Reflection for 4th Sunday of Lent: Come home, please come home. Do we ever resist reconciliation? Charles Dickens called today’s Gospel story the most touching story in all of literature. Today’s Gospel is an invitation for each of us to look at, not only the attitudes of all three people in the Gospel, but also our own attitudes toward forgiveness. Forgiveness takes time and effort; but it does not do us any good to spend the rest of our lives hurting or bitter or hating people because of something that happened in the past. Our God sets the example by His generosity, His hospitality, and His love. Can we show others the same? Jesus’ welcoming of sinners makes visible the love and mercy of God our Father and a love and mercy we all need because we are sinful.

March 14th, 2010

CALLING ALL CHILDREN AGES 1 TO 12 YEARS OLD

ARE YOU READY?!

The Palm Path and Easter Egg Hunt are just two weeks away!! Learn about Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Walk the path of palms. .And… hunt for Easter eggs!! Practice your skills! Be ready!!

March 14th, 2010

Saturday April 10th Each year students form the Religious Education program come to the homes of parishioners who are older, or with physical mobility limitations to do indoor or outdoor clean up such as yard work, (leaf raking, pruning, early spring planting, etc.) as well as windows, house cleaning etc. Please call the rectory if you would like to make use of this FREE service.

March 14th, 2010

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Religious Education:

Next class for K-6th grade March 15th

Personal safety program will continue one more week for grades 1-6.

All students in 3rd - 10th grade will attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation during class on March 22nd during class time. Parents are welcome to take this opportunity for themselves as well.

Kudos!

• Congratulations to our 2nd graders who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation this weekend, may they be graced with the Lord’s mercy.
• To Ms. Martin’s class for a wonderful puppet show at Community Sunday last week. There was a nice large crowd but you all did phenomenally!

To the students who helped with the St. Patrick’s Day party, thank you for sharing your love and kindness in our parish.

Activities:

Altar Servers: We will start training for new Altar Servers after Easter. Please contact Melisa Hughes (melisahughes@comcast.net) to sign up and indicate preference for training days and times. Altar Servers are open to boys and girls 4th grade and up. It is a fun way to participate and learn about the liturgy and an important ministry for our parish.

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March 14th, 2010

Sharing: Time Talent Treasure

THE MIRACLE OF THE SEED

In front of our altar a few seeds were planted in a pot the first week of Lent. As we have watched, God once again acts through His creations to enable us to see the miracle of something growing. From a tiny seed we now see the abundance of the plant. And it is still growing. How abundant has our growth been this Lenten period so far? Have we done anything to increase our relationship with and knowledge of our Lord?

Everyone over 60 remembers the phrase “the Easter duty”. It means that the Church requires us at least once a year and during the Easter season to receive the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliaton and the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Quite disturbing is the recent conclusion from a study that of the many “good” practicing Catholics who attend Mass regularly on the weekend, 45% of them have NOT been to confession in 10 years! WHY? What are we afraid of? What don’t we believe in relative to this holy sacrament? Do we think that we do not need God’s love and forgiveness? Or do we see the priest as just a man to whom we do not wish to tell our troubles, our sins? The latter is a great mistake. He is no “just a man”. Jesus gave Peter a specific directive that as His Apostle he would be the founder of His church and “the sins you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and the sins you forgive on earth will be forgiven in heaven”. The priest in confession today is speaking as God’s chosen representative on earth, just as Peter was.

Only one opinion poll exists in the Bible. When Pontius Pilate asked the crowd what he was to do with Jesus, they cried “Crucify Him”! Do we today think we can listen to the suggestions of others or make up our own as to what Jesus taught us relative to what His Father wants? There is only one absolute truth -and that is God. By the word of God we must live. “He, who claims to know Me, must live by My Commandments or he/she does not know Me”. God is an all-merciful and loving God. But He is also a just God. He knows it all and is only waiting for us to ask for His forgiveness. Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else in the Bible-12 times. He spoke of eternal damnation 90 times. This says to us that we are accountable for our life. When we wish to reunite ourselves with Him, He is all-forgiving and merciful in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We cleanse our bodies constantly; and it lives for only a finite time. Cleanse your soul for your eternity this Lent.

Stewardship Questions: Kathy Reilly 781-444-0862
Email: kreilly15@yahoo.com

If anyone needs a ride to any Lenten service or wishes a home Communion visit, please call.

March 14th, 2010

WINGS (Women in God’s Spirit) invites you to join us on Wednesday, March 17th. The speaker will be Fr. Bob Masciocchi, CCS who will speak on “Reducing Stress through Christ.” Join us as we learn stress reduction techniques with Fr. Bob, Director of the Espousal Retreat House and Conference Center in Waltham. WINGS is a spiritual group for women of all ages. This is your opportunity to be refreshed, renewed and enthusiastic about life. We meet in the Linse Room at St. Joseph’s Parish, Needham each Wednesday morning from 9:45-11:30 am. Newcomers are always welcome and babysitting is available. We hope you consider joining us this spring—whether you can attend each week or just some of the weeks.

March 14th, 2010

“Where Do We Go From Here?” in health care, physician-assisted suicide and other legislation, bioethics, population studies, law, and medicine. The convention is on Saturday, April 10th, at Boston College Law School from 8:30 am-4:00 pm. Register at www.masscitizensforlife.org, by mail with coupon in MCFL News or by calling 617-242-4199.

March 14th, 2010

Reflection for 2nd Sunday of Lent: Have we ever considered how we explain to others how God is willing to give all of us second chances? Our God is a God of new beginnings. Today’s readings invite us to consider the meaning of repentance in our lives. Repentance is a way of life that feeds our life and our faith. It is one of the ways that God can enrich our lives. God’s generosity of heart invites us to respond. For the love of God, people are willing to live life in a different way. Repentance leads to life in God. In addition to ourselves, are there other people in our life we would like to join with in repentance? What are we going to do about this?

March 9th, 2010

First it was the earthquake in Haiti; and now there has been an earthquake in Chile. The devastation and death toll is almost beyond our ability to comprehend. What can we do in the face of such catastrophic destruction and enormous needs? We can repair the only well, originally built by the Ste. Jeanne D’Arc Haiti Foundation in Petit-Goave. This well is now badly in need of repair. Severely damaged, it provides the only clean water to this area. Checks can be written out to St. Bartholomew Parish. Please write “Well” or “Ste. Jeanne D’Arc Haiti Foundation” on the memo line.

Please see the report from the Finance Committee on the next page.

~Barbara Dury

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My church is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is. It will be friendly, if I am. Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them. It will do great work, if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, if I invite and bring them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, and a church with a noble spirit, if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these same things. Therefore, with the help of God, I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all the things that I want my church to be.

March 9th, 2010

WINGS (Women in God’s Spirit) invites you to join us on Wednesday, March 10th. The speaker will be Mary Ellen Wasielewski who will speak on “Balancing Mary and Martha: Love in Action, Love in Prayer.” We all know the difficulties of the modern women’s juggling act. Sometimes it seems there’s very little time for God in our busy lives. Come hear the personal story of how one woman faces the challenge of spending more time with Christ. WINGS is a spiritual group for women of all ages. This is your opportunity to be refreshed, renewed and enthusiastic about life. We meet in the Linse Room at St. Joseph’s Parish, Needham each Wednesday morning from 9:45-11:30 am. Newcomers are always welcome and babysitting is available. We hope you consider joining us this spring—whether you can attend each week or just some of the weeks.

March 9th, 2010