Sometimes people forget that our faith tradition, which is called the Judeo-Christian Tradition, is based in history and is the story of the experiences of God and human kind. The written words which are in the Bible that we call Sacred Scripture tell the various stories or “narrative” of this experience. We are not what are called a “nature based” religious tradition. We do, however, include within our experiences nature and all its wonder and power.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

I hope this past week was a little easier for you as we continue to negotiate our way through the overall lessening of the Pandemic and the necessary protocols and rules which we follow out of concern for others and also for ourselves. I think the much longer days of sunlight and the increasing outdoor temperature help all of us to adopt a better attitude about life. We still are weighed down by the terrible situation of death, injury, destruction and violence in the Country of Ukraine. We must earnestly pray for the end of all this war-like violence and that all governmental leaders will actively pursue peace. May Our Lady intercede at the Heavenly Throne to bring peace to everyone who suffers from war or violence.

We have learned from the teachings of Pope Francis that God’s middle name must be “mercy” and also that for us to be His people we must rely completely on His mercy which he offers to each one of us. Indeed in many ways our motto in life could be the singular word “mercy”. Mercy must be the sign and hallmark of who we are who claim to walk in the Way of Jesus Christ. We must work hard to make mercy an everyday reality in our lives. This does not mean we simply feel bad for people and have a good thought for them, rather it is living in and loving our world with all its good, its flaws, its successes, it struggles, and in the very end of it all showing kindness to anyone whether we believe the person merits it. Mercy does not measure kindness, mercy is simple kindness itself.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

Daylight Saving Time gives all of us a beautiful benefit of additional sunlight in the evening. Life simply changes for the better when we have evening daylight. The burdens and problems may be the same, but we find it easier to carry or solve our concerns or problems. Please enjoy the growing evening light and twilight.

In the verses from the Book of Genesis just before those of today's reading, Abram has come near to the end of his rope. He is so disappointed and frustrated that he and Sarai have not been able to have children. Surprisingly, God responds to Abram's search for an answer from out of the night sky. In the starlight of the night, God makes a covenant with Abram. This is very different from the usual covenant of the weak being obliged to the powerful, rather in this covenant the powerful, namely God is obliged to the weak, namely Abram. In it, God makes it very clear that Abram does not have to do anything to earn God's generosity of descendants and land. In fact, all Abram has to do is have faith and trust that God will act on his behalf. In a sense it is quite simple: God promises, Abram trusts, and the covenant is fulfilled.

In the verses from the Book of Genesis just before those of today’s reading, Abram has come near to the end of his rope. He is so disappointed and frustrated that he and Sarai have not been able to have Children. Surprisingly, God responds to Abram’s searBh for an answer from out of the night sky. In the starlight of the night, God makes a Covenant with Abram. This is very different from the usual Covenant of the weak being obliged to the powerful, rather in this Covenant the powerful, namely God is obliged to the weak, namely Abram. In it, God makes it very clear that Abram does not have to do anything to earn God’s generosity of descendants and land. In fact, all Abram has to do is have faith and trust that God will act on his behalf. In a sense it is quite simple: God promises, Abram trusts, and the Covenant is fulfilled.

In a very formal way, the Season of Lent begins this weekend; Ash Wednesday and the few days that follow it are “add-on” days to Lent. The scripture this weekend is the first formal launch into the Season of Lent. The scriptural message is quite clear for us in that we learn from the readings that trust in God will see us through in life. God will always act in life for us and for our ultimate good. We must simply have faith in God. Our Old Testament Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy reminds the Israelites that their (and our God) could not and would not ever forget or abandon them. The Israelites knew that when all the times they fell away from God, all they had to do was call out to God and ask him for his help and rescue.

Paul writes in his letter to the Romans about the necessity and power of faith. He tells us that those who have faith in Christ will not be put to shame. In fact, he writes that their shared faith will make them sisters and brothers in the Lord and also beneficiaries of God’s rich mercy.

It is striking that the overall message of the scripture this weekend is that we are asked to look beyond appearances to actions. Our first reading makes this very clear. Ben Sirach, a teacher, tells his students who are listening that the criteria for judging a person are the words he or she speaks and their actions. Someone may appear to be very sophisticated or together, but we need to hold back before we decide that person should be emulated. We simply need to pause and wait for them to speak because what they are truly worth will be shown in their expressed thoughts by their very own words.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

On Wednesday of this coming week, we will be gathering in our church to receive our ashes as we spiritually prepare ourselves during Lent for the Great Feasts of Holy Week culminating with the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus on Easter Sunday. On Ash Wednesday Mass and the Distribution of Ashes will take place in our church at 7:00am and also 7:00pm; there will also be a Simple Distribution of Ashes at Noon in our Church. We will be approaching the sanctuary to receive ashes as a symbolic action to mark our desire to try to live a better life as a follower of Jesus Christ. The ashes on our foreheads are to mark our inner heart of repentance for our wrongdoing and our desire to live a better life in Jesus Christ.

This weekend our first reading, which is from the Book of Samuel, is about David and his treatment of King Saul. David was not a friend or an admirer of King Saul. King Saul was a venal man who was angry, jealous, and also quite vengeful. He deeply resented David and wanted to destroy him. Powerful people are often paranoid about their successors. This passage tells us that David is given the rare opportunity to kill Saul and end his reign, but David does not. David's deeply held belief was that Saul as king was "the anointed of God". He did not believe he could take Saul's life which belonged in a very special way to God. The people of Israel admired David for his decision to honor God's will that Saul continues to be the king, although they knew David was risking his life. It was obvious he had a very fine sense of who God was and how he was present in people's lives.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

In following the Directives of the State and of the Archdiocese, we will be changing protocols and policies for in-church attendance starting with Ash Wednesday. (FYI: the real effective date is two days before on February 28th.) In light of the Cardinal’s decisions and promulgation, our procedures going forward for this Parish for the foreseeable future are based upon advice from the Pastoral and Ministerial Staff, Health Care Experts, Eucharistic Ministers, involved Parishioners and some common sense.

In this week's gospel passage, Jesus walks down from the mountain heights to a wide, open place. There is a large and mixed crowd waiting there for Him and they are most eager to see and hear Him. They, also, are in great need of healing. They perceive that they are needy, although they do not understand what it means. Their lives are "thin lives", never enough, always struggling for subsistence in a world where others have more and they have less. They are not part of the society that eats, drinks, and lives well; they struggle each day to survive.

They are sitting on that grassy area and waiting for Jesus to speak or act. When He starts to speak, He begins with a special benediction. He simply says: "Blessed are you . .." He does not say this one time, but four times. They are stunned to hear that they are in fact blessed while they feel so beaten down and hurt.

Upon reflection, we learn that there is for some in life a different and special poverty and variety of painful feelings. These feelings lie so much deeper than the deprivations these listeners experience. Those who were there on that hillside that day learn from Jesus that there is a deeper fulfillment in life for them. Their need and emptiness actually puts God's special blessing on them.

Jesus also sets forth four woes or curses. He tells them quite clearly that those who are to be most pitied and least to be admired or followed are those who are already totally pleased with themselves and their endless shallow, grasping, plundering desires. They are the ones who are losing so much in life. They are engaged in endless and futile pursuits.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

During this past week I read in two articles in unrelated journals that a distinctive element of English culture is that the English people can chat forever about weather. I guess as a New Englander who obviously is indirectly influenced by that originating dominant culture, I clearly share that characteristic as my weekly letters often chat a bit about weather! To break the pattern or mold, no mention of weather this week!

In our first reading, which is from the Old Testament, Isaiah had a vision of God who appeared in the very brightness of the angels. This vision left the prophet dramatically drained, yet also strengthened in a certain way. Isaiah believed he was unworthy to come closer to God who beckoned him, but he knew he was called by God's angels and so he responded "Here I am, send me!" This is quite the dramatic calling. Isaiah was transformed by the event, although his words were inadequate to express his feelings and the meaning of the vision.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,

Last week’s mega-storm certainly showed us that we do live in a climate that has extremes. I am glad that people were sensible and stayed in on Saturday as the storm raged and very cautiously emerged on Sunday. I am also glad that so many folks thought it was good common sense to close the church building all day last Saturday. The Storm clean up took a few days and our Town DPW worked very hard to make our roads and sidewalks as safe as possible. Thank you. Our private crew who does our property worked an unbelievable amount of hours to get things cleared as much as possible. Between using plows, front end loaders, shovels and ice melt our property got cleared. I hope you were able to get your driveways and sidewalks in good shape.