meet with families on Sundays and Thursdays at 7 PM. Please contact the Religious Education office by phone or email to schedule this appointment for your Confirmation student.

We are also in need of TAT and KCS instructors for the upcoming year. These individuals are responsible for teaching the catechists how to implement the personal safety/abuse prevention education programs in the classrooms. If you are interested in learning more about this important and necessary part of our CCD program and would like to become a “trainer to train the trainers” please contact the religious education office by phone or email.

Our 1st Communion pictures have arrived and they are beautiful! Don’t forget to pick them up before you leave for vacation! They can be picked up during regular business hours, at the rectory.

Michelle Solomon, Director of RE

PROJECT RACHEL

Project Rachel is a confidential Catholic outreach ministry offering hope and healing to women and men hurting from past abortions. If you or someone you know is looking for someone to listen, to answer your questions, to pray for you, or to help in any way they can, contact Project Rachel:

Your contact will be kept in strict confidence.

Project Rachel is named after the Old Testament figure Rachel, who weeps inconsolably for her children “who are no more” until God came to her, offering hope for her future. (Jeremiah 31:15-17)

SOME COMMENTS ON THE FEAST DAY OF

SAINT BONAVENTURE (JULY 15)

Each Sunday, we profess our faith in the centuries-old Nicene Creed – “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.”

We can ask ourselves two questions:

  • What does God ask of and expect of every human being? The answer – that he or she be a good human being.

  • What does God ask of and expect of every Christian? The answer – that he or she be a good Christian.

If in following the teachings of Aristotle – five centuries before the coming of Christ the Lord – we could say, with some small reservation, that one could be a good human being without being a good Christian being. If we follow our saint of today, Giovanni di Fidanza, better known by his religious name of Bonaventure, one cannot be a good Christian without also being a good human being. What is needed to become a good human being? Aristotle and Bonaventure would probably say – the practice of the moral virtues, sometimes called the human virtues because they are the virtues which make a person human – the virtues of prudence, justice, courage or fortitude and temperance. What is needed to become a good Christian? Bonaventure would answer – the practice of the theological virtues – faith, hope and charity. These virtues, from the Holy Spirit, along with the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist constitute the making of a Christian.

So far I have mentioned the moral virtues and the theological virtues, but something is missing as we celebrate the feast day of Saint Bonaventure. There are three other virtues that we all need to seek and develop according to our abilities and according to our vocations. We call these virtues the intellectual virtues of knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Notice what our Opening Antiphon said at Mass this morning – “The mouth of the just person utters wisdom”. Notice also what we said to God the Father in our Opening Prayer – “May we who celebrate the feast of Saint Bonaventure always benefit from his wisdom and follow the example of his love”.

We all know what knowledge is. In our world today we are experiencing a knowledge explosion in so many of the fields of human endeavor, aided and abetted by the modern miracles of technology. However, the poet T. S. Eliot asks the all important question – Where is the wisdom that has been lost in knowledge? We also have some good idea what understanding is. The grace of faith, for example, makes a person a believer. The hard work of prayer and study, always under grace, make the believer an understanding believer, an intelligent believer. Every catechist, every teacher confronts the task of helping the student to move from the “facts” to an understanding of the facts.

What about wisdom? It is both a virtue and a gift. It is a spiritual gift which enables one to know and understand the purpose and the plan of God’s saving will for his human creation. For example, the Christian speaks of the wisdom of the cross. So many in our society think of the cross as scandal; others in our society think of it as foolishness. The Christian would say, along with Bonaventure, what Saint Paul has said – “The cross is the wisdom of God and the power of God”. It is important to note that there are three kinds of wisdom. One sort of wisdom is the wisdom of philosophy. Some people take up the study of philosophy professionally, but every human person is sort of a philosopher, a lover of wisdom, when asking such questions as: Who am I? Where have I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? What is my goal in human history? A second kind of wisdom is the wisdom of faith. We call it theology. Some people in our society take up theology professionally, but all of us believers become theologians when we labor under grace to seek understanding of the faith. Finally, there is the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, the best kind of wisdom, the most important kind of wisdom, the kind of wisdom essential to every Christian. How does one come across this sort of wisdom – In the library sitting down; in the classroom; joining all sorts of movements and the like? This wisdom of the Holy Spirit comes from the Holy Spirit and calls for prayer and calls to fidelity to the Lord’s command of fraternal love. It comes from the resolution, under grace, to take to heart Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount; pray the Psalms; read the Old Testament Book of Wisdom. Think of King Solomon (in his early days; he made a mess of things in his older days). When the Lord commended him and promised him anything he wanted, he asked for an understanding heart. Listen to what Saint James says about wisdom in his New Testament Letter: “Wisdom from above is first of all innocent. It is also peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and kindly deeds that are its fruits, important and sincere. The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”

The Lord Jesus speaks about wisdom as he brings to a close his Sermon on the Mount: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rains fell, the floods came and the winds blew and buffeted his house, but it did not collapse. It had been set on solid rock. And anyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like the fool who built his house on sand. The rains fell, the floods came and the winds blew and buffeted his house, and it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Father Connelly

“SIGNINGS”

Good People,

In a "MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2006" the participation in humanitarian organizations that are not Catholic is downplayed. This idea is echoed in the Pope's first Encyclical Letter when he says, "Faith, hope and charity go together" (paragraph 39). In the Message from 2006 the Pope teaches with the following quote, "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta frequently observed: The worst poverty is not to know Christ. Therefore, we must help others to find God in the merciful face of Christ. Without this perspective, civilization lacks a solid foundation."

Jesus is the Faith, the object of faith in which the Pope is speaking. This is not a "faith" among many and varied faiths. The Faith is faith in Christ exclusively. The Church has been entrusted with the content of the faith we hold and it has come fully to us through Christ.

Charity is not trying to force a person in need to believe or to coerce them in any way. However, charity without the real gaze of the compassionate face of Christ does not help the worst poverty: the poverty of not knowing Christ. There are many ways to help the world through organizations that do fundraising for different "good causes" but if those causes are at the same time born of and leading to proclaiming the Trinity are they things we should be involved in? We can be involved with them, but it is good to favor truly Catholic institutions that set out to help the poor. By definition such institutions have the best foundation of teaching and grace by which to do Christian works and to show to the poor the loving gaze of Christ.

Christ's loving gaze is seen in the Gospel today. He looks over the crowd and he has loving mercy for them. They are lost. They are hungry.

What does he do? Start up a soup kitchen?

He has been teaching them and he continues teaching them. That is what we need. We are hungry for the truth. The truth will set us free; the Divine Teacher will feed us with his teaching, his word. He is the Father's eternal word become flesh and he feeds us with that flesh which is now flesh become real food and drink for us.

Christ's soup kitchen for our soul is always open. It is his church and he serves himself as food and drink for us today. We come to him lost and poor, hungry, thirsting. Jesus feeds us with the truth that God is our loving father and the Spirit of Joy is given us today as we are fed.

In Christ,

Fr. St. Martin

INTERESTING PRAYERS

God our Father, your light of truth guides us to the way of Christ. May all who follow him reject what is contrary to the Gospel. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Father, let the light of your truth guide us to your kingdom through a world filled with lights contrary to your own. Christian is the name and the gospel we glory in. May your love make us what you have called us to be. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER

MARRIED COUPLES: It has been said that the greatest gift you can give your children is two parents very much in love with each other. Polish up this gift at a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. You deserve the best and your children need to see you reaching for it. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends in New England are September 11-13, September 18-20, September 25-27 and October 23-25. For more information call Ralph and Jane Becker at 1-800-710-WWME or visit our webpage at www.wwmeMA.org

TEACH KIDS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AT HOME

We consider our homes to be safe places for our children. But being home alone can pose risks for children. Here are a few tips to teach kids that will help keep them safe when you are not with them at home:

  • Never answer the door if alone.

  • Do not invite anyone in the house without the permission of a parent or babysitter.

  • Don’t tell anyone on the phone that your parents are not home. Instead tell them that your parents can’t come to the phone, and take a message.

For more tips, please visit www.kidsafe.com.

CALENDAR NOTES

COFFEE HOUR AFTER THE ASL MASS:

Sunday, July 19 – 11:30 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center

COFFEE HOUR:

Friday, July 24 – Following 9 AM Mass – Parish Center

LITURGY, ADORATION AND THE ROSARY:

Saturday, July 25 – 9 AM to 12:30 PM – Lower Church

COFFEE HOUR AFTER THE ASL MASS:

Sunday, July 26 – 11:30 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center