What You Are Seeking Is Possible

The other morning I was reading an essay by a very erudite and masterful spiritual writer named bishop Erik Varden from Norway. Something he wrote really struck me. He was speaking about how the present culture desperately desires hope and that, because of this desire for hope, the culture often tries to provide imitations of hope. The line that struck me was this: “Yet hope cannot be decreed as strategy. It must be born.” There is a temptation in all of us to manufacture hope with a command. “Everything will be fine. It will all work out.” That is not hope. That is just wishful thinking. Instead of instilling hope, manufactured imitations merely mask the hopelessness. We all know from experience that everything does not always work out the way we wish. Does that mean that in those situations there is no hope? This is why hope “must be born,” not decreed or manufactured. True hope is something that enters into the world (into our heart) and takes root and grows almost imperceptibly. It is something that awakens in the heart and is able to grow in the midst of hardship, frailty, and darkness. True hope does not deny or gloss over the pain that is present in one’s heart. In every human heart there is present, in some form or another, the regrets of the past, the pains of the present, and the fear of the future. Simply decreeing that “everything will be fine,” is not a sufficient substitute for hope. Also, true hope is not the result of something that we construct and implement. Just as artificial intelligence is not “life,” so artificial attempts to replicate hope fall short. Hope is rather something that springs up in the midst of the harshness of the surroundings. If the meteorologist came on the television and decreed, “Winter is now over,” it would do little to satisfy us. We would look out our window on March 22nd and it would still be cold, dark, and snowy perhaps. But, when we see those first greens beginning to push up from the earth, even though all around us there is still present the harsh realities of winter, our hearts are already beginning to live as though summer were here. In each one of us there are still the effects of the winter. To deny or to ignore this, or to decree it to be otherwise, is not in conformity with what we know to be true. The Church, instead, seeks to be a sign of hope in the midst of these realities. When we live the friendship of the Church together, something begins to awaken in our hearts and begins to grow, even in the midst of our afflictions. This is what hope is. When the dawn begins to break, it does so while the darkness still surrounds us. In those moments, we live differently. We live in the full expectation that what has only just begun will indeed come to fulfillment. Hope helps us here and now, relying upon God’s strength, to seek an arduous but possible good. Hope exists in, what one hymn refers to as, the valley of tears. Manufactured hope tries to compel us to believe what we know deep down to be untrue. True hope always seems to surprise us. It is born of a certain simplicity. For example, I see a parishioner in her nineties showing up for Mass on Sunday. Unexpectedly, I am surprised by hope. Her witness awakens something in me and I think, “Christ is true.” Or, I see a young person who somehow–in the midst of today’s culture–has encountered Christ and is striving toward living as Christ’s disciple. This awakens a deeper hope in me. It is not something I give myself. Instead, Christ’s Presence at work in these persons awakens within me a deeper certitude. What we live together does not offer a quick fix to every broken heart. Instead, what I see in our life together is that–even in the midst of this world’s real travails–we are already beginning to live in that New Creation that Christ came to establish. When I look at all of you and see you striving to grow in holiness, living together in friendship in Christ, and loving one another, I see the signs of that New Creation, the New Day. When we allow Christ into our lives and we live together as his friends, something surprisingly new, alive, and indomitable begins to grow in our midst. That is hope. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

One of the things I really enjoyed about my seven years at the Boston University Catholic Center is that the Catholic Center was physically located in the center of campus life. It was a place where students hung out, ate, studied, socialized, prayed, served, and grew in friendship and faith together. In times past, the parish church was something like that. It stood in the midst of the neighborhood where people lived, worked, socialized, and raised their families. The parish was the hub of people’s lives. Today, unless one is very intentional, the hub of people’s lives can be located in an online world that often only gives the appearance of community. It was not unusual to hear graduating seniors express fear that when they left the Catholic Center, it would be difficult to find a parish experience that replicated the intense community life they had been sharing with one another. They were going to miss having a place where they could just “hang out” in the middle of their day with other young Catholics who were on fire for their Faith. They also worried that they would not be able to find a parish where there were other young adults. The answer we would often give to those graduating students was this: Go and build it. Truth to be told, many of these young people were experts in building community. They cared for one another and worked to draw others into their friendship; a friendship that always was rooted in Christ. In fact, I’m so happy that some of those former students are parishioners here and they are still building community. Why do I mention all of this? Sometimes, as I’ve said many times before, Catholics can have a “consumerist” kind of mentality. You hear things like, “Know what this parish should have?” What that usually means is, “Know what someone else in this parish ought to do for me?” There can be an attitude that because I drop a few bucks in the collection, I expect to be served, entertained, and placated. One of the things I most appreciate about the parish community at St. Patrick’s is that people here are dedicated to building the parish that they want. Last week’s parish cookout was a great example of that. A few men from the parish did not say, “Know what we should have? We should have a parish cookout.” Instead, they said, “We would like to organize, advertise, shop, set up, host, cook, and clean up.” And that is exactly what they did. Even though it rained in the middle of it, I don’t think anybody minded. It was just a wonderful, fun-filled, day of friendship. Even the scramble to get all the chairs inside when the rain poured down became a visible sign of community. It was a sight behold; an army of folks getting hundreds of chairs from the lot to the inside in under a couple of minutes! I thank all of those who put so much into providing such an extraordinary day for us. Building community does not always require such a massive undertaking. It does not even require something to take place here at the parish building. It happens when people meet each other at Mass and have a meal together. It happens when two or three parishioners meet up for coffee. It happens when an elderly or infirm parishioner receives a visit from another parishioner. Building up a strong Catholic community is not rocket science. It does, however, take intentionality, boldness, and a certain ingenuity. It means one family noticing a new family at Mass and saying, “Oh, who are you guys? Nice to meet you. After Mass, we bring our kids out to play at the playground if you’d like to join us.” And just like that, our community has been strengthened. There are certainly differences between a Catholic Center on a campus and a parish church. There, kids stopped by in between classes to visit the Chapel, grab a cup of coffee, take a nap, or to play with my dog (Finbar, my German Short-haired Pointer who was the best dog ever!). Once a student found the Catholic Center and courageously crossed its threshold, I’d say there was a 95% chance they’d wind up making that community their home for their college years. The love and faith they experienced there would win them over. I’d say for us, our big day is Sunday. It is the primary day when all of us are here together. It is the moment for us to engage one another. But, what happens here on Sundays should then overflow into other moments to build up our community. Some of those moments may happen on the parish grounds, but they shouldn’t be limited to that. Friendship is a real key to evangelization and to building community. I am grateful that so many of you are not sitting around waiting for others to provide something. Instead, by the grace of Christ, you are intentionally and charitably building a place for others to encounter the friendship of Christ. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

Last Sunday, with the celebration of the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Season of Easter came to its completion. In preparation for Easter, we lived the Great Forty Days of Lent. It was a time to prepare our hearts. As I have mentioned before, the way that all of you entered into that season was really moving. I will not rehearse all of the things I’ve said previously, but will simply say thank you for the great example you provided during the Lenten Season. It was extraordinary. Then, Easter arrived. During those seven weeks of Easter we listened to the Acts of the Apostles and heard how the Church at its beginning spread the Gospel to both the Jews and to the Gentiles. The Church grew in numbers and people came alive in Christ. These realities were not simply relegated to the time of the Apostles. We see that same reality present here in our midst. Our Easter began on Holy Saturday night when the numbers of the Church grew through Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion. And now, the Easter Season concluded, the Church moves into what is known as “Ordinary Time.” I’m not sure I particularly like that name. It can give the impression that it is the “blah” kind of time. That is not what we mean when we call it “Ordinary.” That name arises from the latin word, “ordinalis” which simply means a series of numbers. The root word is “ordo” from which the English word, “order” arises. So, that is why we say, for example, that this is the “Ninth Week in Ordinary Time.” We will now be in Ordinary Time until the First Sunday of Advent. (Just to add another layer of confusion, however, even though we are in Ordinary Time now, this Sunday and next Sunday are major solemnities; The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity and the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.) The Month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Catholics have long dedicated the Month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year, on June 11th, the bishops of the United States will consecrate our country to the Sacred Heart. I encourage each family to consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart as well. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is on June 12. Why not come to Mass that day and cultivate a love for the Heart of Jesus? There are various ways to live out Devotion to the Sacred Heart, including the “Enthronement of the Sacred Heart” and the “First Friday Devotion. During June, I hope to provide some information on those things, but you can also just look it up! In other news, this past week, Pope Leo XIV issued an important encyclical letter on Artificial Intelligence. I was struck by the amount of worldwide attention it received. I have only read a third of the encyclical at the time of this writing, but I am looking forward to making my way through the rest of it. From what I have read thus far, the letter draws attention to the centrality of the dignity of every human person and it cautions against anything that might infringe upon that dignity. As Artificial Intelligence continues to develop exponentially, the Holy Father is calling all of us to reflect upon the moral principles that should guide the development and use of these technologies. Technology ought to serve the human family and the dignity of the human person, not attempt to replace them. And, the Holy Father cautions against a sort of idolatry of technology in which we are tempted to place all our hope in false promises. He is not condemning these technologies, but he is insisting that any technology ought to serve the dignity of the human person. Those are just some quick thoughts on what I have read thus far. Lastly, at the Masses I had last week, I invited anyone who is not yet confirmed to contact us so that you can receive this important Sacrament. Why deprive yourself of this great gift? A few people already contacted me about it. So, if you fall into that category, please reach out. Let’s get you Confirmed! And, same goes for baptism. Parents and grandparents: Don’t delay having your children baptized. Sometimes people talk about scheduling the baptism for six months from now when “so and so” will be in town. I know you’d like “so and so” to be there, but it is more important that the baby be baptized as soon as possible. Baptism unites that baby to Christ and makes her a sharer in eternal life. It’s more important to have the baby baptized than it is to find the perfect time for it. Get it done!! Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

There seems to be within us a gravitational pull towards shallowness. We become anesthetized by superficiality and lulled into a banal existence. It is easier to scroll through endless memes than to spend time thinking about any one thing deeply. It is easier to scroll through endless photos than to visit a museum, to listen to a jingle than to a symphony, to adopt quick and easy political slogans than to wrestle with complicated questions, or to binge watch shows than to read a book. At times, it feels like enormous effort is required to resist the black hole of nothingness that wants to swallow us. There is something in us that is pained by beauty, goodness, and truth. We flee from them because it is as if these things were calling out to us and reminding us that our life–and reality itself–is far deeper and grander than we can begin to imagine. When we encounter beauty, goodness, and truth, they pierce and wound us. They do not solve the ache of our hearts. Instead, they deepen that ache. They awaken in us a greater awareness of the Mystery. They make us long for more beauty, more goodness, more truth. The meme or the slogan basically says, “Here it is. Now you don’t have to think anymore.” Sometimes we seek to be distracted from our heart’s questions rather than living those questions. We are afraid to be with ourselves, so we throw ourselves into a thousand activities. We are afraid of the questions our hearts ask. We see this even in our desire to help others. When someone is suffering or grieving, we tend to want to give them the solution that will put an end to the questions of their heart. We somehow expect that by saying, “Well, she’s in a better place now,” that that should put an end to the person’s grief. Platitudes and moralisms can become, in a sense, the memes of the spiritual life. “Try harder. Be better. Let go and let God. It is what it is.” In our desire to “solve” the questions of the heart, we attempt to stifle the heart. I think this is why at funerals there is such a temptation to declare immediately that every person who has died is in heaven. The grieving heart at the moment of death is filled with profound questions: “What is the meaning of life? Where is God? How could God allow this to happen? Where is this person now? What about the sins this person committed? Will I ever see this person again?” There is always a temptation to eliminate these questions as if the mourner’s heart requires an urgent solution. So, instead of entrusting this person whom we love into the Paschal Mystery and seeking comfort in Christ, we just declare that the person is in heaven now. Instead of allowing Christian Hope to enter and provide its healing balm, we attempt to eliminate the human heart from the equation. We basically say, “Stop asking such profound questions. Let me give you a platitude instead.” Sometimes I watch television shows like “Law and Order.” There’s a predictability about them. There’s a crime, an investigation, an arrest, and a conviction. It all happens in sixty minutes. Everything is resolved. Done. But life would be rather ho-hum and boring if everything were so neatly packaged. Christianity is not a list of moralisms or platitudes designed to silence the cry of the human heart. Christianity does indeed answer the deepest questions of the human heart but not in meme-fashion. Instead of attempting to solve the mystery of our existence, it draws us more deeply into that mystery. Christ did not come to give us the answers to an exam question. It is in and through His friendship that–slowly and over time–our hearts are awakened and our life is revealed to us. Last year, I read a beautiful novel entitled, “Olav Audunsson.” The main character possesses elements of illumined goodness and shadowy darkness. Throughout, the effects of grace, but also of sin are present. Every time the resolution to his difficulties is within reach, it escapes his grasp. God does not magically end the tension of Olav’s life. It is in and through the circumstances of Olav’s life that God works, slowly and over time. Sometimes, we might wish our life were more like the sixty-minute television episode where things are all resolved before the commercial break, but that would get old, fast. Instead, our life is a long novel. It involves twists and turns and elements of light and of shadows, the effects of our sins and the sins of others do not magically disappear. So too, in hidden, unseen ways, grace is at work, drawing us along. As we enter into these beautiful months of the year, let’s pray that we might resist that urge towards shallowness, and instead be drawn by the friendship of Christ into that deeper way of life that truly awakens and answers the cry of our heart. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes

During Advent I found myself thinking, “Well, once Christmas comes and goes, then it will quiet down.” It didn’t. Then I thought, “As soon as Lent and Holy Week is over, everything will wind down.” It hasn’t. Now I’m saying, “Once we get through First Communions, end of the school year, and graduations, summer will be quiet.” And I am sticking to it! I am really looking forward to parish life slowing down for a brief time. Here’s hoping! Before that happens, I thought I might extend an offer that I hope some of you will take me up on. It seems that many of our parishioners enjoy planting vegetable gardens. How about inviting me or one of the other priests to come to your home to bless your garden at the beginning of the planting season? I’m always trying to think of ways for us to live the life of the Church together that extend beyond the walls of the church building itself. Speaking of living the life of the Church together beyond the walls of the church building, on May 31st, we will have a parish barbecue. The Men’s Group is sponsoring, organizing, and running this event. It is a time for all of us to be together and grow in friendship. While outside the walls of the church, it will still be on the church property! Another traditional way that we bring our Faith outside the walls of the Church is through a Eucharistic Procession. This Tuesday at 12:45pm, please join our St. Patrick School students as we have an outdoor (weather permitting) Eucharistic Procession around the property of our church. You may recall that last summer two seminarians–John Manning and Thien Ngoc Ngo–were assigned to us. They also were with us during the school year, as well, assisting in our Confirmation program. They have completed their assignment with us. This summer two more seminarians will be assigned to us. Lich Nguyen will be with us for eight weeks and Daniel Zatta will be with us for six weeks. Lich will begin the last weekend of May and Daniel will arrive two weeks later. We are very happy to have them with us. One of the reasons that we are able to provide so much as a parish is because of your generosity. Consistency in our collections makes us better able to budget responsibly. Could everyone make an effort to make a very well-thought out, intentional, and generous commitment to support our parish each year? Signing up for electronic giving, for example, helps us to predict and budget more accurately. For those who visit our parish only occasionally, I encourage you to use the QR Code on the front of the bulletin to make a donation. Especially as the summer months approach and people travel, it is important that our collections don’t take a vacation. I have recently been in touch with Logan Airport and for the foreseeable future, they do not plan on using our parking lot as a satellite runway. That means that we are able to use all of our parking spaces in the lot. When you pull into the lot, please pull as far forward as possible. Some folks leave enough space between them and the car in front of them that we could land a 747 there. This prohibits other cars from fitting into the lot. When I hit the Powerball some day, I’m going to build a parking garage and put a school gym on top of it. (Not, however, before I build a small deck on the rectory so that the priests have someplace private to sit outside.) Until that time, however, please be considerate to others and pull your car as far forward as possible! Do not park your car in the middle or back of the lot if there are spaces in front of you that are open. Thanks! Last Sunday–on Mother’s Day–a friend of mine asked me if I could bring the Sacraments to her gravely ill mother. She thought it would be a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for her Mom to receive the Eucharist. Her family and I gathered around her bed. She renewed her baptismal promises and I gave her the Apostolic Pardon, anointed her, and I gave her Viaticum. I was deeply touched that her daughter had it in mind that the greatest Mother’s Day gift would be Jesus. What a beautiful privilege it was for me to witness their faith and their devotion. Moments such as these confirm in me a certitude about our Faith, a Faith that I am privileged to live with you. Your Brother in Christ, Fr. David Barnes