A Word to our Parishioners

I hope this message finds you and yours enjoying these late summer days!

As Catholics, we have certainly had an extraordinary and invigorating week, in the light of Pope Francis' pastoral visit to the United States. In the course of a short few days, the Pope captured the minds and hearts of an enormous number of people across our country, and beyond. By doing so, he has enhanced and invigorated our appreciate of Christ and His Gospel in our daily lives. This is a great gift to all of us.

Pope Francis has repeatedly focused our attention on the gift of mercy, which is far more than simple kindness. Mercy, as we discover it in Christ, not only reveals that Christ is Himself merciful, but that His mercy is dependable, worthy of trust, and a gift that one who has experienced mercy, can, and must, offer to others. For mercy is not simply among the various attributes of Christ. Rather, as the Son of God, it is His primary attribute, and hopefully this attribute is becoming more and more an attribute of ours, as well.

I suspect that all of us have experienced Christ’s mercy throughout our lives. But, as the Body of Christ in the world, we are also called to be the sacrament of Christ’s mercy for one another, and for others who live in the orbit of our lives.

Certainly, in both of these parishes, and throughout the Archdiocese of Boston, parents, catechists and preachers alike are striving to hand the Gospel on to others. The parishioners of our two parishes, like the other collaboratives around the Archdiocese, are striving to actively live Christ’s life as our own. But, the church throughout the world has realized that a new commitment and a new initiative are needed to invigorate the world by the light of the Gospel.

The Collaborative of our two parishes is not simply a new organizational structure, but the Newton Collaborative, like all the other Collaboratives formed throughout the Archdiocese, is intended to be schools of discipleship, where parishioners can come to experience a renewed, or a new heartfelt knowledge of Christ. In this way, all of us can grow, not just as good people, but as men, women and children who have been called by Jesus Christ to be His disciples. All of us who are baptized have become Christ’s students, His disciples. We have been touched by His love, which then impels us to live our discipleship on a daily basis.

I know that I first met Christ through my parents, through my extended family and by living in parishes, which are nothing less than communities of faith, hope and charity, so that we can assist one another in actively living our faith. But the world has profoundly changed since I entered a Catholic grammar school in Swampscott in 1960.

The challenge that has been handed on to us is to ask the Lord to give us new insight and engaging faith experiences that will sustain and deepen our friendship with the Lord and with one another, by means that are both traditional and contemporary.

The life of every disciple is meant to be characterized by three attributes: admiration, imitation and participation. God is calling us all the time, in a variety of ways, to ADMIRE CHRIST, in order that we can truly IMITATE CHRIST in our daily lives. By admiration and imitation, we will discover anew that we really do PARTICIPATE in Christ’s own life, and He participates in our lives as well by His love and grace.

In the last two years, members of Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s, along with many other Collaboratives in the Archdiocese, have developed Pastoral Plans that are meant to guide and support our life as communities of faith, and enable us, both as a community and as individuals, to be a living Gospel for others to see and hear. This Pastoral Plan will gradually give form and shape to our inner life and to our common mission as Catholics within Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s.

As we continue on this journey together, let’s pray for one another that our admiration of Christ will continue to increase, that our capacity to imitate Christ will be strengthened, so that, as communities of faith, we will clearly be seen and felt as people who, by grace, participate in the life of Christ, for the well being of others and for the glory of God.

Have a great week!
Father John Sassani – and the members of the Pastoral Staff of Sacred Heart and Our Lady Help of Christians Parishes