This weekend our first reading is from the Book of Acts and it is all about Stephen the martyr. The story which we have today is about the last hours of the life of Stephen. The entire Chapter 7 is about Stephen, but at this Mass we read just a brief section from its end. The speech which is given early in the chapter is created by the followers of Stephen who want to give witness and testimony about Jesus, in a sense; they are the words of Stephen. Notice in the story that the death of Stephen is matched up with references to the Life and Death of Jesus.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

This coming Monday we will be honoring all those who have died in the service of our country. There will be prayers said at three of the Memorials for Deceased Military and Veterans in our Town (one of which is at Saint Mary Cemetery) and our Town Festivities and Parade will conclude with final prayers and speeches in honor our deceased veterans at the Town Common in the Memorial Area opposite the church. Memorial Day is a sacred day in many ways and is held close in the heart of Veterans and their loved ones. May we always be grateful to all those who have served in the military. Our Way of Life is protected by their service and sacrifice. We will also celebrate a special Mass at our Cemetery on Beaver Street this Monday, Memorial Day at 9:00am. The Sacred Hearts Knights of Columbus will be hosts and offer refreshments after the Mass. Please bring a lawn chair. In the event of rain, it will be in our Chapel on the lower level of the Church building. Everyone is invited to come and pray at this Mass.

We learn in the Gospel of this weekend that Jesus gave his apostles the gift of peace. When trying to describe this gift of peace and what peace is, we learn that it is not a lack of disagreement and is more than a feeling of tranquility. When we discover that Jesus used the word shalom and that it means the fullness of the messianic blessing which is salvation, our understanding radically shifts. This gift of peace is a special gift from God and it suffuses the apostle’s hearts on the night before Jesus died.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

During this wonderful season, we all take delight in congratulating our young and (even older) people who are graduating from school. Completing educational or vocation programs is a major achievement in life. For most folks, this is the closing of a chapter of special growth and starting a new chapter in life. For some of the graduates, they will continue on to higher education whether it be a Bachelor’s Degree or a Graduate Degree and for some a specialized learning for a skill or role, and also for others it will mean their first “job”  in their chosen profession or work area and in addition for others, it is an advancement in their work position.

There are lots of “farewells” or “goodbyes” in life. There are the simple ones of every day when we leave home, work or a place where we meet other people. We never really think about what this “good bye” may mean. It is often simply said as the proper polite words as one leaves. We never think this may be for some extraordinary reason the last time we actually see and say “good bye” to that person. Most of us know the hurt and sorrow that comes from saying a final “goodbye” to someone we have loved. Saying “goodbye” to a dying spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, or any relative or friend can be most painful. This weekend our Gospel passage is about the “farewell” or “good bye” of Jesus. It is in fact a long discourse or passage. This “farewell” is actually an accumulation of many of the sayings and words of Jesus and placed at the Last Supper All of this passage is the last testament of Jesus before He died on the cross.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

I understand late this week we will be enjoying temperatures around 80 degrees. How wonderful those days will feel after the cold and long winter we all endured. Being New Englanders we sort of lean into winter and accept it, but I think many of us yearn for the sunny and warm days of summer. Having the four seasons with their ups and downs and their extremes, we become philosophic people. Living in New England with its weather helps make us people who have substance and strength. I suspect also the unexpected and also both sudden and rapid changes in our weather through the year helps us to face change and unpredictability in life. With our faith as a foundation in life, we are able to live life with some peace of heart and strength of person.

Unfortunately in our contemporary society, shepherds are seen as “romantic figures” that gently and happily care for sheep on mountainsides. The extreme danger, painful isolation, and great risks which existed for shepherds in the time of Jesus cannot be appreciated by us today. When we hear the words of Jesus about shepherds, we need to shift our understanding of what a shepherd is to the common understanding which existed over two thousand years ago. Shepherds were courageous, ever vigilant, and self-sacrificing for their flock.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,
Last weekend’s First Communion Mass was quite spiritual and touching. I am certain this weekend’s First Communion Mass will be as moving and beautiful. Attending First Communion certainly fills our hearts with beauty and joy. The brilliant sunlight and warmth of the air with the blossoming shrubs and trees provided a larger setting of beauty for all of us. Pray for the children’s parents that they be models and examples of faith to their children. Parents are the primary teachers of their children and what they say and do, or fail to say or do truly matters in their children’s lives.

The major theme of the scriptures this weekend is about authority, in that all authority comes from God. It is made clear in the Old Testament reading that only God ruled over Israel and the kings held authority as a delegate of God. Sadly many of the kings of Israel forgot this simple truth. We also learn of the power and authority of Jesus in his ministry among the people. He certainly displayed unique power and authority. According to Matthew, the Gospel writer, when He says his “farewell”, He reminds them that “all power in heaven and on earth has been given to me” and that He now instructs his disciples to go “make disciples of all the nations”.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,

This weekend we will be celebrating a Mass for First Communion at the Noon Mass. How beautiful and touching it is that our youngsters receive the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time. We pray for them and also their parents. It is our great hope that the children’s parents will now bring them faithfully to Mass each weekend. The parents have honored the commitment they made at the time of the child’s baptism and now need to continue to honor that public promise of “raising them in the ways of our faith” by faithfully attending Mass and also assisting them with Religious Education.

What helps us to define the early church are three elements found in the first reading. You will note that the first element is the apostles. They are central because they witnessed, in a strong sense, the Resurrection. The church, as a community, is the second element. In fact one that was slowly increasing in membership. The third element is the regard others held for this community as a holy and healing group of people.All of these points come to have profound meaning in the Gospel of today where we are reminded that faith does not depend upon seeing.

Our Parish will be holding Our Parish Pastoral Council Elections this late Spring. Below is a Description of the Role and eligibility requirements. Folks will be invited to nominate parishioners during the weekend of May 7-8 in the church by filling out a nomination paper and placing it in the baskets at the door of the church when leaving or by email.

Pastoral Reflections In the cathedrals of archdioceses, such as our own and also in dioceses throughout the world and in addition, in monasteries and religious house chapels throughout the world, there are many, many “first readings” at the Easter Vigil. Parishes are not expected to participate in proclaiming all the various readings of the Easter Vigil, consequently we do not realize how subdued the scripture readings of Easter Sunday are compared to the solemn vigils of cathedrals etc.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

May the Celebration of the Sacred Mysteries of our faith during these three Holy Days bring you and those close to your heart God’s grace, healing and strength. May you experience the joys and hope of the Resurrection of Christ in your daily life.

A Blessed and Happy Easter,
Father Brian

This weekend at Mass we begin “the holist week of the year” with the Celebration of Palm Sunday. This trium- phant and noisy event stands in stark contrast to the sacred events we celebrate later this week in the Sacred Trid- uum (the Three Days) which mark the Last Supper, the Institution of the Eucharist and Priesthood on Holy Thursday, the death of Jesus on the Cross on Good Friday and then on Saturday evening into Sunday morning the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We all shout “Hosanna” on this Palm Sunday even though we know of the events later in the week. It is also from this additional knowledge that we know Jesus rose from the dead and from that truth our Palm Sunday takes its final meaning and shape.

In this week’s Gospel, we are not surprised when we learn that Jesus is being again tested by people. From the high Temple authorities to the officials of government, to the villagers He meets and even His own people of his village, Jesus is constantly being tested and questioned. In this passage, in particular, we realize that He is being manipulated and setup. His foes take advantage of a woman and humiliate her to get at Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees should know better because of their religious upbringing and education, but it does not seem to matter. They perceive Jesus to be a threat to them; they think that to use that woman was inconsequential. In their opinion and treatment of her, she was dispensable.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

I have been told via email or in person that some folks are getting emails from me asking if they have some time to help me. These emails are fakes and really are fraudulently seeking money from you. I get anywhere from two to ten a week with various parishioner’s, family or friend’s names with the same request etc. I always delete them without reading them or sending them back to the alleged sender. Never open them always delete them, never send them back. Just delete them.  You do not need to get a computer virus. The scammers target the public email of priests in parishes. When in doubt, delete and do not open.