Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

We are blessed that as we launch this month of May that in our Catholic Tradition these days are dedicated to Mary, Mother of God. As is our Parish custom, we hold First Communions for our young children during this month. There will be four ceremonies, each at the Noon Mass on the first four Sundays of May. Families and friends will gather in our holy church for this sacred ritual and rite for our young people. First Communion also can be viewed on our Live-Stream as it takes place (accessed via our website: stmarysfranklin.org). May the grace of this sacrament fill our young people’s hearts and lives with strength and light!

In the very long history of the Christian faith, the image of the shepherd has been constant. Since we were very young, we often saw pictures and statues of Jesus as a shepherd. Oftentimes there would be a young lamb sitting astride his shoulders. Pictures often have Jesus standing among fluffy sheep. We celebrate this Sunday with the name "Good Shepherd Sunday". This title for the Fourth Sunday of Easter goes way back in church time. We know that when we think about and ponder the meaning of Jesus as a Good Shepherd we can deepen our faith and relationship with Our Lord.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

Very shortly on Sunday, May 2 at the Noon Mass we will begin the first of four celebrations for our First Communion young people. The regular Noon time Mass participants (approximately 50 to 60 people) are also welcome, but are asked to sit on the outside wall benches in the church. We are inviting our First Communicants and their households to sit on the main aisle of the church. How beautiful these Masses will be because of these young people as they make their First Communion. We are blessed by their faith and goodness. We will be discontinuing the Noon Mass with the last Mass for First Communion on May 23. Starting on Memorial Day Weekend there will be no Noon time Mass until mid-September.

In the readings for Mass this weekend we learn that a holy mission has been entrusted to us by the risen Lord and that this mission is defined with the words such as reconciliation. Indeed it is not the great Feast of Easter "the great celebration of reconciliation"? In following the words and actions of Jesus we learn that His mission was one of reconciliation, and thus we who are His followers and witnesses have the mission of reconciliation.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary Parish,

It is delightful that the season of Spring is moving along and our weather is becoming milder. I truly delight in the sunlight and gentle warmth of the sun each day. This turning of the season to better weather helps all of our spirits as we continue to navigate our way through the COVID Pandemic. Our education system in our Town is re-opening and many other activities are re-starting with less restrictions so that we may feel that life has made turn for the better. Our faith can keep us going during this time as we slowly move forward. The Pandemic in various ways will still be with us for many, many more months, but we can step along now remembering to follow the rules for the common good of one and all.

On the days these past two weeks when the sun was gloriously shining and the air had a gentle warmth to it, it become quite easy to believe in the goodness of life and also in our faith in the Resurrection of Jesus. Yet on other days when something horrible or evil has happened such as shootings, the spewing of racial or anti-immigrant hate, or other despicable acts, it becomes hard to believe in the goodness of life. This also happens when a child is seriously ill or someone dies tragically in a car accident. We ask: How can these things happen? How can this God who has so loved us, who sent His Only Begotten Son to die on the cross and rise from the dead allow all these terrible things to happen? How can we believe in resurrection with all these various types of "deaths" around us?

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Mary's,

We now are in the midst of Eastertide 2021 with the Solemn Celebrations of the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil & Masses) almost a week behind us. Your response to our special Holy Week Services and Masses was so overwhelmingly positive and glowing with praise. Thank you.

When we think about it, the beautiful verse we sing at Mass on Easter during the responsorial psalm - "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad" - certainly expresses it all. With the Resurrection of Jesus Christ all new life has begun. We now have a "New Creation". Our lives are now different and new because of the Risen Christ. How great it is to sing of this truth.

Our church uses the image of a "journey" during the Lenten Season. We are traveling to Jerusalem for the great events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. During this journey we come to understand that the Passion and Death of Jesus is a necessary part of the journey and that we must share in these events in order to come to the full meaning and power of Easter Sunday and the Resurrection. We must in a significant way share in the Passion of Jesus Christ, if we are to share in His Resurrection. Although we share only in a symbolic way, it is also real and authentic for us. Our sharing requires us to go through the struggle and passion of letting go in particular of our natural narcissistic and egocentric desires, of always taking without giving, and of false pride and delusions. The great Passion of Christ calls us to become vulnerable as Jesus was vulnerable, to be actively open to being compassionate without understanding, to forgive rather than to measure and seek revenge, to advocate for unity not division and separation, and also to give ourselves over completely to live authentically.

We often have “church or religion words” that we do not use in ordinary everyday life. Church leadership tends to think that everyone knows them and their meaning, but in fact specialty words are specialty words and are not normally comprehended words or concepts. For ex- ample, the church leadership thinks that every Catholic should understand the issue of Divine Presence according to scholastic medieval philosophy. People do not. Communication needs to be clear and comprehensible and oftentimes church concepts and language are not. This is very similar to the world of computers and software and in particular the people who build, run, and maintain all this arcane and distinctive machinery and computer code. The computer world speaks about concepts with a language that most people do not really understand, but the leaders in technology expect us to comprehend. Just try and use an instruction manual! Or worse: the help question on a computer screen!

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Mary's,

We are quickly approaching Palm Sunday and Holy Week. In fact, next Sunday is Palm Sunday. Our Schedule of Services and Masses has been planned in light of the restrictions of the Pandemic and the Archdiocesan Protocols and Rules and also the successful pattern of Parishioner attendance and involvement on Christmas and Ash Wednesday in our Parish.

In the Catholic and Christian Churches, we write and talk about Salvation so much. We announce to people that Salvation is impossible completely to comprehend and describe. We say that Salvation is an unconditional and no strings attached gift of love from God. It is really the gift of love from our God to us who have not earned this gift. In fact, this gift actually transforms our earthly life.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Mary's,

Growing up in Roslindale (Boston) and attending Sacred Heart Elementary School meant that this coming week was a great week for a school student. The Feasts of Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph were both school holidays, and often the day in-between was given off. What a prize: a three-day holiday! I am not certain how my mother felt about this three day recess for us, but as students we were delighted.

I think this year with the remote and hybrid learning that most young people are experiencing for education, we as students would probably not be too happy. The prolonged isolation of young people one from another and the clear limitations of learning “by screen” would make most young people want to be in school.

In Catholic or Christian theology, we use the word “Revelation” frequently when we are thinking about or discussing God and life. This word comes from the Latin language which uses the preface “re” to reverse the meaning of the main part of the word. Instead of covering up, it means showing. God and his sacred Word are revealed to us, i.e. God and his message are shown to us.

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Mary's, It is good to hear that most of our first responders and COVID face-to-face Care Givers along with many of the vulnerable folks have received their first, if not second vaccination. I know that for everyone who wants a vaccination this will take a long time for there are over 6,000,000 people in the State and also almost 36,000 in our Town of Franklin. It is also quite good that we are now starting the first week of March and better weather will soon be upon us. Winter has not ended, but the warming sunlight of Spring is not too far away. The Pandemic and all the restrictions that we have will not disappear soon, nor will life be back to “normal” any time soon, but life will be easier for we know that our weather will be getting better.