“It’s a terrible thing … to wait until you’re ready …
There is almost no such thing as ready.
There is only now.
And you may as well do it now.”
— Hugh Laurie, actor
Everyone can remember a story when they first learned to swim. Some were thrown off the side and into in the water, others will remember that they just impulsively jumped in the pool, or ran into the pond, or lake, or ocean. It was scary, but it was exciting. A whole new world, if you will, opened- there was no looking back.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals to His disciples what is ahead, but reminds them that challenges await. Peter wanted to stay in the moment, but we weren’t made for that. Sometimes we can be afraid of the future, because we don’t know what can happen, and we can feel unprepared for the challenges, but there is so much good that awaits us- we need to find the courage to let go and jump.
These are challenging days, but they can also be times when we discover the presence of God in new and unexpected ways, but the choice is always ours. May we have the courage and faith to let go of our doubts when we are at the crossroads in our lives, trust in His plan for us- to let go and jump in! The water, we’ll find, is fine.
Congratulations to Kendal Couch and Hannah O’Leary Who Are Now Members of the Elect
The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is a program for those who seek to be full members of the Catholic Churchpersons who want to become Catholic or have been baptized Catholic but have not received the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.
This year, our Parish is accompanying two women, Kendal Couch and Hannah O’Leary, who are faithfully participating in the RCIA program. Those of you who attend the 10:30 (now 11AM) Mass may recall being introduced to Kendal and Hannah in January, when they engaged in the Rite of Welcome and entered the Catechumenate stage of the program.
On February 26 at the 11AM Mass, the Rite of Sending Forth ritual occurred during which Kendal and Hannah were deemed ready to move from the status of Catechumen to that of the Elect by testimony of their sponsors and the support of our Parish Community. Therefore, Kendal and Hannah were “sent forth” to the Rite of Election at Holy Cross Cathedral. There, hundreds of RCIA participants from parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston gathered and were proclaimed to be, “the Elect”. The Elect are those who will be welcomed into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil this April.
Below you will find pictures of Kendal and Hannah as Fr. John engaged the community in praying for them as they prepared to go to the Rite of Election. Also featured is Kendal and Hannah inscribing their names in the Book of the Elect; and pictures at the Cathedral before and after the ritual (Hannah is holding the red Book of the Elect that was presented to Cardinal Seán O’Malley, at the service. Please keep Kendall & Hannah in your prayers.
If you or anyone you know would like to become Catholic or who was baptized Catholic but never received the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist and would like to do so, please invite them to contact Sr. Nancy. ncitro@stmarystcatherine.org or 617-242-4554.
