Our Lady of Hope Parish OUR LADY OF HOPE and ST. BRIGID SCHOOL

A Jesuit Ministry January 09 / January 10 , 2021 THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD www.ladyofhopemaine.org

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Pastoral Office, 673 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103-2540 207-797-7026 email: [email protected] Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM The office is closed on Fridays except by appointment (including phone calls). Phone messages left at any time are returned as soon as possible on the next regular work day. NOTICE - Please watch our website for most recently updated information (www.ladyofhopemaine.org). There is about a week "lag time" from when the bulletin is completed and when you see it. The parish office will be open to the public again by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. All Covid19 guidelines are to be followed. We still need to limit in-person contact as much as possible to protect everyone concerned. Please conduct your parish business as much as possible via phone or email. (Mass cards and scheduling Mass can be done via phone or email). Thanks for your faithful continuing of church support through your envelopes, WeShare and offerings dropped at the mail slot at the Parish Office. You have kept us going financially! See page 7 for updates on church reopening. www.ladyofhopemaine.org 02 The Baptism of the Lord

Fr. Paul Sullivan S.J. Fr. Kevin Hughes S.J. Fr. John d ’Anjou S.J. Fr. Vincent Curtin S.J. Pastor Parochial Vicar Senior Priest Senior Priest

Mary Cafazzo Linda McCormack Jean Ingalls Sandra Litcher Andrew Litcher Christopher Landry William Burke Melodye Deberadinis Business Mgr. Parish Assistance Office Assistance Faith Formation IT and Maintenance Maintenance School Principal School Bookkeeper Pastoral Staff Finance Council Fr. Paul Sullivan, S.J.- Pastor Bill Green, Charlie Noyes, Barbara Willey, Fr. Kevin C. Hughes, S.J - Parochial Vicar Ann Campbell, Dick Pratt, Tim Gibson Fr. John d ’Anjou, S.J.- Senior Priest Fr. Vincent Curtin, S.J. Senior Priest Pastoral Council Rev. Mr. John McAuliffe, Deacon Bill Slavick, Mary Ellen White, Kathy Eliscu Parish Musicians Estelle Lavoie, John Mullen, Elizabeth Tarasevich Nancy Curran Joan Dube Michael Luna , Dermot Bostock Tom Luna Lori Arsenault [email protected]

Office Staff Sacrament of Baptism Mary Cafazzo Parish Business Administrator Please call the Pastoral Office at 207-797-7026 to register Linda McCormack Parish Administrative Assistant for pre-baptism class. Jean Ingalls Office Assistant Melodye Deberadinis School Bookkeeper Sacrament of Marriage Andrew Litcher IT and Maintenance Couples should contact the Pastoral Office at least six Christopher Landry Maintenance months in advance.

Faith Formation Sacrament of Reconciliation [email protected] Saturday - St. Pius X Church 2:30 to 3:00 PM Sandra Litcher-Director of Religious Education or by Appointment

R.C.I.A. RCIA Core Team: Lori Arsenault, Jim Masi, Dick Niles, Father Paul Sullivan S.J.

Daily Mass Schedule - Saturday (01/09) - Saturday (01/16) All Masses celebrated at St. Pius X Church are livestreamed, available at the parish website Daily Mass Schedule Mon-Friday 9 :00 AM Weekend Masses Open Mass, no pre-registration required. All Masses need Prior Reservations to Attend Saturday - St. Pius X 8:00 AM - Livestreamed only Saturday - St. Pius X - 4:30 PM Sunday - St. Pius X 7:00 9:00 AM Additional Weekly Masses with our Jesuit Community: Sunday - St. Joseph 8:00 AM This fall School Mass at St. Brigid will be held differently and will Sunday - St. Pius X 9:00 AM open only to students and school staff. Cheverus has resumed Sunday - St. Joseph 10:00 AM the 7:15 AM Mass in the Loyola Chapel on school days. Seating Sunday - St. Pius X - 5:00 PM is limited. Ministry to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Each Third Sunday of the month (next weekend 01/17) Fr Kevin will offer the 9:00 AM Mass at St. Pius X that is spoken and also signed in American Sign Language. To attend this Mass in person you must reserve in advance. The Mass is also livestreamed.

Act of Spiritual Communion "My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separat- ed from you. Amen" (St. Alphonsus) www.ladyofhopemaine.org Our Lady of Hope Parish 03

SATURDAY: January 09, 2021 The Sanctuary Candle burns this week at 8:00 AM - St. Pius X Priest Intention ( Livestream Only ) (Fr. Bob L) St. Joseph Church The Baptism of the Lord Joseph Perreault 4:30 PM - St. Pius X Jeanette Greer by The O'Connell Family ( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Paul) St. Pius X Church SUNDAY: January 10, 2021 - The Baptism of the Lord 7:00 AM - St. Pius X Irene Krasinski by Anne & Ed Jazdzewski ( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Vince) 01/10/2020 to 01/16/2021 8:00 AM - Fr. Hayes Center Priest Intention ( Reservations Only) (Fr. Kevin) 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Marie Helen Lila Dube by Charlie & Sharon Noyes A prayer for our journey as a parish

( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Bob L) "God of the journey, as we travel on alert us to 10:00 AM - Fr. Hayes Center Eduardo Muniz by the Schriefer & Delaloye the things that matter families ( Reservations Only ) (Fr. Kevin) and open our eyes to every sign of your 5:00 PM - St. Pius X Alex Castillo by Joy presence. ( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Paul) Give us a sense of direction, MONDAY: January 11, 2021 or at least a sense of purpose, 9:00 AM - St. Pius X James & Lucielle Richard & Family by the Coyne Family a sense of wonder, ( Open No Reservations & Livestream ) (Fr. Jack) a sense that, in everything, TUESDAY: January 12, 2021 You are walking with us step by step, 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Dr. Francis Dooley & Family by the Coyne Family

( Open No Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Vince) gently leading us to the heart of things." WEDNESDAY: January 13, 20201 Availability of Holy Communion

9:00 AM - St Pius X Hugh & Josephine & Family by the Coyne Family We recognize that many in our community do ( Open No Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Bob L) not feel safe in attending Mass. We encourage THURSDAY: January 14, 2021 using our livestream Mass 9:00 AM - St. Pius X Arthur & Geraldine & Son Bill Richard by the Coyne ( www.ladyofhopemaine.org ). Unfortunately a Family ( Open No Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Paul) livestream Mass does not enable a person to FRIDAY: January 15, 2021 receive Communion. We invite those who are 9:00 AM - St. Pius X In Memory of all Deceased Parishioners & Families attending a Mass online or TV to come to St. ( Open No Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Kevin) Pius X Church at about 9:45 AM on Sunday SATURDAY: January 16, 2021 mornings. Following the 9:00 AM Mass a priest 8:00 AM - St. Pius X Priest Intention will be available at the door of the ( Livestream Only ) (Fr. Bob L) church (approximately 9:45-10:00 AM) to Second Sunday in Ordinary Time distribute Communion. Follow social distancing 4:30 PM - St. Pius X Heidi Foster by her Mom in any line and wear a mask, please. ( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Vince) Thanks SUNDAY: January 17, 2021 - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 7:00 AM - St. Pius X Priest Intention Thank you to everyone who sent cards, candies ( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Jack) and other goodies, and gifts to the Parish Staff

8:00 AM - Fr. Hayes Center Noreene Ireland by Danny Milligan and the Parish Priests. Some of the givers were ( Reservations Only) (Fr. Paul)

9:00 AM - St. Pius X James Hibler by Eleanor and Joseph Delaney anonymous. So thanks all around. Thanks to (Signed Mass) ( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Kevin) members and friends of our parish who made 10:00 AM - Fr. Hayes Center Jerry & Alice Stivaletti special Christmas gifts to the parish this year. ( Reservations Only ) (Fr. Paul) Your generosity and caring is appreciated. 5:00 PM - St. Pius X Josephine Manzo by Ann Marie Malnati Your Parish Staff and Jesuit Community ( Reservations Only & Livestream ) (Fr. Kevin) Scripture for the week of January 10, 2021 Observances for the Week of January 10, 2021 10 Sunday Is 55:1-11/1 Jn 5:1-9/Mk 1:7-11 10 Sunday The Baptism of the Lord 11 Monday Heb 1:1-6/Mk 1:14-20 11 Monday Blessed William Carter 12 Tuesday Heb 2:5-12/Mk 1:21-28 12 Tuesday Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys 13 Wednesday Heb 2:14-18/Mk 1:29-39 13 Wednesday Saint Hilary of Poitiers 14 Thursday Heb 3:7-14/Mk 1:40-45 14 Thursday Saint Gregory Nazianzen 15 Friday Heb 4:1-5, 11/Mk 2:1-12 15 Friday Saint Paul the Hermit 16 Saturday Heb 4:12-16/Mk 2:13-17 16 Saturday Saint Berard and Companions 17 Sunday 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19/1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20/Jn 1:35-42 17 Sunday SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

www.ladyofhopemaine.org 04 The Baptism of the Lord Baptism This week we celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. " We Christians reflect upon and celebrate the baptism of Jesus in significant ways: liturgically, at the conclusion of the Christmas season; devotionally, [and] as the First Luminous Mystery of the Rosary. But if the baptism performed by John the Baptist was meant as a sign of repentance of sin and conversion to a new way of life, it’s reasonable to ask: Why did Jesus, as the sinless Son of God, receive baptism? Narrated in each of the four Gospels, the baptism of Jesus marks the inauguration of His public ministry — His emergence from a life of seeming obscurity into a life of growing popularity on account of His preaching, miracles, healings and proclamation of mercy and forgiveness.

Jesus steps into the Jordan River and into His mission of redemption through this public religious act. The descent of the dove symbolizes the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus receives as the Christ, Greek for “the Anointed One.... In Je- sus’ baptism in the Jordan, we see Him anointed by the Holy Spirit as the Christ, we hear the Father proclaim His funda- mental identity as the beloved Son, and we perceive Jesus’ mission as one of humility, a self-emptying love and sacrificial identification with everything in us that was lost, broken and dead." Bishop Donald J. Hying of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin.

Winter Weather Cancellations - This year Our Lady of Hope Parish will be listing any weather-related cancellations on TV channel 6 and on the website - News Center Maine. You can also go by our "old way" - if Portland Schools are closed because of bad weather, our 9:00 AM Mass is cancelled to in-person attendance. If the internet is working, we do expect to livestream that 9:00 AM Mass but do not venture out to try to attend. Your safety, the ability of the City Crews to clean streets and our snow plowing people to clear our church yard make it important for you to stay home. If it is a "snow day" then the Parish Office will also be closed. Telephone Ministry - Additional callers are invited to join our new "phone ministry." Some people cannot now safely get out or get to church and families are not able to visit. It is important to have con- tact with them. We are looking for people willing to make 4-5 calls a month to fellow parishioners, just to say hello. If you can do this, from the safety of your own home and on your own time, please contact the parish office to let us know. 797-7026 or by email [email protected]. Thank you!

Music Teacher - St Brigid School has an opening for a part-time Pre-K– Grade 7 Music teacher beginning on January 4, 2021. The position involves teaching general music Monday and Friday for a total of sixteen hours. Pre-K-Grade Seven classes meet once per week. Qualified candi- dates must have Maine Teacher Certification or be certification eligible. Please send, by mail or email, a cover letter, resume, and three references to William Burke, Principal, St. Brigid School, 695 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04013 or by email to [email protected] ABBA Baby Bottle Drive The Knights of Columbus is running the ABBA Baby Bottle Drive through the month of January. ABBA is a medical certified wom- en’s pregnancy resource center in the state of Maine offering pregnancy testing, limited obstetrical ultrasounds, STD testing and treatment, consultations, and women’s health education completely free and confidential. The baby bottles will be availa- ble for pick up at St. Pius X Church and Father Hayes Center through January. Please take one home with you, fill it up with spare change or whatever you would like to donate, then return it to the church where we will have a drop off box. PLEASE return all bottles, even if you aren’t able to make a donation. The loss of each bottle costs ABBA money that could be used to help run the resource center. Thank you for your support!

RCIA - Welcome to Erika and Ian

When an adult (or older child) wants to become a member of the Church or a person who was baptized but never received Eucharist or been Confirmed wants to take those steps in their faith journey, there is a process where members of the par- ish join these "seekers" in exploring faith, learning about the church and this parish and helping to prepare them for the sacraments. For the past couple of months our RCIA Team (Lori Arsenault, Dick Niles and Jim Masi, and Fr. Paul) have been meeting each week with two delightful young adults. On the Sunday after Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Family, Erika Allen and Ian Edwards took the first public step in their journey with the Church and this parish. At the 5:00 PM liturgy that day we celebrated with them the "Rite of Acceptance" at which they declare publicly their desire to prepare for baptism, and the church declares our support for them. It is fitting that we celebrated this on the Feast of the Holy Family as by this mutual declaration, they are now part of our "family of faith.." Please keep them in your prayers as their journey contin- ues. You will be hearing more in the coming weeks. www.ladyofhopemaine.org Our Lady of Hope Parish 05 Finance and Administration Weekly Offertory Report Coming 2nd Collections Your Gifts of Stewardship 01-09/10-2021 — Maintenance Fund December 26 / December 27, 2020 01-16/17-2021 — Snow Removal and Ground Care Fund 01-23/24-2021 — Latin America First Collection- $7,682.00 envelopes - 134 01=30/31-2021 — Christmas Collection - $7,661.00 envelopes - 87 If you have any questions regarding your Second Collection Parish- $1,507.51 - envelopes –99 envelopes, please contact Linda at 207-797-7026 Second Collection Diocese - $256.00 - envelopes – 13 Thank you for your continued support and generous donations. Weshare:(1stCollection Parish)- $3,593.31 Transactions 101 nd Our Lady of Hope Sebastian Rasle, SJ Prayer Circle Weshare: (2 Collection Parish)- $1,100.11 Transactions 12 January 2021 Prayer Intentions Weshare: (Diocesan) - $ Transactions We now start the third year of urging parishioners and TOTAL Parish First Offertory was $11,265.31 friends to pray for our parish and other world needs and for (In order to meet our budget for this year, our First one another through these prayer intentions and the idea of collection needs to average $13,500.00 per week.) a Parish Prayer Circle. I hope that these intentions and the commitment to pray have been a source of grace and bless- Thank you for your generosity—God Bless ing to you and to our parish, school, and world. 1. For the spiritual health, vitality, and financial support of December 2020 - Parish Poor Box Our Lady of Hope Parish and St. Brigid School. Collection $ 210.00 2. Pope Francis Prayer Intention January 2021 Intention for Sacred Heart / St. Dominic Food Pantry Evangelization: – Human Fraternity. May the Lord give Wayside Soup Kitchen - January 2021 us the grace to live in full fellowship with our brothers and sisters of other religions, praying for one another, open to all. I would like to apologize for missing this important THANK 3. We pray that our country and citizens be freed from the YOU for the PARISH FUNDRAISERS who have worked so lies of conspiracy theories and “stolen elections” and a hard. Andy Litcher paralyzing distrust of “the other side” so that we can We would like to give THANK YOU’S to the following come together under a new President and Congress and actually attend to the business of caring for one another volunteers for our recent fundraisers: Our pie makers for and for our planet, of healing…. their donation of time and ingredients. Jean Ingalls, Mass Intentions - Arrangements for Mass Intentions (or Candy Ingalls, Enda Flaherty, Karen Welch, Didi Holt, Mary the sanctuary candles) can be made at the Parish Office - by McVeigh, Tonya Heskett, Anne Campbell, Cathy Roak, Patty phone or email if at all possible. Mass Intentions are being Peters, Lisa Amabile, Linda McCormack, Kathy Eliscu, Linda scheduled for all the Masses being celebrated in the parish Mattison, Laurie Grant, Adrianne at this time. Hubbard and Jan Libby. A total of 57 pies were made Remembering our Neighbors in Need and sold generating $885.00 for our parish. Thank you to the Women's Fellowship for sponsoring our Recently I received a letter from the Executive Director of festive mask project. Special thanks to Seamstresses Wayside Food Programs thanking the parish (you) for a re- Sharon Noyes, Carolyn Noyes and Tonya Heskett and to Ka- cent contribution of $11 toward their programs. Each ren Welch and Barbara Willey for coordinating this project. month the contents of the "Poor Box" at each of our church- Over 460 masks were sold leading to a whopping $2,337.00 es is sent to a rotating series of community agencies, Way- for our parish. Finally thank you to our parishioners and side among them. Your contributions have been generous friends who supported us with their purchases in these and have been warmly acknowledged. These days with few- efforts. er of us in the church buildings and with financial stresses among some parish families, the "Poor Box" offerings have A note of appreciation diminished as well. If you can, please do remember our Thank you to those in the parish who completed and re- neighbors in need and the agencies servicing them. Your turned our parish planning and discernment survey. As of contributions, whether put in the Poor Box or sent to the late December we had about 125 returns (from some 1400 Parish Office or to the agencies directly do make a differ- sent). While the number of returns was smaller than we had ence and are part of the mission Christ has entrusted to all hoped and prayed for, the quality and sincerity of many of of us, caring for the most in need of brothers and sisters. the responses received was moving. Your voices and hopes Thanks for our generosity. Fr. Paul SJ will help us chart a direction for our parish as we move for- Monthly Eucharistic Adoration ward. We have truly seen the Holy Spirit alive in this process. Each first Friday of the month. 7:00 to 8:00 PM livestream from St. Pius X Church, Eucharistic Adoration. Led by Deacon John. Attendance is by livestream only at this time. www.ladyofhopemaine.org 06 The Baptism of the Lord Sunday Masses at Stevens Avenue

As has been announced, our Sunday 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Masses have moved from St. Joseph Church to the Fr Hayes Center for the winter months. This will allow us to save on heating costs this year when our parish income has dropped due to the pandemic. Procedures for reserving a place at Mass remain the same. Enter by the door in the glass foyer on the Stevens Ave. side of the Fr. Hayes Center (school) building. A pro-life issue

By January 20, 2021, the current Presidential Administration will have executed 13 prisoners this year. Nearly half are black, illustrating longstanding inequalities in our justice system. This Administration has executed more prisoners in the "lame-duck" period (time between the election and inauguration) than any time in US history. To reach the same number of federal prisoners executed in a single year, you have to go back to 1896 under President Grover Cleveland.

Catholic teaching is that the death penalty is a pro-life issue and is "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person." "More effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption." “There can be no stepping back from this position,” says Pope Francis, referring to the opposition to capital punishment expressed by St. John Paul II. “Today we state clearly that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible’ and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide.” Fratelli Tutti 2020 Reach Out

Our Christmas weekend clearly illustrated that many of our parishioners are "staying home." We had empty seats (some "no shows") and two Christmas Masses cancelled altogether because no one reserved a spot. Staying home is probably wise for many of our parish members. Please take advantage of our livestream Masses or Masses on TV if you do not have internet service. A small number of people are coming to St. Pius X at 9:45 AM Sundays to receive Communion at the church doorway.

Aside from the livestream Masses (or TV Masses from other places), there are other ways you can keep connected. From 7:00 to 8:00 PM on the First Friday of each month there is a service of Eucharistic Adoration and prayer led by Deacon John and Bill Welsh, carried livestream from St. Pius X Church. We invite members of the parish to join in a time of informal conversation and connection Monday evenings 7:00 to 8:00 PM via zoom. If you want to stop in to this gathering, let the Parish Office know and we'll send you the invitation and zoom link. We have a number of people regularly calling parishioners through our Telephone Ministry. If you'd like to be a caller or to receive a call, again, let the Parish Office know. Printed copies of the bulletin are available at the doorway at St. Pius X Church. New copies for the week are put out on Fridays.

During the Advent season we had several careful in-person events and also some livestream events. Attendance was light overall. We are planning other events in the coming weeks. Watch the bulletin for details.

Being connected as best we are able is an important source of support and help to our mental health. There is a danger in being isolated - a danger to individuals and a danger to the health and strength of our parish community. Let's work against that kind of isolation.

For those who are able to come to Mass in person, we are following all recommended health procedures. We ask you wear a mask at all times and that you call in advance to attend weekend or holyday Masses so we can be sure there is a safe seat available for you.

A very special thanks to those of you who are "reaching out" with your faithful financial support to the parish. Without you, we would not be able to continue the ministry of this parish. Our spiritual heritage

"Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor." Romans 12:10 "Rich and poor have a common bond; the Lord is the maker of them all." Proverbs 22:2 "The Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, ac- cepts no bribes, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing. So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy 10:17-19.

www.ladyofhopemaine.org Our Lady of Hope Parish 07 Coming to Mass… (January 11th)

Open Masses are listed on page 2. Pre-registration is required and you must wear a mask. Please plan to arrive at 10 minutes early to allow time to be checked in.

How to register for Weekend Masses Call the Parish Office (207-797-7026) Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM before the weekend you wish to come. You must speak to a member of the Parish Staff. Reservations cannot be made by leaving a message or sending an email. You must make a reservation for each week – no “standing reservations” can be taken. You will need to give your name and contact information and the number of people in your “party.” People living together can sit together. All others are two to a pew.

Can you be part of our Ministry of Welcome?

Thanks to parishioners who are now serving as Ministers of Welcome at each of our open Masses (greeters, ushers, cleaners). Your generous service makes it possible to welcome our parishioners to live Masses. 1. Those serving need to be willing to be scheduled for a Mass on a continuing basis. We can expect that these conditions will be with us for months yet 2. Please contact the Parish Office to become part of this important Ministry Thanks to everyone for your patience and understanding and good will!! Parish Zoom Gathering Mondays For some months now a number of parishioners have gathered for a zoom conversation Monday evenings 7:00 - 8:00 PM. The conversation is always interesting - no pre-set topics. Anyone in the parish is invited to join. If you want to come, send an email to the parish office letting us know that and you will be sent the weekly link and invitation. You can opt-out at any time if you wish! Thanks Fr Paul SJ Receptivity to God’s Love by Marina Berzins McCoy

The readings for the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord concern receptivity to God’s gifts. Isaiah’s words invite the thirsty to “come to the water” and promise those who listen that they “shall delight in rich fare.” (Isaiah 55:1—2)

Isaiah reminds us that God is a God who is constantly offering us good gifts. The “rich fare” of God is not only the plenty of nourishing food that a good community provides for all, but also the deeper food of love that God endlessly offers. Yet we might ask ourselves: Are we receptive to the love that God is constantly pouring out?Sometimes I can be tempted to pay attention to what is missing in my own life instead of appreciating God’s bounty. Yet love is a plentiful offering. Jesus is re- ceptive of God’s love in allowing himself to be baptized by John, although John says he is not worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals (Mark 1:7—11). Jesus shows us that before we can undertake our own ministries of care, we need to allow the sun of God’s loving rays to shine upon us so that we can reflect back some of that light to others.

How do we practice receptivity? Here are some concrete practices that may be helpful. All involve some degree of surren- der to God’s action over our own.

1. Rest in silence. Silencing our own interior voices in prayer allows God’s voice within to rise to the surface. Or there may be an even deeper experience of relationship beyond words, an underlying unity of self, God, and others.

2. Be attentive to everyday acts of love. All around us, people act in loving and generous ways. Perhaps my spouse tries to connect by sharing about his day: am I open to listening attentively? Or I may see two students who greet and warmly em- brace one another—even if I do not know them, witnessing their mutual care is a gift.

3. Let go and surrender to loving here and now. Often, we want to give and to receive love in ways of our own choosing, but if we are open to change, we make room for love to flow. Perhaps today my teenager doesn’t want to engage in small talk, but meanwhile I can practice kindness to a stranger in need.

4. Give away love without expectation of return. Paradoxically, the more we give away ourselves, the more room there is for God to enter in. St. Clare described the soul as a mirror that reflects divine love. St. Catherine wrote of it as like an emp- ty jug that must stay near the fountain of love. Both images remind us that it’s in emptiness that we find fullness, and in letting go that we can both receive and give. www.ignatianspirituality.com Welcome Back

After Twelve Days of quiet and empty playgrounds which now include the church lawn areas as well, it is good to welcome back our St. Brigid School students and faculty. We hope you had a blessed and enjoyable Christmas and vacation time. You all have done extraordinarily well in carrying on your work (and play) during this difficult year. Congratulations to stu- dents, your parents and families, our faculty and school staff. Blessings in the year ahead!

www.ladyofhopemaine.org 08 The Baptism of the Lord Remembering William A. Barry, SJ

William (Bill) Barry, a distinguished spiritual director and author, was born in Worcester, MA. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1950, studied philosophy in Germany from 1953 until 1956, and was at Weston College for theology studies from 1959 until 1963. Ordained a priest in 1962, Barry went on to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan in 1968. He carried on many important ministries as a Jesuit: teacher, director of a center for training spiritual directors, Jesuit community superior and Provincial of the New England Jesuits.

Despite such a busy and committed life, Barry found the time to write more than 15 books, including The Practice of Spiritual Direction, God and You, Finding God in All Things, An Invita- tion to Love, Who Do You Say I Am?, Experiencing God in the Ordinary, and A Friendship Like No Other. Barry had the rare ability to present complex spiritual issues in clear, well-written prose. He was one of the most significant Ignatian commentators of the early 21st century. He died on December 18, 2020, leaving a legacy that will long influence spiritual directors and seekers.

Reflections from Fr Barry: "Prayer is a matter of relationship. Intimacy is the basic issue, not answers to problems or resolutions “to be better.” Many of life’s problems and challenges have no answers; we can only live with and through them. Problems and challenges, how- ever, can be faced and lived through with more peace and resilience if people know that they are not alone. A man’s wife will not return from the dead, but the pain is more bearable when he has poured out his sorrow, his anger, and his despair to God and has experienced God’s intimate presence." — Excerpted from Letting God Come Close

"The real world, for believers, is this one world in which we live, created by God to be a world in which human beings coop- erate with God in making it a place where all live harmoniously with God, with one another, and with the rest of creation. The two “great commandments” are God’s teaching on how to live in this world in such a way as to be part of God’s solu- tion for our world’s problems rather than become part of the problem. In working your way through this retreat, you can learn to assist God in the great work of bringing about the kingdom of God."

"Can you picture this scene? The group around Jesus, perhaps boisterous and happy as they approach the village of Nain, suddenly grows quiet as they meet the wailing and somber funeral cortege of the son of a widowed mother. What is Jesus like as he looks on her with compassion, touches the bier, and tells her not to weep? How does Jesus look as he tells the young man to rise? How do you feel as you look at and listen to him? What do you want to say to him? Tell him your reac- tions, feelings, and thoughts."

"Ignatian discernment of spirits is one way to discipline our hearts so that we become more adult in our desires and thus more in tune with reality, which is God’s dream for our world. We can attune our hearts to God’s ways and thus become images of God, human beings who are friends of God, of one another and of the rest of creation."

"God’s act of creation is not a one-and-done thing; it is ongoing. We experience that creative act of God with every breath we take. God is always with us because, in creation, God is always working out the divine purpose or intention. But we are mostly unaware of God’s presence and of the fact that we exist at all times because God keeps creating. People have, how- ever, felt that creative presence of God in nature. I suggest that on some fine morning, you ask God’s help to experience that creative presence. Then step outside and enjoy the day. Sense the sun on your body, smell the air, feel the breezes."

Thank you, Bill. As we move beyond the shepherds and magi may we not put it all away with the decorations. "...may we sense the Magi at our side, as wise companions on the way. Their example helps us to lift our gaze toward the star and to follow the great desires of our heart. They teach us not to be content with a life of mediocrity, of “playing it safe,” but to let ourselves be attracted always by what is good, true, and beautiful.

—Excerpted from On Faith by Pope Francis

www.ladyofhopemaine.org Our Lady of Hope Parish 09 What happens after Jesus' Baptism Daily Reflection

January 11, 2021 by Chas Kestermeier, S.J. Creighton University's English Department Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 305

Hebrews 1:1-6 Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 Mark 1:14-20

This passage from Mark’s Gospel follows his presentation of John the Baptist, John's ministry, Christ's Baptism, and the time Christ spent in the desert discerning what it all meant – and all of this in his first 13 verses...

Christ’s beginning His ministry here is very different from the story of His attempting to begin it in Luke (2:41-52): there He was at the center of Judaism, the Temple, surrounded by priests and scribes but with no mention of the Father and the Holy Spirit. After His mother’s rebuke He returned home for more obedience and a "quiet" life: growth in age, wisdom, and grace, and He learned the common touch, His ability to offer a concrete and forceful teaching to real people, not mere- ly commenting on the Law for the Temple cadre.

Here in Mark Christ is as far from the Temple as He can get, out in the desert with a weirdo who offers a non-official liturgi- cal rite blessed by the presence of the Father and the Spirit, and Jesus then begins His work with a message which, as Mark reports it, is not that much different from the Baptist's. The difference is that Jesus leaves the Jordan, doesn't baptize, and actively recruits people to help in his ministry.

Today is the first day of “ordinary time” after Advent, the birth of Christ, and all the subsequent feasts, and with Christ we now enter the world of everyday. Jesus here calls some men to accompany Him more closely, to eventually become His “disciples” (students) and even His “apostles” (envoys), and He similarly calls each and every one of us to be just those peo- ple, at least as His companions and hopefully as those who learn from Him as disciples.

And like the disciples, we are to follow Jesus and let Him (and His Spirit!) forge us into fishers of men as well – and this is not instead of who and what we have been but the same individuals with the difference of a new Spirit within. We remain mothers and fathers, workers with white collars and blue collars, older and younger, of any color and race, but we become most radically true brothers and sisters, caring for each other with Christ’s love for us, a love that we share with them.

Our daily reality becomes new for us in Christ, a place of meaning in place of the boredom, loneliness, and fundamental frustration that the pagan and worldly must cope with. We already live in Christ’s new creation, with a depth that wasn't there before Christ called us, and we realize that we are not vessels of clay but of glory in what Christ asks us to bear in these transformed vessels.

God is very much here with us in our daily routines and the people we meet every day; let us pray that we accompany Christ faithfully as He Himself works with all of that. The Work of Christmas

Who among us has not said, at least sometime in our lives, that we wish the spirit of Christmas would continue throughout the year? The spirit of Christmas embraces a spirit of generosity which impels us to give, to care, to share, to love, and to labor for a greater good. A majestic poem by Howard Thurman, from his book “The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebra- tions” (originally published in 1973), encourages us to continue the work of Christmas: Howard Thurman (1899 – 1981), was a key figure in the life of the USA during the 20th century. Thurman was an author, philosopher, theologian, educator and civil rights leader. He was also an early leader and mentor in the nonviolence movement that shaped and included Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The Work of Christmas” To find the lost, To heal the broken, When the song of the angels is stilled, To feed the hungry, When the star in the sky is gone, To release the prisoner, When the kings and princes are home, To rebuild the nations, When the shepherds are back with their flock, To bring peace among people, The work of Christmas begins: To make music in the heart.

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