Choose Mercy
By Brother Patrick
Imagine the scene. It is early, perhaps just after sunrise. As people begin to emerge from their homes, the news spreads that Jesus of Nazareth is in Jerusalem. He is teaching in front of the temple. The itinerant preacher from a small village is earning a reputation for kindness, integrity, and pushing the boundaries of law and custom. A crowd gathers around him. They sit and listen.
Only the Gospel of John (8:1-11) relates what happens next. As Jesus speaks, another group joins the people. They are temple scribes and members of a religious sect that demands strict obedience to rules and regulations. These are the Pharisees. They push a woman into the center of the crowd. They say to Jesus: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
It should be noted that Mosaic law required both men and women to be executed by stoning when caught in adultery. The elites, however, focus their wrath on only the woman. Indeed, Pope Francis says that by their words and actions, the Pharisees reveal their sinister schemes. He says: “These are bad people. They did not come to the Teacher to ask his opinion, but to ensnare him (3-16-13).” They want to ruin Jesus. They want to catch him preaching against their narrow understanding of the law.
In a sense, Jesus is trapped. He is forced to choose between mercy and retribution. If he chooses mercy, then he will provide evidence of his disobedience. If he chooses retribution and consigns the woman to the death penalty, he might foil the Pharisees for now, but he will sacrifice his standing as a teacher of love, compassion, and forgiveness. What will Jesus do? What will Jesus say next?
Jesus says nothing. He crouches and writes in the dirt. The Pharisees repeat their question: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do YOU say?” We can feel the tension emanating from the scripture. Jesus rises and says: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” He says nothing more. He again kneels and draws in the dirt. What is he writing? We do not know.
We do know, however, that this gospel has been used as a justification for leniency under law. But Father Gerard Sloyan (1919-2020), who was among the last century’s foremost experts on the Gospel of John, offers another interpretation. He writes: “The actual issue in the story is the far greater guilt of the accusers than the woman. Jesus is protecting her, not them, by charging them all with sin. None of them is innocent (Interpretation, 97).”
Father Sloyan then places the gospel into a contemporary setting by comparing the Pharisees with the privileged and powerful people of our own time in history. He writes: “Today’s white collar criminals and politicians ‘on the take’ fleece citizens and then have the gall to quote Jesus. Hoping to draw attention away from themselves, they prove their kindship with the types [Jesus] censures (Interpretation, 97).” In the end, Jesus teaches all of us, the powerful and powerless alike, that our choice is not between law and lawlessness. It is between hypocrisy and honesty. It is between mercy and malice. And Jesus calls us to choose mercy — always.
Brother Patrick Garvey
Associate Minister & Diocesan Hermit
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: brpatrick@ccgronline.com
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Season of Lent
A Prayer for Mercy
By Pope Francis
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful
like the heavenly Father,
and you have told us
that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Matthew and Zaccheus
from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Mary Magdalene
from seeking happiness in created things;
made Peter weep at his betrayal,
and assured paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us,
the words that you spoke
to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power
above all by mercy and forgiveness.
Let the Church be your visible face
in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers
would also be clothed in weakness
so that they may feel compassion
for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them
feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Holy Spirit
and consecrate every one of us,
so that this may be a time of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm,
may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this of you, Lord Jesus Christ,
through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy;
you who live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen. Amen.
Learn More: Vatican News Service
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Season of Lent
The Light Is On For You!
Wednesday, April 9th
On Wednesday evenings during the Holy Season of Lent, all are invited to join us for The Light Is On For You! These evenings of prayer and adoration will begin with Mass at 5:30pm in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. After Mass, we will offer Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; and finally the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) will be available for those who feel called to participate.
For some, this may be a time for sacramental confession and reconciliation. For some, it may be a period of silent prayer and adoration. And for others, it may be an opportunity to begin or renew the spiritual journey. All are reminded that confessions are also heard by appointment. For more information, please contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com. Save the dates! Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome!
Learn More: How to Make a Good Confession
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Season of Lent
The Way of the Cross
Friday, April 11th
For more than five hundred years, the Way of the Cross has been one of the most moving devotions in the Roman Catholic Church. By uniting our humble prayers with the sufferings of the Poor Christ with both words and sacred images, we make a spiritual pilgrimage with the Lord Jesus as he carries the burden of our sins and experiences the Passion of the Holy Cross.
During the Holy Season of Lent, all are friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners are invited to join the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport as we pray the Way of the Cross on seven consecutive Friday afternoons from March 7th through April 18th at 12:00pm in Saint Ann Church. For more information, please contact Father Jim at fjim@ccgronline.com. Save the dates! Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome!
Watch: Way of the Cross with Bishop Reed (27 Minutes)
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Call to Prayer
Lenten Holy Hours
Eucharistic Adoration
Featuring the Litany of the Sacred Wounds
- Friday, April 11th – Begins at 3:00pm
Our Lady of Good Voyage Church
Save the Dates! Let’s pray together! All are invited! All are welcome!
Pray: Litany of the Sacred Wounds
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Season of Lent
Saint Teresa of the Andes
Saturday, April 12th
A Saints for All Seasons Mini-Retreat
Lent is a good time for us to step back from the business and busyness of daily life and to focus on our relationship with Jesus and those we are called to love. Unfortunately, few among us are able to leave behind home, work, and family for a real retreat from the responsibilities of our lives. For this reason and for the fourth consecutive year, we are happy to announce a special series of mini-retreats called “Saints for All Seasons.”
Pope Francis has always encouraged the faithful to learn about and pray with the saints. The Holy Father believes that the saints bring us closer to Christ, closer to the Church, and closer to each other. He says: “The saints are still here, not far from us; and their images [and relics] in our churches evoke the ‘cloud of witnesses’ that always surrounds us…The saints remind us that even in our lives, however weak and marked by sin, holiness can unfold.”
In this spirit of unfolding holiness, all are invited to join us for a series of two hour mini-retreats. This year, these times of prayer, reflection, and adoration will focus on the lives of amazing holy men and women like Saint Frances of Rome, Saint Rita of Cascia, Blessed Jacopane of Todi, Blessed Helen Enselmini, and Saint Lazarus of Bethany.
Our next mini-retreat is scheduled for Saturday, April 12th beginning with Holy Mass at 8:00am in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church. After Mass, Father Jim and Brother Patrick will lead a reflection on the life and good works of Saint Teresa of the Andes who is the first Chilean saint and first Discalced Carmelite not from Europe to be canonized. After our reflection, we will pray in silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. And we will conclude with the Holy Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
For more information about this special series of mini-retreats, please see Brother Patrick or contact him at brpatrick@ccgronline.com. Please join us! All are welcome! Saint Teresa of the Andes, pray for us! May God bless you! May the Lord give you peace!
Listen: Saint of the Day – Teresa of the Andes (1.5 Minutes)
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The Way of the Cross
A Contemporary Interpretation
Sunday, April 13th
During an Apostolic Journey to Poland in 2016, Pope Francis said: “The Way of the Cross alone defeats sin, evil, and death, because it leads us to the radiant light of Christ’s resurrection and opens the horizons of a new and fuller life. It is the way of hope, the way of the future. Those who take up the Way of the Cross with faith and generosity offer us hope and a bright future to all humanity (Address in Krakow, Poland; 7-3-16).”
In this spirit, all are invited to join Father Jim on Palm Sunday, April 13th at 5:30pm in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church for a contemporary interpretation of the Way of the Cross with both word and music. We will combine traditional prayers and scripture passages with music from various genres to help us grow closer to the Crucified Christ. For more information, please contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com. Save the date! Please join us! All are invited! All are welcome!
Watch: Way of the Cross with Pope Francis (1.5 Hours)
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Holy Family Women’s Guild
Palm Sunday Bake Sale
Weekend of April 12th & 13th
All friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport are invited to join the Holy Family Women’s Guild for a Palm Sunday Bake Sale before and after all Masses in Saint Ann Church and Saint Joachim Church on Saturday, April 12th and Sunday, April 13th.
Our bake sale will feature delicious home-baked Italian cookies, brownies, breads, cupcakes, and much more. All proceeds will support Holy Family Parish. If you would like to bake or help sell the baked goods, please contact Lydia Bertolino at llbglosta1929@outlook.com or 978-281-4279. Thank you in advance for your generous support! Please join us! All are welcome!
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Words of Wisdom
From Pope Francis
There is no sin
that God’s mercy cannot reach
and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart
seeking to be reconciled with the Father.
It is the road of mercy,
one which we meet
so many of our brothers and sisters
who reach out for someone
to take their hand
and become a companion along the way.
Source: Apostolic Letter – Misericordia et Misera
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We Share
Safe & Easy Electronic Giving
Give and it will be given to you (Luke 6:38).
Electronic giving has become an essential part of parish support in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport; and it is available in both Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish. It is safe and easy to make online donations to your home parish using a credit card, debit card, or electronic check.
Donations can be made on a weekly, monthly, or one-time only basis; and it takes just a few minutes to set up a secure personal account. In addition to the weekly offering, you can also give electronically to our church restoration funds which help us plan for the repair and maintenance of our four beloved and historic churches.
Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish always need your generous support! Please prayerfully considering enrolling in our electronic giving program! For more information about creating a new account or assistance with an existing account, please contact Father Jim at frjim@ccgronline.com. Peace, blessings, and sincere thanks to all!
Support Holy Family Parish
Support Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish
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About Us
Established in 2014, the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport is a collaborative of two historic parishes: Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish. Working together as a family united in prayer, fellowship, and service, we are committed to living the Gospel of Christ, sharing God’s love and mercy with all people, and rebuilding the Church in Gloucester & Rockport. All are invited! All are welcome! Always!
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