Archive for January, 2011

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Zephaniah 2:3; 3: 12-13              1 Corinthians 1: 26-31             Matthew 5: 1-12a

In the first reading, it says “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed the law.” People have been seeking the Lord from the beginning of time. There is this insatiable curiosity about God, whether conscious or unconscious. In our humility, we recognize that there is a power greater than ourselves. The word “seek” means to try to find or discover by searching or questioning. From the time we were small children, we have asked questions like “Why?” “How Come?” However, when we are humble enough, we recognize that we don’t have all the answers and this calls for us to trust in God.

The second part of the sentence is “who have observed the law.”  No matter where we are, there are rules and regulations to follow. These bring order and also guide us to be on the same page with one another.  And so we were given not only the Commandments, but also the Beatitudes to live by as stated in this week’s Gospel reading in Matthew. While the Commandments are important, the Beatitudes are about virtue and about how someone who believes in Jesus can achieve that virtue.  The Beatitudes are simply stated, yet are profound in their meaning. They are meant to guide us and to teach us.  They show us the values that Jesus cares about; if we follow them they can bring us true peace and happiness and lead us to a closer encounter and relationship with God.

As an example, let’s take a look at the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  What does it mean to be “Poor in Spirit”? Simply, it means that we can never achieve salvation on our own and that we must put our complete
faith and trust in God.  Depending where we are on our faith journeys, this might be easier said than done. But if we can put our complete faith and trust in God even in the darkest moments of our lives, we are assured of the kingdom of God.

Finally, I would like to encourage and challenge each of us to not only read the Beatitudes, but to be curious and study the individual meanings of each Beatitude.  As we live out the Beatitudes, may we find true peace and happiness and enjoy a closer relationship with our God.

Dan Doyon
Pastoral Care

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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Isaiah 8:23-9:3          Psalm 27 1,4, 13-14        1Cor: 1:10-13,17           Matthew  4:12-23

Throughout the readings the uplifting themes of Unity, Hope, Calling and Belonging fill our spirits with excitement.  It is incredible to realize that God’s love for us and need for us is so strong that from the beginning of recorded history we are invited to be God’s people. 

Isaiah: ( referring to the gift of Jesus) speaks, “Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness….”  Is this not cause for hope and joy?  Think on the joy of the angels, the shepherds, the kings and others called to the manger to witness the birth of the Son, the healer, teacher, and caller.

The gift of hope is extended in Psalm 27 vs. 1,4,13-14. Verses 1& 4 are a song of confidence.  Paraphrased, they remind us that with the Lord as our light, our salvation and our stronghold, we need not be afraid of anyone or anything?  In 13-14, the listener acknowledges belief that the goodness of God will be seen “in the land of the living.” I believe that is here and now.  Do we not witness the goodness of God daily in our ministries?  We witness joyful births, healings of the sick, peaceful and holy deaths. We take part in comforting families, calming the elderly, walking journeys with the addicted and the cured.  “Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage.”

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “I urge you brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose…”  

Does this not ring a bell for us here at St. Mary’s Health Care System?  We follow in the footsteps of St. Marguerite d’Youville to live out a ministry of healing to the sick, the poor and the marginalized people of God. We are called to do this with the same respect, compassion, stewardship and excellence that Jesus practiced in his ministry and required his apostles to do as well.  Be united in mind and purpose!  Would that we, in our present day society, could/would value that call.  Our political leaders cannot seem to manage it.  Many church leaders insist on a type of ownership of the word of God that often leads to further separation.

Matthew’s Gospel 4:12-23 allows us to look in on a new dimension in the life of Jesus.  John, who is Jesus’ cousin, companion and mentor is imprisoned by a cruel, unevolved ruler.

Jesus must be grieving.  Leaving his home in Nazareth, Jesus journeys to live in Capernaum by the sea.  This was the land spoken of by Isaiah; the land of the Gentiles.

“The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light.” On those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has risen!”  That light was and is Jesus.  Putting his own sadness aside, Jesus picked up the work of John.  “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Then, Jesus calls, echoing his fathers’ voice, who called all of us before conception.  “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men!” 

“Look up at the Lord with gladness and smile.” Your face will never be the same! Psalm 33:6 (paraphrased.).      

Go Well and Gently!
Elizabeth, Chaplain

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Monday, January 10th, 2011

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6                     Corinthians 1:1-3                  John 1:29-34 

In the first reading, God is challenging Israel, and now us, to let his glory shine through us and that we be light to others.  That sounds like a daunting task and mission.  But we are reminded: “God is now my strength.”

The line in the very short second reading that struck me is “called to be holy.”

Yes, we are called to holiness.  If that is frightening, it’s probably because we don’t have a good understanding of the word.  To be a friend of Jesus, a follower of his Way, is to be holy.  God measures effort rather than success because God knows our weaknesses.  God also knows our desires.

The Gospel describes the scene of Jesus’ Baptism. Although John the Baptist was Jesus’ distant cousin, he probably had not seen him since they were children.  He says:  “I did not know him…” But John listened to his intuition and to the whispering of the Holy Spirit within himself and recognized that Jesus was the promised One.  He pointed him out to the crowd: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  He saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove come upon Jesus after the baptism.  That was confirmation of who he was for John the Baptist.

What are the messages here for us?  There may be several.  God does speak to us and gives us signs when we need them. We need only be attentive and have an open mind and heart.  Jesus is the one who takes away sin, who forgives us and strengthens us to be holy. But we are free to pay attention or not.  We are free to accept forgiveness or not. We can choose to make changes in our attitudes and actions or remain in darkness. 

As baptized Christians, we are also called to testify that Jesus is the Son of God, that he is “God among us.” The question is do we do so? Are we willing to proclaim that in word and in deed?  How do we do it and where?  We do it by living as Jesus taught us and we do it everywhere: in our families, in our communities, and at work.

That is part of our mission and our Catholic identity here at St. Mary’s Health System. It is to care and to serve as Jesus did.  It is to bring hope and light to people as Jesus did.  Our attitudes of hope, of gratitude, and of kindness are essential parts of our witnessing to Christ’s love and mercy for all.

Sr. Suzanne Beaudoin, SSCh
Director of Pastoral Care

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Baptism of the Lord

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Matthew 3:13-17

 John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan River when Jesus showed up and asked John to baptize him.  John objected and said: “I should be baptized by you!”  A friendly argument ensued when Jesus said, “just allow it for now.”  Don’t forget, John and Jesus were related and were about the same age.  They grew up together and played together, so they were familiar with each other.

“But when Jesus came up from the water, the heavens were opened for him and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Jesus.  And a voice came from the heavens saying, ‘This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.’”

I can personally relate to this affirmation of Jesus by his Father.  When I was 12 years old, I was in my cellar quietly painting our furnace and listening to the Red Sox.  (The furnace was supposed to be painted two shades of green and I painted it gray and black.  That’s when I found out I was color blind.).  From the cellar window I could see my father’s legs along with our neighbor’s, Val.  They were sitting on the front steps of our porch.  I turned off the Red Sox game to better eavesdrop on their conversation.  They were planning a fishing trip to a local lake.  The neighbor asked my dad, “Are you planning to bring your oldest son?”  “Yes,” he said.  “Are you?”  “No,” Val answered, “My son doesn’t like fishing and he can be a pain in the neck.  Maybe we could just go the two of us?”  “No,” replied my father “my son is coming.  He loves fishing and he’s helpful around the house and he has good grades in school.”  (I loved being with my dad more than I loved fishing, but my dad didn’t know that.)  My father was proud of me and he was bragging about me.  I never forgot it.  His words to our neighbor now sound like “this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.”

We all have moments in our lives when we’re not sure of ourselves.  At one time or another we all need to be reassured.  I hope that you’ve experienced moments when someone in your life cycle affirmed you like, “I couldn’t ask for a better daughter.” “I couldn’t ask for a better son!”  “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.”  This statement sounds very much like:

“I am so proud of you!” when you graduated from high school or college.
“I’m so happy for you” when you got married.
“Wow a new grandchild.  Thanks so much.”
“You’re the best friend I could ever have.”
“What would I do without you?”
“Thank God you’re around.” 

My son and my daughter are adults now and on their own.  But every conversation we have, in person or on the phone, is always punctuated with, “Bye Dad, I love you!”  I never take it for granted and I’d be very disappointed if I didn’t hear it! 

When God can’t be everywhere at once, He created mothers and fathers and best friends and siblings and children and grandchildren and special aunts and uncles who are not even related to us.  All these special people can remind us of how special we are to someone. 

Much of our work in healthcare is focused on helping patients through serious illnesses.  That’s called “curing.”  But our personal attention to patients can make them feel special and worthy.  That’s called “healing.”  Curing is not always guaranteed, but healing is always in our power and somehow patients instinctively feel that. 

The next time someone affirms you, please pay attention to the comment, accept it, appreciate it, and especially don’t forget it.  I never forgot when my dad included me in his fishing plans (that was 63 years ago).  I’ll bet that Jesus never forgot “this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.”

Kenn Rancourt
Pastoral Care

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Epiphany – Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Isaiah 60:1-6                          Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6                                    Matthew 2:1-12 

When I worked in Baltimore I had the incredible opportunity to minister to families whose children had died.  One family experienced the death of their child just before Christmas.  There were 5 other children in the family and they struggled about how to “celebrate” the holiday that year.  They decided to go Washington, D.C. to visit some of the museums at the Smithsonian during Christmas vacation.

As often happens on the mall in D.C., there was a street performer playing Christmas carols on the saxophone.  As the family walked by, he stopped playing during the middle of one of the carols and instead began to play “Amazing Grace.”  The family listened, astonished, as this was their daughter’s favorite hymn and had been played at her funeral.  They felt it was a sign from their daughter that she was safe and still with them in spirit.

Surprising encounters with unusual messengers-these are common occurrences in the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season.  There are angels appearing to Mary and Joseph with life-changing news, a prophet who cries out in the wilderness about God’s plan and a star that appears in the sky to lead the magi to the newborn King who is not at all what they expected.  Ultimately the Word of God becomes flesh in the person of Jesus.  Epiphany means an appearance of the Divine Presence in ordinary life.  These surprising encounters with unusual messengers have continued to occur in history.  St. Marguerite d’Youville, foundress of the Sisters of Charity, “dared to build her dreams of mercy into deeds of love” because of her encounters with the Divine Presence.  It led her into some places one might rather not go (such as helping criminals and prostitutes, or taking in infants.)  It came be the same for us.  Perhaps you’ve reflected God’s Presence in caring for a patient or resident, helping a coworker through a busy shift, assisting a family with a bill or taking extra time to help the visitor who appears overwhelmed and lost.  Perhaps you’ve encountered God’s Presence in a surprising act of mercy or grace.  These signs continue to remind us that God is with us and that God is reaching out to all people to offer light and hope; we are all “members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians)

Elizabeth Keene
Mission Effectiveness

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