Grandpa clocked in long hours on the railroad or in the mines, but when he came home there were no faxes waiting for him to answer, no cellular phones or e-mail to interrupt his after-dinner smoke. Home was home, not a pit stop for data gathering before heading back to the office. Today, there is no down time, no escape from other people. Says Dr. Mark Moskowitz of the Boston Medical Center, this means “that a lot of people are working twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, even when they’re not technically at work. It’s a guaranteed formula for breakdown.”

Jesus’ disciples did not work as hard many do today but Jesus recognized the need to rest. “So many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest.’” (Mark 6:30).

What place does real rest have in your life? say “real” rest because there is a difference between true resting and simply escaping. You can escape into endless computer games, a surplus of sleep, or hours upon empty hours of television. But those things usually are not truly refreshing and renewing. Real rest enlivens both body and mind, it makes us willing and able—perhaps even eager—to resume our duties. Real rest is so important that God actually commanded it. What different and perhaps better way of resting can you place into your life?

Readings for the Week of July 20, 2003

Sunday: Jer 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34

Monday: Ex 4:5-18; Mt 12:38-42

Tuesday: Ex 14:21—15:1; or, Jn 20:1-2, 11-18

Wednesday: Ex 16:1-5, 9-15; Mt 13:1-9

Thursday: Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b; Mt 13:10-17

Friday: 2 Cor 4:7-15; Mt 20:20-28

Saturday: Ex 24:3-8; Mt 13:24-30

We welcome you to Sacred Heart Parish. If you are vacationing here or if you are new parishioner, we invite you to join us on the Rectory porch after the 10:00am Mass for coffee and conversation. New parishioners, please introduce yourself to Father Colletti or any of the staff. We will make sure you receive the census form so that you may become a part of our parish family.

When you travel this summer, check the times of Masses and locations throughout the country before you leave. Call Mass Times (1-410-676-6000) or on the internet. www.Masstimes.org.

This week we ask you to pray for those who are ill, including, Brianna Cimino, Rosemary Harvey, Regina Jones, Andrea Hynes, Joyce Amos, James Reilly, Regina Wingard, Elaine Ring, Erin McMehon, Maria Aguis, George Beck, Dr. Kenneth Spengler, Josephine Murphy, Peter Bugda, Norma Berstein, Camille Michals, Rob Morway, Patricia Hassett, Paul McCann, William Francis, Lillian Davenport, James Fontaini, Henri Fradette, William Blair, Agatha Pals, Richard Gaudet, Kath Rodriegas, Estelle Szalajeski, Nancy Driscoll, Dante DiManna, Margie Levine, Ruth Pike, Doug Phillips, Ralph Tatro, Andrew Day, Peggy Sue Grow, Mary Serpa, Deborah Miller, Audrey Finn, Dorothy Lee, William MacKinnon, Mary Jefferson, Elizabeth Conte, Dave Rissmiller, Violet Calderoni, Ruth McAleer, John McAleer, Monica Cotter, Frank Cote, Kathy Smith, Harold Johnson, James Bresnahan, Ann Mulray, Chrysostom Blanchard, Bea Lingane, Rita Mahan, Paul Bentley, Connie Perrotta, Gerard Sarno, Dorothy Grant, Marisol O’Brien, Matthew Gablor, Ted Baird, Peter Bellini, Don Sabat, Carmen Massamilla, Sr., and Rita Laffey.

We will have our 5^th session of the Virtus program, “Protecting God’s Children” on Saturday, July 26^th in the lower hall of the Parish Center. If you minister in any way in the parish, it is essential that you attend one of these programs. We will announce fall dates soon, but it is our hope that as many as possible will attend the next program. As stated in the bulletin last week, this is for the benefit of all children that are in your life. We need to know the signs of abuse in order to help.

Volunteers are needed for many of our ministries at Sacred Heart Parish. We need people to be on our various commissions—the Worship Commission, the Religious Education Commission, the Youth Commission. Please contact the office, 781-862-4646, and share your gifts with us!

Music Ministry is an important part of Sacred Heart Parish. Keep in mind that Todd will be looking to add more members to the choir in September. If you love music and can carry a tune please be sure to watch the bulletin in August for the date he will begin choir practice!

We all need to go off to a “deserted place” occasionally to “rest awhile.” Whether this means taking some time alone each day to pray and rest in God, making Sunday truly a day of rest, or setting aside a few days a year to make a retreat, all of us need time to regain our strength so we can take up our own shepherding tasks. If the mission overwhelms us we will be unable to persevere.

Achieving a balance between the work of discipleship and the need to rest from weariness can be no easy task in itself. Like Jesus, we are called to shepherd—to care, teach, heal, listen, etc.—and also like Jesus, we are called to make our life one characterized by self-giving. Somehow we are to balance this with rest, with time to replenish our spirit and energy. Self-giving and rest are two parallel poles to the dying and rising dynamic of the paschal mystery. Too much dying can crush us. Too much rest can lull us into being uncaring shepherds

Gospel living faithful to the mission Jesus has given us requires that we balance contemplation and action. In other words, the mission itself includes downtime. This is how we have fresh encounters with the Jesus who cares—by taking time to rest in him. Let him shepherd us.

We probably all know at least one couple who were not married according to the legal requirements of the Catholic church. Perhaps the couple were married in a civil ceremony. Or maybe they were married in the church of the non-Catholic partner without having gone through the procedure of receiving a dispensation from the Catholic church. Perhaps one of the partners had been married previously and was not at the time of the new marriage canonically free to marry again.

It is not unusual for such couples to wish later to have the Catholic church formally recognize their marriage. They are encouraged to discuss their situation with their pastor and explore the possibility of convalidating their marriage. Convalidation is the process by which the church recognizes a marriage that did not previously meet the requirements of canon law.

In a simple validation process, a couple in a stable marriage participates in some form of preparation, and then renews their consent—“I do”—in the presence of a priest or deacon and two witnesses. This renewal may take place with as much or as little ceremony as the couple and their pastor decide is right for them.

Each couple’s circumstances differ, of course, calling for different procedures. In any event, the process of convalidating a marriage respects the needs of each couple as well as the teachings of the Catholic church. Through it, the couple’s experience of married love is interpreted in a new context—the paschal mystery—the pattern at the heart of every Christian marriage.

Coordinator of YM: Maureen McKeown

SCRIPTURE STUDY: A small group of teens have been meeting regularly for several weeks in a relaxed atmosphere to read Scripture (God’s word), reflect on the meaning of the passage in their lives and share a simple meal. The Gospel of John is their focus.

Now that summer is finally here, they plan to continue their journey on Sunday morning at 11 AM (following the 10 o’clock Mass). If you have ever thought about why the stories from scripture are still around, or how you might begin to look more closely at those passages you remember from your childhood – or if there is a message here for you – a teen in a community of faith in Lexington in 2003 – then perhaps this is the summer to set aside that time. Come and see what it’s all about – no obligation, as they say!

We need you – you are welcome. Please give thought and prayer to how your gifts can enrich our entire community.

Sacred Heart Parish Bulletin - July 20, 2002

Readings for the Week of July 20, 2003

Coordinator of YM: Maureen McKeown

GREAT OPPOPRTUNITIES: (Training provided!)

Sacred Heart Parish Bulletin -July 20, 2003