A Word from Your Pastor - June 29 Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Dear Parishioners:

What makes Catholics different from other Christians?  There are many different responses to this question, but one detail that will always be noted is that of the Pope.  Catholics are those who follow the successor of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome.  The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, which we celebration June 29, highlights the ministry of the Apostle Peter in the Church, along with that of the Apostle Paul, and the Church of Rome which serves as a sign of the Unity of all Catholics throughout the world.

 

Having recently experienced the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, which took place in St. Peter’s Square in the presence of Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict, we can recognize the continuing importance of the Pope in the life of our Church.  The history of the Church does show some men who did not live up to their call as leaders of the flock of Christ.  However, the earliest Popes in history who were martyrs, and the most recent Popes have been shown to the world as signs of holiness and courage in the face of all kinds of dangers.

Pope Francis shows the world the compassionate face of Christ.   Pope Benedict XVI showed a passion for truth and humility in the face of limitation.  Pope John XXIII was the Pope of docility to the Holy Spirit.  Pope John Paul II was the Pope of the Family.  Each of these servants of the servants of God taught us by word and example that God is worth our lives and that all the gifts we have received are meant for others.

This weekend, as we remember St. Peter and St. Paul, let us resolve anew to live the freedom that is ours in Jesus Christ and to profess our Faith with courage.  Let us strive to be a witness to the world that salvation in Jesus Christ is offered to all hearts who are open to His Grace.  And let us be generous in our contributions to Peter’s Pence, showing that we realize we are part of a Church that is truly Catholic, that is, truly one in Faith and in a willingness to sacrifice for one another, sharing material and spiritual gifts with all in need.

A Word from Your Pastor - June 22 Corpus Christi

Dear Parishioners:

There is an amazing flow to the Liturgical Calendar we follow as Catholics.  The very heart of the year is the solemn celebration of Easter.  From Easter Sunday, backwards and forwards, the calendar unfolds in order to express this centrality of the Resurrection of Jesus.  Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week and the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday) lead us to the high point of Easter and the proclamation of the Risen Lord Jesus. 

From Easter, we move through 50 Days with the Weeks of the Easter Season, to the Ascension and Pentecost.  Ordinary Time begins, but the next several Sundays highlight magnificent Mysteries of our Faith that are revealed through Jesus Christ.  The Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday.  Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ follows. 

Then weekdays are touched as well.  Friday after Corpus Christi is the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and the Saturday that follows is the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  God gives Himself to us in Jesus Christ.  He becomes one with us through the human Heart of Jesus, in cooperation with the human heart of Mary, the Mother of the Lord.  The celebration of the Liturgy takes us into the very heart of God and we are called to be One with Him in the midst of Ordinary Time.  The call of the Laity is to bring God’s Holiness into the secular sphere.  Are you cooperating with the flow of God’s Grace in you?

This weekend, I celebrate 29 years since my ordination to the Priesthood.  I am truly grateful to be with you at St. Timothy Church as my journey unfolds.  As a special gift to me today, I invite all our young people to consider a life of service in the Church.  Who are the future priests and religious among us?

One of the joys of my life as a priest has been sharing spiritual conversation with a variety of persons and learning about the different spiritualities that reveal to us the path for growth in relationship with God.  In order to share this kind of conversation in the parish, I would like to invite all who are interested to a Mass once a month on a Tuesday evening (generally the last) at 7:00 p.m.  We will celebrate Mass together, then gather in the Multipurpose Room to have some conversation about the life of the spirit.  In particular, I invite those who are affiliated in some way with the different religious communities to come together to share their experiences with their brothers and sisters.  The first evening Mass for “Spiritual Associates” will be the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, Tuesday, June 24th.  Are you feeling called to go deeper with the Lord in the life of the spirit?

A Word from Your Pastor - June 15 Trinity Sunday

Dear Parishioners:

Trinity Sunday celebrates the central Mystery of our Christian Faith.  We know in Faith that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This Revelation has come through the Gospel and through the Person of Jesus Christ.  The Church has been guided by the Holy Spirit to come up with a way to express the Mystery so that we can have a glimpse of the Divine Life that we are called to share in Christ.

How to understand the Trinity is not merely something abstract.  Because we are speaking of God, we are speaking of the very foundation of Reality.  The essence of existence is Being in Relationship.  The Life of the Church is a mirror of the Triune God.  We live in relationship to the Living God.

An analogy that may be helpful is the interdependence of the States of Life in the Church.  God is Father, Son, and Spirit.   Each Divine Person shares in the Fullness of Being God.  The Church is made up of Religious, Clergy and Laity.  The Religious – Sisters, Brothers and Religious Priests – make vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, living the life of “Evangelical Perfection.”  They follow the Lord’s Counsel: “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect.”  Clergy are incorporated into the Person of Jesus Christ sharing in His ministry among us as Servant and Priest.  The Laity are dispersed in every walk of life among human beings, just as the Holy Spirit is to be found everywhere.  All are members of the Church and have the task of proclaiming the Gospel and bringing the world to God.

Even within the varied States of Life, there are analogies that serve.  Husbands and Wives in their Sacramental Marriage are one Body, sharing in the reality of their Union, being fruitful and life-giving to one another and to the world.  Deacons, Priests and Bishops, as Shepherds and Servants, can only be who they are in relationship to the People of God whom they serve.  Members of Religious Communities find their identity in their Community and in relationship to the other members who share their charism.  Laity – married and single – have relationships that move them beyond their isolation, sharing their gifts in the wider society.

The Life of the Trinity is our eternal destiny.  It is also the Reality in which we live and move and have our being, and the experience we share in the Sacraments.  As we contemplate the Love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Triune God, may we grow in our willingness to share the Good News of the Kingdom with our world.

This week, I will be away to participate in the Reunion of my Seminary, the North American College, which will be held this year in New York.  I look forward to seeing some of my classmates and renewing friendships with others who were part of my preparation for priesthood as I complete 29 years of ministry.  Please keep priests in your prayers and remind your children that God is calling them to lives of service among His People.

A Word from Your Pastor - June 8 Pentecost

Dear Parishioners:

Pentecost is a Feast full of Hope.  After the Suffering and Death of Jesus, the disciples were cowering in despair.  The Resurrection opened them to the Newness of Life.  The time with the Risen Lord Jesus before His departure deepened their understanding of what had occurred.  The Ascension and the call to prayer until the Promise of the Father was fulfilled prepared them to tell the Good News to the whole world.  At Pentecost, the full reality of who they were to be as Church was made clear.   The Holy Spirit gave them an experience of Joy and Triumph that sustained them in their Mission and still guides us today.

Pentecost is a feast of generosity.  It is the moment when God Himself takes out all the stops and sends the first taste of Eternal Life into the world, sharing what Jesus won for us by His Suffering, Death, Resurrection and Ascension with hearts open to receive.  God’s Generosity cannot be outdone, but it is unable to flow freely in us unless we too are generous.  Now is the time when we are called to go “all-in” with God.  The Spirit has boundless gifts to offer.  Such gifts can be received only by those willing to pass them on.

Pentecost is the 50th Day after Passover, corresponding to the Jewish Feast of Weeks.  Even among the People of Israel, it is a time of generosity:

“You shall then keep the feast of Weeks in honor of the LORD, your God, and the measure of your own freewill offering shall be in proportion to the blessing the LORD, your God, has bestowed on you.”  (Deuteronomy 16:10)

God wants all that we are: body, mind and spirit, heart and soul.  He asks us to respond in freedom to the Gift He offers us, with the measure of His generosity, not our own need or even the needs of others.  This implies that no matter how generous we may think we are, we can always grow in generosity.    God’s Spirit can increase our capacity to give in proportion to the openness of our hearts. 

As we conclude the Easter Season with Pentecost and as we enter once again into Ordinary Time, may we continue to grow in our cooperation with the Holy Spirit.  Asking for grace, may we become a people ever more welcoming to those who come to share life with us in Christ.  God has blessed us and we must share the blessing with the world.

A Word from Your Pastor - June 1

Dear Parishioners:

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, which we celebrate today (moved several years ago from “Ascension Thursday” in our region), is a reminder to us of our “High Destiny.”  When we realize that Jesus suffered and died for us, we know His Love for His Father and for us.  When we acknowledge His Resurrection, we see the “Yes” of God the Father to the human race and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our human nature to manifest God’s glory.  And when we look for Jesus above after His Ascension to the Right Hand of the Father, we see our humanity raised to a dignity far beyond our understanding.

At the same time, if we put this all together in a glance, we come to a grasp of the Hope to which we are called.  The very “stuff” of our world is made radically capable of being with God for all Eternity through Jesus Christ.  Once that happens, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon us through Pentecost, and then we are given the task to proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to every nation and people on the face of the earth.

This time from Ascension to Pentecost is a time of prayer and waiting for the Gift of the Spirit.  “Lord, send our Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”  We stand together in the awareness of the Mystery of the Suffering, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord, and we pray “Come, Holy Spirit.”  As we enter into the rest that Summer brings, may we be open to the work of the Spirit among us.

We offer congratulations to our graduates at every level of education – Elementary School, High School, College, and beyond.  May all that you have learned and your hard work that got you there prepare you for the destiny that God has in store for you on earth and in glory!  Congratulations and thanks to parents, teachers, coaches and guides of every sort who continue to work with our young people to prepare them for life.  May you know the satisfaction of a job well done and may you persevere.