Mercy: God’s Love – and by Analogy, Human Love – in the Face of Misery with Fr. John Connelly
A Lenten invitation to deepen our understanding of God and His Mercy during this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Powers Hall (Social Hall)
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Fr. John Connelly, Lent, Year of Mercy
Our 2013 Parish Lenten Gift helped to rebuild the home of a family of four, parishioners of St. Margaret Mary, after Hurricane Sandy.
Our understanding minds must start with the realization that every gift we have… (each breath) is not our own. We are temporary trustees of these resources, to be shared in mercy and justice with all of our sisters and brothers.
How does the petition “endow us with understanding minds…” apply to our lives?
Christmas Wish 2012
The mindful disposition to be MERCIFUL was as radical in the culture of the Holy Land in the time of Jesus Christ as it is today in our secular culture. It all starts with a mindful understanding and view of ‘the other’. Are we in competition with ‘the other’, for: influence, power, gratification or resources, or are we in community, to be aware and to provide and share our physical and spiritual resources with the needs of ‘the other’?
As we continue to journey more deeply into the heart of mercy, may even the smallest acts of everyday living express our mindful disposition of mercy.
The Adult Faith Formation and Service Commissions of St. John Parish facilitate our journey into the Heart of Mercy.
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The Gaze of Mercy
A wonderful way for us to continue our Lenten journey together. Come join us for prayer, reflection and sharing and a fabulous “Pot Luck”! All welcome! Starts at 6:30pm in Powers Hall (Social Hall) Moderator: Sr. Evelyn Ronan, SND
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation
The one who listens to me, who carefully seeks me in everyday things… that person will find true happiness. (Prov 8:34)
Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise person who built a home on rock. (Mt 7:24)
Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.(Lk 11:28)
When Jesus speaks of a “listening ear” he is referring to the God-given grace of being able to listen to what the Spirit is saying and then acting upon it in
our hearts.
The Adult Faith Formation and Service Commissions of St. John Parish facilitate our journey into the Heart of Mercy.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Service Commission, Year of Mercy
Pope Francis invites us “to find in this Jubilee Year the joy of discovering and rendering fruitful God’s mercy, with which we are all called to give comfort to every man and every woman of our time”. How might we become more open to the needs of others so that people see in us a reflection of Christ and his mercy?
The Adult Faith Formation and Service Commissions of St. John Parish facilitate our journey into the Heart of Mercy.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Service Commission, Year of Mercy
Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy calls us to know mercy and show mercy in a very intentional way. We are always doing acts of kindness and we’d like to raise awareness of this gift of mercy by having a Mercy Basket! We will have a table set-up with paper hearts and pens in the front foyer of the Church (or you can print your own at home using the “Printable Hearts” link to the right!) During the week adults and children can write down their acts of mercy on a heart and then on each weekend, place it in the basket that will be next to the offertory table at the back of the Church.
During Mass each week throughout Lent, we will carry the Mercy Basket up to the altar with the bread and wine presenting them as gifts of ourselves. So take time throughout this week to be mindful of ways you show mercy to others . . . through forgiveness or through acts of kindness to others in need.
The Adult Faith Formation and Service Commissions of St. John Parish facilitate our journey into the Heart of Mercy.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Family Mass, Important Announcements, Service Commission, Year of Mercy
The Name of God is Mercy. The face of God is Jesus. Jesus, born of Mary, had a human heart as we do…
A human heart works with four chambers and a circulatory system. The chambers direct the flow of blood, connecting the lungs, a system that cleanses and renews repeatedly with every heartbeat and breath. As Mary pondered the things of God in her heart, this Year of Mercy is creating a time for each of us to focus on our own hearts.
Our hearts operate on a physical and spiritual level. Just as our hearts function physically, responding to our mind, body and environment, our spiritual hearts are a place to ponder, pray, and connect ourselves with God and others. Our heart is a tabernacle for God, a space of love and forgiveness, a space of safety in the loving mercy of God, a place to encounter mercy and grace, a space where God can connect with us. God works in the human – in Jesus, in Mary and in each one of us! This is a time for seeking with God, our source of all love and mercy, how we can be His hands and hearts on earth now.
As we begin this Year of Mercy, let’s ponder in the tabernacle of our human heart, our relationship with God – our own human heart relating to the sacred heart of Jesus, seeking a way, relating heart to heart with others.
The Adult Faith Formation and Service Commissions of St. John Parish facilitate our journey into the Heart of Mercy.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Important Announcements, Service Commission, Year of Mercy
This month’s selection is Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi by Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt Divinity School. Professor Levine writes: “Jesus was requiring that his disciples do more than listen: he was asking them to think as well. What makes the parables mysterious, or difficult, is they challenge us to look into the hidden aspects of our own values, our own lives.”
For more information contact John Stewart by email or at (617) 969-0950.
Thursday, January 14
7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Parish Center
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Book Discussion Group
In Miscericordiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy), Pope Francis explains that mercy is the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Pope Francis often reminds us, we are all, he included, sinners in need of God’s mercy. The first and only step required to experience mercy is to acknowledge that we are in need of mercy. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. No one is excluded from God’s mercy. The Lord never tires of forgiving us: never! God always forgives. God forgives always. God forgives not with a decree but with a caress. God’s mercy is the beating heart of the gospel.
(Adapted from the words of Pope Francis: The Name of God is Mercy, Random House)
For your reflection: What place and meaning does mercy have in your heart, life, and personal history?
The Adult Faith Formation and Service Commissions of St. John Parish facilitate our journey into the Heart of Mercy.
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation, Service Commission, Year of Mercy
Join us for an evening to ponder, pray, share and enjoy a wonderful potluck (bring your favorite Winter recipe). Pope Francis sets the context for the theme of this year’s program with the announcement of his Jubilee Year of Mercy “Putting Out Into The Deep… Where Mercy Dwells” So, come join us to continue this year’s journey into the deep. All welcome! Moderator: Sr. Evelyn Ronan, SND. In the Chapel and Powers Hall (Social Hall)
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Posted in Adult Faith Formation
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