Lent 2023 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

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.

This Weekend March 25-26: Special Second Collection for “City of Goodness”

Throughout Lent, the Service Commission shared the story of City of Goodness with you. We’ve told you how, on February 24, 2022, people all around Ukraine woke up to air raid sirens and bomb explosions and their lives changed forever. We told you how, in response, City of Goodness has transformed from a social service and support center into a shelter for Ukrainians fleeing war and violence.

This is our opportunity as a Collaborative to show Christ-like love for our neighbors in distress, and for each of us to answer Lent’s clarion call to love extravagantly. On behalf of the Collaborative Service Commission, we ask that you be as generous as your means will allow.

Checks can be made payable to your parish, with “2023 Lenten Gift” noted in the memo, and can be placed in the special second collection this weekend of mailed/dropped at either parish office. You may also contribute online by scanning the QR code on the posters in both churches or by visiting the Collaborative Lenten Gift page on our website.

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/

Telling the Story – Part 3: Building a New History of the City of Goodness

Since the onset of war over a year ago, City of Goodness has become a shelter, a home that gives security, comfort, and love for women with children (and their pets!), elderly and disabled people, and evacuees from orphanages – children from birth to 7 years. They are now in the process of constructing additional buildings so hundreds more children and moms can be safe.

This place will become a rescue for those who lost their home due to war… for those who have no parents waiting for their loving families… for those who need home and comfort… While our buildings are looking for their patrons and are built brick by brick, hundreds of children, dozens of mothers, several elderly, our rescued pets are waiting in the already created and functioning buildings… they are waiting for food, medication, rehabilitation, treatment, psychologist services after experiencing terrible events… and every day we provide residents with everything they need, because they are our family and our great responsibility… All of us together are building a new history of the City of Goodness… brick by brick… window by window…

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…

Telling the Story – Part 2: Ukraine One Year Later

It has now been just over a year since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Army expected quick victory, but instead were met with fierce resistance from the Ukrainian Army and Ukraine’s many citizen militias. Russia has received widespread international condemnation, with the United Nations General Assembly condemning the invasion and demanding a full withdrawal of Russian forces.

The invasion has caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and instigated Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, turning more than 8 million Ukrainians into refugees, with another 8 million people displaced inside Ukraine. Many Ukrainian men face mandatory conscription and many more, including teenagers, have opted voluntarily to join the resistance. This means that most refugees are women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

City of Goodness was originally established as a social service agency and shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence situations. With the onset of war their mission has expanded…

Telling the Story – Part 1: Introducing Ukraine Forward and City of Goodness

Day after day, we have watched and read about the horrific conditions that have beset Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion. Millions of people have died or fled their homes as refugees. Families have been torn apart and many individuals who have survived are struggling with serious injuries and terrible living conditions.

To find out how best to help, we contacted the pastor of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jamaica Plain, Fr. Yaroslav Nalysnyk. He recommended and vouched for Ukraine Forward, an initiative of the Ukrainian Educational Foundation of Boston…

Myron Kravchuk, a Christ the King parishioner and founder of Ukraine Forward, met with the Service Commission to discuss their history, mission, and current projects. One new project is with City of Goodness, a social service center for women and children. With the onset of the war, it has become a shelter for women and children from across Ukraine…

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