A Word from Your Pastor - July 28

Dear Parishioners:

Family life is a mirror of so many things.  Every couple of years my mother’s side of the family, the Keeley clan, get together somewhere around the United States for a reunion.  This year, the reunion in being held in Erie, Pennsylvania.  This tradition began when one branch of the family decided to branch out and invite more distant cousins.  Since that encounter, we have traveled all over the country together. 

Our common ancestor, Lawrence Keeley, came from Ireland and eventually settled in Illinois on a family farm.   Our first extended family reunions were held around Illinois.  From there, the descendants went out in every direction.  Our reunions have taken us to Virginia Beach, VA, Colorado Springs, CO, Everett, WA, Newark, OH, Gettysburg, PA, and St. Augustine, FL.  In each of these places, we have relatives who have served as hosts.  My own branch has hosted twice, once in Newark at Blessed Sacrament Parish, and another time in Florida, where one of my brothers and his wife live.  My own hope is that we will eventually find Irish cousins who can host us in Ireland.  We have not been able to find the origin of the Keeley family there as yet, nor connect with living cousins.  Perhaps someday!

Have you traced your own roots?  Do you let your children know their heritage?  It is never too late to begin.  Gathering the family shows you just how small the world is.  Visiting places where your own people now live and tracing the journeys that started “in the old country” to where you are now serves as a reminder that we are all pilgrims on a journey through life.  We are members of the family of God and we all have a story to tell.  What’s your story?

This weekend, while I am away, St. Timothy welcomes Fr. Joselito Ramos for the mission appeal for the Disciples of Mary.  Our generous response to the needs around the world is a sign of our realization that we are part of the wider Church.  We are all members of the Family of God and our support of one another is what family is all about.

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   IV. The Canon of Scripture
The New Testament

124 “The Word of God, which is thwer of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament”  (Dei Verbum 17; cf. Rom 1:16.) which hand on the ultimate truth of God’s Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church’s beginnings under the Spirit’s guidance.   (Cf. Dei Verbum 20.)
125 The Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures “because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Savior.” (Dei Verbum 18.)
126 We can distinguish three stages in the formation of the Gospels:

1. The life and teaching of Jesus. The Church holds firmly that the four Gospels, “whose historicity she unhesitatingly affirms, faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation, until the day when he was taken up.”   (Dei Verbum 19; cf. Acts 1:1-2.)
2. The oral tradition. “For, after the ascension of the Lord, the apostles handed on to their hearers what he had said and done, but with that fuller understanding which they, instructed by the glorious events of Christ and enlightened by the Spirit of truth, now enjoyed.” (Dei Verbum 19.)
3. The written Gospels. “The sacred authors, in writing the four Gospels, selected certain of the many elements which had been handed on, either orally or already in written form; others they synthesized or explained with an eye to the situation of the churches, while sustaining the form of preaching, but always in such a fashion that they have told us the honest truth about Jesus.”  (Dei Verbum 19.)

Comment:  When the disciples of Jesus began to tell the story of their own experience of His life, death and Resurrection, they started a process that would lead to the Gospels and the other New Testament writings that now put us in touch with Jesus and His times in such a way as to take us there.  We are not just descendants of the early Christians; we are the living testimony to the power of their witness in their day.  They changed the world because they were not afraid to share their Faith.  Are we willing to keep it going?  Can we move beyond our fear to tell the Story of Jesus to our own generation?

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 - July 21

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend we hear from a “son” of our parish who has taken up the call to evangelize, Jonathan Smith.  He is sharing some of his experiences at the weekend Masses this weekend and inviting any who wish to be part of his adventure through an organization called FOCUS, the “Fellowship Of Catholic University Students,”  which was founded in 1998, responding to Pope John Paul’s call to the New Evangelization.  Jonathan has heard that call and is working as a missionary to bring Catholic awareness to students on college campuses.  You can learn more about FOCUS at http://www.focus.org/.

A similar organization working in the Columbus area at Ohio State University and Ohio Dominican University is SPO, “St. Paul Outreach,” which also calls college students and others to an active participation in the New Evangelization.  You can find them online also at http://www.spoweb.org/  or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/spo.ohio.

The call to the New Evangelization invites us all to an active awareness of our Faith and a willingness to share it through a witness of intentional discipleship.  At St. Timothy Parish, there are quite a number of initiatives that are in motion in response to this call.  Are you ready to jump in?

Our Youth are part of a Revolution, growing in knowledge and practice and making plans for the Second Annual Summer Bible Camp next weekend.  Contact Kathy Lutter or Karen McGirty if you would like to be part of the Bible Camp or of the Youth Revolution.

The St. Timothy Men’s Club and the Knights of Columbus Council 14345 will be working together with men from the various parishes in our area to make use of a program called “That Man Is You,”  TMIY, to educate Catholic men concerning the Faith and their call to witness.  This program has been successful in several parishes around the Diocese of Columbus.

Pushkar Baum and some of his fellow seminarians at the Josephinum are members of the New Evangelization Club, which is collaborating with St. Timothy Parish to begin a Catholic Door-to-Door evangelization effort.  Their hope is to give Seminarians some practical experience talking with people about the Catholic Faith and to establish an ongoing Ministry of Evangelization in the parish.  If you feel called to be part of this, let Pushkar know and when he returns to the Josephinum in the Fall, he will be sure you are in touch with the New Evangelization Committee.

Anther possibility is the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to introduce our children to the Faith through Scripture and the Liturgy.  See the inserts in the bulletin for further information about this or contact Rita Feige.

Even closer to home is your own daily encounter with people who have been away (inviting them to come home) or who have never been involved with a Church (inviting them to the RCIA).  The witness of the Faith is the fruit of your own practice, prayer, and a large dose of the zeal that comes from a heart open to respond to God’s Holy Spirit.  How are you being called to share the Faith of the Church?

 

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

IV. The Canon of Scripture

The Old Testament

121 The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value,  (Cf. Dei Verbum 14.) for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.

122 Indeed, “the economy of the Old Testament was deliberately so oriented that it should prepare for and declare in prophecy the coming of Christ, redeemer of all men.”  (Dei Verbum 15.) “Even though they contain matters imperfect and provisional,” (Dei Verbum 15.) the books of the Old Testament bear witness to the whole divine pedagogy of God’s saving love: these writings “are a storehouse of sublime teaching on God and of sound wisdom on human life, as well as a wonderful treasury of prayers; in them, too, the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way.” (Dei Verbum 15.)

123 Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of God. The Church has always vigorously opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New has rendered it void (Marcionism).

Comment: We cannot fully understand Christ without an understanding of the preparations God made through the ages among His chosen People.  The Jewish Scriptures invite us to learn the culture and customs and the hopes and longings of the Hebrew People through their complex history.  How well do you know the Books of the Old Testament?

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/

 

St. Tim's Festival 2013

For those who want to share the joy of this year's Festival, check out the pix on Shutterfly:

  Here are Festival pix: http://sttimothyfestivals.shutterfly.com/1868

A Word from Your Pastor - July 14

Dear Parishioners and Festival Friends:

This weekend is always a banner weekend in St. Timothy Parish and in the Diocese of Columbus.  We welcome all our visitors and friends who join us for the annual Festival.   Kudos go out to Joe Lorenz and his crew for all they have done to prepare for a wonderful experience.  Thanks too to all who have volunteered, donated, and spent money to help support our School and Parish through our major fund raiser.

As we celebrate our Festival, many parishes around the Diocese are welcoming new priests into their communities.  This year is a big year for moves and changes.  Our neighborhood in the Northwest Deanery is changing.  Here are a few of the changes you will see if you visit our neighboring parishes:

Fr. Mike Watson, formerly Pastor at St. Andrew’s, is now Pastor of St. Mary’s, Delaware.  He and Watterson High School are happy that his new parish is still a feeder School, so he will be around, though it will be a longer journey. 

Msgr. Steve Moloney, formerly Pastor at Immaculate Conception, and Vicar General for the Diocese of Columbus, takes up his duties as Pastor at St. Andrew’s.  Along with him will be the newly ordained Fr. Nick Droll as Associate Pastor.

Fr. Jim Black, formerly Pastor at St. Mary’s, Delaware, has been in our neighborhood since March, as Pastor of St. Joan of Arc in Powell.  He will be joined by the newly ordained Fr. Mike Gentry, who is replacing Fr. Jeff Tigyer, who is now at Kenton, Immaculate Conception, as Associate Pastor (also called Parochial Vicar).

Fr. Mark Summers, formerly Associate Pastor of St. Michael Church, and before that of St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin, is now Pastor of St. Peter Parish.  Fr. Justin Reis has entered into retirement and will be taking up residence at St. Agatha.

St. Michael Parish, whose Pastor is Fr. Tony Dinovo (who once had a stint at St. Andrew as Associate Pastor) now has the services of the newly ordained Fr. Matt Morris.  Notice that the three priests newly ordained for the Diocese of Columbus in 2013 are experiencing their first years of priestly ministry among us.  Keep them in your prayers!

You will notice that there are a few priests in our neighborhood who are not making changes at this time.  Msgr.  Joe Hendricks and Fr. Ty Tomson remain at St. Brigid in Dublin.  Fr. Jeff Rimelspach remains at St. Margaret of Cortona.  Fr. Bob Penhallurick and Msgr. John Johnson remain at St. Brendan in Hilliard.  Fr. Dan Ochs remains at St. Agatha.  Msgr. Romano Ciotola remains at Our Lady of Victory.  Msgr. John K. Cody remains at St. Christopher. 

And, I am happy to say, Fr. Timothy Hayes, Pastor at St. Timothy Church, remains here.   As of July 8^th, I have entered into my sixth year at St. Timothy.  How time flies!

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

IV. The Canon of Scripture

120 It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books.  (Cf. Dei Verbum 8 § 3.) This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New. (Cf. Council of Trent)

The Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

The New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, the Letter to the Hebrews, the Letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude, and Revelation (the Apocalypse).

Comment: The formal listing of all the Books in the Bible was codified at the Council of Trent, but this list, just as it appears here, has been the Canon of the Catholic Church from the earliest centuries.  The books listed in Bold Print above are the Deuterocanonical Books, the books contained in the Catholic Bible that were taken out of the list by the Jews (whose books they were!) and later by the Protestants.  Have you ever taken the time to get to know the names of the books of the Bible?  Have you read the books that are kept by the Catholic Church that others have left out?

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/

 

 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at St. Timothy Church

We are ready to launch a wonderful new way of drawing our children into the Mysteries of our Catholic Faith.  For those who are familiar with the Montessori Method of education, it should not be a surprise that there is a corresponding approach that allows our children to come to a profound understanding of the Catholic Faith as well.

Please see the insert in the bulletin this week and in the weeks ahead to learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  We will need to think creatively about our use of space in order to create an Atrium for each of the levels.  This new venture will be a transformation for all of us.  If you are interested in learning more or in being a part of this journey with the Good Shepherd, contact Rita Feige.

A Word from Your Pastor - July 7

Dear Parishioners:

The Festival is coming!  As you may recall, the very first weekend after my arrival as Pastor at St. Timothy Church five years ago was the Festival weekend.  So the 2013 Festival is my sixth with you (and I have pictures to prove it!).   I am amazed at how quickly the years have flown.  I am also in awe of how everything comes together.  We have a general chair and team leaders (thanks Joe Lorenz and company!) to oversee what happens, but it would not be possible without the response of everyone.  Parishioners and friends of St. Timothy come out of the woodwork to tend to the many details.  Everyone I speak to from outside the parish who comes to our Festival sings it praises.  The spirit of welcome shown in many other ways is also mentioned by many.  We can be thankful for the gift of our parish community.

It has been said that once you are part of St. Timothy’s family, you always have a home here.  At the Festival we will welcome home many alumni and friends from years past.  (The School’s Golden Jubilee will be observed 2013-2014.)  At the Saturday evening Mass at 5 p.m., we will welcome Deacon Vince Nguyen, who has been invited back by the Knights of Columbus Council #14345 as they inaugurate a new Seminarian Fund.  Deacon Vince was with us the summer of 2011.  We look forward to his ordination to the priesthood in 2014.

As another year begins with us bonded as Pastor and People, I see great things in store for us.  We are at a wonderful moment of grace.  God is calling us to growth in understanding of discipleship and a greater commitment to live as a witness to the Truth of the Gospel.  Responding to the call of the Church, we are putting out into the deep for a catch, entering with full zeal into the New Evangelization.  Are you ready to throw in your lot with us?  Come to the Festival.  Bring your friends and enemies, your neighbors and co-workers.  And then, invite them back to worship with us and to learn more about our Faith.

 

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 senses of Scripture

115 According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.

116 The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: “All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal.” (St. Thomas Aquinas )

117 The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God’s plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.

The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ’s victory and also of Christian Baptism.  (Cf. 1 Corinthians 10:2.)

1. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written “for our instruction.”  (1 Corinthians 10:11; cf. Heb 3-4:11.)
2. The anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, “leading”). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.  (Cf. Revelation 21:1-22:5.)

118 A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four senses:

The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith;
The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.

[Littera gesta docet, quid credas allegoria,
moralis quid agas, quo tendas anagogia.
(Augustine of Dacia, Rotulus pugillaris.)]

119 “It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, toward a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgment. For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God.”  (Dei Verbum 12 § 3.)

But I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.  (St. Augustine)
 

Comment: It has been common in our time to focus on the literal sense of Scripture and then to argue about its truth or error.  Many Christians and others who read the Bible stop with that sense alone.  The Catholic Church – and, in fact, the Jewish interpreters who preceded Christianity – have always looked for a deeper sense, the spiritual meaning of the Bible.  Have you come to an understanding of Scripture that incorporates its deeper meaning?  How do you continue to grow in your understanding?

 

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?