Archive for July, 2011

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Isaiah 55: 1-3     Romans 8: 35, 37-39     Matthew 14: 13-21

An Invitation

Recently my wife and I received an invitation to a retirement party out of state for a very good friend of ours. The invitation simply said, “Please come and help us celebrate Jane’s retirement. It is our mom’s wishes that there be no gifts. Your presence is gift enough.” When we arrived, the celebration was in full swing and our friends were so glad to see us. We were given food and beverages while we enjoyed the company of good friends which fed our spirits.

In the first reading this weekend God invites into a personal relationship with him. If we are hungering/thirsting for a meaningful relationship, he says, “Come.” He tells us that it costs nothing. He promises to feed us well. God says that we simply need to come as we are and he promises to renew the everlasting covenant with us. Are we prepared to say, “Yes” to this invitation?

In the second reading, St. Paul asks the question: “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” For each of us, the answer could vary at different times in our lives. Perhaps it could be our inability to say YES to his invitation? It might be that we fall to the temptations of this world. Or perhaps our faith might be shaken during a particularly difficult period in our lives. Being human, there are many personal situations that might drive a wedge between God and us. However, because Jesus died for our sins, redemption is always possible if we desire it. We can always be reunited with the love of Christ.

In the gospel, we again see how Jesus took care of those who followed him. He nourished their spirits with his words. He cured them of their ills. Even late in the day, Jesus made sure that their physical needs were met. Whenever I read this gospel of the five loaves and two fish, it reminds me of times when we received unexpected company and we extended an invitation to our guests to eat with us. The soup or stew was extended with a little more water and a few more ingredients. Or perhaps we added some leftovers and made the meal look like a smorgasbord. We did this gladly so we could spend more time with our visitors. Likewise, Jesus had just spent a wonderful afternoon with all his followers in relationship and he wanted to feed their bodies. In doing so, he was able to spend a little more time with them.

Jesus is the Bread of Life. He will provide for us and give us what we need, which is different than what we want. He will continue to feed us with his word and his

Body and Blood. All we have to do is say, “Yes” to his invitation.

Dan Doyon
Pastoral Care

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Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Sunday, july 24, 2011

1 Kings 3:5 7-12     Romans 8:28-30      Matthew 13:44-52

Our scripture readings for this Sunday’s week-long opportunity for reflection are amazing proof of God’s constant desire to fill us with what we need to sustain ourselves in order to sustain others.

1 Kings 3:5 7-12 The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon who, scripture tells us, was a “mere youth”, responds as I believe so many of us do as ministers to the sick and dying, no matter in what capacity we serve:

“Give your servant an understanding heart, to judge {serve} your people, and to distinguish right from wrong.”

And God, who shows pleasure in the petitions made in the name of others rather than for self, praises young Solomon and grants him those gifts. Was Solomon in fact a “mere youth” of simply young in the ways of how to pray and for what? Many of us may feel young and unschooled in the way of prayer. However, it is really not difficult to grow up in the school of God’s ways. As we look around at our partners in care giving here at St. Mary’s Hospital/d’Youville Pavilion and Rehabilitation Centers, we see countless examples of faith-centered service to others.

The second reading for this Sunday, Romans 8:28-30, is from St. Paul to the Romans. Paul, as we may know, was once a man who scorned Jesus and persecuted any person who claimed loyalty to Christ. God wanted Paul on His team and to make that point one day as Paul was on his way to persecute more of Jesus’ followers. God knocked Paul off his horse and blinded him in order to wake him up. I believe that as you take the time to read this passage, you will recognize that it is a story of calling; of being called by God into your job, your way of life, your ministry! Take a moment and experience the joy!

Paul states: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called together for his purpose.”

In the Gospel lesson, Matthew 13:44-52, Jesus, our brother and teacher, speaks of the kingdom of heaven in being similar to a treasure buried in a field, or a pearl of great price or a vast net full of valuable fish. When found, we tend to hide the treasure again until we are more sure of how to use it to our good and that of others. Many who do great work of any type in our health care center have worked and studied hard; have made many sacrifices to honor their calling to serve.

Finding and fulfilling our purpose can come at a cost. However, the rewards soon outweigh!

Mother Teresa, a “Shero” for many of us, once said, “I know God will not give me anything I cannot handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”

Go well into a new week. Enjoy the joy in each other’s eyes!

Elizabeth Lowe
Chaplain

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Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Wisdom 12:13, 16-19        Romans 8:26-27       Matthew 12:24-43

In the first passage from Wisdom, we hear of God’s power and justice with the reminder that these are tempered by clemency and kindness. This is another way of naming God’s mercy. God gives us reason for hope in spite of our weakness and God asks us to be kind and forgiving as well.

The second reading from Romans is very brief but is one of my favorite passages about the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” So often I hear people say they don’t know how to pray and sometimes I feel that way myself. This passage is consoling. We need only let the Spirit within us pray. We don’t necessarily need words, just a thought or a desire can be a prayer. The “groanings” may be our call for help, a struggle for clarity, a hope for forgiveness, a yearning for faith and love or a desire for healing for ourselves or for a loved one. Allowing the Holy Spirit to pray within us is the key and a very powerful grace.

The Gospel this week speaks about the Kingdom of God, Kingdom of faith and love. Jesus makes three interesting comparisons to get our attention. He compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed, something extremely small that can grow into a huge bush. He compares it also to yeast that a woman puts into a mixture of flour, again something rather small but with the power to make the bread rise. That is what faith in God and love of God can do in our life if we welcome them. They can empower us for a life worth living and fill our hearts with hope and gratitude.

The third comparison is about a farmer sowing seeds in his field, but weeds begin to grow side by side with the wheat. What to do? Wait it out until harvest time. It’s an image of our world, I think. There are both plenty of good and lots of evil in the world. God in due time will sort it all out with justice and with mercy. We can be sure of that.

As we do our work and ministry in St. Mary’s Health system, let us be like the yeast and the mustard seed and the wheat. Let us be elements of faith, of love and of good, always trusting that God is present and will touch people’s lives through our efforts to be compassionate and kind.

Sr. Suzanne Beaudoin, SSCh
Director of Pastoral Care

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15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Isaiah 55:10-11      Romans 8:18-23       Matthew 13:1-23

My mom was the oldest of 18 children. She was the first to marry and I became the first grandchild. When I was about 7 years old, I knew my aunts and uncles as teenagers. In fact, my uncle Roger, the youngest of the 18, was only 1½ years older than me. Every summer I’d go spend 2 weeks at my grandparents and was part of the “Tribe” of my extended family. I remember my grandfather coming home from work in Augusta’s Edward Mill every day around 3:30pm. He would change clothes and always go to work in his garden. With 18 children to support, he always had a 5-acre garden about 2 blocks from his home. The family went to the store mostly for bread, cereal and milk. My grandmother would can hundreds of jars of vegetables in the fall and it would last them until the following harvest.

I could help in the garden only when my grandpa was present. His garden was not just a hobby, but it was survival. I also remember him bartering his vegetables for chickens and pigs from his neighbors.

The gospel reading this Sunday is about a gardener who planted his garden. Jesus seems to speak from personal experience as he compares the Word of God to seeds. A farmer went out to sow his garden seed. Some seeds fell on the path and the birds came and ate them up. Some seeds fell on rocky ground and they sprouted but quickly withered for lack of roots. Some seeds fell on rich soil and produced fruit a hundred, or sixty, or thirty fold. The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” So Jesus took a deep breath and said: “hear the parable of the Sower.” The seeds are the Word of God…Seeds that fall on the path are like the Word of God received by people who don’t “get it.” Seeds that fall on rocky ground are like the Word of God received by people who receive the Word but have no lasting power. Finally, seeds that fall on fertile ground are like the Word of God that is accepted and understood and produces a hundred or sixty or thirty fold fruits.

Jesus’ patience is truly astounding. He cannot be clearer than he’s just been. The Word of God comes from God, but the ground it falls upon is us. We are challenged to be rich soil. And in order to be rich soil, we need to develop our characters and personalities and translate our words into productive actions. The Word of God is growing in us and is meant to grow in others through us.

When we care for others, we share ourselves as well as God’s living word. We are more than healthcare professionals; we are God’s living gardens. The sole purpose for gardens is to feed us and keep us living. Today, it gets to be difficult to tell the difference between curing and healing . . . but both make patients feel better . . . and that’s what hospitals are for.

P.S. St. Francis said: “We need to preach the goodness constantly…and sometimes we can use words!”

Kenn Rancourt
Chaplain

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Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Zechariah 9:9-10      Romans 8:9, 11-13      Matthew 11:25-30

The passage from Matthew’s Gospel this Sunday is a familiar one:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28)

It is also particularly comforting for those seeking healing and for those working in health care. When I worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, I was struck by the 10 ½ foot Carrara marble statue of Jesus as “The Divine Healer” that stands in the famous Hopkins dome. At the base of the pedestal is the Scripture passage from this Sunday-“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” It fascinated me that Johns Hopkins, a hospital intentionally established without any religious affiliation, would have this statue in its front entrance. What I discovered is that the statue comforts people, regardless of religious affiliation (or even no affiliation). One foot is shiny from thousands of hands touching it seeking hope, courage, and healing. Employees, regardless of race or religion, also touch the foot of the statue on their way into the hospital and on their way home.

The Gospel reading includes an invitation (“Come to me”) and a message of healing (“You will find rest”). We have incorporated this Scripture passage of welcome and healing into the inscription of our statue of the Woman at the Well at St.

Mary’s Auburn Campus. Beyond the words inscribed in stone, we also live this by letting people know they are welcome here-whether it’s offering them a smile, helping someone find the ED or going above and beyond to make them feel comfortable.

St. Marguerite d’Youville was certainly attuned to relieving people’s burdens, whether caring for abandoned children, the elderly or the poor. We also try to lighten patients’ burdens and help them find rest as we continue her mission of healing reflected in this Gospel passage. Interestingly we hear this passage on a weekend when as a nation we celebrate our independence. In truth, we cannot provide healing independently; we work as a team of dedicated health care professionals strengthened by the spirit of St. Marguerite d’Youville and knowing that Jesus promises we will not be alone in our work.

Elizabeth Keene
Mission Effectiveness

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