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PARISH BLOG

Reflections and news from our Pastor and Youth Minister

to help you stay connected and go deeper in your faith.

What does Jesus mean when He says, “In heaven there is no marriage and no one is given in marriage?”


The saying of Jesus in question is found in all three of the synoptic gospels. Mark 12: 18 – 27, Luke 20: 27 – 40, and Matthew 22: 23 – 33.


For the sake of brevity and simplicity, we can only examine one specific text, regardless the three accounts are very similar. Mark as the oldest Gospel will be our focus for understanding this passage.


Mark 12: 25 reads, “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”


The context of this saying is crucial for understanding its meaning. The Sadducees are questioning Jesus about the idea of a resurrection because they did not believe in a resurrection. In Jewish culture, marriage for the sake of children was the means to live forever. Thus, the initial almost absurd question about seven brothers marrying the same widow in order to carry on the family name.


Jesus ignores this comical scenario and His response wants to show that life in the resurrection is qualitatively different from the present life. Thus, His saying that in heaven men and women are like the angels. His response and the verse in question is meant to exalt the idea of resurrection and not to belittle marriage. Marriage is ordered towards the unitive love between a man and woman and hopefully children. While spouses are called to assist one another in achieving holiness, marriage for Christians is not the means to eternal life. In heaven people will live for eternity because of the grace of participating in the Divine life of God.


Jesus is trying to help the Sadducees move beyond their earthly debates and focus on the higher mystery of God. As stated early, the Sadducees did not believe in life after death and would continuously debate the question with the Pharisees. Jesus is pointing them and us to what really has value, namely faith and hope in Our Heavenly Father.

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Dear Father, What does the scripture mean, 1 Timothy 5:24, “the sins of some men are quite evident going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.” Does this mean we still can sin after judgment?

Thank you for being the first one to ask a question for this column.

It will first be important to observe the larger context in which this puzzling text is found in Scripture. In 1 Timothy 5:17ff, Paul provides instructions regarding certain matters relating to the elders of a local congregation, namely:

1. they may be supported in their work;

2. if necessary, that they may be disciplined;

3. and, that they are to be appointed with great care and caution.

It is within this concluding segment that the passage in question is found. We also should note that Paul cautions: “Do not lay hands too readily on anyone, and do not share in another’s sins.” In biblical times, the laying on of hands was employed in sacred settings for a variety of applications, such as, setting apart the Levite priesthood, blessing children, healing the sick, and for bestowing spiritual gifts.

But laying on of hands was also employed in setting apart disciples for specific and crucial roles of leadership—in this case, the presbyters (cf. Acts 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14). The emphasis seems to be, therefore: “Do not hastily appoint one to roles of leadership.” Paul is urging and warning Timothy to study the character of these men, in advance of such a serious matter. It was another indication of that old adage that it is easier to place someone in a leadership role than it is to take them out of it.

The thrust of the passage you are referencing, therefore, seems to be this: Some people’s sins are so evident (open, unconcealed, obvious), that their possible appointment to a leadership role may be dismissed immediately. There is no need to proceed further in the case of well known transgressors.

On the other hand, the “problems” with others may not be so apparent initially. One may be appointed to an important role, only to have their serious character flaws revealed at a later time. Therefore, be deliberate and cautious in the appointments made for leadership roles in the church.

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Dear Friends in Christ:


What a great weekend we had marking Memorial Day! From the weather, to the parade, to the Mass in our cemetery, it was a packed weekend to remember the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms of our land.



Our school was excited to participate in the annual Memorial Day Parade last Sunday as we do every year. It was such a beautiful day and it is always a privilege to represent our parish and school as we honor, we remember, and we give thanks for the sacrifices made by so many! Special gratitude to all who made it possible from our faculty and administration, to our students who both marched and rode the float, to the Ostuno Family for use of the float, and to Sean Strollo and Strollo’s Towing Service for pulling it along the route. Father O’Neill and I were excited to bring Fenway along for the parade as well as to use the parish golf cart.


What a beautiful morning it was on Monday, Memorial Day, for our annual outdoor Mass in the Parish Cemetery on Higgins Road! We had a wonderful crowd and it seems to me that each year the crowd gets larger and larger. It is a moving experience to be outside on sacred ground as we celebrate Mass, to look out over the cemetery and see the many flags at the tombs of our parishioners who have served our country through the years. Special gratitude to all who helped coordinate this celebration: those who placed the flags at the gravestones, our contemporary music ensemble and Alan Smith for leading us in song, and our maintenance staff and Tony Ginnetti for ensuring all that we needed was there for our celebration! It was a beautiful morning to give praise and thanks to God!


As I announced last weekend, we had the closing on the Epiphany Church with the Holy Theotokos and Saint Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church on Thursday, May 16th! I was also very privileged to be present on Saturday, May 18th when their bishop came to dedicate the parish to the new church name of Holy Theotokos and Saint Athanasius Church. Holy Theotokos is Greek for Holy Mother of God a term that we use, as well, in our own tradition. Saint Athanasius is also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or primarily in the Coptic Orthodox Church, Athanasius the Apostolic who was the 20th Bishop of Alexandria. We honor him as a confessor and doctor of the Church and he is renowned as the greatest champion of Catholic belief on the subject of the Incarnation (that is the belief that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son, was made flesh by being conceived in the womb of a woman, the Virgin Mary, also known as the Theotokos or God-bearer.) Here you see two pictures one of me with Father Isaac their Pastor, and the other of the altar they dedicated along with the Icon of Jesus. We wish them well in their new spiritual home and look forward to collaborating with them in our community in the years ahead.




This coming Friday is a day of significant meaning for me.


First, it is the day we celebrate the graduation of our Saint Bridget School Class of 2019. This is a special class. Some of these students were in the lower wing (grade 3) when I arrived here in 2014 and now are ready to embark on the next chapter of their education. I have watched many of these students mature through the years and am so proud to have had the privilege to make this journey with them. We are blessed to welcome this Class of 2019 to our esteemed alumni of Saint Bridget School. You have made us proud by your joy, your seriousness to study, your kindness to one another, your respect for others, your concern for the less fortunate, and your ability to provide a good example to our student body. To the Class of 2019 of Saint Bridget School I say I am so proud of you, and promise you my prayers as you begin the next chapter in your lives.



This weekend I also wish to mention an early Happiest Congratulations to the Class of 2019 who will be graduating from Cheshire High School, a variety of other Catholic and private High Schools, and to all who will graduate this year. I cannot believe it but it is graduation season already. As I get older it seems the year goes by at rapid speed.


Second, this coming Friday is also the 16th Anniversary of my Ordination as a Priest of Jesus Christ. It is really hard to believe that I have been privileged to share in this priesthood of Jesus Christ for sixteen years. It does not seem possible that it has been that long. Time flies!


I am thankful for each and every assignment, even those that may have proved challenging, because through each of them I have met phenomenal people, people excited about their faith, and people hungry for the Lord. I have journeyed with people through the good times and the bad, through sickness and health, doing my best to be there for them and be an instrument through which Jesus Himself is present to them. I have been inspired by you, loved by you, challenged by you, consoled by you, lifted up by you, and I have been awed by your faith!



It is a privilege to serve as a Priest! I hope the young men of our parish family are open to their own calling. I know there are some among us the Lord is calling to the Priesthood and I hope and pray they open their hearts to His call and respond with confidence in His love. What a privilege it is each and every day to be able to bring the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to others in the Eucharist, to be able to preach His word, baptize His sons and daughters, and minister to those in need of His mercy or His healing. Simply to be the presence of Christ in the everyday lives of His people is such a mystery, such a miracle, and such a joy!


Thank you for allowing me to serve you, to absolve you, to feed you, to preach to you, to anoint you, to love you, and thank you for simply allowing me to be your priest! I ask for your prayers!



We are holding another poster contest! This time we are looking for students of all ages to design our parish Christmas card. We invite all school aged children to think of Christmas and send us their design. The winner’s artwork will be the cover of our parish Christmas card which is sent to all parishioners and friends of Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish. All artwork must be submitted to the rectory by June 30th for consideration! We look forward to many submissions!


As always, remember to pray for our parish families and ask God’s blessings as we build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.



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ABOUT US

Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish is a Catholic community in the heart of Cheshire. Together we can discover your path to a deeper, more fulfilling spiritual life.

Weekday Masses (Saint Bridget Church):
7AM Monday-Friday

9AM Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Saturday Masses:

9AM - Saint Bridget Church

4PM (Vigil) - Saint  Bridget Church

Sunday Masses (Saint Bridget Church):

7:30AM

9AM 

10:30AM

4PM (9/24/22-5/26/23)

Confession (Saint. Bridget Church):

Saturdays - 3PM until heard

VISIT US

203-272-3531

 

Parish Office

175 Main Street

Cheshire, CT 06410

North Campus

Saint Bridget Church

175 Main Street 

Cheshire, CT 06410

South Campus

St. Thomas Becket Church

435 North Brooksvale Road

Cheshire, CT 06410

 

rectory@cheshirecatholic.org

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203-272-5860

171 Main Street

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