A Word from Your Pastor - June 30

Dear Parishioners:

The Chinese have a famous curse:  “may you live in interesting times.”  It is clear that we live in interesting times.  The world around us is shifting and changing in ways our parents and grandparents would never have imagined.

With the recent decisions by the Supreme Court concerning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s “Proposition 8,” the very foundations upon which our society is built are being called into question.  Some are rejoicing, and see this as a step along the way to a new form of liberty.  Those who grasp the fundamental teaching of the Church concerning God’s design for human beings and the truth of marriage feel a sadness that is hard to express.  The directions our culture is choosing in the name of liberty are, in fact, leading us to a greater enslavement to a way of thinking that will not get us where we truly want to go.

At the same time, we continue to experience a rejection of our liberty to be true to our Faith and our understanding of God’s plan for us.  The Health and Human Services Mandate concerning insurance that pays for abortions and contraceptives is an affront to our freedom to put our Faith into practice and to live by the principles we have always taught as a Church.  We are being forced to violate our conscience and to support actions that are morally abhorrent to us.  We are told that we have freedom of worship, but not freedom to practice our Faith in a public way, with a direct engagement in the public sphere by a proclamation of the Gospel in what we say and do.  We are given a definition of Church that is restricted to a narrow understanding of Faith and that stands in the way of our establishing and maintaining institutions (hospitals, nursing homes, schools and businesses) that are conducted in accord with moral norms we hold to be true.  Our very right to serve those who are not members of the Church is being limited.

The Church is being painted as an institution that is out of touch and that needs to change to get with the times.  The simple fact is, our Church is standing tall in a society that has made a choice to ignore the true destiny of human beings – a living relationship with God.  The Church came into being in a culture that was in many ways similar to our own.   She has survived through the centuries, in good times and in bad, and she has ever been renewed by men and women who had the courage to live the Truth no matter what the consequences.  Now is the time for every good Christian to come to the aid of the Church.  We are invited to search out the Truth revealed by God through Scripture and through the teachings of the Church.  We are called to respond to what is going on around us with a commitment to put into practice what we have been given so that the world may come to know this Truth.  The Gospel teaches us that God has poured out His Spirit on us and will bring us to fulfillment.  We are given the divine mandate to go out to all the world to make disciples, teaching them all we have been taught.  This is the answer that will bring about true liberty and justice for all.  How do you show concretely that you are standing with the Church?

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops statement on Supreme Court rulings

http://www.fox28.com/story/22694312/2013/06/26/usccb-statement-on-supreme-court-rulings

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

ARTICLE 3     SACRED SCRIPTURE

III. The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture

The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.  (Dei Verbum 12 § 4)

112 1. Be especially attentive “to the content and unity of the whole Scripture.” Different as the books which comprise it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God’s plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover. (Cf. Luke 24:25-27, 44-46)

The phrase “heart of Christ” can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted.  (St. Thomas Aquinas)

113 2. Read the Scripture within “the living Tradition of the whole Church.” According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture “according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church.” (Origen)

114 3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.  (Cf. Romans 12:6)  By “analogy of faith” we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.

Comment: Catholics agree with all Christian denominations and with members of the Jewish faith that the Sacred Scriptures present us with the Word of God.  We also acknowledge that these texts are a primary source for our teachings and practice.  However, we also note that interpretation of the Scriptures must be done through the life of the Church as she exists now and through the ages.  The whole canon of Scripture helps to bring understanding to the parts.  The living Tradition of the Church guides our grasp of the texts and shapes our capacity to live it.  The depth of meaning of the Scriptures can only be received in relation to the whole body of teachings of the Church.  How do you seek out the support of the Church in your own effort to deepen understanding of the Bible?

Focolare Word of Life for July 2013:  For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:14)

http://www.focolare.org/en/news/category/parola-di-vita/

 

A Word from Your Pastor - June 23

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend I have reached my 28^th Anniversary of priestly ordination, which took place June 22, 1985.  Since I was ordained a deacon the year before (May 3, 1984), that means that I have belonged to the clergy for more than 29 years, more than half my life.  I am in awe of this realization.  As I celebrate Mass, especially on occasions such as this, it is evident to me what a gift we have in the priesthood and in the ministry entrusted to each of us.  Our worship together is the heart  of my life and I see ever more clearly that the ministerial priesthood at work in me can only be fulfilled in relationship with all who respond to the baptismal priesthood, the One Priesthood of Jesus Christ, that we share.

At the time I was ordained, one of the gifts I received was a vestment that included the image of the Burning Bush where Moses received his call to go to Egypt to set God’s people free.  Just below the bush, you can see the sandals of Moses, which he removed because he was standing on holy ground.  At the time of my ordination, I found myself in those sandal – acknowledging the gift I was receiving and seeing very clearly that it was not my achievement, but the work of God in me.  I still stand in the sandals, recognizing the gift and seeing every more clearly that whatever good may come from my ministry is from God and not from me.

This past week, I have attended a reunion of my Seminary, and had the opportunity to see some of the folks who were part of my journey to priesthood in the time of formation.  All of us are older, and we hope wiser.  This July will be my fifth anniversary of coming to St. Timothy Parish, so I have lived now with you longer than I was in seminary.  May we continue our journey together, worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth, ever open to His grace.  May the world come to know the Gift of God offered to us in Jesus Christ.

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

ARTICLE 3     SACRED SCRIPTURE

III. The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture

109 In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words.  (Cf. Dei Verbum 12 § 1.)

110 In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current. “For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression.”  (Dei Verbum 12 § 2)

111 But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. “Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written.”  (Dei Verbum 12 § 3)

Comment: Scripture as the Word of God includes within it both the human and the divine.  In order to interpret it correctly, both of these must be held in view.  Our current era tends to focus on the human side and to make judgments about Scripture with only this in mind.  But God speaks to us through the Scripture in the same Spirit Who inspired it.  When you read Scripture, do you ask the Spirit to assist you in your effort to understand?

A Word from Your Pastor - June 16

Dear Parishioners:

Father’s Day reminds us all that Jesus’ own choice of Name for God was Abba, meaning ”Papa” or “Daddy,” or some other form of endearment.  This simple choice on the part of Jesus has opened for us a glimpse into the very Heart of God and the center of Reality.  Our God, the God of the Universe,  is the Triune God.  When we pray and say “Our Father,” we enter into the Person of Jesus through the Power of the Holy Spirit, and we become most truly ourselves.  We are primarily God’s children.  Our identity comes not from our experience of ourselves from the insider, nor from the encounters we have “out there” in Creation, but rather from our relationship with God, Our Father.  As we celebrate our earthly Fathers, Grandfathers and Godfathers, we give thanks to our Heavenly Father, and to St. Joseph who first wore the name “Abba” in the life Jesus, for the precious gift of life and the strength and sustaining grace that we receive from them, in cooperation with our Mothers.  Happy Father’s Day!

This past week promised to be a bit quieter since School has let out for the summer, but it proved to be busy anyway.  One event that was very positive was a gathering of folks from the parish to hear about the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Columbus.  We had a couple of dozen in attendance hearing about how we can begin to make plans for the future needs of our Parish and School.  Our parish already has several Endowments in the Catholic Foundation.  Contributions offered through the Catholic Foundation provide an ongoing support that supplements the weekly Stewardship.  Eventually, we hope, it can help us concentrate more time and energy on things beyond fundraising.  If you have questions about the Foundation, you can visit their website at: https://catholic-foundation.org/.   The presentation was well received and we hope to have other such gatherings in the future.

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

 

ARTICLE 3     SACRED SCRIPTURE

II. Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture

105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture. “The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”  (Dei Verbum 11.)

“For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.”  (Dei Verbum 11; cf. John 20:31; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15-16.)

106 God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. “To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more.”  (Dei Verbum 11.)

107 The inspired books teach the truth. “Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.” (Dei Verbum 11.)

108 Still, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book.” Christianity is the religion of the “Word” of God, a word which is “not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living.”  (St. Bernard.)  If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures.”  (Cf. Luke 24:45.)

Comment:   Many churches and communities lay claim to being “Bible Based.”  The Catholic Church is the Church that brought forth the Bible, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in the writing and in the gathering together and authoritatively establishing of the Canon.    We have the Bible, because the Church received the life of Christ through Revelation, and the Scriptures now serve to continue the witness of the first generations of the life of the People of God to every generation.  God wrote it through inspired human authors, and the Spirit is still writing the life it contains in human hearts open to receive it.  How do you open yourself to the action of the Spirit through the Bible?

 

A Word from Your Pastor - June 9

Dear Parishioners:

This week we celebrated the Graduation of our Fiftieth Graduating Class, the Class of 2013.  They were very proud of the fact that they have this distinction and asked for it to be mentioned at their Graduation Mass.  As they make their departure for the wonderful world of High School, we wish them, and all our graduates, well.  May the good work that has begun in each of you be brought to fulfillment by the grace of God.  Remember, St. Timothy is always your home.

Even as we end one School Year, we look forward to the next.  School starts again at St. Timothy on August 21^st.  This is early, to be sure.  (Most of us remember when Labor Day was the start of the new academic year.)  This means that we will have to work harder to prepare for the events of next year – the year in which we observe the Centennial of St. Timothy School.  We need to have all who have been part of the life of our School participate in the planning. 2013-2014, our 51^st Year, will be a wonderful year of Jubilee.

Our first class began in the Fall of 1963, in a brand-new building.  We had a class of 17 students who had the honor of being the first 8^th grade class to be graduated from St. Timothy School.  We are seeking information on this class in particular.  Do you have contact information for the members of the St. Timothy Class of 1964 (1968 High School)? 

Here are the names of the Class of 1964:  Vicki Adams, Michael Andrews, Mark Anthony, Carol Brennan, Francisca Cabrera, Daniel D'Amico, Nick DeSantis, Lynda Essman, Joyce Fasone, William Flory, Michael Hilty, Michelle Hooks, Jane Jacquemin, Philip Shirtzinger, Judith Ruppel, Helena Suarez, John Winkel. You can find their pictures in the School hallway (near the gym) and online: http://www.sttimothyparish.net/alumni.html.   Tell them we want to hear from them and that we want to honor them in a special way.

All Alumni of our School and anyone who attended is welcome to be part of the festivities.  It is truly a mark of distinction to have survived 50 years.  We are blessed to have our own School and to have multiple generations who have attended.  Many parishes have a school in their history, but we at St. Timothy have it in our present and in our future, if we can continue to build on the Faith and Commitment of those who came before.  Be true to your School!

As Summer begins, remember to keep your Faith at the center of your life.  God does not take a vacation from us, and we should not take a vacation from His Church.  When you visit other areas, seek out the Catholic Church and be sure to bring back a bulletin so your Pastor knows you have been to church.  Have a wonderful Summer!

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 
We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

ARTICLE 3     SACRED SCRIPTURE

I. Christ—The Unique Word of Sacred Scripture

101 In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: “Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men.”  (Dei Verbum 13.)

102 Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely: (Cf. Hebrews 1:1-3.)

You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.  (St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 103, 4, 1: PL 37, 1378; cf. Ps 104; John 1:1.)

103 For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord’s Body. She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one table of God’s Word and Christ’s Body. (Cf. Dei Verbum 21.)

104 In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, “but as what it really is, the word of God.”  (1 Thess 2:13; cf. Dei Verbum 24.) “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.”  (Dei Verbum 21.)

Comment: When I was in High School, I recall a special moment of Grace.  It was as if God was speaking to me as I was walking in a hallway just outside the classroom where I had religion class.  I was thinking about the Bible, and it seemed to me that God told me, “I’m going to plunge your life into Scripture.”  At the time, I thought, “I’m not ready!”  But since then, it is clear that my life has in fact been plunged into God’s Word.  The memory of this little “encounter” reminds me that all of us are invited to hear God as He speaks to us through the Scriptures.  In our church and in our homes, we have Bibles available.  The texts are also in every language imaginable on the Internet.  Do you take time to meet God, Who seeks to meet you through the Scriptures?  How do you respond to the invitation to be plunged into God’s Word?

A Word from Your Pastor - June 2 Corpus Christi

Dear Parishioners:

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord, is a celebration Christ’s Gift to us of Himself. In this Gift, our whole life is taken up into the Life of Christ.  All that He IS as God, all that He is as a Human Being, all that He did and taught as He walked among us is ours in this Holy Banquet.  The Mystery of the Eucharist is as deep as the Mystery of God.  Our response to this Gift must be Faith and a commitment to live what we receive.

In practical terms, this means several things.  First, we must continually strive to put God first in our lives.  The sign that we are doing this is our participation in Mass each Sunday, and our involvement in the life and work of the Church.  It also means a conscious effort to reach out to others, sharing our Faith and inviting them to experience what God has given to us in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

Today, we join Pope Francis and the Church throughout the world in a special time of Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  This is being observed between our 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Masses, at the same time as Pope Francis is leading prayer in Rome (5 p.m. Rome time).  What a wonderful way to show we are a family united in Faith.

As you make plans for Summer, please keep God and your Parish in mind.  Don’t take a vacation from Mass attendance.  Wherever you go, take the time to research something about the local Catholic Church.  Also, be sure to keep your Stewardship coming to St. Timothy, either by sending your envelopes to the Parish Office or by EFT through the Parish website.

The big event of the Summer at St. Timothy, of course, is the St. Timothy Parish Festival.  This extravaganza is our big fund-raiser that helps us to offset the expenses of our School that go beyond what is covered by Tuition.  (All Funds raised from the Festival go toward the School budget.)  It also serves as an opportunity to show what is best about St. Timothy to our families, friends and neighbors.   The Dates for the Festival are July 12-13.  Pray for good weather and be ready to do your part.

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

 

ARTICLE 2     THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION

III. The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith

IN BRIEF

96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory.

97 “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God” (Dei Verbum 10), in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

98 “The Church, in her doctrine, life, and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes” (Dei Verbum 8 §1).

99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply, and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation.

100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

Comment:  God has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ.  The Church has been entrusted with the Truth revealed and it is our task to hand on what we have received to each new generation.  The Magisterium of the Church, the living teaching authority guides us in the task we have been given.  How do you understand your own duty to share the Faith?  What helps do you need to be able to accomplish this?

A Note from Our Summer Seminarian

 

Dear Parishioners of St. Timothy's:

It is my pleasure to tell you a little bit about myself. I am Pushkar Baum a seminarian from the Josephinum, and I have been assigned to your parish for the summer. I look forward to getting to know you over the summer. I was born in India and at the age of three, I was adopted into a wonderful Catholic Family from Newark Ohio. My home parish is St. Francis de Sales which is right down the road from Blessed Sacrament parish. (The church Fr. Tim was at before St. Tim's). I started thinking about the priesthood at around the 5th grade while being an Altar Boy. I kind of put the thought on the back-burner until late-high-school-when people started telling me to be a Priest. It really got to me when Protestant people started telling me that I would make a wonderful priest. I entered the Seminary at the Josephinum in 2011. I have just completed my second year out of eight and I have enjoyed it so far and I am looking forward to the next six years of my seminary life. Some Fun Facts about myself: I love hamburgers and Indian food. My favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 16:32. My favorite prayer is the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen). I have four brothers and sisters. And lastly, I love to play a lot of sports. Don't be afraid to ask any question if you see me. As I said before: I am looking forward to getting to know all of you over the summer. God Bless!

In Christ,
Pushkar Baum