Parish of the Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Parish of the Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Melrose and Saugus

The 24th Sunday in Ordinary TimeSeptember 13, 2020

Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Vignon

Incarnation Parish Bulletin

The 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time September 13, 2020

Dear Friends, I hope everybody had a great Labor Day weekend. The weather certainly cooperated! The long weekend traditionally marks the end of the summer season and vacations. It usually means schools at all levels of education welcome back its students. However as we all know 2020 and this summer have been lots of things, but normal/usual is not one of them. “Back to School” for so many is a brand new experience and challenge.

Another long standing tradition for my own family is for my brother Sean to host his annual Labor Day Cookout at his beautiful home and yard in Methuen. A much smaller crowd came this year and it was only family but it gave me an opportunity to see my nephew Conor’s “classroom”. Conor is a student at UMass Amherst. His desk had two computer screens with headphones and note paper and pens all lined up and ready to go for Tuesday’s classes. Welcome to the new normal!

So many of our students and families are experiencing similar realities. The new school year with all its unique challenges puts lots of pressure on parents and teachers alike. Parents are struggling to balance work schedules with virtual classes for their kids. Teachers are certainly missing the daily interactions with their students and wonder whether the lessons they now present

on a computer screen are being retained. So much of life has and continues to change as a result of the virus.

What has not changed and in fact has increased ten-fold is the need to laugh and find humor in all of this. I recently was sent the following poem which made me laugh and smile. I am hoping the same for you as you read it.

“Twas the night before Distance Learning,

when all through the house.

not a creature was stirring,

not even the IPad’s new mouse;

The WIFI sent inter webs flying through air,

in hopes that virtual classmates soon would

be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their

beds,

while visions of remote gym class danced in

their heads.

And Mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap.

are hoping the kids don’t notice we think

this is crap.”

Have a great week!

Fr Steve

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MILESTONESPlease remember family and friends in need of prayer, especially Sarah Fradkin, Bill Connors, Maureen, Irene Lawless, Perry Brown, Betty Howard, Stephen Gaeta, Jim R., Ted Ayotte, Robert Burke, Sandra W., John Anderson, April Crouse, Adele Maciejowski, Colleen Sullivan, Debbie Saschuk, Julia G., Donna Correia, Sandra V., Don Marsden, Georgia Rose Okerholm, Donna Page, Denise, Sr. Mary Shaun, Nicholas Ward, Frank Zizzo, Helen Staunton, Domenic DeLuca, Maia DeLuca, Joseph Connelly, Jeannette Bailey, Anita V., Leona Dewhurst, Jacqueline, Chuck Giorgio, Kathleen O’Neill, Thomas M., Michael Lester, Sydni Simpson Garrity, Carole R. , Patricia Zibroski, Anthony S.,Janice T., John Maciejowski,, Helen Giorgio, Andrew Reczeck, Frank Stankavish, Susan D., Ed M., Joyce D., Joshua B.,Janelle Hodges, Diane, Chris T., Michael L. , and parishioners facing surgery.

If there is anyone you wish to add to the prayer list, please contact the rectory. Please note: All names will remain on our Prayer List and will be prayed for unless our office is notified to remove an individual.

Congratulations to the family of Theodore Miranda, who was baptized here last week!

GRAND ANNUAL APPEALOur Grand Annual Appeal is underway and thanks to so many of you for your generosity! As of last week, our Grand Annual contributions totaled $99,366.00

If you would like to contribute to the Grand Annual Collection and did not receive an envelope, you can contribute online through our

website:www.incarnationmelrose.org, or use one of the envelopes available at the doors of the church.

FINANCIAL REPORTThanks to all of you who have been giving online!Use the following link to sign up for Online Giving!https://www.myowngiving.com/Default.aspx?cid=45

August 31, 2020 – September 7, 2020Offertory Online $4,348.00Basket 2,365.00 $6,713.00

Monthly Maintenance Online $796.00 Basket 310.00 $1,106.00

CALENDAR

September 13 9:30 a.m. Norma and Alvin Hemenway

September 18 8:00 a.m William Melillo

September 19 4:30 p.m Anna Lyons

September 20 9:30 a.m. People of the Incarnation

FIRST COMMUNIONLast weekend we celebrated First Communions at Mass on Sunday. Congratulations to:

Carmella Ranelli God bless all of our beautiful children and we welcome them to the table of the Lord!

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GENERATIONS OF FAITHAs you are no doubt aware, this coming academic year is presenting many challenges to educators everywhere, and our parish is no exception. We are resolved to make every effort to ensure that participants in our program have every opportunity to prepare for sacraments and learn about and grow their faith in a way that is both enriching and safe. With this in mind, we have made some preliminary plans for the next few months regarding our Generations of Faith (“GOF”) parish-wide learning program.

As you may know, our GOF program involves a series of 4 large, intergenerational learning events centered around a broad theological theme, offered in combination with grade level large group classes

for peer learning and preparing for the Sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Confirmation. This basic philosophy of our program will not change; grade level learning and sacrament preparation will be offered, and our all ages experience of GOF learning events will continue, as this year we will explore the topic of Mercy.

Until it is safe to gather in large groups for learning and community, our GOF program will look a bit different. We plan to begin in October with our first GOF learning events available in an online format. Our Large group classes for children will be in-person for grades 2 & 10 only, with a virtual only option available for these grades as well. These classes will be held in the church to allow for social distancing, and depending on the number of students, may be divided into smaller groups. Materials and resources for children in grades 1, and 3-9 will be made available online beginning in October. Registration information is emailed to all parishioners each week.

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Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, June 2001

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink…. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. (Jn 6:53-57)

WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTERGreat News - Worldwide Marriage Encounter has gone "Virtual"!To support married couples during this time of social distancing, Worldwide Marriage Encounter is sponsoring a virtual marriage experience called Restore – Rekindle – Renew. This Enrichment Experience will meet via Zoom for seven sessions

on Monday evenings September 14 to October 26 from 7-9:30 PM.Couples will explore their individual personality styles, improve listening and communication skills, understand God’s plan for their marriage, and learn how to keep their relationship a priority. Registration is limited and a $100 application fee is required. For more information or to apply, call Stephen & Michelle O'Leary at 800-710-9963 or visit them at https://wwmema.org/.

Join us for the 12th Annual Celebration of the Priesthood Virtual Gala with:Cardinal Sean O’Malley – Archbishop of BostonGeneral Joe Dunford, Jr. (Ret.) – Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of StaffSpecial appearances by Scott Wahle, Brian Boyle, Mark Wahlberg and the music of Dion with Patty Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen

With your registration, you will receive exclusive event info, updates, and the chance to win…

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• a private tour of the newly renovated Cathedral of the Holy Cross, located in the South End of Boston.

• an invite to join a virtual live Q&A session with General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

• an invite to talk hockey virtually with NHL Florida Panther’s star Brian Boyle.

For more information: https://2020cop.org

FREE WEBINARFaith & Citizenship: Catholic Perspectives on American PoliticsAs the 2020 presidential election approaches, this panel presentation explores a Catholic perspective on American politics. How can people of faith draw upon the Christian tradition to address the polarization that is taking place in America? What role do moral issues play when deciding on a candidate? How can we move towards greater unity and collaboration in a time of division? Moderated by Dr. Cathleen Kaveny, a panel of

editors from America Media address these questions and more.

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Sponsored by STM, Boisi Center, The Church in the 21st Century Center

THE 24TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

Breaking the Chain of CausalityThis Sunday is about forgiveness, and most of us have something to learn about this important act.

Our First Reading tells how awful wrath and anger are, and how the sinner “hugs them tight,” a wonderful image. Release them and let them go, it says.

The Psalm speaks beautifully about God’s absolving love: God is kind and merciful, slow to anger, rich in compassion. The Second Reading says we ought to live not for ourselves but for others. We should imitate God. When we live for the Lord, it says, we will also be graced to die for the Lord.

Forgiveness is a major ingredient of living for God and for others. People do not always do right, and

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we need to forgive them as God does. Forgiveness is the gift and the goal.

But what does it consist of?

Our culture has some pretty diverse ideas about this. For some it is a condescending act performed only by a person who is higher than another—a King or Queen or a judge or a boss or a media star—someone who leans down to grant pardon. For others it means “I can forgive but I can never forget.” Perhaps this means, I will remain angry forever but I will never act upon it. Such a stance can include an uncomfortable attitude: “I will choke back my hurt and anger by a sheer act of the will. I may have been savaged by someone, but I will not display it in my reaction.”

On Easter Sunday of 1960, that seer of truth and lover of God, Dag Hammarskjold, wrote an interpretation that moved me:

Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who “forgives” you—out of love—takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice.

There is a price you must pay for your own liberation. Since it has come through another’s sacrifice, you in turn must be willing to liberate in the same way, in spite of the consequences to yourself. You absorb them, if doing so truly flows out of love. (from Hammarskjold, Markings, p. 197)

Let us apply these insights to the Gospel.

There, Jesus tells a long and involved parable about a servant who is pardoned by the master but then goes out and refuses, viciously, to forgive his own fellow servants.

At about six lines from the end the owner of the vineyard calls him a “wicked servant” and says, “should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?”

What is the lesson? That the deepest motivation for

forgiveness is loving gratitude.

If someone has forgiven me out of love, then my authentic reaction will be deep appreciation. I will want spontaneously to pass the gift on. It follows that if God has forgiven me, I will want to give to anyone else the same liberation I have received.

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By doing so you or I halt the chain of causality and pass along love instead of hate.

As we dwell in Christ’s presence this Sunday, especially if we are able to receive communion, let us sense his forgiving love, signified so deeply in the sacrament. Let us allow our gratitude to flow to others.

John Foley, SJ

Fr. John Foley, SJ, is a composer and scholar at Saint Louis University.

THE PERSPECTIVE OF JUSTICE

The Challenge of Forgiveness“Forgive your neighbor's injustice.” How often

must I forgive the brother who wrongs me?“Not seven times, I say, seventy times seven

times.”

Some of the social ills that we struggle against result in part from the refusal of people to forgive. Wars are fought and innocent people are killed, maimed, or displaced because people cannot forgive their neighbors for their actions or those of their ancestors. Our own society shows its own refusal to forgive in its obsessive clinging to the death penalty.

The world of social evil stands in need of forgiveness.

Those of us who are African-American are challenged by the gospel to forgive the slave masters of their ancestors as well as the racist descendants of those slave masters. Those of us who are women are challenged by the gospel to forgive the sexist men who have colluded, through action or inaction, in the creation and maintenance of a 'man's world.' The victims of war are challenged by the gospel to forgive all the militarists of the world.

“The Lord is kind and merciful; slow to anger and rich in compassion.” The challenge is for us to become like God, who is our creator and guide.Mercy in itself, as a perfection of the infinite God, is also infinite. Also infinite therefore and inexhaustible is the Father's readiness to receive the prodigal children who return to his home. Infinite are the readiness and power of forgiveness which flow continually from the marvelous value of the sacrifice of the Son. No human sin can prevail over this power or even limit it.

Pope John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia, 1980:13.

Gerald Darring

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HOW TO FIND USAs a Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Boston, we are committed to excellence in liturgy, service, hospitality, and life-long learning, all centered in Christ. 429 Upham Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Office: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm1-781-662-8844 Office1-781-662-9340 FAX e-mail: [email protected] website: www.incarnationmelrose.org Follow us on Twitter @IncParish Like us on Facebook!PASTORAL and SUPPORT STAFF Fr. Steve Madden,[email protected]. Michael Ssenfuma, Parochial [email protected]. André Brouillette, Weekend AssistantDeacon Bob [email protected] Lahiff, Director of Faith Formation [email protected] Gelzleichter, Director of Music [email protected] Gina Distefano, Business [email protected] David E. Wiggin, C.F.X., Bookkeeper Jim Guiry, Maintenance ManagerDottie Ahlin, Household Assistant

LITURGY (Beginning 6/6) Mass Schedule~ Saturday 4:30; Sunday 9:30Daily Mass ~Thursday-Friday at 8:00.

SCRIPTURE STUDY Every Friday morning -meeting online via Zoom. Email Shawn if you would like to participate. Everyone is welcome in this lively and interesting forum.

RECONCILIATION by appointment.

JOINING THE PARISHNo matter what your journey has been, we want to be your companions for the next steps, to share the Gospel together and to help each other along the way.Please introduce yourself to a staff member, or drop in for coffee on Sunday. You can register as a parishioner online via our website, or stop by the rectory.

ADULT INITIATION, RCIAWe are always ready to begin the process by which an adult or older child becomes a Catholic, either by full initiation in baptism, or by reception into full communion. We are also happy to prepare you for adult Confirmation. Contact Deacon Bob Breen.

BAPTISM FOR INFANTSCongratulations! Due to Covid-19 all baptisms are private. Fr. Steve is the staff contact person for preparation.

GENERATIONS OF FAITHWe are a community of life-long learners. Our parish program of inter-generational learning and celebration of faith is called Generations of Faith. Contact:Ann Lahiff.

MARRIAGECongratulations! The engaged couple must contact the Rectory at least six months in advance, preferably a year ahead.

CARE OF THE SICK To arrange for the Sacrament of the Sick, for Holy Communion for the home-bound, or Viaticum for the Dying, please contact the parish office. It is always possible to anoint the sick during regularly scheduled liturgies. All you have to do is ask!

ORDER of CHRISTIAN FUNERALSWe will work with you to plan your own funeral liturgy or that of a loved one, and are prepared to celebrate the Vigil, also known as the “Wake,” in the Church building for those who choose.

BULLETIN INFORMATIONPlease contact Ann Lahiff at [email protected] with any questions, information or submissions for our bulletin.http://www.incarnationmelrose.orgTo view bulletin, click “bulletin archive,” and then, “Incarnation bulletins”

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Very often when people are in crisis, we find a priest

standing nearby to help. Our priests are often at the center

of efforts that build strong support systems for all of us.

In addition to their daily pastoral responsibilities, they help

establish social service organizations, offer spiritual support

and guidance for first responders, operate food pantries out

of their parishes, and recently, in response to the pandemic,

put their lives at risk to provide comfort and peace for those

suffering with COVID-19.

Healthier priests build stronger communities. And the Clergy

Health and Retirement Trust (CHRT) is dedicated to keeping

our priests healthy.

This September, you can support the CHRT’s mission by

giving to the special collection at Masses on September

19/20. Every gift makes a difference and is a symbol of

gratitude for all our priests who don’t just observe need in

our communities; they seek it out so that they can respond.

Donate now online at clergytrust.org or scan the QR code to give with Venmo, Apple/Google Pay, and PayPal via Givebutter.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR PRIESTS IN SEPTEMBER

Funds from the September collection

are managed by the Clergy Health and

Retirement Trust, an independently

managed trust with a majority lay

board of trustees. The funds are used

for the sole benefit of active and

senior priests in good standing.

clergytrust.org


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Parish of the Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

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