Our town of Duxbury has faced some difficult and unsettling revelations recently that have shaken our sense of equilibrium and pride in who we strive to be as a community of integrity and goodness. The discovery of anti-Semitic language used in high school football play-calls as well as allegations of sexual abuse by a teacher in the middle school, have caused feelings of pain, disgust, insult, guilt, shame, anger, and embarrassment to name a few, as well as significant animosity and blaming. On top of that, to have these revelations aired in the worldwide media has only compounded those feelings.

This Sunday is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Its purpose is to publicly fulfill the Lord's instruction to, "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). As a climax to a prayer that is continually offered throughout the Church, it affirms the primacy of faith and grace in all that concerns vocations to the priesthood and to the consecrated life. While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates its attention this day on vocations to the ordained ministries (priesthood and diaconate), consecrated life in all its forms (male and female religious life, societies of apostolic life, consecrated virginity), secular institutes in their diversity of services and membership, and to the missionary life. Please pray that young men and women hear and respond generously to the Lord's call to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life, societies of apostolic life or secular institutes.

Our parish has been given a unique opportunity to help people in our community grieve the many losses experienced during the Covid-19 Pandemic as well as recall the many millions of people who have either lost their lives or have been tragically affected by other pandemics in our world through the centuries. It’s made possible through the visit to our church by the Global Pandemics Bereavement Stone. The Global Pandemics Bereavement Stone was created by The Peace Abbey Foundation specifically to be moved so as to move grieving hearts on the long and difficult road of bereavement.

I share with you a prayer that appeared in the Christopher News Note (#411) entitled, "Living the Good Life - Why Values Matter."

Prayer for Growth in Love

Father, You have loved us from eternity without conditions.
Whether we are beautiful or plain,
rich or poor, saintly or sinful makes no difference.
Why can't we be that way toward each other?
Why do we magnify each other's shortcomings
and ignore the good features?
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I was touched by a song I heard on K-Love Radio (95.5 FM) the other day that I’d like to share with you. It’s called Truth Be Told by Matthew West. The music video is available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4wYkS8Z3Io. Here are some of the words:

Lie number one: you're supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you're doing
Just smile and tell them, "Never better"

This Sunday, Palm/Passion Sunday, begins Holy Week, the time in our liturgical calendar when we celebrate the central mysteries of our faith, what the Church calls the Paschal Mystery – Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. We reflect upon what God has done for us in the unique expression of His mercy and love through Jesus’ offering of Himself in sacrifice to the Father for the forgiveness of our sins and those of all humanity. Having triumphed over evil, sin and death upon His resurrection from the dead, Jesus gives us hope that we too can triumph over all that would otherwise overcome us. This is made possible because Jesus has shared with us His risen life - His divine power, first received at our Baptism, and renewed each time we receive Eucharist. We are a people of hope because of Jesus!

Last Friday, March 19 was the Solemnity of St. Joseph – Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Foster Father of Jesus and patron of fathers, families, workers, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston (CSJ) and the Universal Church. In honor of this feast and in this Year of St. Joseph, I invite you to pray the following prayer to St. Joseph composed many years ago by Sister Celestina, CSJ.

I share with you below what I provided in my Flocknote Email Video Message of March 4th. If you’d like to receive these weekly emails/texts from Holy Family, visit: www.holyfamilyduxbury.flocknote.com or text HFDUX to 84576.

You might say I was the “late-comer” in my family, with a brother 20 years older and a sister 17 years older and then I came along. I have fond memories as a young child getting on my brother’s back in the living room and “riding” as if I were on horseback. It was delightful! Well, it wasn’t long after when my brother Bill enlisted in the Army. I was about 2, and he went away for a long time.

Some might say, I’m going to work at avoiding these certain sins. Others might say, I’m going to try to pray more to make God a more important part of my life. Well, it might help to, first, ask yourself this important, fundamental question. What is your ultimate goal as a Catholic? I often hear people say, “My goal is to get to heaven!” Yes, a worthy goal. But, is that the best reason?