Serving the Parishes of
St. Martha and St. Mary
Plainville & Wrentham MA
St. Martha and St. Mary
Plainville & Wrentham MA
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“Living” Our Gifts into the New Year
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“Living” Our Gifts into the New Year
In addition to the Christmas gifts, we exchange as signs of our love and thankfulness for the people in our lives, we each receive many gifts that are not wrapped. These God-given gifts - especially our personalities, personal and spiritual strengths, and other abilities - help to make us the unique persons we are. As children, we were taught to share our gifts. While sharing, we learn how fulfilling it can be... to help younger siblings to learn how to use something, or to share quality time with parents, grandparents, or neighbors.
No doubt we have significant challenges in our lives and our world, yet we can still sing “Joy to the World” together as we celebrate the greatest gift of God’s love in the incarnation of Jesus Christ! Even today, we experience this divine love most often through the love and kindness of those around us, especially in our community of faith. Some of the greatest joys in the world include recognizing how God has blessed us abundantly, and experiencing the Lord using our gifts to make a difference in someone’s life or in the world!
Our parishes are communities built of the “living stones” of ordinary parishioners sharing their gifts, time, and faith in Jesus, who is our cornerstone (see 1 Peter 2:4-6). More than just being a person in a crowd, we are called to “live our gifts” by using and sharing them with the Church and the world. As Pope Francis loves to say, parishes need to be “field hospitals for sinners,” not exclusive hotels for those who think they’re more religious! We don’t need to “have it all together” to get involved - we are all a work in progress, asking God to guide us along the way.
To really live the values of love, welcoming, compassion, and boldness which we proclaim in our Plainville-Wrentham Collaborative Parishes, we need lots of people who are open to discovering more about their personal gifts from God and sharing these with the parish community. If it was only the handful of clergy and staff who were actively involved, our parishes would be spiritually impoverished communities. Thankfully, the more parishioners we have “living their gifts” in our community, the more we can bring Jesus Christ’s healing love to all who need it.
One very fruitful way of learning and growing in awareness of God’s love and the gifts he has given us is to participate in an adult faith experience, such as a weekend retreat like Cursillo of Emmaus, or any of our evening opportunities, like “The Chosen” (see below), the Mary’s Garden Prayer Group, or any of our volunteer service groups. To learn more about Catholic retreats, contact Deacon Joe, Maggie Hoagland or myself, and for other opportunities. watch our website and bulletin. We are also hosting our new migrant neighbors for a special Mass & dinner on Saturday (Dec. 30) starting at 5:30 at St. Martha. Any contributions toward our humanitarian and spiritual support of our new neighbors can be made out to St. Martha Parish, writing “Migrant Neighbors” on the envelope.
May this Christmas be blessed with many gifts showing you love: wrapped gifts and the many blessings God has given you! Like the gift of Jesus’ birth, your Parish Family wants to share God’s love with you and invites you to join us in showing Jesus’ love to others, actively “living your gifts”.
In addition to the Christmas gifts, we exchange as signs of our love and thankfulness for the people in our lives, we each receive many gifts that are not wrapped. These God-given gifts - especially our personalities, personal and spiritual strengths, and other abilities - help to make us the unique persons we are. As children, we were taught to share our gifts. While sharing, we learn how fulfilling it can be... to help younger siblings to learn how to use something, or to share quality time with parents, grandparents, or neighbors.
No doubt we have significant challenges in our lives and our world, yet we can still sing “Joy to the World” together as we celebrate the greatest gift of God’s love in the incarnation of Jesus Christ! Even today, we experience this divine love most often through the love and kindness of those around us, especially in our community of faith. Some of the greatest joys in the world include recognizing how God has blessed us abundantly, and experiencing the Lord using our gifts to make a difference in someone’s life or in the world!
Our parishes are communities built of the “living stones” of ordinary parishioners sharing their gifts, time, and faith in Jesus, who is our cornerstone (see 1 Peter 2:4-6). More than just being a person in a crowd, we are called to “live our gifts” by using and sharing them with the Church and the world. As Pope Francis loves to say, parishes need to be “field hospitals for sinners,” not exclusive hotels for those who think they’re more religious! We don’t need to “have it all together” to get involved - we are all a work in progress, asking God to guide us along the way.
To really live the values of love, welcoming, compassion, and boldness which we proclaim in our Plainville-Wrentham Collaborative Parishes, we need lots of people who are open to discovering more about their personal gifts from God and sharing these with the parish community. If it was only the handful of clergy and staff who were actively involved, our parishes would be spiritually impoverished communities. Thankfully, the more parishioners we have “living their gifts” in our community, the more we can bring Jesus Christ’s healing love to all who need it.
One very fruitful way of learning and growing in awareness of God’s love and the gifts he has given us is to participate in an adult faith experience, such as a weekend retreat like Cursillo of Emmaus, or any of our evening opportunities, like “The Chosen” (see below), the Mary’s Garden Prayer Group, or any of our volunteer service groups. To learn more about Catholic retreats, contact Deacon Joe, Maggie Hoagland or myself, and for other opportunities. watch our website and bulletin. We are also hosting our new migrant neighbors for a special Mass & dinner on Saturday (Dec. 30) starting at 5:30 at St. Martha. Any contributions toward our humanitarian and spiritual support of our new neighbors can be made out to St. Martha Parish, writing “Migrant Neighbors” on the envelope.
May this Christmas be blessed with many gifts showing you love: wrapped gifts and the many blessings God has given you! Like the gift of Jesus’ birth, your Parish Family wants to share God’s love with you and invites you to join us in showing Jesus’ love to others, actively “living your gifts”.