Dear Parishioners:
This past week, I have been offering a Retreat to the Deacon Candidates for the Diocese of Steubenville. This is the first class for Permanent Deacons for our sister Diocese. They have been studying along with the candidates from the Diocese of Columbus and were part of the course on the Pentateuch I taught last Fall.
Our guide for reflection has been the Post-Synodal Document Verbum Domini, written by Pope Benedict XVI following the Synod of Bishops on the Word of God that took place in 2008. This document is a rather comprehensive presentation on the Catholic Church’s understanding of the Word of God. It is not a quick read, but it is clear. If you want to get a good understanding of how the Catholic Church understands Scripture and its connection to the whole life of the Church and her members, it is worth your study.
The document is available online at the Vatican website. You can type out the text that follows or just do a search for “Verbum Domini” and you will be able to find it without any difficulty.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20100930_verbum-domini_en.html
There is literally something for everybody. The structure of the text itself reminds us of the many dimensions of the Word of God:
Verbum Dei - The Word of God in the Triune God
Verbum in Ecclesia - The Word of God in the Church: Sacraments
Verbum Mundo - The Word of God in the World: Our Mission
This movement, from within God, through the Church and out into the world is the movement of Faith. We encounter God through His Word, in Creation, in the Scriptures, and in the life of the Church, and we are witnesses of God’s Gift of Salvation to the World.
Most of you have noticed that we have the Bible in the New American translation (which is the one used at Mass) available in every pew in the church, along with the songbooks. This is a reminder to all that we ought to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the Scripture in order to nourish our life of Faith. Come early to Mass and read through a passage or two. Learn to pray with the Scriptures and you will always have a means of connecting with God in His own words.
Pray this week that our Parish Festival goes well. We really depend on it to help us meet our needs in the life of our Parish and School. All are invited to join us on Friday and Saturday evening, July 8 and 9.
Happy Fourth of July! Let us thank God for all our freedoms and let us be grateful to those who serve to keep us free, putting their lives on the line for us.
This week, our parish will be hosting a gathering of the seminarians of the Diocese of Columbus and the pastors of their summer assignments. Remember, we are praying that God will call some of our own members to be among this number soon!
Countdown to our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
When we read the Sacred Scriptures, we are often confronted with perspectives and ways of thinking that are very different from our own. The next section of the First Letter to St. Timothy takes up a theme that may cause us to bristle a bit. Nonetheless, we have to allow the Word of God to speak to our hearts through it.
Similarly, too, women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds. A woman must receive instruction silently and under complete control. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. She must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. Further, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. But she will be saved through motherhood, provided women persevere in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. (I Timothy 2:9-15)
Paul’s advice concerning women in the assembly needs to be understood in context, both the context of the Scriptures and the context of the wider society.
In the context of the cosmopolitan Roman Empire, the relationship between men and women had a variety of models. The primary approach that seems to have been common in the ancient world was that of spheres of influence. Women ran the households, including the broad family unit, with servants and slaves, as well as children. Men were “at the city gates” and involved in all the public trappings of religion. There were also women in charge of the cults of goddesses and the like, and in service of temples to various pagan gods.
In the context of the Scriptures, note that Paul begins this section with the phrase “Similarly, too.” The discussion immediately preceding was about prayer for public officials by the members of the church. So, Paul is advising Timothy and his community about how things need to be arranged so that the witness of the Gospel is not compromised. The behaviors discussed were under consideration because of the volatility of the relationship between small church communities and the society at large. From the discussion of women in the church, Paul will move on to the roles of bishops and deacon.
In our time, the relationship between women and men, and between Church and Society has a different configuration. Given this difference, if St. Paul were writing now, he might well have a different approach. Nonetheless, the principles he would follow would be the same. The behavior of the Community as a whole, and of individuals, men and women, leaders and members, is to be determined by the common desire for an effective witness to Unity in the Gospel.
It is helpful to recall that the place of assembly at this time was a household, not a separate building. Thus “church” was held in the area that was usually the domain of the wife of the family. The overlap between spheres of influence, the exterior society and the inner chamber of a family dwelling caused the need for an accommodation. Men could be in charge here precisely because they had the role of opening the church to the world. Paul did make a point, however, that the women’s concerns were not to be overlooked. She could make them known and it was the husband’s responsibility to bring them to the assembly. So Paul is making a positive point: both spheres of influence are to be given there due, and the mutuality of relationship called for by the Gospel is to find a practical formulation for the good of the Church.
We can learn from even this part of Paul’s Letter-- in spite of the fact that our worldviews are so different. The proclamation of the Gospel without distraction and without dissension in the ranks is what we are all about.
Reflections on the Liturgy: SIGN OF PEACE
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: And with your spirit.
The response of the People to the Priest’s greeting at the Sign of Peace is in line with the renewed translation of the Latin “et cum spiritu tuo.” What we have covered before about the more literal rendering that is common in languages other than English, and with regard to Scriptural references applies here. Moreover, there is a heightened impact of the mention of spirit in this context, since the Sign of Peace hearkens back to the encounter of the Apostles with the Lord Jesus after His Resurrection.
John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus said twice “Peace be with you” and then breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:19-23) Thus, offering the Peace of the Lord to one another, and responding with the mention of the spirit of the person offering the Peace in the name of the Lord, highlights our being infused with the Gift of the Spirit. As we prepare to receive the Eucharist, we enter into the Peace that the Risen Lord offers and we ensure that it is shared among us.
Pilgrimage to the Lands of the Bible
Pilgrimage "In the Footsteps of St. Timothy": Fr. Tim Hayes & Fr. Paul Hrezo, Spiritual Director at the Pontifical College Josephinum, are offering a pilgrimage departing on October 19th for 12 days to Greece & Turkey, following the path of St. Timothy & St Paul. Ephesus, where St. Timothy served as Bishop, a cruise to the island of Patmos, where St. John composed the Book of Revelation, Rhodes & others are included among many other sites. Deposit to reserve a place: $300.00.
This is an opportunity to learn about our Patron Saint Timothy and to come to understand both the writings of Saint Paul and the Book of Revelation by seeing the lands where they were composed.
A presentation about this Pilgrimage will be held at St. Peter's Church at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12th, in the "Blue Room," which is a conference room in the church building. The address of St. Peter's Church is: 6899 Smoky Row Road, Columbus, OH 43235-1998.
Itinerary:
http://www.timothymhayes.net/In%20the%20Footsteps%20of%20St%20Timothy%202011%20Itinerary.pdf
Application:
http://www.timothymhayes.net/In%20the%20Footsteps%20of%20St%20Timothy%202011%20Application.pdf
Call Judy Lorms 614-670-8626 for details or email: judylorms@gmail.com.
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