Dearest Parishioners of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish,

Greetings from Fr. Fullum, Deacon Peter, the Sisters of the Convent and myself! Hope You and your Families are well. Please be assured of our thoughts and prayers for each one of you every day. A Blessed and Happy Good Shepherd Sunday! (The Forth Sunday of Easter) The Good Shepherd is one of the most ancient, and beloved images of Jesus for the early Church, especially during the persecutions of the Second and Third Centuries A.D. It was painted on the walls of the first catacombs in Rome and it brought a great sense of security and protection to the first Christians, our ancestors. Even though many of them knew and embraced their fate, they lived in fear, but still trusted in the Eternal Pastures the Lord Jesus would lead them to after they left the pastures of this world. With this awareness, our sincerest and heartfelt sympathy to all families who have lost a loved one this week or recently. We remember especially Clorinda Mecca, Daniel Linfante (whose two children are enrolled in our Faith Formation/CCD program), Rosetta Taravella, and Mary Agnes O’Brien. May Jesus, the Good Shepherd, lead them to eternal peace and the joy of Heaven.

Fr. Fullum continues to slowly improve! He has opened up and sifted through his ENORMOUS mountain of mail and even has been able to take brief walks each day. I am also feeling well and try to do a little shopping for him and me once a week. I am so grateful to Our Lord for His many gifts to us… most especially for all of You!

Knowing that many of us live with greater or lesser degrees of fear, I would like to share with you how I “deal” with anxiety and fear. One of the best tools I have used in my own life is “present moment awareness.” I pray for this gift after I receive Holy Communion at every Mass when I return to the presider’s chair for a few precious moments of silence before the final prayer.

Present moment awareness is to make yourself aware of what day, time and situation you are in at any given moment, especially when you’re feeling anxious or fearful. Since anxiety and worry usually stem from the imaginary images in your head about the FUTURE, then to replace those images as soon as possible with the REALITY of one’s surroundings of the PRESENT will banish those future oriented pictures…which usually paint an untruthful and worse case scenario. The reason the images are untruthful is because, from a spiritual point of view, they come from the evil one, who Jesus calls, “the father of lies” to destroy our peace and faith in God. When we begin to live in our heads, we miss the real beauty (and real pain) of what is true. Our “gut” and “heart” react to real or imaginary dangers or fears with worry. Sometimes we call it “butterflies.” They can’t distinguish the two. WE have to train them! So, to bring yourself into the present moment, then imagining Jesus with you in that moment, can bring peace and relief from fear and anxiety. We can feel a lifting of those destructive emotions. I don’t practice this successfully all the time, but it is a wonderful habit that has helped me through my life since college. I pass it on, and hope it will help you too. I plan for the future, but I try not to let a distorted image of the future from the evil one control me. Here is my favorite prayer next to the Our Father and Hail Mary. It is the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. You may know the first few lines, but here it is in its entirety…

May the Good Shepherd protect you from anxiety and fear so you may experience His presence now and each moment we are given to love and serve Him and one another.

With love, blessings and gratitude for your continued generosity,
Father Fred+