Parish of the Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ · 2020-07-31 · New York Times newspaper recently published a very interesting article about how St. Patrick’s had

Parish of the Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Melrose and Saugus

The 18th Sunday in Ordinary TimeAugust 2, 2020

Incarnation Parish Bulletin

The 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time

August 2, 2020

Dear Friends,St Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in New York may well be the most famous Catholic Church in the United States. It is certainly one of the most visited Catholic churches in the United States. The New York Times newspaper recently published a very interesting article about how St. Patrick’s had weathered the storm of the Coronavirus.

The Cathedral has long depended on tourists to New York and office workers who work in Manhattan for the greatest source of its income and revenue. The virus has literally shut down Manhattan for months now and St. Patrick’s Cathedral finds itself with a $4 million dollar shortfall. On a typical Sunday prior to the pandemic, 15,000 people would attend mass at St. Patrick’s. The Cathedral would normally realize between $2 to $4 million annually just from visitors lighting a candle for a prayer intention. With no people coming through its soaring doors the financial picture and the usual revenue stream has all but dried up. On a recent

Sunday morning at two masses celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, there were fewer than 400 people combined instead of the typical 15,000. The beautiful cathedral in New York is struggling to make ends meet.

After reading the article I thought you might want to know how “our cathedral”

churches here in Melrose and Wakefield are handling the impact from the virus. This information might be out helpful for all those people who have yet to return to celebrating a weekend Mass with us. The state included churches in Phase 2 of its re-opening plan. That inclusion meant that both churches could not exceed more than 40% of its capacity for any

one liturgy. This restriction along with social distancing of six feet led to the marking off of the church and some benches roped off. Initially there was worry about the 40% but after several weeks now it has not been an issue at all at either praise. For example, the 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon Mass at Incarnation has not had more than 20 people on any weekend. There have been some weeks where that number was significantly lower

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than 20. The three weekend Masses at MBS have had an average of about 50-60 people in attendance.

With less people coming to Mass it is true that our weekly offertory has also taken a big hit, For both parishes, the money collected at our weekend liturgies is a critical source of revenue for us. For months now, that weekly income has been significantly diminished. Truth be told, what has saved us financially so far has been the money collected each week by those who donate and participate in Online Giving. To all those who do, please know how grateful I am.

I have no idea what the “new normal” that everybody seems to be talking about will look like. I have no idea what the future might hold for us. What I do know is that as more and more things and places open back up and wearing a mask becomes the norm, I hope and pray that returning to parish life and attending Mass is part of that “normal.”

Have a good week.

Fr. Steve

MILESTONESPlease remember family and friends in need of prayer, especially Sarah Fradkin, Bill Connors, Maureen, Irene Lawless, Perry Brown, Betty Howard, Stephen Gaeta, Jim R., Ted Ayotte, Robert Burke, Sandra W., John Anderson, April Crouse, Adele Maciejowski, Colleen Sullivan, Debbie Saschuk, Julia G., Donna Correia, Sandra V., Don Marsden, Georgia Rose Okerholm, Donna Page, Denise, Sr. Mary Shaun, Nicholas Ward, Frank Zizzo, Helen Staunton, Domenic DeLuca, Maia

DeLuca, Joseph Connelly, Jeannette Bailey, Anita V., Leona Dewhurst, Jacqueline, Chuck Giorgio, Kathleen O’Neill, Thomas M., Michael Lester, Sydni Simpson Garrity, Carole R. , Patricia Zibroski, Anthony S.,Janice T., John Maciejowski, Bonnie Strudas, Helen Giorgio, Andrew Reczeck, Frank Stankavish, Susan D., Ed M., Joyce D., Joshua B.,Janelle Hodges, Diane, Chris T., Michael L. , and parishioners facing surgery.

Congratulations to Francesca Marie DeLima who was recently baptized.

If there is anyone you wish to add to the prayer list, please contact the rectory. Please note: All names will remain on our Prayer List and will be prayed for unless our office is notified to remove an individual.

GRAND ANNUAL APPEALOur Grand Annual Appeal is underway and thanks to so many of you for your generosity! As of last week, our Grand Annual contributions totaled $97,487.00

If you would like to contribute to the Grand Annual Collection and did not receive an envelope, you can contribute online through our website:www.incarnationmelrose.org, or use one of the envelopes available at the doors of the church.

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FINANCIAL REPORT

Thanks to all of you who have been giving online!Use the following link to sign up for Online Giving!https://www.myowngiving.com/Default.aspx?cid=45

July 20, 2020 – July 26, 2020Offertory Online $2,648.00Basket 990.00 $3,638.00

Monthly Maintenance Online $441.00 Basket 25.00 $466.00

Grand Annual $97,487.00

CALENDAR

August 1 4:30pm Sarah Leveroni

August 2 9:30 a.m. People of the Incarnation

August 6 8:00 a.m. Marie Matthews Welch

August 7 8:00 a.m. Joseph F. Distefano, Sr.

August 9 9:30 a.m People of the Incarnation

August 14 8:00 a.m. Rev. Lawrence Drennan

“Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and

drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”

John 6: 53-54

“We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist; the moment we do, something breaks… Our lives

must be woven around the Eucharist.”

St. Teresa of Calcutta

SENIOR SHOUT OUT

Lizzie Schwarze

University of New Hampshire

Class 2024

Lizzie will study musical theater in college, and will miss starting each day at MHS playing her violin in orchestra. She also has fond memories of the MHS musicals and participating in the French exchange. The tight knit MHS community, and the even tighter MHS drama club, has been an important part of the past four years for her. In college, Lizzie looks forward to meeting new

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people, taking interesting classes, and exploring the beauty of New Hampshire.

Tell us about your seniors so they can be recognized! Here is your chance to brag about your children and grandchildren!

WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTERGreat News - Worldwide Marriage Encounter has gone "Virtual"!To support married couples during this time of social distancing, Worldwide Marriage Encounter is sponsoring a virtual marriage experience called Restore – Rekindle – Renew. This Enrichment Experience will meet via Zoom for seven sessions on Monday evenings September 14 to October 26 from 7-9:30 PM.Couples will explore their individual personality styles, improve listening and communication skills,

understand God’s plan for their marriage, and learn how to keep their relationship a priority. Registration is limited and a $50 application fee is required. For more information or to apply, call Stephen & Michelle O'Leary at 800-710-9963 or visit them at https://wwmema.org/..

FATIMAThe Propagation of the Faith invites you to witness the miracle of Fatima as told through the eyes of Sister Lucia, one of the three Shepherd Children of Fatima! Starring Sonia Braga as Sister Lucia, this private, pre-screening will be held in the parking lot of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish, 920 Trapelo Road, Waltham. Show time is 8:30 p.m. on Sunday August 9th. Our Master of Ceremonies is Bishop Robert Reed of CatholicTV. An offering of $50 per car, as a gift to the missions, helps to continue the lifesaving, faith affirming work of the Propagation of the Faith worldwide! A pre-sealed Fatima gift box is included for your enjoyment, filled with snacks, movie swag, and World Mission Rosaries!Hurry! Go to www.propfaithboston.org to reserve your space now!

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The 28thAnnual Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, August 31st, at The Weston Golf Club. This premier charity event is held to benefit the educational program for the seminarians. Tuition covers only half the cost of educating a seminarian and the proceeds from this tournament will help bridge the gap and keep the cost of educating them affordable. The $250 player entry includes boxed lunch, 18 holes of golf with cart, hole in one prizes and a seminary themed gift. To register, call Kate Folan at 781-899-5500 or visit www.psjs.edu

THE 18TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

AUGUST 2, 2020

Come to the WaterI love the First Reading. I suppose this is obvious from the fact that I wrote a hymn, “Come to the Water,” which is based on it.

It was a long time ago (1971), but I remember the time clearly. The St. Louis Jesuits were only just forming and we took a summer together to write, out in Berkeley, CA. We always composed music individually and then presented it to one another for critique. For my part I wrote two hymns, and when it was time, played them for the others. I remember the exact spot where I stood.

You probably think one of them was Come to the Water, but it wasn’t. I don’t even remember the names of those two pieces. The unanimous reaction of my brothers in Christ was, “ugh.” “They just don’t work,” “What were you thinking?” These encouraged me to file the errant pieces in the round file and try again.

I had learned something. I could not just “dash off” music. I had to believe in it and believe in what it was saying.

So I searched the scriptures and prayed. The result? A setting of the First Reading for this Sunday.

All you who are thirsty,come to the water!You who have no money,come, receive grain and eat;Come, without paying and without cost,drink wine and milk!

Why spend your money for what is not bread;your wages for what fails to satisfy?Heed me, and you shall eat well,you shall delight in rich fare.

Composers and authors actually do not know what happens when inspiration hits. I only know that I began writing immediately, and that something

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POPE ST. JOHN XXIII NATIONAL SEMINARY

28th Annual Golf Tournament

THE WESTON GOLF CLUB • MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020

The Fran and Stephen Rowen Memorial Golf Tournament


inside was guiding me. Come to the Water was born.

I continue to believe in it and to stand behind what it says.

Both the song and the scripture passage express a solution to the needs and aches in our bodies and souls. The love we received when we were children was true, in spite of whatever wounds and reversals any of us received then or afterwards. The inside chambers of our self are truly and thoroughly loved by the giving-God.

Jesus shows this to us in the Gospel. He was aching, himself. He had been told about the death of dear his teacher and friend, John the Baptist. He wanted to get away from people, to let himself feel the loss.

But look what happened. Crowds of people tracked his boat and figured out where he was headed. They ran around the lake and waited as he pulled up to shore. Gone was his chance to mourn, at least for the moment. Maybe he should have told them to go away! Come back later. But the scripture says, “his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” Even more, he gave them food, a tiny bit of food that multiplied so there was enough. If you look at it, he was doing exactly what the First Reading and Come to the Water are talking about.

We are meant to be fed by God in this way. And we are to be like Jesus in our actions toward other people. What we receive as we walk up the aisle to communion makes us into God’s way of fulfilling the First Reading.John Foley, SJFr. John Foley, SJ, is a composer and scholar at Saint Louis University.

HISTORICAL CULTURAL CONTEXTTwo BanquetsMatthew has intentionally contrasted two “banquets”: one hosted by Herod which resulted in the death of John the Baptist (Mt 14:1-12) and this feeding of a large crowd by Jesus near the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mt 14:13-21).

Herod’s banquet takes place in an environment of scheming and arrogance and concludes with a murder. Prior to feeding the crowd that was following him, Jesus felt compassion for their needs and healed their sick.

Herod’s banquet was held at a royal court. Jesus’ meal with this crowd took place in a “deserted” place by the Sea of Galilee, yet close enough to villages for the crowd to purchase food.

This phrase, “deserted place,” reminds the reader of the wilderness where God fed Israel with the manna. Matthew takes every opportunity to link Jesus with Moses.

Contemporary, scientifically minded, rationalist American believers are skeptical about a multiplication of loaves. Some interpreters propose

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that the “miracle” was Jesus’ success in getting this group of people to share their personal provisions.

Such sharing would be truly extraordinary for an American crowd of individualists but quite commonplace in the group-oriented Mediterranean world.

There is no way for us to reconstruct this historical event, but there is sufficient evidence to confirm that it really happened. Cultural insights help complete Matthew’s scenario.

The SettingJesus commands the crowd to sit down on the grass (Mt 13:19), but Matthew does not mention the clusters or their size as do Mark and Luke. Since it is a public place, it is culturally inappropriate for men and women to be present together.

They are separated: men and young boys in their place, and women, girls, and boys under the age of puberty in a separate place. (A photo in the October 1987 issue of National Geographic shows a Saudi family separated into gender groups relaxing by the Red Sea.)

The FoodMatthew mentions five loaves of bread and two fish. John 6:9 specifies barley loaves, and this is plausible for Matthew’s situation as well. Barley could be raised on soils of poorer quality and was less expensive (see Apoc 6:6).

Barley bread was the ordinary food of the peasant classes. Even so, peasants often mixed barley with other grains like millet, spelt, or pea meal in making bread (Ezek 4:9).

Since the crowd is gathered near the Sea of Galilee, the presence of fish is not surprising. During that biblical period when Israelite access to the Mediterranean was limited, fish had to be purchased (Neh 13:16).

In the Hellenistic period (after 300 BCE), fishing at the Sea of Galilee became a government-regulated activity which involved catching the fish, preparing, and distributing them. Fish became more common in the first-century diet.

Jerusalem had a “fish gate” (Neh 3:3). Bethsaida on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee means “fishing village” (Mk 6:45). The Greek name for the town of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee was Taricheae, which means “processed fish.”

The OutcomeAll ate their fill, and there were leftovers as well. Matthew’s final comment (which occurs only in his account) helps us to realize that this crowd was much larger than five thousand because this number did not include the women and children who ate apart from the men.

The Eucharistic coloring of this story is clear in Jesus’ blessing, breaking, and giving the loaves. What do Mediterranean cultural insights contribute to the story? How has American culture influenced contemporary celebrations of the Eucharist?

John J. Pilch

John J. Pilch was a biblical scholar and facilitator of parish renewals.Liturgical Press has published fourteen books by Pilch exploring the cultural world of the Bible.

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HOW TO FIND USAs a Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Boston, we are committed to excellence in liturgy, service, hospitality, and life-long learning, all centered in Christ. 429 Upham Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Office: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm1-781-662-8844 Office1-781-662-9340 FAX e-mail: [email protected] website: www.incarnationmelrose.org Follow us on Twitter @IncParish Like us on Facebook!PASTORAL and SUPPORT STAFF Fr. Steve Madden,[email protected]. Michael Ssenfuma, Parochial [email protected]. André Brouillette, Weekend AssistantDeacon Bob [email protected] Lahiff, Director of Faith Formation [email protected] Gelzleichter, Director of Music [email protected] Gina Distefano, Business [email protected] David E. Wiggin, C.F.X., Bookkeeper Jim Guiry, Maintenance ManagerDottie Ahlin, Household Assistant

LITURGY (Beginning 6/6) Mass Schedule~ Saturday 4:30; Sunday 9:30Daily Mass ~Thursday-Friday at 8:00.

SCRIPTURE STUDY Every Friday morning -meeting online via Zoom. Email Shawn if you would like to participate. Everyone is welcome in this lively and interesting forum.

RECONCILIATION by appointment.

JOINING THE PARISHNo matter what your journey has been, we want to be your companions for the next steps, to share the Gospel together and to help each other along the way.Please introduce yourself to a staff member, or drop in for coffee on Sunday. You can register as a parishioner online via our website, or stop by the rectory.

ADULT INITIATION, RCIAWe are always ready to begin the process by which an adult or older child becomes a Catholic, either by full initiation in baptism, or by reception into full communion. We are also happy to prepare you for adult Confirmation. Contact Deacon Bob Breen.

BAPTISM FOR INFANTSCongratulations! The baptism of infants is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month, or within the Sunday assembly. Fr. Steve is the staff contact person for preparation.

GENERATIONS OF FAITHWe are a community of life-long learners. Our parish program of inter-generational learning and celebration of faith is called Generations of Faith. Contact:Ann Lahiff.

MARRIAGECongratulations! The engaged couple must contact the Rectory at least six months in advance, preferably a year ahead.

CARE OF THE SICK To arrange for the Sacrament of the Sick, for Holy Communion for the home-bound, or Viaticum for the Dying, please contact the parish office. It is always possible to anoint the sick during regularly scheduled liturgies. All you have to do is ask!

ORDER of CHRISTIAN FUNERALSWe will work with you to plan your own funeral liturgy or that of a loved one, and are prepared to celebrate the Vigil, also known as the “Wake,” in the Church building for those who choose.

BULLETIN INFORMATIONPlease contact Ann Lahiff at [email protected] with any questions, information or submissions for our bulletin.http://www.incarnationmelrose.orgTo view bulletin, click “bulletin archive,” and then, “Incarnation bulletins”

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Parish of the Incarnation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ · 2020-07-31 · New York Times newspaper recently published a very interesting article about how St. Patrick’s had