The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you. and is able to save your souls.

Transcription

1 August 30, 2015 The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.

2 New Roads Catholic Community We welcome all who have come this day to be part of our worship service. To those of you who are visiting with us, we extend our hand in friendship and thank you for your support. St. Luke Parish 132 Lexington Street, Belmont, MA New Roads Catholic Community Offices Located at the Corner of Beech & Lexington Streets Phone: Fax: Web Site: Office Hours: Monday Friday; 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Leadership Team Rev. Thomas A. Mahoney, Pastor Ext. 11 Rachel Keeler, Associate Minister Ext. 52 Sister Kathleen Moran, CSJ, Associate Minister Ext. 12 Mary Cahill, Administrative Assistant Ext. 10 Lou Fabrizio, Finance and Operations Manager Ext. 53 Holly Muson, Sacramental Preparation Coordinator Ext. 50 Kathy O Leary, Assistant to the Leadership Team koleary@newroadscatholic.org Ext. 22 Kathy Rushe, Coordinator of Volunteers krushe@newroadscatholic.org Ext. 51 Todd Theriault, Director of Music ttheriault@newroadscatholic.org Bulletin Submissions mcahill@newroadscatholic.org (due before 9:00 a.m. Monday) St. Joseph & St. Luke Liturgical Schedule Saturday: 4:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: 9:00 a.m. Holy Days to be announced. Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday 1:00 p.m. in Eucharistic Chapel or upon request Sacrament of Baptism Baptisms are normally celebrated in a Mass. Please contact Holly Muson, Sacramental Preparation Coordinator, to schedule a baptism. Baptismal Preparation Please contact Holly Muson to schedule baptismal preparation. Sacrament of the Sick Anointing upon request. Sacrament of Matrimony Couples should contact the collaborative offices at least six months prior to their marriage. Scripture for the week of August 30, SUN Dt 4:1-2, 6-8/Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27/Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, Mon 1 Thes 4:13-18/Lk 4: Tue 1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11/Lk 4: Wed Col 1:1-8/Lk 4: Thu Col 1:9-14/Lk 5: Fri Col 1:15-20/Lk 5: Sat Col 1:21-23/Lk 6:1-5 6 SUN Is 35:4-7a/Jas 2:1-5/Mk 7:31-37 August 29 August 30 4:00 p.m. Herman Getrost 8:30 a.m. Pauline Oates Powers 11:00 a.m. Daniel Dewar September 1 9:00 a.m. Blanca & Ricardo Cordon September 3 9:00 a.m. Charles DiGiovanni(2 year) September 5 4:00 p.m. John Savignano September 6 11:00 a.m. Domenico Corso Pope Francis When we experience the merciful love of the Father, we are more able to share this joy with our neighbor. 2

3 August 30, 2015 Masses for August 29/30 St. Joseph s Parish: August 30 7:30 a.m. - Fr. Haglof, OCD 10:00 a.m. - Fr. Walsh, SJ 5:30 p.m. - Fr. Dunkle, SJ St. Luke s Parish: August 29 August 30 4:00 p.m. - Fr. Mahoney 8:30 a.m. - Fr. Mahoney 11:00 a.m. - Fr. Mahoney Masses for September 5/6 St. Joseph s Parish: September 5 7:30 a.m. - Fr. O Connell 10:00 a.m. - Fr. Mahoney 5:30 p.m. - Fr. Dunkle, SJ St. Luke s Parish: September 5 September 6 4:00 p.m. - Fr. Walsh, SJ 8:30 a.m. - Fr. Mahoney 11:00 a.m. - Fr. O Connell Calendar of Events All are welcome at all events! This week at New Roads Catholic Community (in addition to regularly scheduled liturgies) Sunday, August 30 7:00 p.m. Scripture Reflection...St. Joseph Monday, August 31 8:30 p.m. Young Women s Bible Study....St. Joseph Wednesday, September 2 7:00 p.m. Peace Vigil.....St. Luke Thursday, September 3 12:00 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration.....St. Luke Saturday, September 5 1:00 p.m. Reconciliation St. Luke St. Vincent de Paul Society The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Luke s Parish meets the first Sunday of the month at 10:00 a.m. in the classroom area of the lower church. We offer food vouchers, assistance with utilities and rent, as well as referrals to local and state agencies. Our ability to help those in need depends totally on donations. Currently we are assisting 13 families in Watertown and Belmont. Our next meeting is September 6. Please come if you are interested in helping those in need. The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Fall Bereavement Group Have you lost a loved one through death? Do you find yourself in need of being with others who are experiencing similar feelings? New Roads Catholic Community will hold an eight-week bereavement group on Wednesday evenings in classroom 4 in St. Luke s lower church from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each session will begin with prayer and a brief input. Much of the time will be spent sharing your experience of loss, what is helping, and what is a source of struggle. The first session will be held on September 30 th, and sessions will continue on consecutive weeks through November 18 th. A minimum of six people is needed in order for the group to be formed. Call Sister Kathleen at if you are interested. For those seeking peace New Roads Peace Vigil Wednesday, September St. Luke For a few minutes of prayerful silence for more Anytime between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. Funeral-Planning Ministry The funeral-planning ministry at Saint Joseph and Saint Luke is a wonderful opportunity to offer both the hospitality of the parish and compassion of God to members of families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. The planner makes contact with a member of the family and makes arrangements to meet with them. Families are encouraged to share something about the deceased, to select readings and music, and determine whether anyone in the family will take a public role in the liturgy. Having a minimum of six members of this ministry in each parish would help to avoid calling on the same planner repeatedly in a short period of time. Training will be provided for those interested or willing to hear more about the responsibilities and time commitment involved. Please call or Sister Kathleen if you are open to hearing more about this blessed ministry. 3

4 New Roads Catholic Community St. Joseph & St. Luke New Roads is Hiring! Do you know someone who would be a great fit for our community? We are currently hiring for two part-time positions: Coordinator of Children's Ministry and Technology Assistant. More details can be found on our Web site: Registration to Prepare for Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation Registration is now open for families to register their children to prepare for the sacraments of Reconciliation & Eucharist (children who will be in second grade and up) or Confirmation (two-year program for ninth- and tenth-grade teens) next year. To register, please visit our Web site: Tenth-grade Confirmation candidates will each attend an overnight retreat. There are four different dates to choose from, in an effort to provide ample opportunity to each teen, being mindful of their involvement in sports and other activities. Registration for these retreats is on a first come, first served basis. Registration is online through our Web site, but families who do not have access to a computer or would like additional help with the process can register in person by contacting Holly Muson, sacramental preparation coordinator, at hmuson@newroadscatholic.org or x50. There is no cap on the number of children who can register, but sign-ups for particular dates for Reconciliation and Eucharist workshops and celebrations is on a first come, first served basis. Questions? Please contact Holly Muson at hmuson@newroadscatholic.org or x50. This Week s Message What does it mean to live God s commands faithfully? There s a fine line somewhere between disregarding God s law and making that law more important than God himself. That s the danger Jesus warns against today: that we will remember God s commands but forget their purpose, which is to help us live in God s love, in right relationship with God and each other. There is an ever-present danger that we will become so committed to our understanding of God s law that we lose sight of God. We know his commands, but we no longer hear his voice or feel his love. We may become angry and judgmental toward those who hold different views. Today Jesus calls us back to a different way of living, so that everything we say and do points not to the rightness of our position, but to the warmth of God s love. For reflection: In what way can you be less committed to commands and traditions, and more committed to experiencing and displaying God s goodness and love? The New Roads community celebrates the babies who were baptized here this summer: Quinn Pearl Lavoie, Alexandra Penelope Maguire, Benjamin William Leach, Madeline Quinn Mulcahy, Stella Reese Banosian, Ann "Annie" Louisa Francini, Brendan Edward Connors, Jackson Thomas Adams, Liam John Adams, Oliver Frederick Hale, Jonas Cole Zupka, Milania Isabella Bonanno, Mitch Daniel Tandy, Gavin John Tandy, Colby Archibald MacDonald, Daniel Stephen Carr, Katherine Mae Mahowald, Jack Vincent Talarico, Liam Edward George Keating, Braden Joseph Brevard Welcome! May their lives be blessed with joy. 4

5 August 30, 2015 Sometimes on Sunday mornings when I am driving on Waverley Street from St. Luke to St. Joseph for the 7:30 Mass (yes, I know, I should probably be riding a bike!), I stop for a red light at the Beech Street intersection by the town field. I m usually in a hurry (seems like I m always in a hurry). As the seconds tick by and I observe the early morning deserted intersection, I sometimes wonder why I can t just make my own choice to proceed cautiously through the intersection. I feel sure I could do this safely. It seems arbitrary and unnecessary at this hour of the morning to be guided by an unintelligent machine on a timer rather than to use my own intelligence and judgment to save time. I think about whether I would endanger myself or someone else. I imagine I probably wouldn t get caught if I didn t obey the law. In the readings for this coming Sunday we are invited to consider the purpose and meaning of rules and laws. In the older testament reading from Deuteronomy, Moses insists on the value of observing God s law. The law given by God to Moses represented the relationship between God and his people. Instruction to observe the law included the motivating promise: thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations. But like any law, the law of Moses requires interpretation. When, how, for whom, and in what circumstances are laws to be applied? Over the centuries, oral tradition developed and was handed down by generations of leading rabbis, making following the law a complicated business. Rules and laws exist for the good of people and society. Traffic laws exist to provide order and eliminate accidents. They are intended to protect us. This week s gospel is about laws, too. In order to be right with God, a certain group, called Pharisees, are caught up in the interpretation. Pharisees at the time of Jesus were members of a renewal movement that sought to restore God s favor to Israel by advocating strict observance of the law and total separation from all gentile defilement. They are scandalized by the way Jesus s disciples ate their meals, and by the Passing Judgment 5 The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time way Jesus had just fed the hungry masses without regard to ritual purity. Jesus is not against laws, but he is concerned that people might use authority or enforcement of laws to exclude people who really are interested or who are beginning to recognize their need for a relationship with God. He is concerned that the very people who do this don't seem to live their lives in a way that is consistent with his own experience of relationship, based on love. A relationship of spirit and life. A relationship he experiences in his own prayer. A relationship that didn't begin with laws but with worship. This is why we are so concerned about making worship experiences more meaningful and welcoming at New Roads. Rather than see attending Mass as the fulfillment of the law, we hope to invite people to discover or deepen their awareness of what it s like to live our lives based on a relationship with God. So it s a good week to ask ourselves what traditions we blindly cling to, and where we are or could be more discerning. This is not about giving yourself permission to go through a red light when you are in a hurry and it seems no one else is around or that you won t get caught. It s about asking ourselves why we attend Mass in the first place, or maybe asking ourselves whether we seek to stretch our relationship with God by opening up to new prayer experiences and opportunities to serve. We need to look at how we live our lives, asking if we have hearts truly turned toward God in a healthy and life-giving relationship. ~Fr. Thom Take your next step: What rules or traditions are an automatic part of your life? Do they have real meaning for you? How is God inviting you to seek new ways to show the wisdom, intelligence, and love that come from your relationship with him?

6 New Roads Catholic Community Collection The offertory amount for August 22/23 was $2, Thank you for your generosity! Next Week s Second Collection Next week s second collection supports The Catholic University Of America (CUA) and its scholarship fund for the needy students. CUA, located in Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Catholic Church. Many priests and professional lay ministers throughout the US obtain their education from CUA. For more information, please visit Collaborative Books Group New Roads Catholic Community Collaborative Books Group meets the first Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Joseph Parish Library. We will meet again on Monday evening, September 14 th (Sept. 7 th is Labor Day) in the St. Joseph s parish library at 7:00 p.m. Our selection for September is Rebuilt, The Story of a Catholic Parish Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. This is the story of the Church of the Nativity, a Catholic parish in Maryland, published in 2013 by Ava Maria Press. Drawing on the wisdom gleaned from thriving megachurches and innovative business leaders, while anchoring their vision in the Eucharistic heart of Catholic faith, the authors present the compelling and inspiring story of how they brought their parish back to life. Questions or comments, please contact Claire Dondis St. Joseph & St. Luke Social Justice Ministry As Disciples of Christ, we have a responsibility to respect the dignity of all people, to work to secure everyone s rights and to work for a more just and peaceful society and world. We undertake this mission through prayer, worship, education, and action, for love of our neighbor is our love of our Lord. Subcommittees: Homelessness September 22 nd, 7:00 p.m., lower church of St. Luke Meeting: Immigration in the Fall TBA SJC is collecting gift cards, checks, and cash to support the girls served by My Life My Choice starting on the weekend of August 29/30 through to the weekend of September 19/20. Checks should be made out to: St. Luke Church with MLMC in the memo line. For information on topics being explored, see the Web page for social justice at the New Roads Catholic Community Web site: Please visit our Web page to: Listen to or read the interview on WBUR. Listen to the Ted Talk given by Linda Smith of Shared Hope. Read the article regarding the website Back Page See the video of the Homelessness Forum at on our webpage. The Social Justice Committee will meet on Tuesday, September 15 th, at 7:00 p.m., in the lower church of St. Luke. We welcome those who wish to work for justice for all to participate at our meetings. Newcomers are welcome. 6