Fr. Andy's Weekly Message

Transcript: I was reflecting back on my first days as a priest on Bayonne. There was a family with a 3-year-old twin who had died. They were in such pain. People were trying to be helpful in saying things like, "God must have wanted another angel." And as much as that sounds beautiful, that's not our God. Our God is one who suffers with us. God would be terrible to just grasp a child or anyone out of life just because he wants them to himself. If anything, God cries with us. God is walking with us. In every difficult moment, in every death, our God walks with us, and we need to hold on to that. If you are ever struggling with that kind of pain in your life, please feel free to reach out to me or Fr. Matthew or anyone on the staff - we are here to walk with you. God bless you.

Transcript: There is a prayer in the book, Pastoral Care of the Sick, that reads: "May the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up." This is a prayer that is used when anointing someone who is sick whether they are preparing to have surgery, or old and getting frail, or have a serious illness, whether that's cancer or even mental illness or addiction. The Church has this wonderful sacrament called the Anointing of the Sick. In the "old church," it was called Extreme Unction, which was only for people who are dying. But this wonderful sacrament is for anyone who needs the Lord's healing touch. There is never a guarantee for physical healing, but the Lord looks into our lives, hearts and minds and sees what really may need to be healed, even before physical healing. If you or a family member is in need of this Sacrament, or if you have any questions about the Anointing of the Sick, please ask Fr. Matthew, myself, or a member of the staff. We are here for you! Consider it, think about it, pray about it! People of all ages, including children, can be anointed. Suffering from mental illness, addiction, facing a surgery, or suffering with a terminal or serious illness are all conditions under which you can receive the sacrament. Reach us at (908) 322-5192 or click here to read more.

Transcript: In John Maxwell's book Leadership, he quotes John's Gospel that "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (cf. John 15:13). He goes on to write: "Teams that don't bond can't build. Why? Because they never become a cohesive union. For a team to be successful, the teammates have to know that they will look out for one another." We have a history here at St. Bart's of people feeling welcome here! The staff has been working hard to form small Christian communities within our parish, and the next step for us is to grow even stronger in bonding together. It's one thing to feel welcome; it's another thing to start forming small faith sharing groups where people start to get to know each other. We have to have each other's backs all the time, so that people know that they can come here when they're in need or when they're struggling. So let's pray that we can continue to do what Fr. John laid down as a foundation based on the Gospel, what the staff is doing, what we're all doing! Let's keep building on it and keep growing, so that people will know that St. Bart's is a place where they can come and where they are cared for! -Fr. Andy

Fr. Andy shares a helpful resource for incorporating or re-invigorating prayer into our daily lives. Visit hallow.com for more information!

Transcript: Last weekend we had a missionary here and one of the things I remember him saying is that we are all missionaries! I've been thinking about small ways that we can be that way for other people. Undoubtedly, we run into people every day who are  going through struggles, crosses, family issues, whatever it might happen to be. Maybe one thing you could do is say to someone in the moment, "Would you mind if I said a Hail Mary for you right now?" Right then and there, just say a Hail Mary. Maybe they'll join in, maybe not. If they say no, that's okay too. But it might change them. It might give them some hope. Give it a shot! -Fr. Andy