Sacred Heart Parish
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Saturday, August 28
4:00 PM Janice Lyons Myette and Richard Myette
Sunday, August 29
9:00 AM Parishioners of Sacred Heart
Wednesday, September 1
7:00 AM Arthur Lucier, Jr.
Thursday, September 2
7:00 AM Ana De Moreno
Saturday, September 4
4:00 PM Frank and Peter Pomponio
Sunday, September 5
9:00 AM Parishioners of Sacred Heart
CONFESSIONS
Saturday, September 4 – 2:00 to 3:30 PM – Fr. Connelly
READINGS FOR THE TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
First Reading: Wisdom 9:13-18a
Second Reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Gospel Reading: Luke 14:25-33
SAVE THE DATE –
GUILD OF ST. FRANCIS TEA
Fr. Connelly and The Guild of St. Francis invite all the ladies in the parish to the Guild’s annual tea on Sunday, September 19 at 3:00 PM in the rectory.
ARISE SEASON 5: WE ARE THE GOOD NEWS
Only 90 minutes a week for 6 weeks can change your life! Even if you have never participated before, you are welcome. Faith sharing groups will begin the week of October 3rd. You may sign up for a group on the weekends of September 11/12 and September 18/19. Mark your calendars and spread the word!
EMERGENCY APPEAL
The dedicated Hmong catechist of over twenty families, the first of which was sponsored by Sacred Heart Parish, is in desperate need of effective help to avoid foreclosure on the house in which he lives with his family of five adults and two young couples with their little children. Please contact Paule Verdet at e-mail: pverdet@bu.edu or by phone: 617-965-2499.
APARTMENT AVAILABLE
Single, mature person wanted to rent a one bedroom apartment with a large living room and kitchenette in Dedham – all utilities included. It is centrally located near shops, public transportation and Route 128. Pets okay. Rent negotiable. If interested, please call Dori at 781-405-0448.
ARCHDIOCESAN JUSTICE CONVOCATION
Charity and Justice in Our daily Lives
On Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 8:30AM – 2:30PM join parishes from around the Archdiocese of Boston to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching, celebrate the work for justice going on and find out concrete ways to connect faith with action in the service of justice. The event will feature remarks by Cardinal Seán O’Malley, a keynote address by Fr. Bryan Hehir and breakout sessions with experts in Social Justice. The venue is Boston College High School, 150 Morrissey Blvd., Boston. Registration information will be available soon.
MASTER OF ARTS IN MINISTRY PROGRAM FOR LAITY
Learn more about your Catholic faith. Attend graduate evening courses for laity at St. John’s Seminary, 149 Washington St., Brighton. There are core courses in Foundational Theology, Faith & Reason, Moral Theology, Old Testament and Church History. Electives include The History, Theology & Spirituality of the Liturgical Year, Catholic Health Care Ethics/Bioethics, The Prophesy of Isaiah and Marriage & Canon Law. Fall courses begin on Tuesday, September 7. Visit www.sjs.edu for registration information or call 617-779-4104. The Catechetical Certificate Program Theology for Evangelization meets for eight Saturdays beginning September 11 either in Braintree or Brighton. The Catholic Theology Certificate program Apologetics for the New Millennium meets for 13 Wednesday evenings in Brighton, starting on September 8. For either of the Certificate Programs, register at www.Catecheticalcertificate.org or email angela.franks@sjs.edu.
INTENTIONS OF THE HOLY FATHER FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER
General Intention: That the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work toward authentic social progress.
Mission Intention: That by opening our hearts to love we may put an end to the wars and conflicts which continue to bloody our world.
PROJECT RACHEL
HOPE AND HEALING AFTER ABORTION
If you are hurting from past abortions, come to the Waters of Healing on Saturday, Sept. 11, October 30, or December 4. For more information, call Project Rachel at 508-651-3100.
OFFERTORY INCOME
Weekend of August 21/22 $3,792
AUGUSTINE AND THE COMMAND OF LOVE
St. Augustine is sometimes called the Schoolmaster of the Christian West. His writings on St. John’s Gospel and
1 Letter of John have been remarkable contributions to Christian teachings down the centuries. What follows would be the opening lines of the 1 Letter of John. Following this quotation will be Augustine’s thoughts. (Yesterday, the Church celebrated the Feast of St. Augustine.)
Word of Life and Light of God
“This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched – we speak of the word of life. (This life became visible; we have seen and bear witness to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was present to the Father and became visible to us.) What we have seen and heard we proclaim in turn to you so that you may share life with us. This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, our purpose in writing you this is that our joy may be complete.
Here then, is the message we have heard from him and announce to you: that God is light: in him there is no darkness. If we say, ‘We have fellowship with him,’ while continuing to walk in darkness, we are liars and do not act in truth. But if we walk in light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, ‘We are free of the guilt of sin,’ we deceive ourselves; the truth is not to be found in us. But if we acknowledge our sins, he who is just can be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrong. If we say, “We have never sinned,” we make him a liar and his word finds no place in us.
My little ones, I am writing this to keep you from sin. But if anyone should sin, we have, in the presence of the Father, Jesus Christ, an intercessor who is just. He is an offering for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for those of the whole world.
The way we can be sure of our knowledge of him is to keep his commandments.”
Life Itself was Revealed in the Flesh
“Our message is the Word of life. We announce what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have touched with our own hands. Who could touch the Word with his hands unless the Word was made flesh and lived among us?
Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment. We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning. Notice how John’s letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ’s body itself which was touched by human hands. But consider what comes next: and life itself was revealed. Christ therefore is himself the Word of life.
And how was this life revealed? It existed from the beginning, but was not revealed to men, only to angels, who looked upon it and feasted upon it as their own spiritual bread. But what does Scripture say? Mankind ate the bread of angels.
Life itself was therefore revealed in the flesh. In this way what was visible to the heart alone could become visible also to the eye, and so heal men’s hearts. For the Word is visible to the heart alone, while flesh is visible to bodily eyes as well. We already possessed the means to see the flesh, but we had no means of seeing the Word. The Word was made flesh so that we could see it, to heal the part of us by which we could see the Word.
John continues. And we are witnesses and we proclaim to you that eternal life which was with the Father and has been revealed among us – one might say more simply, ‘revealed to us’.
We proclaim to you what we have heard and seen. Make sure that you grasp the meaning of these words. The disciples saw our Lord in the flesh, face to face; they heard the words he spoke, and in turn they proclaimed the message to us. So we also have heard, although we have not seen.
Are we then less favored than those who both saw and heard? If that were so, why should John add: so that you too may have fellowship with us? They saw, and we have not seen; yet we have fellowship with them, because we and they share the same faith.
And our fellowship is with God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son. And we write this to you to make your joy complete – complete in that fellowship, in that love and in that unity.”
SIGNINGS
Cool is an interesting word. I don't know exactly what it means and I don't want to know. I don't want to look it up. Maybe it is the kind of word that you should not look up in a dictionary. This word however comes to my mind when the words of today's Gospel wash over my mind and it comes in relation to Jesus. Jesus is cool.
The truth of today's Gospel is so funny. It is so easy to follow and so true. Recently someone said that there would be more people with physical deformities and various illness and injuries in heaven than healthy people. That makes a lot of sense. It is really what Christ himself promises in the Beatitudes and many of His parables. He promises it indeed in himself by becoming the first of the family of Man to enter heaven and He enters, transfigured and yet disfigured with holes in His hands and feet and a great wound in His side.
The people who think power and control and riches and beauty in this world are to be cherished are like people desperately hanging onto the end of a rope; growing ever closer to slipping into oblivion but trying against all the odds to cling to that rope. Some people even call this clinging hope, or perseverance, or faith. It is not.
The power and control, the worldly success, the positions of honor, the youth, the physical strength, the wealth, the esteem of others, and the money that we might have in this world are all passing away. Our hope is not in them. Our hope is in that place we know by faith: Heaven; life with God!
Perseverance and hope and faith are all related to heaven. We are wise if we are doing things that gain heaven. We are foolish if we do things that are a kind of clinging to Earth. That life of heaven begins when we go to a party here on Earth and we try to befriend the outcast or the "reject." It happens on the playground when we take a look around to see who is lonely and choose to play with that child. It happens when we stop trying to impress the powerful and wealthy circle of friends and instead try to impress the sick and the weak with our love and service. Why, when we do that we are with God at that moment. To move toward the attractive, powerful, and rich people of this world is to move away from Christ. To move toward the nobodies is to move toward Christ and therefore to move toward Heaven. When we die there might be a few people there who remember us and welcome us into Heaven. Jesus will be there as the King of all and He and everyone with Him will be happy, smiling, and so cool.
In Christ,
Fr. St. Martin
TIME TO PURCHASE SCHOOL SUPPLIES!!
Our parish-wide project to provide Mother Caroline Academy students and teachers with school supplies will run from September 4 through 19. For three weekends, baskets will be placed at church entrances for collection of “new” items. Since the school is totally privately funded, they depend on donations from individuals, churches, and organizations. So, as you purchase school items or refill your own home and/or business office supplies, please consider buying and donating the following supplies for 64 middle school students and 9 volunteer teachers:
AAA batteries for graphing calculators (4 per calculator)
white board markers (black and other colors) & erasers
index cards tri-fold poster boards
Xerox paper scotch tape
3 ring notebook paper glue sticks
highlighters post-its
colored pencils markers
graph paper
You can drop off donations in the collection baskets near church entrances the weekends of September 4/5, 11/12, and 18/19. Any contribution you could make to MCAEC would be profoundly appreciated! Your support makes it possible for much-needed educational opportunities to a disadvantaged community, ultimately helping many families to break free from the cycle of poverty. Thanks in advance for your generosity!!!!
Margaret LeBlanc Jane McGuire
BULLETIN ADVERTISING
Liturgical Publications, Inc., our publisher, will have a sales representative available within the next few weeks for those interested in placing a new ad. This is your opportunity to secure a space for the new publication year. To place your ad, please contact Mark Brennan at 800-888-4574 ext. 3418 or mbrennan@4lpi.com. We would like to thank our present advertisers for renewing their ad. Keep in mind; our advertising sponsors make this publication possible.
CALENDAR NOTES
COFFEE HOUR AFTER 10:30 ASL MASS:
Sunday, August 29 – 11:30 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center
PANCAKE BREAKFAST:
Friday, September 3 – Following 9 AM Mass – Parish Center
LITURGY, ADORATION AND THE ROSARY:
Saturday, September 4 – 9 AM to 12:30 PM – Lower Church
COFFEE HOUR AFTER 10:30 ASL MASS:
Sunday, September 5 – 11:30 AM to 1 PM – Parish Center
LABOR DAY MASS SCHEDULE:
Monday, September 6 – 9:00 AM – Lower Church