Sunday, September 26, 2010

A Word from Your Pastor September 26

Dear Parishioners:
My family had an experience this week that is shared by many families. On Wednesday, we found ourselves sitting together in a hospital waiting to hear word of the outcome of a surgical procedure my Mother had to undergo. Just the day before, she had a test that revealed blockage in a carotid artery and the surgery was scheduled right away. All of us did what we could to rearrange schedules to make sure we could be present at some time during the day. As the Schoolchildren can tell you, I asked them to pray for my Mom and headed right out after the School Mass on Wednesday. I was able to arrive in time to celebrate Anointing of the Sick before the surgery. Then came the waiting, which is the hardest part. My Dad and various siblings came and went as we could. My sister kept everyone in the loop by way of “texting.” As it all worked out, things went fine and Mom did well. I was there before the surgery in pre-op, and I was there as she was taken to her hospital room.

The times I have spent in the hospital as a family member of a patient have been a real education for me. We all know how welcoming and helpful certain members of the hospital staff, and especially the volunteers, can be. Inevitably, one or another will shine as a truly people-centered person, with a bedside manner and a compassion that help us make the best of a difficult situation. We also befriend those who share our plight with us and we can often have encounters that serve to reconnect us with others whose presence was not expected. On the other hand, there are also experiences that can serve to remind us that technology and science can at times forget that we are persons. Patients can be identified by their procedures or symptoms, or as notes on a chart. Family members – even priests! – can be treated as an intrusion that is unwelcome rather than part of the healing team. Information that would be useful to know can be withheld from the patients and the family due to shift changes or simple oversight, causing unnecessary stress or worry. All of this serves as a reminder that we are human beings who need some tender loving care, especially when those we love are in difficulty.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you who are in the helping and healing professions for your efforts to build up the human community. Doctors, nurses, aides, orderlies, technicians, volunteers, chaplains and all who are part of the healthcare community are to be commended for their choice of such a way of life. It can be demanding and at times may seem to be thankless. Thank you! I also want to challenge you and remind you of your ability to serve your patients and their families as a sign of Gospel credibility by the way you treat them. If you always keep the Lord’s invitation to love in mind and you see every person you encounter as someone with whom the Lord has identified Himself, it can change the way you approach your duties. May God bless you and may His healing compassion shine through your life.

Thanks to all who have kept my Mother in your prayers. My family and I are grateful.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

A Word from Your Pastor September 19

The call of our age is for Justice. Each individual seeks to have acknowledgment of the rights that are proper to each of us as a unique person. The sad reality of our time, however, is that many call for Justice in their own regard, but ignore the cry of others when it is heard. With rights also come responsibilities. We are called by God to work on behalf of Justice, to hear the cry of the poor and to ensure that their needs are met. Have you heard this cry, or are your own concerns with what you believe is your “due” drowning out the voice of others in need? God’s plan for His Kingdom includes all. Giving God His due also means returning to Him in gratitude what He has given you as a gift. Do you have a talent that you have kept to yourself? It is not yours alone. You may use it, but it is also your duty to share it with God’s People.

One need we have at St. Timothy Church is to fill the chairs in front of the Church with those whose voices can lead us in praise of the Lord through song. Men especially are needed to provide a full complement of harmony to sing a joyful noise. Wives: you do a good job of getting your husbands to church, now tell them to step up to the current need. Make him sing! Children, if your Dad does a good job when he sings “Happy Birthday” to you, tell him you want to see him in a blue robe. Men, don’t let the ladies be the only ones to share the fun of the Choir Christmas party. Come forward and let your voice be heard.

This past week, we had our first gathering of the R.C.I.A. class for the year. We have a number of new members on the team and several adults who are exploring the Catholic Faith to discern whether God is calling them to join us. School and P.S.R. are now in session. We are moving along in the life of a busy parish. As we go about our business, we ought to make sure that we keep our eyes open to see who the Lord may be calling to join with us in Faith. Have you heard your invitation to become more involved with your Faith? God is calling.



The Tuesday morning Bible Study took a field trip this week to the Holy Family Jubilee Museum. We had a wonderful tour through reminders of the “way we were.” If you have never had an opportunity to visit the museum, give Fr. Kevin Lutz a call and arrange for a tour sometime.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Lord, grant Your servant a listening heart

Lord, grant Your servant a listening heart.

To You, my God, Father, Son and Spirit,
I consecrate my heart, my life, my all.
Anointed by Your Spirit and consecrated
for service among Your people,
Ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ,
I stand to worship You in spirit and in truth,
to lead Your people to knowledge of Your Kingdom
and to bring Your love into our broken world.

May my own faith, given to me at Baptism,
serve to help others see Your goodness.
May the gift of hope, residing in my heart,
serve to give others confidence in Your mercy.
May my heart burn with Your own love
that You Yourself may give life to our world.

You have called me by name
to be Your son and Your priest, Oh Lord, my God.
I stand before Your Church
and offer myself to You as son and priest,
that in my heart You may hear
the longings of Your people
and dispense Your providing love among them.

In union with Mary, Mother of the Church,
Mother of priests, and my own Mother,
I give You my heart to receive Your Word,
on behalf of Your people and for our times.

May all my words and actions
serve to bring peace and reconciliation
to all who seek You.
May my hands dispense Your blessing
upon Your people
and touch them with Your healing mercy.
May my whole being
be permeated by the power of Your love
and may my life be spent
in doing Your will, now and into Eternity.

Renewing the commitment of my Baptism,
and calling on the power of the Holy Spirit,
Whose anointing I have received,
I stand in the truth of who I am before You, Father,
and with all in the Communion of Saints,
and make my prayer through Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

Rev. Timothy M. Hayes
Feast of St. John Chrysostom
13 September, 1985

[My first Baptismal Anniversary after priestly ordination]

Sunday, September 12, 2010

A Word from Your Pastor September 12

A Word from Your Pastor

Dear Parishioners:

Our experience of the Blue Mass this year once again showed St. Timothy Parish’s gift of hospitality and our recognition of those who serve the wider community. Congratulations to the Knights of Columbus Council #14345 for their leadership in this effort! Let this be a call to all the men of the parish to consider adding participation in the Knights to their involvement in the Church. Since their founding in 1882, the Knights of Columbus have been concerned with the welfare of the family and they have served the Church throughout the world, promoting charity, unity fraternity, and patriotism. Those are principles to live by!

On Saturday, I spent the morning with another group of extraordinary men: candidates for the diaconate for the Diocese of Columbus and the Diocese of Steubenville. My privilege is to work with them in their study of the Scripture, in particular, the first part of the Bible: the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and the Earlier Prophets (Joshua, Judges, I-II Samuel and I-II Kings). These are among the first writings of the Old Testament to be acknowledged as Sacred Scripture. If you have not read through them for yourself, I invite you to do so over the next several months. Since I am teaching on this material two Saturdays a month through November, they will be fresh on my mind in case you have any questions while you are reading. I have taught this material to the last several Deacon classes for the Diocese of Columbus and to two years of students at the Pontifical College Josephinum. It is truly a fascinating experience to enter into the world of the Bible. I always find our Deacon Candidates to be enthusiastic students of the Scriptures. They are looking forward to preaching the Word of God, and so are zealous in their study.

A Pastoral Note that is timely: October is observed as Respect Life Month and we are in need of members of our parish community to work on promoting an understanding of the Church’s commitment in this regard. Many organizations ask for a parish liaison and at present we do not have someone taking on this role. Let me know if you are willing. We will be including information in the bulletin that can help, but the personal touch is always important.

When you are involved in any organization that promotes research and study for eradication of illnesses that attack human beings, please be sure that you become informed about the nature of the research. Unwittingly, some research that is done attacks the very human nature it is striving to heal. For example, it is never right to make use of embryonic stem cells for any kind of research. This is to be distinguished from use of adult stem cells. The type of research that uses embryonic stem cells directly kills human beings in the earliest stage of development and manipulates human life as if it is a product of human creativity alone. Adult stem cell research, on the other hand, fully respects human nature and, as a matter of fact, shows promising results. Please keep yourself informed, and when you promote fundraising for research, make it is clear to those you are helping that you are opposed to research involving embryonic or fetal stem cells. If you do not stand up for life at its beginning, your efforts to care for life at other stages is less likely to be successful in the long run.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Happy Birthday!

At today's all-School Mass, we celebrated the Birthday of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. At the Mass, we talked about the four birthdays that appear in the Church calendar: the Birthday of Mary (September 8), the Birthday of John the Baptist (June 24), the Birthday of Jesus (December 25), and the Birthday of the Church (Pentecost - 50 Days after Easter Sunday). Mary was there for all of these!

It seemed like a good day to begin a new venture--this Pastor's Blog. I have decided to create blog where I can share what I write for our Sunday bulletins with a wider public, and from time to time offer a few Pastoral Reflections that may be of use to those who share our journey of Faith. My schedule is too erratic to plan to do something every day, but once or twice a week will be good. I may be able to include past notes from the bulletin as well.

The blog has begun! Blessings on all who read it.