So, it's been two weeks since I blogged. How time flies....sometimes! It seems the sun has not been out since then, and THAT definitely seems like a long, long time! May be I should change the background on this blog! (I chose this background because it reminded me of the weather when climbing in the White Mountains!)
Anyway, since I last blogged, I had a meeting with the Archdiocese's Small Christian Communities Pastors' Team. For those not familiar with Small Christian Communities (SCC's), they are based on the model used in the early church. Small groups of believers met to reflect on the Scriptures and to be a support group for one another. The SCC's today do the same things. They meet weekly to reflect on the Scripture readings for the coming Sunday, to listen to the Word speak to them personally, and to share their thoughts with one another, assisting each other's faith journey.
Brother Bob Moriarty who leads the diocesan office for SCC's is tweaking the model to provide more time for silence within the weekly format. Silence is a beautiful, but under-used thing in our prayer lives. So often we, myself included, tend to fill our prayers with words. And when we do, there is very little space for God to speak to US! When we take the time to quiet ourselves, freeing our hearts and minds of all the 'pressing' things of our day, then GOD can fill us with what HE wants. And then we find that true peace we so desperately seek, because then OUR hearts and minds are in tune with the heart and mind of God. And when that happens, it is truly a beautiful thing.
So, we met for a few hours trying the new format and now we are ready to introduce it to the SCC groups in our parish. Reaction should be interesting!
On Friday the 13th, the school children held a breakfast for me in honor of Pastor Appreciation Day. They all made cards - the older children made individual cards, the younger children made group cards. But the most precious, by far, was the card from Pre-K - a simple 18x24 white piece of construction paper with big blue letters that say 'Pre-K loves Fr. Nick' and a colored fingerprint from each child that was transformed into a ladybug, or a sunshine face, or a flower. It is so cute. A keeper, for sure!
On Wednesday I was treated to a game at Fenway Park. Not sure if 'treated' is necessarily the right word here. I brought winter attire and was glad I did: woolen hat, gloves, neck gaitor and lots of layers! Used it all. And although the rain held off for most of the day/evening, the fog was quite an experience. I could hardly make out the fans on the opposite side of the stadium, and the landmark Cigo sign was not visible either. Fortunately for the Sox, there was 30 minute rain delay in the 7th inning. That got the Tiger's starter out of the game, and the Sox scored the only run of the game the next inning to win 1-0!
Yesterday we celebrated the third and final First Communion for our young people. This time it was the school children. It is always an uplifting occasion for me to preside at these sacraments of initiation - I can recall my own celebration of these sacraments, and how excited I was, and how it led me eventually to ordination. And I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will work through these children in the same way, drawing them ever closer to a life with Jesus, and in service to their brothers and sisters.
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