A Word from Your Pastor December 25 - Christmas

Dear Parishioners and Guests for Christmas:

Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord!  Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God is Emmanuel, God-with-us.  In a world that is full of contradictions and scandals, we are reminded that the God Who made the universe and all that is in it took on our human condition in the form of a tiny Child, the Baby in the Manger.  Embracing all the limitations and weaknesses of our world, the Son of God chose to love through our humanity and to return us to the condition that the Father willed for us from the beginning.

Christmas tells us that light can penetrate darkness.  The brightness of the Star of the newborn Child in Bethlehem conquers the night.  We can believe that God is with us and we are given a reason to hope for salvation.

We welcome all who are with us for the celebrations of Christmas.  Be sure of our prayer for you throughout the year.  Please join us whenever you can. 

May the Spirit of the Living God, Who brought about the Incarnation of His Son, born of the Virgin Mary, fill your heart with joy.  May God, Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit smile upon us and teach us how to open our hearts and our lives to His plans for all the world.  May the human race be brought to wholeness by the coming of Emmanuel.

A Word from Your Pastor December 23

Dear Parishioners:

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!  We sing this song many times in the days leading up to Christmas.  Christ’s Coming is the heart of our Christmas Celebration.  In a world that is striving to become secular, it is our responsibility to proclaim the simple truth that God has penetrated the very fabric of being that there truly is no such thing as secular.

“Happy Holidays” has hidden within it “Holy Days.”  “Merry Christmas” includes a reminder that the best and truest way to celebrate Christmas is to be present at “Mass” – “Christ Mass.” 

There are four Masses proper to Christmas: the Vigil Mass, which is becoming ever more popular; Mass at Night (the traditional Midnight Mass, which is often celebrated a bit earlier than Midnight); Mass at Dawn (even the non-Catholic Christians many times hold a “Sunrise Service”; and Mass at Day.  Each Mass has a proper set of readings to tell the whole story of the Nativity.  It is a beautiful experience to participate in at least a couple of the different Masses.

If you are looking for a calmer experience, it is best to attend the Masses of Christmas Day.  For the pageantry and chaos, plan to be present for the first Vigil Mass, which features the Children’s Choir.  All of the Mases have beautiful Christmas music, including the traditional hymns of Christmas.

The most important thing to remember is that the Christmas Season begins with Christmas.  It goes on through the Feast of the Holy Family, Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord.  Some communities hold onto it until the Solemnity of the Presentation of the Lord February 2nd, also known as “Candlemas Day.”  Advent and Christmas remind us that God is with us in the midst of our human experience.  It is the task of believers to share the Good News with the whole world: Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord!

Come to Mass at Christmas and be ready to celebrate with joy!

A Word from Your Pastor December 16

Dear Parishioners:

Amazement and Joy are signs that we are in the presence of something or someone that is worth our attention.  The world has been given so many countersigns in our days that the truth of the Gospel is not able to be seen.  “See these Christians! How they love one another!” was one of the earliest comments about Christian life and it succeeded in drawing others to Jesus.  How does our life together compare to that assessment?

At the present time, very honestly, I am experiencing a weariness about the state of the world and the Church.  I am sure that you share that feeling.  The Scriptures this weekend offer a very different perspective than that which is evident in our news and in the encounters we have with others who know we are part of the Church.  The Lord Himself tells us – His People – that we have no further misfortune to fear.

God is with us in the midst of the chaos of our lives.  He will never fail us.  But are we willing to be with Him?  Are we making His Presence known by our lives?

We pray that God may make Himself known to the world in an identifiable way through us.  He has promised to rejoice with us, to heal us, to strengthen us, to free us to love.  This weekend, as we experience together the touch of the Sacrament of Healing, the Anointing of the Sick, may we discover anew the power of God among us to heal all our ills.

As Advent moves on, we are directing our attention to the Birth of our Savior in Bethlehem.  Next weekend, our parish will host Bethlehem Families for a sale of items sculpted from olive wood from the Holy Land.  It is one way for us to show solidarity with the Christian families who still live in the land of our Lord’s birth.

Rejoice with the Lord, for He rejoices in us.

A Word from Your Pastor December 9

Advent calls us to an attitude of waiting and expectation.  “On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptist’s cry announces that the Lord is nigh.  Awaken and hearken, for he brings glad tidings of the King of Kings.”  Our pilgrim group sang this at the Jordan as we celebrated a renewal of Baptismal Promises.  It was a moving experience to be there, where John the Baptist became God’s instrument to begin the public ministry of Jesus.  Even as we were renewing our commitment, there were many who were being baptized in the Jordan.  All around us there were signs of Faith in persons who had traveled to that place from all over the world.

The commitment made by our pilgrims is one that each one of us needs to renew.  It is clear that the world needs witnesses to the Truth of the Gospel.  People come to Faith not from reading a book or watching a video, but rather from seeing other human beings who are convinced of the Gospel.

We pray before each of our weekend Masses that the Lord may make our parish “amazing.”  This is a Biblical expression and image.  It corresponds to the response of those who witnessed the unfolding of the Gospel for the first time.  When the Apostles had received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, their preaching and the many healings and other acts of power that they performed led their hearers to amazement and wonder.  This created room for Faith.  We are praying in the Amazing Parish Prayer that our visible expression of Faith may reveal us to be, by God’s grace, “so on-fire that we draw people” to make the same commitment to Jesus the Lord.

May we allow God to work in our hearts to inspire Faith so true that the world will believe in Jesus Christ.

A Word from Your Pastor December 2

Advent begins a new liturgical year.  As with the civil observance of the New Year, it is a good idea to make resolutions to renew our commitments and our efforts to grow.  As an invitation, I want to offer a bit of a commentary on some things we are doing as a parish to invite a greater commitment to the proclamation of the Gospel as a community.

Catholics in the past have tended to treat their Faith as a private matter, focused on our individual efforts to attain salvation.  We are less comfortable with sharing our Faith and speaking from our hearts about our relationship with Jesus.  In order for the Faith to grow, we must reach into our hearts and, relying on the power of the grace of Jesus given to us through the Sacraments, we must become ever more courageous and bold in our proclamation.

In April 2015, more than 20 parishes of the Diocese of Columbus attended The Amazing Parish Conference in Denver, taking with them a team consisting of the pastor and 3-5 other members of the parish.  At the same conference, there were more than 75 other parishes from all over the United States and Canada represented.  Since then, several other conferences similar to that one have been held.  This means that literally hundreds of parishes across North America are praying the Amazing Parish Prayer that we pray together before each Mass.  We are asking the Lord to give us the courage to be faithful to the Great Commission, the call to make disciples of all nations.

As we enter into Advent, I want to begin to reflect on our efforts to respond to the call of the Lord and His Church as a parish.  My hope is that it will help you to understand the reason for our efforts and free you to find your own way to renew your commitment as individuals, as couples and as families.

Ordinarily, we begin Advent also with a Rite of Welcome for Catechumens and Candidates who are seeking to join the Catholic Church through the R.C.I.A., the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.  Sadly, there are no adult catechumens or candidates this year.  Although we have had a number of children in our School who have become Catholic through the course of several months, no adults have been identified who wish to join our Church.  We will take this as an opportunity to live the year as a parish seeking to learn better how to welcome new members.

Why do we have a moment of personal welcome at each of our weekend Masses before we pray the Amazing Parish Prayer?  We have been doing this since 2016 at the suggestion of parishioners who were seeking to enhance our parish stewardship.

For two main reasons: First, many parishioners have made the comment that there are so many new families that they don’t know, so this gives an opportunity in a friendly environment to reach out.  Our parish has been here for more than 50 years and those who were the founding families need to know the newcomers in order to be able to pass the baton for the future. 

Second, when we hear stories about folks who have left the Catholic Church to join the mega-churches, the number one reason given is not the scandals, but that they have not found welcome in the Catholic Church.  The invitation to extend a personal welcome before Mass is not the same thing as the Sign of Peace.  The Sign of Peace is an expression of unity among those who already know they are brothers and sisters in Christ.  Welcoming folks before Mass starts is a way of ensuring that Jesus is truly in our midst as we gather.  If you are uncomfortable with this gesture, then it is a moment for you to step out of your comfort zone in order to make the Gospel real for those who will soon join you in the celebration of the Mass.  Learning how to welcome one another here gives us practice for extending welcome out there as we seek to bring the Gospel to the world.

As Advent begins, let us recommit to being a community of welcome for all who come across the threshold.

A Word from Your Pastor November 25 - Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Thanksgiving weekend is a special time for families.  It is often a poignant time as well, especially for those who have lost loved ones recently.  Holidays are an annual reminder to all of us of the importance of relationships.  As many of you know, since 1988, I have been the host for Thanksgiving for my family.  That year, I was in a house that I noticed was larger than our family home and volunteered to my mother to take it on.  I did not realize that it would be a lifetime commitment.

Apart from one year when I was away for studies, I have worked to prepare a place for the family and extended family to gather.  I also learned from my grandmother how to cook the turkey (with stuffing) and I do it Grandma’s way each year, starting it in the oven at midnight the night before Thanksgiving.  We have had four different settings, but have made it work wherever I happened to live.  This year, our count was a bit down, only 24 at table.  We have memories of years with 50 or more, including family from Pittsburgh, in-laws and guests.

Rituals are a way that a family keeps together.  This is the reason why the Church calls us to gather each week and on days of special importance for Mass (Sundays and “Holy Days of obligation”).  The rituals we experience tell us who we are and form us as a community.  As a priest, I have been able to offer a special family Mass before we share the Thanksgiving meal.  We all take a turn sharing what we are thankful for in the year past.

As you have heard many times, Eucharist means Thanksgiving.  Gathering to give God thanks, hearing His Word and being fed and nourished by the Risen Lord, we are given the strength to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to an often hostile world.

God’s Love has been shown to us in so many ways.  We are grateful.  May we continue to show our gratitude by coming together as a family and by sharing our Faith so that Jesus may truly be the Savior for all.

A Word from Your Pastor November 18

Dear Parishioners:

My fellow pilgrims and I have returned from our journey to the Holy Land.  It was a remarkable experience in so many ways.  More than 60 pilgrims, including four priests from the Diocese of Columbus, traveled throughout the holy sites we hear about in our Scriptures every day.  This was my fourth time in the Holy Land.  Every visit brings to light new things and allows for a deeper understanding of the Gospel.  Some call the Holy Land “the Fifth Gospel” because the land itself speaks of the relationship between God and His people.

On our journey, we also met a priest from the Diocese of Cleveland who had a group of pilgrims similar in size to ours.  We kept encountering them throughout the visit.  Many also joined us in spirit through Facebook.  Since our bus had WiFi, I was able to upload a glimpse of each site right after our stop.  Masses were shared by the priests, each of us having a couple of turns.  The pilgrims reported that this added a special richness to the experience.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to go to the Holy Land, you may want to add this to your “bucket list.”  It will change how you understand some things about the Scriptures and the world.  Our group was one that had many who were using canes or walking sticks and who needed to go slowly.  This was not always easy due to the press of the crowd, but we managed to work it out together.

Be sure that you were with me along the whole pilgrimage.  I carried a printout of our Parish and our School Rosters to all the holy places we visited and kept you in my prayers and Masses.

Soon we will begin a journey through a new Liturgical Year.  Advent will begin Sunday, December 1.  Let us journey well as we seek to open our hearts to the Lord Who is born for us at Christmas.

A Word from Your Pastor November 4 & 11

My pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins this week.  Some of our pilgrims are already en route.  There are a group of 67 people who will be on this journey together.  We carry all of you with us as well.  So that you can follow our trek day by day, I offer you the itinerary planned for the next couple of weeks.  You can follow us in spirit.  It may be that our schedule changes a bit, but we’ll be covering everything at one time or another, so you can follow more or less what we do each day.

Tuesday November 6   Tel Aviv
Arrive Ben Gurion Airport. Our representative will help you through customs and take you to the bus where you will meet your guide. Transfer to your hotel in Netanya or Nazareth (depending on flight arrival time) for dinner and overnight.

Wednesday November 7    Caesarea/Haifa/Mt. Tabor/Nazareth /Cana
After breakfast, explore the Mediterranean coast. Drive along the Via Maris to Caesarea Maritima and visit the Roman Theater with the 2000 years old Aqueduct and view the Crusader fortifications. Continue to Haifa and Mount Carmel, visit the Church of Stella Maris and Elijah's cave. Take in the magnificent view of Haifa Bay. Enjoy the famous Falafel - a typical Israeli lunch. Drive to Mount Tabor, the Mount of Transfiguration, which dominates the Jesreel Valley, Biblical known as Armageddon. On to Nazareth for a visit to the Church of Annunciation - the biggest in the Middle East, see Mary’s Well and visit the Old Synagogue. On to Cana of Galilee - the site of Jesus’s First Miracle at the wedding. Drive to your hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (Mass in Nazareth)

Thursday November 8    Sea of Galilee/Capernaum/Tabgha/Mt. of Beatitudes/Caesarea Philipi
After breakfast explore the surroundings of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus began his ministry. Start the day with a cruise in the lake on board a "Biblical boat". Visit Capernaum, "the Town of Jesus", and see the synagogue and St. Peter's house. Continue to Tabgha, site of the miracle of the Fishes and Loaves. On to Mount of Beatitudes for a breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilee. Lunch will be at a typical restaurant, serving the famous St. Peter's Fish.  After lunch drive up the Golan Heights to Caesarea Philipi (Banias), which is one of the sources of the Jordan River. Back to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (Mass in Capernaum or Mount of Beatitudes)

Friday November 9   Jordan Valley/Jerusalem/Bethlehem
After breakfast begin your journey to Jerusalem. Start with a visit to the 2000 years old wooden fishermen boat that is hosted at Kibbutz Nof Ginossar – The St. Peter’s Boat. Drive south along the Jordan Valley. On the way view Jericho, the most ancient town in the world and Mount of Temptation. Drive on the Biblical old road to Jerusalem. Enter the Holy City with a special ceremony. Drive to Bethlehem, visit the Church of Nativity and view the Shepherds' Field. Free time for shopping. On the way back to Jerusalem, stop for a visit to the Herodium – King Herod’s fortress and tomb. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (Mass in Bethlehem)

Saturday November 10   Mt. of Olives/Garden of Gethsemane/Pool of Bethesda/Via Dolorosa/Holy Sepulcher/Mt. Zion
After breakfast we will dedicate the day to exploring the Holy City. Visit Mount of Olives with its breathtaking view over the Old City of Jerusalem. Here you can see the ancient Jewish cemetery and Oscar Shindler’s grave. Visit the Chapel of Ascension and Pater Noster Church, where we find the "Lord's Prayer" in over 50 languages. Walk down Palm Sunday road to the Church of Dominus Flevit - "the Lord wept". On to the Garden of Gethsemane with the ancient olive trees and visit the Church of All Nations. Nearby we can stop for a short visit at the Garden Tomb. Enter the Old City from the Lions' Gate. Visit St. Anne's Church and the Pools of Bethesda. Continue along the stations of the Via Dolorosa (carrying a wooden cross, if available) to the Holy Sepulcher, where the last Stations of the Cross are located. On to the Jewish Quarter and Mount Zion to visit David's Tomb, the Room of the Last Supper, the Church of the Dormition and the St. Peter in Galicantu Church. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (Mass in Jerusalem)

Sunday November 11   Day 7 - Ein Karem/Yad Vashem/Israel Museum-Model
After breakfast discover the New City. Drive to Ein Karem, the hometown of St. John the Baptist. Visit the Churches of Visitation and St. John's the Baptists. Continue to Yad Vashem the Holocaust memorial. Drive to the Israel Museum to visit the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are exhibited and visit the Holyland Model of the Holy City as it was 2,000 years ago, in Jesus' times. Conclude the day returning to the Old City to visit the Wailing Wall, the holiest place for the Jewish people. View the Temple Mount with the El Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (Mass in Jerusalem)

Monday November 12   Day 8 - Free Day in Jerusalem (Optional Bethany/Dead Sea/Qumran/Masada)
(Early morning Mass in Jerusalem) After breakfast free day for personal activities or take an optional tour to Masada at an additional cost ($110 per person):

Drive to Bethany, visit the Tomb of Lazarus and the House of Mary and Martha. Continue to the Good Samaritan Inn. Drive to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Visit Qumran, where John the Baptist may have lived with the Essenes and where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls where written and found. Continue along the Dead Sea shore to Masada. Ascend and descend by cable car. Visit the amazing fortress built by King Herod. Walk along the remains of the palaces, bath-house, walls, the synagogue and the Byzantine Church. Hear the tragic story of the last stronghold of the Zealots fighters. Drive to the Dead Sea, the lowest point and the saltiest body of water on earth. Enjoy a dip in these salty waters, where you can float on this amazing lake.

Special Farewell dinner at the hotel with Pilgrimage Certificates and overnight in Jerusalem.

Tuesday November 13   Day 9 - Transfer and prepare to fly back to USA

(Morning Mass in Jerusalem) After breakfast pack your suitcase and check out of the hotel. Visit Hadassah Hospital and see the famous Chagall Windows, stop at the Knesset – the Israel Parliament, to see the famous Menorah and the Eternal Flame. On to visit Yad Kennedy and the Kennedy forest, which is a memorial for President JF Kennedy. Drive to Old Jaffa where we can see the house of John the tanner. Transfer to the airport for our different flights back home.

Wednesday/Thursday November 14/15   Day 10/11 - Arrive back home

Arrive back home

No doubt when I arrive back home, I will be under jet lag for several weeks.  It always bothers me more coming East to West.  Forgive me if I am bleary eyed.  But know too that I will be grateful to be home and will be glad that you have journeyed with me in spirit.  We will have much to be thankful for as Thanksgiving rolls around once more.

Be sure that I am praying for you and your families and all who are dear to you.

A Word from Your Pastor October 28

November begins with a wonderful reminder of the Communion of Saints.  We celebrate All Saints’ Day November 1 and All Souls’ Day November 2.  We who are the Saints in Training pray with and for those who have marched ahead of us.  The Church on the face of the Earth is known as “the Church Militant,” that is, the Church on the march or the Church fighting the battle on the earthly journey.  “The Church Triumphant” refers to the Saints in glory who continue to pray for us and urge us on to victory.  “The Church Suffering” speaks of those who have entered into the mystery of death still needing purification, “the Holy Souls” in Purgatory.

The simple truth that is expressed the fact that in Christ, the Church is One.  We are all connected to one another and we cooperate with Christ and His Holy Spirit in working out our salvation, one for all and all for one.  The Communion of Saints is a sharing of Holy Things among the Holy Ones of God, made holy by the action of God’s Spirit among us.

We are called to see our lives as a whole, Time and Eternity interpenetrating.  Looking to the glory that is in store for us, we find the courage to persevere on our own march and to pray with and for the others who are with us on the journey.

This week, all are invited to Mass for the Holy Day of Obligation,  the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1, and then again for the special celebration of All Souls’ Day, November 2, where we will remember all those who have died in the past year. 

During these days, we contemplate “the Four Last Things”: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.  Realizing the brevity of our lives on earth, we set our minds and hearts on the glory of Heaven, where we are destined to share Eternal Life with God, the Angels and all the Saints.  May we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to complete our journey through Faith, Hope and Love and may we pray with and for our brothers and sisters with whom we share this journey now and forever.

A Word from Your Pastor October 21

“I have a question.”  This was the beginning of a conversation with a young man I saw just outside the church.  “We do the Sign of the Cross at the beginning of Mass.  And then we do the Sign of the Cross at the end of Mass.  Does that mean that the Mass is one big prayer?”

“Exactly!” I responded.  “And you dip your hand in the Holy Water at the beginning of Mass so you can do the prayer, and then again at the end of the Mass so that you can take what you have done out to all the world.”

The insight of this young man is worth our pondering.  So often, folks fail to realize just what the Mass is and treat it as if it is a commodity.  Some who choose not to come to Mass will say, “I don’t get anything out of it.”  Prayer is about a relationship with God and His Church.  The Mass is the Prayer of Jesus Christ in union with His Body, the Church, addressing the Father, Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth.  When we enter into that Prayer, we become part of the very flow of the Faith, Hope and Love that keep the Universe in motion. 

Folks can wonder why the world’s problems are not being solved.  We have a Savior, Who has promised to fill every longing of our heart.  We are not able to find solutions because we fail to enter into the true flow of things.  St. Padre Pio said: "It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." 

We are now halfway through our annual October Count.  So far, the numbers are down for attendance at weekend Masses once again.  Many who could be with us are not.  The Mass, which is the source and summit of the life of the Church is undervalued.  What is the solution?  We who are present must pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see how our witness to the truth and power of the Mass can be shared more effectively.

In the months ahead, our Second Graders and Eighth Graders and others will be preparing for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.  May we all strive together to become a more effective witness to the gift of the Sacraments in our lives as Catholics.

A Word from Your Pastor October 14

The Gospel is meant to be lived.  It is not a mere collection of stories just to make us feel good.  It is not a code of laws that regulate all our actions.  It is a way of life.  It is all about acknowledging that we are loved and that God’s Love is offered to the world through us who have been chosen by God to be the bearers of the Good News in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Knowing the Faith is necessary, but it is not enough.  Loving according to human measure does not reach the heights God has intended for us.  It must be “woven together” is a manner of living that communicates the Truth.  Jesus relates to each unique individual, inviting to a personal response at the depth each one is capable of understanding.

The rich young man in the Gospel today is a reminder to us all as to how we can become slaves to our own possessions.  We accumulate what we claim as our own, and it then lays claim to us.  When our concern for things other than God leads us to fail in our responsibility to put God first, we are not living the full promise of the Gospel.

Parents have a special duty to teach their children how to live the ways of Faith.  This means that their own lives ought to be in conformity to the Gospel and that they need to do all they can to ensure that their children develop the habits that allow the Gospel to be primary in their lives as well.  When we fail as a witness to our own families, we cannot hope to succeed in bringing the world to Christ.

God understands our human limitations.  He gives us the power to fulfill His Will.  When we fail, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is there to help us to return to the Gospel way of life.  Our children need to see us pick ourselves up after we fall.  This, too, is part of the witness of the Gospel way of life.

When Jesus looks into your heart, what does He see there?  What does He ask you to do for love of Him?  Are you willing to follow?

A Word from Your Pastor October 7

The month of October invites us to contemplate many things.  It is the month of the Rosary.  It is the month that highlights Respect for Life. 

October also has many wonderful Saints that invite us to pray and to put our Faith into practice in service of others.  Just to name a few:

• St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower (October 1),
• St. Francis of Assisi (October 4),
• Pope St. John XXIII (October 11),
• St. Teresa of Avila (October 15), and
• St. Luke (October 18)

For our own Nation, the North American Martyrs, St. John de Brebeuf, St. Isaac Jogues, and their companions (October 19) are most important for the planting of the seeds of Faith in our land.  The Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels (October 2) reminds us of the personal love of our Providential God.

In our observance of the variety of themes of this month, we can see that they all point to our responsibility of living our Faith and doing whatever we can to be a witness so that others may know the Love of God.  We are loved by God.  We are chosen by God.  And, with the help of the prayers of the Saints and Angels, we will be able to cooperate with the grace of God to do great things.

You will notice that our Ushers are counting at all the Masses.  This is our annual October Count, which the Diocese of Columbus uses for planning purposes.  So, this is the month to stand up and be counted among the faithful!

A Word from Your Pastor September 30

Moses couldn’t do it alone.  He tried, but it was wearing him out.  God arranged some help – adding the assistance of 70 elders who were given a share in the spirit God had poured out on Moses.  When the younger generation expressed surprise at this, Moses prayed: “Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!”  The rest of salvation history tells the story of how God answered this prayer.

We are living in a time when it is clear that no one of us has all the gifts and talents needed to address the challenges we face.  But all of us together, in interdependence, have what it takes, if only we are united in the Spirit.  The world continues to separate us from one another and from our better selves.  We make judgments and fail to allow proper time for understanding and discernment.  Like Moses, we tend to be overworked and stressed out.

Unity is what will free us to overcome all that stands in our way.  “We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall hang separately” was Benjamin Franklins wry quip in the face of argument for the American Revolution.  In order for the “great experiment” to succeed, we need once again to be reminded that we are “E pluribus unum,” that is “one from many.”

Jesus’ mind and heart belong to us.  When we open our spirits to His way of discernment, we find ever new paths toward unity and peace.  The solutions to all the problems we face will not come from our own devices.  We need what only the Spirit of God can offer.  Whether we are in church or out in the world, we need God and one another.  May our hearts be open as the Spirit of Christ is poured out upon us so we may be the prophetic witnesses we are called to be.

A Word from Your Pastor September 23

Humility comes to us in only one way: we must be put in our place.  Humus is the part of the soil – the ground beneath our feet – that is the decomposition of plants and animals that have given up their own life principle.  For us to be made humble, we have to be deconstructed.  Our own shaping of the world around us must correspond not to our own preferences, our wants and desires, but to God’s plan for us.  God’s Will is always for our good.

Humus makes new life possible, because it gathers in for new plants and the animals that feed on them the water and nourishments that allow life to grow.  So when we are humbled, we are cooperating with the grace that God supplies to enable us to grow into the Life that He offers.  We are truly “grounded” in our own being because we rely not on what we have created on our own, but on the building blocks of what God creates us to become.

Is your Faith being challenged?  Are you having to revisit what you thought you had already figured out?  Are you hearing an invitation to allow what is happening around you to humble you?  That is the meaning of the chaos in which we find ourselves these days.  Each one of us must respond to God directly, asking Him to open our minds and hearts to His plan for our lives.

This weekend we begin our Parish School of Religion (P.S.R.).  St. Timothy School has been in session for a full month.  The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (C.G.S.) is also underway.  These educational opportunities are to assist parents in their duty to raise their children in the ways of Faith. 

As our catechetical efforts enter into full swing, all parents are reminded that the only way our children learn and internalize what is taught is to observe it also in their families’ practice of the Faith.  God calls us to be present at Mass each Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation in order to give Him His due.  Gathering as a Christian community, the family of God, hearing the Word, celebrating the Eucharist and being sent forth into the world to share what we have received are our Catholic way of life.  We owe it to God and to our children always to be attentive to our duty.  May we begin this new season well and be a sign to the world of the truth of the Gospel.

A Word from Your Pastor September 16

Being Catholic is a great gift.  At times, due to the “bad publicity” and the “scandals” that are in the news, we can be tempted to doubt this gift.  At such times, we need to remember and to remind ourselves about the central aspects of our Faith: our Creed, the Sacramental Life we share, the Call to Holiness (through the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes), and the Life of Prayer that puts us in contact with God Who IS Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

There is no other Faith or Religion that has these elements in fullness.  We may not always live up to them, but they are our birthright – the Life that is given to us through Baptism.  If we attend to history, we will recognize that each one of these has been discovered through the course of the ages, going all the way back to our Jewish roots, and made ever more explicit through the Life of Jesus and the Salvation History lived out in the Church.

Relying on God, we can be renewed in our awareness of the gift of Faith and in our commitment to be a living sign of the truth of the Gospel.  We acknowledge our complicity in sin and our trust in the Mercy of God that frees us from sin, making available to us the Salvation won for us by Jesus Christ.

Sins committed by members of our own family impact us more and are more painful for us since we know we are called to do better.  It is so also with the Church.  On the other hand, there are times when we do show our best face to the world around us and serve as the witness of sacrificial Love that is ours in Jesus Christ.

The celebration of the Blue Mass, sponsored by our Knights of Columbus Council #14345, was a wonderful reminder to us of our capacity to witness to the wider community the finer instincts in all of us.  It was an honor to have so many members of the various organizations of first response, as well as Bishop Frederick Campbell, at St. Timothy.  Thanks to the Knights for their effort to bring this about.

A Word from Your Pastor September 9

“The Ephphetha,” which we hear about in the Gospel today, is one of the rituals that follows the pouring of the water in the Rite of Baptism of infants in the Catholic Church.  The celebrant touches his thumb to the ears and lips of the newly baptized child and says these words: “May the Lord soon touch your ears to receive His Word, and your mouth to proclaim His Faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

We can recognize this as one of the actions associated with the Sacraments of the Catholic Church that comes clearly and directly from the Scriptures.  If you pay attention to your Bible and to all the words and gestures of the Rites of the Church, you will be able notice more of these.  We are steeped in the Scriptures because the Scriptures flow from the very Life of the Church and return to renew and deepen that Life from age to age.

Over the past several months, it has been almost eerie how closely the Scriptures assigned to each day at Mass have spoken directly to the events going on around us.  We are called to live the Faith today just as it has been lived in every generation.  Our Baptism equips us to put the Word into practice.

We are to hear the Word, to understand it and allow it to penetrate our hearts, and to allow it to be evident in our lives.  We are to proclaim our Faith in the Word, by what we say and by our actions.  Praise of God is the response that flows from a lived experience of the Word.  We who live the Word praise God for the new Life that has been shared with us.  Those who observe our lives and who see the correspondence between the Word of God and our witness praise God and seek to share the Life given to us in Baptism.

In these days, we are reminded of our responsibility to open our ears and our mouths to speak the Truth in Love.  Our children especially deserve to see a coherent witness.  Parents must live the Faith they have promised to share with their children.  Church leaders must be clear signs of the power of God’s Word by a witness of life that is evident inside the Church and beyond.

May the Lord Himself soon touch our ears to receive His Word and our mouths to proclaim His Faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.

A Word from Your Pastor September 2

Many years ago, I read a book by M. Scott Peck called The People of the Lie.  (The same author first became famous when he wrote a book that started with the line “Life is Difficult.”  That book was named The Road Less Traveled.)  In The People of the Lie, Dr. Peck expresses a hard truth: there are some people that are so caught up in their own lies that they must be considered “evil.”  There is no way to get them to change their ways.  They treat others as objects and feed on the pain of others.  They are narcissistic and never see beyond their own skin.  The only thing that can be done in relation to them is to limit their influence by creating a fence around them.

I mention this “hard truth” because it may well be that we have reached something like this in what is going on around us with regard to scandals.  Who exactly “the people of the lie” in these realities are is not always easy to determine.  The fact is, when such persons are operating, they often spin such webs that good people are taken in by them.  In order to avoid being taken in, each one of us must re-center and rediscover the fundamental truths that govern human relationships.  Some of these are “hard truths,” but we cannot step back from facing them.

If your Faith rests on anyone other than Jesus Christ and His Church, you must reach down into your own heart more deeply to listen to the Voice of the Shepherd.  He will speak to your heart.  Evil exists, but Jesus has already conquered all evil.  The devil and its demons are certainly at work, but their voice is also clearly discernible.  Anything that would lead you away from Jesus, the Church, the Sacred Scriptures and the Sacraments is false.  Now is not the time to draw away from God, but to draw closer to Him than ever before.

There is darkness in the world.  But the Light of Christ has come into the world and it shines upon us.  We will discover that as we let go of our own selfishness and false images, as we allow the other gods that we have been tempted to serve to lose their hold on us, we will see more clearly.  The Holy Spirit is available to us.

We are the People God has chosen to be His own.  Poor in spirit, we will discover new riches.  Please stay close to God and to one another.  I am sorry for the burden that has been placed upon you by those who live the lie.  Thank you for your witness.  Let us continue to walk together in Truth and Love.

Focolare Word of Life for September 2018

“Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.”   (James 1:21)

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

A Word from Your Pastor August 26

In this week’s bulletin, we are including two letters, one from our Bishop Frederick Campbell and one from Pope Francis concerning the recent publication of the findings of the Grand Jury of the State of Pennsylvania about the abuse of children by members of the clergy and religious orders.  I invite you to read these letters and to pray for the victims and all who have been involved in the horrendous crimes described in the report.

As Pastor, I want to add my own word of sorrow and upset at what has occurred.  Words are inadequate to express the emotions that arise when I hear of what has been done to innocent ones by those who are called to live as trustworthy shepherds.  The damage done to them and to the Church by such actions is evident.  We must side with the victims and do everything in our power not to allow such things to happen ever again.

As I have said in several homilies at Mass when these things were first coming to light, my heart goes out to all who have experienced abuse of any kind and to all whose Faith in the Church is affected by these scandals.  I am convinced that Jesus, the Good Shepherd Who loves us and Who wants to lead His flock to green pastures, will be with us as we seek to move forward.  God is using this painful reality to bring us all to Truth and to purify His Church so that we can be a faithful witness to the Gospel.

The Diocese of Columbus has now for many years instituted practices to ensure the safety of our children.  All who work and volunteer in the name of the Church in our parishes and our schools experience background checks and undergo Virtus training called “Protecting God’s Children.”  The Diocese has a clear protocol for reporting abuse and acts promptly to answer any situations that are brought to our attention.

Contact information for reporting abuse is on the Diocesan website, including both the Diocesan Victims Assistance Coordinator and the public officials for each county in the State of Ohio.  Any who have knowledge of abuse are asked to contact the appropriate authorities.  Help is available.  We are listening.

Diocesan Victims Assistance Coordinator

The Reverend Monsignor Stephan J. Moloney
614-224-2251
866-448-0217
helpisavailable@columbuscatholic.org

Statement from Bishop Campbell

https://columbuscatholic.org/statements

Letter of Pope Francis

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-08/pope-francis-letter-people-of-god-sexual-abuse.html

A Word from Your Pastor August 19

Wisdom is a divine gift.  It is a share in the very way of seeing and being that is proper to God.  In order for Wisdom to have a place in our lives, we have to become open.  This means acknowledging that we do not know.  Socrates, the wise philosopher, expressed his awareness of his own wisdom by telling the story (as Plato records it) that he went around asking so-called experts about their area of expertise.  He would always reach a moment when they could not answer a question and refused to talk anymore.  They did not want to admit that they did not know….  Socrates realized that he was wiser than the rest because he admitted his ignorance.

God’s Wisdom allows us to come to an understanding of the nature of things beyond our own natural knowledge.  To be wise in relationship to God is to know that without God we can do nothing.  When we allow God to share His Wisdom with us through the gift of Revelation – the Sacred Scriptures and the Teachings of the Church – we reach beyond our reach.  Grace builds on nature.  Faith puts us in touch with the Truth of God.

The challenge of our time and every time of human history is to put our trust in the God speaking through His Church.  Scandals come throughout history and, sadly, the Church is not any freer of them than any other part of humanity.  Nonetheless, the Church offers something we cannot receive any other way.  Jesus has united Himself to His Church.  He has promised us that He will feed and nourish us through Word and Sacrament.  By Baptism we are incorporated into the very life of Christ as sons and daughters of the Living God.  Eucharist renews our initiation into Christ and strengthens us for the journey.  Jesus gives us His flesh and blood and through this communicates Eternal Life.

This week, we will welcome our children back to School.  May the new year begin well.  We pray that all of us will be truly wise, putting our trust in the Living God.  May Wisdom show us the way.

A Word from Your Pastor August 12

What sustains you?  What truly gives you the nourishment, the encouragement, the support that you need to meet the challenges of life?

Jesus tells us that He alone is the Bread of Life, the gift that the Father gives that brings true Life to the world.  As Catholics, we have a deep understanding of this.  It is written into our very DNA as members of the Church.  Unfortunately, however, we can forget it all too easily.

Studies made of relationship to Church in our time are showing some alarming facts.  Many are simply walking away from the practice of Faith.  In years past, there was a kind of “time out” for some of our young people in High School or College or the years of early adulthood, an exercise of “freedom” to reject parents’ values.  But when marriage and children came along, there would be a new maturity and a return to practice of the Faith.  Now, on the contrary, there is a departure soon after or even without Confirmation, and there is no return.  Former Catholics join the fastest growing denomination, the “nones,” that is, those who identify their religious preference on surveys as “none.”

What causes this loss?  Some blame the Church.  The claim is that the scandals, the lack of clear teaching, and a general lack of order are the cause.  Others blame the culture.  The world is simply too appealing and there is no room for the practices that sustain Faith.  Still others suggest that it is the lack of practice of the Faith in the home and in families that causes the failure of the next generation to pick up for themselves what has lasted for generations before them.

No doubt there is truth to all of this.  When scandals arise, they serve as a counter to the witness of the Gospel that the Church is called to provide.  When teachings are watered down or presented without clarity, then Faith has no “meat” to invite it to grow.  When the family fails to provide clear witness and direction, then our young people are left adrift in a confusing world.

What is the answer to this challenge of our day?  Faith, Hope and Love – and the greatest of these is Love.  Jesus tells us that He Himself is the answer, given by the Father.  We must put our Faith in Him.  We must allow the Spirit to renew our Hope and to trust in the Living God to show us the way.  Most of all, we must Love God and one another enough to throw in our lot with the Church and with the Family of God.

It has become very evident to me personally as a Pastor, that the answer to the future of our Church in the world and to the spiritual needs of our own parish and school community is to give more space and time to God and to His plans for us.  We cannot hope to turn around the trend that is all around us unless we are willing to give room to spiritual realities.

Look at your own home.  Where is your “God place” there?  Do you have a prayer room, a prayer corner or at least a prayer chair?  Look at your daily schedule.  Does your conversation with God have more than a cursory moment in the course of the day?  Do you and your family carve out daily time for God?

Let’s look together at the use of our parish and school facilities.  What gets the most space and time?  Are we willing to rethink how we use what has been entrusted to us for encouraging growth in our spiritual journey?  Jesus invites us to be fed and nourished for the journey.  “Arise and eat, else the journey will be too long for you.”  What will truly feed your hunger for God?

A Word from Your Pastor August 5

The Sunday Gospels we will be hearing for several weeks come from the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, the passage known as the Bread of Life discourse.  Jesus speaks to the crowd that has witnessed the feeding of the multitude about the Mystery of the Eucharist.  This is a good time for all of us to examine our own response to this central reality of our Catholic Faith.  How do we allow the Word of God to shape our understanding of the Gift that Jesus gives to us through the Eucharist?

Jesus advises: “Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for Eternal Life which the Son of Man will give you.”

So much of our time is spent on things that do not last.  Jesus, the Eternal Son of God, offers us Something that will last forever.  The Sacramental Gift of Himself to us in the Eucharist is the Food that endures for Eternal Life.  In Baptism, we are made children of God.  Baptism opens for us the door to Eternal Life and makes available the Sacramental grace that enables us to begin that Life now.  Confirmation gives us the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit that brings the Gifts of the Spirit and strengthens us in Faith.  Eucharist is the repeatable Sacrament of Initiation through which we renew our commitment to our Life in Christ.  We are fed and nourished by Jesus Himself, the Risen Lord, the Good Shepherd Who leads us into Life Eternal.

God’s work is that we have Faith.  Our work is to put our Faith into practice.  How can we do this in light of the Gift of the Bread of Life?  We can join in the prayer “Give us this Bread always.”  Jesus will satisfy our hunger and our thirst, but we have to open our hearts and lives to Him.

Faith is expressed through living with the Mystery.  Attendance at Mass as often as possible is one way – not just the minimum of all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, but other days as well.  Mass is offered every day of the week.  Why not add one day “extra” by your own free choice?  Daily Mass is a great gift.  To receive the Bread of Life every day offers something very special to the life of Faith.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every Wednesday from the morning Mass until 6:30 p.m. at St. Timothy Church.  Other parishes near and far have times all through the day and even through the night.  Find a time in your schedule that you could spend with the Lord and give Him the chance to speak to your heart.  Cultivate hunger for the Eucharist by sitting in His Presence.  You won’t regret it.

How will you respond to the Eucharistic Lord?