A Word from Your Pastor January 8

Dear Parishioners:

Since Advent had a full four weeks, this year our Season of Christmas has a quicker ending. The Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is usually the Sunday after Epiphany. Instead, this year, it is observed on Monday, January 9th. Some religious communities will hold onto Christmas until February 2, the Feast of the Presentation, also known as Candlemas, since candles may be blessed at Mass that day. I think it is a mercy of the Church Universal to give us at least a few weeks of Ordinary Time before we plunge into the next great cycle of Lent-Easter-Pentecost.

The Mysteries of Christ are so rich that we need to have time to “unpack” them. Today’s Solemnity of Epiphany actually has three moments of the Life of Jesus in view: the Coming of the Magi, the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan by John, and the Wedding Feast of Cana, when Jesus performed the first of His Signs in the Miracle of water made wine. These moments have in common the revelation of the glory of Jesus.

The Magi remind us that Jesus is the Light of the Nations. The Baptism makes known that Jesus is the Son of God and the Bearer of the Spirit. And the Wedding Feast of Cana is the first hint of the Hour of Christ’s Glory, which will be manifested through His Cross and Resurrection. If we keep these Mysteries in mind in a glance of Faith from the Heart, we can come to realize Who Jesus Is.

As we return to Ordinary Time for a few weeks, we carry the Mysteries within us.

This week, both Fr. Bill Faustner and I are away for some vacation time. Fr. Jim Wehner, rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum, will be filling in for several Masses during the week and next Saturday. Show him the usual St. Timothy welcome, and be sure to introduce him to those who may have a vocation to priesthood. The next generation will have priests only if we teach our sons and grandsons how to hear God’s Call.

Entering into our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.

For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. (II Timothy 4:6-8)

St. Paul’s Second Letter to St. Timothy brings with it a sense of pathos, an acknowledgment that Paul is at the end of his earthly journey. He looks back over his “career” as an Apostle, and with humility, is able to note that he has stayed true to his course. As he anticipates his reward, there is also a sense that he knows that for Timothy and those under his leadership, the journey still continues. Paul wants his life, nearing its goal, to be an encouragement to them on their own journey. Longing for the Appearance of Christ, that is, His Second Coming in Majesty and Glory at the end of Time, is an attitude that can be shared by each generation.

As we observe our Golden Jubilee, we must also see that it is important for us to pass on the dream to the generations to come. Who we have been finds its true meaning in who we become as individuals on the path to glory, and who we are as a community of believers who share our Faith with others. The Parish remains ever young in the Faith, even as we mature in our capacity to put the Gospel into practice and to teach it to our children.