Dear Parishioners:
Happy Golden Jubilee! Happy Advent!
We have reached a truly memorable time for our Parish. From this weekend onward we begin the celebration of 50 years as a community entrusted with the mission of living the Gospel together as a family. We are called to rediscover our roots and to renew our commitment to live as a witness to Jesus Christ in the world today. We welcome Bishop Frederick F. Campbell and all who join us this weekend to share in our joy.
The beginning of Advent invites us to look with joyful Hope toward the Coming of Christ in Glory at the end of the ages. Our celebration of the Rite of Welcome for the Catechumens and Candidates who are part of the R.C.I.A. is a reminder that we are a growing community and that our Faith is meant to be shared.
The start of the use of the English translation according to Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal calls us to deepen our understanding of the Mass and to pay closer attention to the depth and meaning of the Liturgy we celebrate as the Church.
As we attend to all that this weekend brings, let us renew our commitment to be the Family of Faith we are called to be. It is fitting to call to mind our Parish Mission Statement: “United in the Body of Christ, we strive to promote the greater glory of God through a spirit of welcome and willing service to our brothers and sisters.”
(Adopted by the St. Timothy Parish Pastoral Council February 25, 2010.)
May the years ahead continue to form us as a People open to God’s Love and ready to share it with the world. Blessings on all who have brought us to this day, and blessings to all who will be part of our life in the years to come!
Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
“Remind people of these things and charge them before God to stop disputing about words. This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen. Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation. Avoid profane, idle talk, for such people will become more and more godless, and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have deviated from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already taken place and are upsetting the faith of some. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands, bearing this inscription, ‘The Lord knows those who are his’; and, ‘Let everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord avoid evil.’” (II Timothy 2:14-19)
The Lord knows those who belong to Him. St. Paul does not hesitate to name names of those who, at the moment he is writing, are forgetful of their call. We can pray that Hymenaeus and Philetus and others whose names are immortalized as worthy of Paul’s wrath had a conversion of heart. St. Timothy and his community at Ephesus no doubt took to heart the warning and stood solid in their Faith and in they adherence to the teachings they had received.
The foundations upon which the Church is built are solid. As we enter into our Golden Jubilee, we acknowledge the pillars of Faith still among us. We also humbly thank God for the privilege of being members of a community of Faith entrusted with the task of proclaiming God’s invitation to belong to Him. May we always live in awareness of this relationship!
Reflections on the Liturgy:
The Mass is a tremendous gift that is often taken for granted. The change in the English version that we will experience at the beginning of Advent will challenge us to pay close attention to what we say. It is an opportunity to renew our understanding of the depth and meaning of the Liturgy. This effort to understand also serves to call us to a deeper attention to our prayer outside of the Mass.
All the forms of prayer that Christians experience must flow from and prepare for a worthy celebration of the Mass. It is important to realize that Mass is the highest form of prayer, because it is the prayer of Christ Himself. In these last weeks before we begin to make use of the new Roman Missal, we can prepare by looking into the forms of prayer that make up our daily lives.
There are four primary ways of prayer: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Supplication.
Supplication is the most familiar form of prayer. Perhaps the simplest expression of this prayer is one word: “Help!” It is the cry of the heart that knows we cannot accomplish anything without God. We look to our limitations and to God’s overflowing Goodness, and we ask for what we need.
There are two forms of supplication: personal requests for need, wants and desires, and intercessions for the sake of others. Either form puts the prayer in the form of an acknowledgment of some lack that we beg God to fill. Many of the prayers of the Mass are in the form of supplication.
In the presidential prayers (the prayers expressed by the priest who is presiding over the celebration of the Mass), particular graces and mercies are sought on behalf of the assembly. We are present at a certain moment and we express our desire that God be God for us, filling us with the gifts that are identified by the particular readings and prayers of the Mass being celebrated now. The General Intercessions, also called the Prayer of the Faithful, are prayers by the Body of Christ for the Church, the World and the particular community gathered at Mass.
This form of prayer is an exercise of the ministry of the priestly People who have the capacity to lift up the needs of our time and to ask for the salvation Christ won for us.
In our preparation for Mass, it is fitting to bring with us the awareness of the needs of those we live with and work with. Our prayers are the action of Christ on behalf of His People. The Liturgy of the Hours includes such prayers at Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Personal prayer is often focused on this form of prayer. In the Mass, all such prayer is united to the Heart of Christ, Who gave His Life on the Cross in supplication for humanity.
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