Dear Parishioners:
Thirst, Light, and Life are the themes found in the heart of Lent with the Scriptures of the Samaritan Woman, the Man Born Blind, and the Raising of Lazarus. Our RCIA participants experience Scrutinies based on these themes, inviting them and all of us to reflect upon our deepest aspirations, our need for enlightenment and our hope of Eternal Life.
When we look at our lives with these in mind, we find that the world’s concerns are put in their proper perspective. What happens to us is not as important as how we respond to it. When our response comes from the deepest part of ourselves, we open up a place for growth in Faith, Hope and Love. We come to know God and ourselves better, and we are in touch with Reality instead of a world of our own creation. Imagination is given a capacity to be silent in the face of the Promises God makes to us in Jesus: Springs of Grace, True Understanding and a Capacity to Worship in Spirit and in Truth, and Resurrection into a Living Relationship with the Trinity.
The world is in need of witnesses, true examples of the power of Faith to transform and to shape us in the image of God. We must be witnesses if we are true to our identity as God’s People. Are you aware of the promise of God in your own life? Have you really given yourself over to the grace that is offered? Now is the time to search your heart, to scrutinize your spirit in order to discover where God is working in your soul. The Spirit has been sent into our hearts and is awaiting our welcome.
The Year of Prayer: An Act of Consecration in the Universal Call to Holiness
O Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Master, my Love,
I give myself entirely to You this day
in and act of offering to consecrate myself
—all that I am, all that You have given me—
in union with Your Sacrifice of the Cross.
Lord Jesus, I offer myself for the salvation of souls
and the consecration of all the world in Your holiness.
Accept me as a living victim of Your Lord,
so that Your Church may be transformed in Your holiness
to be a sign of salvation for all the world.
Master, I offer myself for Your Vicar on earth,
for all bishops, priests, deacons, religious
and for all Your faithful people,
so that we all may have hearts made only for Your Love.
As a member of Your Mystical Body,
grant that I may participate in Your Eucharistic Sacrifice
with even greater love and reverence.
Take me, Lord Jesus, and with me Your Church
and all the world in Your Love
to Your Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.
Countdown to our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
“As Paul was about to set sail [from Greece] for Syria, he decided to return by way of Macedonia. Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus, from Beroea, accompanied him, as did Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.” (Acts 20:3-4)
St. Timothy knew how to be with St. Paul in a small group. He also knew how to take his place in a crowd. No doubt Paul relied on him for many things. The diversity of types that were gathered together as followers of Christ were a sign of the universality of the message, the Good News of the Gospel. Flexibility of plans and a willingness to change when the need arose was also a sign of docility to the Spirit and to a concrete realism concerning human nature. Paul and Timothy sought to follow the Spirit’s lead and they acknowledged limitations.
We are all called to make room for people who act and think differently than we do. In seeking to do God’s will, we must be open to all the possible roads that lead where we want to go. The contributions of each soul are to be valued and we must learn how to cooperated with differing opinions and manners of operation.
Reflections on the Liturgy: AT THE GOSPEL
Deacon (or Priest): The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.
Deacon (or Priest): A reading from the holy Gospel according to N.
People: Glory to you, O Lord.
The People’s parts for the dialogue before the Gospel have minor changes: “And also with you” becomes “And with your spirit” as has already been discussed.
The response to the announcement of the Gospel has just the addition of the “O” before “Lord.” This change, interestingly enough, does not have a correspondence in the Latin. The Latin expression translated here is Gloria tibi, Domine. The word Domine is in the Vocative, that is, direct address. In English, this form does not often have any difference from the Subject form (Nominative), so the “O” is added to emphasize that it is speaking formally to God. It is true that we don’t tend to make use of the “O” in ordinary conversation, but we do find it in poetry and in expressions that are meant to be lofty and emphatic.
St. Timothy Debt Elimination – a real possibility!
A Challenge Donation for up to $50,000 toward repayment of the Parish Building Loan has been offered as an incentive to retire the parish debt. Our current debt is down to about $170,000. If we can reach donations or new pledges to meet the challenge donation, we will be well on our way to completing the Campaign for St. Timothy….
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our Golden Jubilee could also be a celebration of the “burning of the mortgage” in the life of St. Timothy Parish? There would be dancing on the tables!
Looking ahead to May and the Bishop’s Annual Appeal
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