Adult Faith Enrichment – Page 28 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Adult Faith Enrichment Program: Psalm 23 – “The Good Shepherd”

This is a 4-week program to reflect intently on Psalm 23, which takes us on a journey through the valleys of despair to the peaks of comfort, peace, and hope. Life is full of challenges and how we navigate those challenges shape our journey. Whether it be life changes from personal traumas, the loss of a loved one, facing our aging, or simply a desire to deepen your relationship with God, this psalm insures God’s accompaniment and love.

We will meet on Wednesday mornings at 9:30am in the St. Paul Rectory beginning May 10 – to register…

Adult Faith Enrichment Book Study: “Building a Bridge”

Christ came to call everyone, but He had a special devotion to those on the margins. If He were walking the earth today, He would likely have a ministry joyfully dedicated to our LGBT brothers and sisters. Here at the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative, we can be His hands and feet. Join us as we embark on a four-week study of Fr. James Martin, SJ’s essential book, “Building A Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.”

Meetings will be held on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm in the Collaborative Boardroom at the St. John Parish Center beginning May 10 – to register please…

Evening for Women with Dr. Jaime Waters: “The Women Surrounding Jesus at His Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection” – Tuesday, April 11 at 6:00pm

TThe Women’s Night Planning Committee is excited to announce that Dr. Jaime Waters will be our speaker on Tuesday, April 11! Dr. Waters is an Associate Professor of the Old Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry with a particular interest in women in Scripture. In this Easter Season, Dr. Waters’ presentation will focus on The Women Surrounding Jesus at His Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection.

Please join us in the St. John Chapel (lower level of the church) for Dr. Waters’ presentation at 6:00pm, followed by supper in Powers Hall. Dinner will be provided – please bring a dessert to share! Please RSVP at https://sjspwellesley.org/evening-for-women/

Dr. Waters’ presentation will be streamed live on our website for those who cannot attend in person…

Sixth Week of Lent (Holy Week): The Seventh Word – “It is finished.”

Of all the seven last words, the words, “It is finished” sound more like words of self-reflection than any others. They are not like the interactive words spoken to Mary and John; neither are they like the reconciling words spoken to the repentant thief; nor, it seems, are they like the words of anguish and committal addressed to the Father. Instead, these words seem to be those of a man who, at the point of dying, looks back at his living to see it as a unified whole. He has come to do the will of the One who sent him. Here are some thoughts and questions for your consideration this week:

Can you look back on your life and see a pattern? Can you see how God’s will has been at work in it?

Fifth Week of Lent: The Sixth Word – “Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit.”

Here are some thoughts and questions for your consideration this week:

Try to set aside fifteen minutes.
“Pick a time, pick a place, and then show up.” (Timothy Jones in Workaday Prayers)
Reread the above gospel selection. Be attentive to the scene, imagining it, putting yourself at the foot of the cross. You may want to speak with Jesus.
Be grateful for the Spirit’s gift: that you desire to pray.
Recall the deep relationship Jesus had with his Father.
Consider world events. Focus on one picture or one story that touches your heart and pray for those people, entrusting them to God’s care.
Whenever you feel that life is beating you, you might find consolation in Psalm 31.

Taizé Prayer Service with Opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation – Wednesday March 29 at 7:00pm at St. John

Taizé is an ecumenical monastic order in Burgundy, France, with a strong devotion to peace and reconciliation through prayer, meditation, and song.

The repetitive sung simple prayers draw you deeply into communion with the Holy Spirit and allows the clutter of your thoughts to subside. Holy Scripture and silence are interwoven in the experience in order for worshipers to be attentive to God’s voice. There will be opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation throughout.

There can be no better way to prepare for Holy Week than to approach it full of God’s abundant grace.

Fourth Week of Lent: The Fifth Word – “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Here are some thoughts and questions for your consideration this week:

Try to set aside fifteen minutes. Distractions in prayer are as normal and ordinary as they are in any relationship. Don’t get discouraged.

Read the selection from Luke 23:39-43 above. Try to imagine that scene, putting yourself at the foot of the cross.

Recall how your own attitude toward suffering or toward a difficult situation has either helped or hindered you.

In the Hail Mary, we ask her to intercede for us “now and at the hour of our death.” Does that particular line hold much meaning for you?

Reflect on the love that Jesus has for us, that love that invites us to be with him…

“Ukraine: War, Morality, and Religion” – A Lenten Lecture with Fr. Bryan Hehir on Monday, March 27 at 7:30pm at St. John Powers Hall

(Please note the new date – Monday, March 27.)

Please join us Monday evening, March 27 for this important lecture with Fr. Bryan Hehir on the current situation in Ukraine.

This lecture is especially timely in light of our Lenten Gift supporting City of Goodness in their work to shelter and care for displaced women with children, orphans, and elderly people from all over Ukraine.

Please note: Fr. Hehir’s lecture will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person: https://sjspwellesley.org/sj/live/

NEW DATE: Tuesday, March 21 – Evening for Women: “Stations of the Cross through Mary’s Eyes” at St. John

All women of the Collaborative are cordially invited to a Lenten program on Tuesday, March 21 at 6:00pm at St. John the Evangelist Church. Our program will begin in the Upper Church, where we will walk the Stations of the Cross through Mary’s eyes.

Following the Stations, Kelly Meraw will offer a short Lenten reflection. (The Stations and Reflection will be live-streamed for those unable to attend in person: sjspwellesley.org/sj/live/)

After the program, we will share a pot-luck dinner downstairs in Powers Hall. Please plan to bring a dish to share and RSVP by clicking here: sjspwellesley.org/evening-for-women/

Third Week of Lent: The Fourth Word – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Seeing the suffering Jesus and hearing how he prayed helps us to pray our way through our own sufferings. We realize again that he really entered into our human living and took on our heartaches and our pain.

Some questions to bring to prayer this week include:

As you imagine this gospel scene, can you enter into conversation with Jesus about his suffering?

Do you have your own experiences of feeling abandoned by God? How did/does it feel? How did/do you relate to God in those situations?

Pray for those who feel abandoned: spouses and children who have been deserted, the mentally ill and homeless who are uncared for, those who cling to ideals when others have folded to pressure.

Pray in gratitude for your faith- although it may seem weak at times- and for the faith of the community that sustains you in the midst of suffering…