Thinking About Our Parish Life

He is Risen! Fifty days ago we began our celebration of Easter, and today the Easter Season comes to its culmination on the Solemnity of Pentecost. The Preface of every Mass since Easter has included the phrase, “overcome with Paschal Joy.” The Risen Lord bestows on His People, now something transitory, fleeting, or shallow. The joy he gives is abiding, sustaining, and touches us at the very depths of our soul. To be a Christian is to be overcome with Paschal Joy. Until next Easter, today is the last day the priest prays the words, “overcome with Paschal Joy” during the Preface. I will miss saying it. “We are”, however, as St. John Paul II once said, (drawing upon St. Augustine), “an Easter People and Alleluia is our song.” Although we celebrate Easter most intensely during this season, we are always an Easter People. In the midst of sorrows, sufferings, and tribulations, the Christian People are sustained by Easter Joy. We know that Christ has conquered sin and death. We know that the victory is already won. The Holy Spirit, poured out upon the Church at Pentecost, constantly reminds us of Christ’s victory. He teaches us to remain sure-footed and stable in the Truth. He breathes Divine Life into us and binds us together as one. The Holy Spirit sustains us in Easter Joy throughout our life and makes us witnesses to the world of the good news that Jesus Christ is indeed risen from the dead. Allow me to share with you some times during this past week when–here at St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham–I was overcome with Paschal Joy. Last Sunday at the Ten o’clock Mass, two children were baptized and one of them was confirmed and received First Holy Communion. After that Mass, our young couples and families group hosted coffee and doughnuts in the hall. It was so wonderful seeing so many people, young and old(er!) enjoying each other’s company. Catholics spending time with one another rather than rushing out of Mass to get on to the next thing is a sign of Christ’s Presence for me. After that, I had the Noon Mass. Not sure why, but last week, the Noon Mass was packed. It is always so much better when a Sunday Mass is filled. As I offered that Mass, I was convinced of Christ’s Presence among us. After that Mass, I went to the rectory and discovered that a toilet on the second floor overflowed down through our dining room ceiling. Yes, we live in an imperfect and fallen world! But, in the midst of that, I watched charity action. Fr. Patrick and Thien–our newly arrived seminarian–jumped into action and saved the day. Even in the midst of such unpleasantness, Christ’s Presence was evident in their charity. On Monday evening, we had a Mass and a dinner for many of our parishioners who serve in various capacities in the parish. One minute before Mass began, one of our staff said to me, “Make the Mass as long as you can because the caterer lost our order and there is no food!” Forty-five minutes later, as Mass was ending, our staff was racing into the kitchen with trays of food. They had gone to BJ’S, Anthony’s in Reading, Bacci’s, Gaetano’s, Farmland in Wakefield, and Angelo’s here in Stoneham to get whatever they could. They frantically worked to serve a full meal that they had assembled in forty-five minutes. It was unbelievable! Since I arrived here two years ago, I have been continuously struck by the charity, generosity, and organization of our parish staff. When that epic event was over, Fr. Patrick said to me, “Well, not many parishes could have pulled that off.” The staff here is a sign of Christ’s abiding Presence. (As an aside, I want to thank Anthony’s in Reading, Gaetano’s, Farm Land Bakery, Bacci’s, and Angelo’s for coming to our aid in our hour of desperation! We are so grateful to them!) On Tuesday we had a Eucharistic Procession. It was beautiful! All of the children from our school followed behind the Blessed Sacrament as we processed around outside the church, singing hymns praising the Blessed Sacrament. That is an image of what the Church is. We are a pilgrim people, following Christ through this world until we arrive in heaven. It was such a great day! The Eucharist is the abiding Presence of Christ. As I write this, Fr. Sijo is preparing his healing retreat for June 7th. The Christ who healed in the Gospels continues to heal today. He continues to dwell among us. While we will now leave the words “overcome with Paschal Joy” behind until next Easter, the Holy Spirit keeps that Paschal Joy still in our hearts. Thank you to all of you for helping me to be overcome with Paschal Joy. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

He is Risen! Liturgically, we find ourselves today at an “in between” time. On Thursday we celebrated the mystery of Our Lord’s Ascension. Now, the Church gathers in a period of intense prayer, begging for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (next Sunday). So much of life is spent in “in between” times. We mark time by the commemoration of big events. Memorial Day, for instance, tells us summer is here and Labor Day marks its end. The days in between, however, (except for July 4th) we do not tend to think much about. We all treasure memories from Thanksgivings and Christmases, but not so much the days in between. But, most of life is spent in between. Being in between can sometimes fill us with anxiety. Being in between jobs, in between two family members or friends in a dispute, in between a medical test and awaiting its result, in between choosing one thing over another, or being in between a rock and hard place all can cause fear and anxiety. Often when I pray, I think about what the “in between” times with Jesus and the apostles must have been like. The gospels preserve for us many of the things that Jesus said and did as he formed the apostles, but I like to think about what all the other hours and days with the Lord must have been like. They spoke along the way from one village to another with him, enjoyed meals together, asked questions, found things to laugh about, and shared life together. Liturgically, we not only celebrate particular mysteries of the Faith, but we also prepare for them. Even though the culture begins to celebrate Christmas the day after Halloween, the Church recognizes that we need time to prepare. Lent prepares us for Easter. The days after the Ascension prepare us for Pentecost. The days in between our baptism and our death are given to us to prepare us for eternal life. We tend to rush from one thing to the next, but it is good for us to savor the in between times. During vacations, I have visited many beautiful places in my life, but the places are not what I really hold dear. It is the time spent with the ones I traveled with that is most memorable for me. It was the meals, the car rides, and the conversations in between destinations that were the real treasures. The in between times are not superfluous to our lives. In fact, they constitute the majority of life. In the spiritual life, the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of the Lord shape us. They are not merely one-off celebrations each year. They are meant to shape and transform every other moment in our life. Their memory and their graces are intended gradually to permeate our entire life. In these days between the Ascension and Pentecost, the apostles gathered with Mary in the Upper Room in anticipation of what was coming. They stayed with one another and prayed. In doing so, they teach us how we should live the “in between” moments of our own lives. In the company of fellow disciples, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the memory of all the great things the Lord has done for us, and with confidence in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we fully anticipate that the favors of the Lord are not exhausted. We await a new heaven and a new earth. He who has done great things for us will renew the face of the earth. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

He is Risen! When I was an altar boy, an elderly gentleman who was the church sacristan gave me a little paperback book of devotions. That book became for me a real source of spiritual growth. Among the many devotions contained in that little book were various prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As we approach June, the Month of the Sacred Heart, I wanted to take a moment to encourage you to cultivate, if you do not already, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There was a time when every Catholic home had an image of the Sacred Heart displayed. The image comes from an apparition of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun in the 1600’s. The image represents the human heart of Jesus, broken, but filled with love for us. His heart is aflame with burning charity for us. Although the image comes from the apparition in the 1600’s, devotion to the Heart of Jesus is an ancient devotion. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is always celebrated on the Friday following the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. This year, that will be Friday, June 27th. There are many prayers, litanies, and devotions that are associated with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One popular devotion is the First Friday Devotion. Jesus revealed to St. Margaret Mary that he wishes souls to be consecrated and devoted to His Sacred Heart. One way of doing that is on the First Friday of nine consecutive months to 1. Go to Confession; 2. Attend Holy Mass; 3. Receive Holy Communion. For those who keep the First Friday devotion, the Lord made several promises: I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life. I will establish peace in their homes. I will comfort them in all their afflictions. I will be their strength during life and above all during death. I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy. Tepid souls shall grow fervent. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who receive Communion on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment. I remember reading those promises as a young boy and thinking, “Wow! I want that for me!” As we begin the Month of June, I encourage you to consider cultivating a devotion to the Sacred Heart. I encourage you to go to Mass on June 27th (put it in your calendar!). I encourage you also to put into your calendar a reminder to fulfill the First Friday devotions. Read those promises above again! Don’t you want that for yourself?! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee! Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

He is Risen! As I write this, the Church has concluded its period of mourning for Pope Francis, and the Cardinals will soon be electing a new Pope. By the time you read this, I imagine that we will all know who it is and we will hear his name today during the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass. May the new Holy Father (if we have one by the time you read this) be strengthened in his Petrine Ministry, and may he shepherd, feed, and guard the flock entrusted to his care. Speaking of feeding the flock, it has been a wonderful joy over the past two weeks to give Holy Communion to our 2nd graders for the first time. On the day of their baptism, their parents and godparents were handed a candle on behalf of their child and were told, “Receive the light of Christ.” Then they were told, “Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He (she) is to walk always as a child of the light. May he (she) keep the flame of faith alive in his (her) heart. When the Lord comes, may he (she) go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.” That candle, with its small flame, is in a precarious position. It is exposed to the elements, risks being smothered for lack of oxygen, could easily be blown out by the wind, or dampened by the rain. That candle reminds the parents of what a precious gift Faith is and how so much is depending upon them to guard and nourish the Faith of their children. Those children have been enlightened by Christ, but their Faith is lived in a world that exposes them to all sorts of dangers. Without being raised in an environment of prayer and Sunday Mass–the oxygen of the spiritual life–the risk of their light being extinguished is real. Those children will be constantly exposed to the winds of passing fads and false ideologies that blow hard against the light of Faith. Without their parents teaching them the Faith and helping them daily to grow in the Faith, this unsheltered light is exposed and vulnerable. These children will grow older and will face trials and tribulations. They will sometimes experience the darkness of the world and of the culture. With the light of Faith, they will be able to find their way. If they have protected that tiny flame of Faith, it will grow and will enlighten their path. Even if the rains pour down upon them, if the little flame is tended to and guarded, year upon year, it will grow and become more reliable and certain. A flicker will become a steady flame. Faith formation for children in the parish is a supplement, but it cannot replace the role of parents. The first teachers of children in their faith are the parents. The parish cannot replace the parents. We can only try to help them. We want to partner with parents in raising their children in the Faith, but religious education is not magic. An hour a week, a few times a month, a few times a year will not produce a life-long, faithful, disciple of Jesus. If it did, all the people who have done that for the past decades would be filling our pews on Sundays. When we light a candle and walk with it, we naturally put our hand up to protect the flame. When we light a fire, we do the same thing, and then we gently blow to get the flame to burn more brightly. As a parish, we need to engage more with parents and help and equip them to fulfill the solemn obligation of keeping that light burning brightly. How? That remains to be seen, but we are committed to working on it. Lastly, I want to wish all of our Mothers a Happy Mothers’ Day! Whether our Mothers are still with us or in Heaven, may the Lord reward them for their goodness. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

The Lord is Risen! As we enter the 3rd week of Easter, it marks the completion of my first full liturgical year with you here at St. Patrick’s. With all that has happened and all the joys I’ve experienced, it feels like it has been much longer! I’m so grateful for the many unique opportunities I’ve had for building and sharing in friendship with you. One of my highlights of the past year was in fact just last weekend. In collaboration with the Archdiocesan Office of Faith Formation and Missionary Discipleship, we hosted national youth ministry leader Everett Fritz for a day of training and formation for 20 adult leaders who will begin to mentor high school students in small groups. Each small group will consist in 4-8 teens coming together 2-3 times a month for one hour to build authentic friendships and discuss a relevant passage of Scripture under the guidance of two adult mentors. These small groups together will form the core of our new youth ministry and will be the source of infinite other possibilities for engaging with young people and bringing them into a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. At the training last week, the general feeling in the room went from cautiously optimistic at the start to overwhelmingly enthusiastic by the end. I think what excited people is the realization of how simple evangelization truly is, and how beautiful a life of discipleship is. Simple, because it does not require complicated programs or gimmicks; beautiful, because it fulfills a deeply human need in a way that nothing else in the world can. One of Everett’s most profound points was understanding the 5 needs of every teen: to be understood, to belong, to be transparent, for critical thinking, and for guidance. (At the end of the day, isn’t that really for all of us?) When those needs are met, the heart is opened to the proclamation of the Gospel; once the heart receives the Good News, faith takes root, repentance is elicited, and the interior transformation of grace begins to unfold. Very often the word “evangelization” provokes uncomfortable reactions in people (or “weird vibes,” as Gen Z would say); perhaps they think of something overly intellectual, or even worse, they think of cornering people into awkward conversations or shouting out Bible verses in the town square. But evangelization is about neither gimmicks nor ideological battles; it’s about building meaningful relationships and allowing our communion with Christ to be experienced by others through authentic human experiences. I wanted to share these preliminary reflections with you so that you can have a sense of the broader vision for our youth ministry and perhaps use that to reflect on your own life of discipleship with Christ. I ask for your prayers in particular for the young people of St. Patrick’s Parish (which includes every young person in the town of Stoneham and beyond, whose eternal salvation has been entrusted to our care), and for the adults who have generously offered their time and talent to this ministry. When I arrived here a year ago I was very pleased to see the motto that Fr. Barnes places on our bulletin cover: truth, goodness, beauty, and friendship in Christ. It is my hope and prayer that everyone has an opportunity to experience that here at St. Patrick’s, and it is my honor to share in that with you! Yours in Christ, Fr. Patrick