A Word from Your Pastor - December 25 Christmas Day

Dear Parishioners and Guests for Christmas:

We welcome you to St. Timothy Church as we join together to celebrate the Coming of Immanuel, God with Us, in Jesus Christ.  The joy of this celebration is a reminder to us that God is present to us in every age.  The Church Fathers tell us that Joy is the infallible sign of God’s Presence.  We know the Story of Bethlehem is true because we discover that the Spirit of God brings the Son of God to birth in our own hearts and leads us to give glory to God in the highest.

This year at St. Timothy, we are embarking on a new adventure with the launching of the Alpha Program, beginning January 22.  Happily, all the spaces for this first course are filled.  We invite you to consider joining us in the future. 

Blessings to you and to all who are dear to you.  May Christ find a home in your hearts and may your life help others to know His Mercy.

A Blessed Christmas to All!

A Word from Your Pastor - December 18 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dear Parishioners:

One of the most wonderful aspects of our Catholic Faith is the promise of Healing that touches the full human person, body, mind and spirit.  Our hearts and souls are open to receive the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when we experience the touch of Mercy that heals us where we hurt.  The Sacraments of Healing are Reconciliation – known also as Penance or Confession – and Anointing of the Sick.  Each of these Sacraments plunges us into the Paschal Mystery, the power of the Living God to bring us from death to Resurrection through Jesus Christ.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are freed from sin.  By the Anointing of the Sick, our human limitations – illness and death – are put into contact with the healing Mystery of the Cross.  Acknowledging our need for God and opening our hearts to His grace, we give God room to act in our lives and we discover that our limitations themselves become a means of grace in us.  This transformation enlivens in us the Hope that reaches all the way to Eternal Life.

The Sacramental Life is the life that points beyond this world.  We are made for Love, that is, a sharing in the very Life of God, Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a Trinity of Persons United in Love.  The nature of the Sacrament is to be, as the old Baltimore Catechism put it, “a sensible sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace.”  Jesus is the Sacrament of the Father: He reveals God to us.  The Church is the Sacrament of Christ.  The Sacramental Life of the Church, in the Seven Sacraments, forms us to be living witnesses of the power of God’s Grace, given to us through our Faith in Jesus Christ.

This weekend, as we offer the Blessing of all involved in the ministries of health care, and as we experience the communal celebration of the Anointing of the Sick, may we all find the healing we need to be an effective witness to God’s Love and Mercy.

A Word From Your Pastor - December 11 Third Sunday of Advent

Dear Parishioners:

Advent is moving right along!  We are celebrating Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday with the rose vestments and pink candle that reminds us that we are almost there.  This year, since Christmas falls on Sunday, we have a full four weeks of Advent.  Have any of you found yet that it gave you more time to get things done?  That certainly hasn’t happened for me!

I have wanted to share for awhile that we are experiencing a rather interesting phenomenon lately.  Various families are working with us to see to it that their children and other members of the family are getting “caught up” on the Sacraments.  We have had several children experiencing Baptism, First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion at varied times with their families and others in attendance.  Just before Thanksgiving, we we delighted to welcome the Mays family into Full Communion in the Catholic Church.

We are also finding that various families who have come to join our parish from different cultural backgrounds are seeking to find ways to integrate themselves among us.  They come often due to educational opportunities at O.S.U. or one of the nearby hospitals.  They walk with us for a time, then seek to establish formal ties and to work with us to pass on the Faith to their children.

These situations often require special efforts outside the norm to catechize and to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the Faith and the Sacraments they are receiving.  We are in need of helpers who would be willing to work with us and these families as they appear.  Can you see yourself helping some children or even whole families find their place in the Church?  Would you – and even your own children if they are peers to the newcomers – be willing to assist?  In the near future, I hope to arrange a time to meet with you and to let you know how you can begin to prepare for such opportunities.

We are a growing community and the fact that we are meeting friends from the world over who want to join us tells us that we are on the right track.  The Faith we share has something for everybody.

Let us rejoice to know that the Lord is Coming!

A Word from Your Pastor - December 4 Second Sunday of Advent

Dear Parishioners:

This past week, the reality of our world as a dangerous place became very evident to us with the events on the O.S.U. campus.  We hear about acts of terrorism around the world and it can seem very distant.  When it is right down the street and when many of our own loved ones are nearby, it becomes something very personal.  It is a reminder of the fact that life is fragile and can change in an instant.  We pray for all concerned.  We pray for the recovery of all who experienced the violence.  We pray for a change of heart in all who would be motivated to such actions of hatred and despair.  We pray that we may find a way to live together in harmony.

The call of Advent is to realize that we are always part of a world that is destined for change.  We are invited to long for a better world, a world in which Justice and Mercy meet, a world in which all can find Peace.  As we continue our journey through this holy season, let us set our hearts on what is above and commit ourselves to live in such a way as to share with all our hope in the Lord Whose Coming we await.

This week, we will celebrate our country’s Patronal Feast, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Let us pray for our nation, that we may be open to the grace God offers us so as to establish true peace within our borders and among the nations.  May God bless America, stand beside her and guide her, through the night with a light from above….

A Word from Your Pastor - November 27 First Sunday of Advent

Dear Parishioners:

Advent opens a new Liturgical Year in our celebration of our Faith.  We begin again the first year of the three-year cycle of readings, taking Matthew as the Gospel.  It is a good time to make new resolutions and to respond to the grace of the present time.  The Year of Mercy concluded with the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  Now we enter a new time of grace.  What comes after Mercy?

It struck me this past week that the first celebration the day after the close of the Year of Mercy was the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Tradition tells us that Joachim and Anne entrusted their precious daughter to the Temple at the age of three and that she spent 12 years there, learning from the priests (among them, Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist).  So, the first look of the Church after the Jubilee is to the one human being who knew perfectly how to accept God’s will:  “Let it be done to me according to Your Word.”

Mercy teaches us that God makes room for us.  Mary responded by making room for God and receiving into her own womb God’s own Son.  Mercy invites us to live as a reflection of God’s Love.  Mary opened her whole life and person to that Love and gave birth to Love Himself.  Mercy gives us the grace to persevere in a hostile world.  Mary was faithful to the end, standing by the Cross of her Son.

After Mercy comes a life lived truly for God.  As we enter into this time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas, may we allow the Spirit to prepare our hearts to receive the graces that God wants to offer.

I invite you to consider signing up now for Alpha.  This program will offer you a dinner, served by members of the parish in our Parish Center, which is experiencing some upgrades in preparation.  It will allow you to hear the Gospel anew and to share fellowship with others on the journey of Faith.  It will remind you that we are just beginning to know the Lord and that we can always learn more about Him from our brothers and sisters.

A Word from Your Pastor - November 20 Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King of the Universe

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend we bring to a close the Year of Mercy.  However, just as they say on Broadway, “The show must go on!”  Now that we have spent a year in reflection on Mercy, we are in a better condition to put it into practice.  Mercy is a quality that tells us that God is with us especially in the tough times.  We are called to be a people who bring His Mercy to the world.

No one can deny the need for Mercy.  The challenge is to discover the practical ways to live it out.  As St. Faustina teaches us, we need to Ask for Mercy, to Be merciful and to have Confidence in God’s Mercy and to completely trust in Him.  “Jesus, I trust in You” is the simplest prayer that acknowledges the Mercy revealed by the Heart of Jesus.  The Divine Mercy Image shows us that the blood and water that flowed from His side on the Cross continues to flow out as rays of Mercy upon the world.

The Mercy Chaplet contains three short prayers:

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

It is clear that the focus of this devotion is Eucharistic.  We experience Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and the Divine Mercy Devotion allows us to carry it into the world.  This can be prayed for our own needs and the needs of the whole world.  It is especially effective when we are at the deathbed of loved ones.

The proclamation of God as Merciful Father was the center of the Year of Mercy.  We entrust to the God of Mercy all that we experience to we trust Him to bring us to the Kingdom.  As we complete journey of the Year of Mercy, may we now carry the Message of Mercy to the whole world.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all you love!

A Word from Your Pastor - November 13

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend we welcome Fr. Dave Sizemore to St. Timothy Church to speak on Alpha.  His parish at St. John Neumann in Sunbury has been a pioneer in the Diocese of Columbus in promoting activities and programs to deepen commitment to the New Evangelization and to Spiritual Life.  As you will discover, if you did not know this already, Fr. Dave is a dynamic young priest whose wisdom and enthusiasm are engaging.

I have known Fr. Dave since his College years and for a time served as his Vocations Director.  I have also had the chance to share “down time” with him as we continue to experience the wonderful fraternity of the priesthood.  He has a great sense of humor and a wit that won’t quit (even though sometimes you wish it would!). Recently, Fr. Dave traveled with a group that did the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage walk that travels through several nations in Europe.  He is always ready for adventure.  I am sure that in my absence you will be showing Fr. Dave a warm welcome. 

Just so you know that I am not playing this weekend: while Fr. Dave is here at St. Timothy, I will be at his parish of St. John Neumann to promote their program of Eucharistic Adoration.  I intend to ask for them to pray in a special way for our first experience of Alpha that will begin in January 2017.  I invite you also to accept this as a challenge to pray that the Holy Spirit will be at work among us to make us true disciples.  You may want to add Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to your own practice of devotion.  This takes place each Wednesday from the morning Mass until 6:30 p.m.

I will be away for a few days this week, spending some time with the Focolare priests of the United States.  As many of you know, the Focolare Movement promotes Unity among all people under the patronage of Mary.  I have found it a great support in my ministry and an encouragement to grow in the capacity to seek Unity in the life we share.  May we all be One!

A Word from Your Pastor - November 6

Dear Parishioners:

As we come to the close of the Year of Mercy, it is time to review what we have learned this past year.  God is a God of Mercy.  In my estimation, this teaches us one simple truth: God is approachable.  We can draw near to Him, no matter what our own condition may be.  

If we are in a good relationship with God and we are not conscious of any grave situation that might keep us from Him, He shares with us His desire to draw close to others.  We are invited to be merciful to others and to do whatever we can to be a worthy “ambassador” for God.  When others reject us, we do not reject them.  Instead, we wait, patiently, for them to be ready to open to us again.  At times, this will mean being willing to overlook faults and offenses against us.  Always, it will mean being ready to forgive, to show mercy as God does.  In short, Mercy means allowing God to be recognized as the God of Mercy through our witness.

If we are aware of grave sin, some reality that makes us distant from God and His Church, Mercy means we can draw close to God and trust in Him to be loving and forgiving, waiting with open arms, willing to bring us back.  Sacramental Reconciliation is available to us through Confession.  There is no unforgivable sin except the sin of not believing that we can be forgiven.  This is the “sin against the Holy Spirit” – the attitude that does not give the Spirit room to act.  All we have to do is to ask for Mercy and to allow that Mercy to penetrate our hearts.

To enter into Mercy is to enter into a living relationship with God that has practical consequences.  Mercy – received and given – sets us free.  We are able to be close to God and others because of the fact that Mercy creates room for growth and change.  Mercy sustains us and changes our very way of being, because it is a quality of God.  It allows us truly to become ourselves.

The Year of Mercy will come to its official close with the Solemnity of Christ the King, November 20.  What will you take with you as the year ends?  How have you been changed by Mercy?

A Word from Your Pastor - October 30

Dear Parishioners:

The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary take us to the heights.  Through them, we are invited to contemplate the glory that God intends to share with the human race through Jesus Christ.

The Glorious Mysteries Mysteries are:

·        The Resurrection of Jesus:  The Suffering Messiah enters into His Glory in our human nature.  He is proven True.  His divinity is made evident through the power of God to overcome death.  The Risen Body of the Lord shows that our own humanity has a transcendent goal.

·        The Ascension of the Lord is that Mystery that creates the “return bridge” to God.  The Son Who became one with us through the Incarnation now takes His own Risen Humanity into God, into the divine life that is shared by the Holy Trinity.  We have a “place” in God because He Is God in God in His Risen, Glorified Human Nature.

·        The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost brings the power of God into the world anew and we are given the capacity to grow in holiness on the way to Glory.  Our human nature, now sharing divine life, is capable even in Time of receiving that life through the action of the Holy Spirit.  Mary shares in this Mystery with Jesus’ first disciples as the Church is brought to birth.

·        The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Mary’s personal sharing in the victory won by her Divine Son.  She is assumed body and soul into Heaven and receives the full fruits of the Redemption won for us.  Her unique ministry as Mother and Mediatrix is able to continue now from Eternity.

·        The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary completes the gift promised to humanity from its beginning.  The Son gives Mary the honor He is able to give her as her Son, sharing His own glory.  She is our Advocate and Intercessor before the Throne of God because she shares in the Kingdom as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

As we complete our journey through the Mysteries of the Rosary, may we learn ever more from our Blessed Mother how to respond to the offer of grace.  May we continue to grow in our understanding of the promises the Lord has made to us and may we trust that what has been promised to us will be fulfilled.

Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us!

A Word from Your Pastor - October 23

Dear Parishioners:

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary take us into the heart of the Paschal Mystery, Jesus’ pouring out of His Love for us as He gives Himself back to the Father in our human nature.  The simple fact that Jesus experienced personally human suffering to the point of death is something worth contemplating.  It tells us that the Incarnation is a complete reality.  Jesus, the Son of God, endured everything that human life offers, including all its joys and sorrows.

The Sorrowful Mysteries are:

·        The Agony in the Garden, is where Jesus enters into the moment of decision, acknowledging the Father’s Will that He accept the Cross.  In this Mystery, we see that Jesus Himself had to struggle in His human nature to conform His human will to the divine Will.  He prays for deliverance and at the same time commits to carry through as His Father wills.

·        The Scourging at the Pillar shows us how Jesus endured suffering in the flesh.  Taking our sins upon Himself, He shows His willingness to be one with us in every suffering.  “By His wounds we are healed.”  He suffers in the flesh for the sins we commit in the flesh.

·        The Crowning with Thorns is a particular poignant moment.  Jesus’ Kingship is recognized and acknowledged even as it is ridiculed.  In the declaration of Pilate “Behold the Man” (John 19:6), we see that Christ our King sums up all our human nature and is established as the New Adam.

·        The Carrying of the Cross reveals the depth of Jesus’ Love for humanity, as He stretches His human nature beyond endurance.  The encounters along the way that are called to mind in the devotion of the Stations of the Cross serve to draw us into a greater awareness of the depth of Jesus’ suffering for us.

·        The Crucifixion is the final Sorrowful Mystery, inviting us to contemplate the Lord of Glory Who loved us to the end and Who gave up His life for His friends.  Reflecting on the Seven Last Words, the Scriptural accounts of what Jesus said to those who were with Him in His final hours, can offer us a greater realization of how Jesus transforms everything, even death, “making all things new” (see Revelation 21:5).

Having passed through the Joyful, Luminous and Sorrowful Mysteries, we reach the end of life in this world and Faith opens us to the glory yet to come.  We learn from Jesus and those who accompanied Him in His final hours to accept suffering as part of life and to allow the Spirit to transform it into a means of grace for ourselves and others.

Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us!

A Word from Your Pastor - October 16

Dear Parishioners:

In this month of the Rosary, I continue reflections on the Mysteries of the Rosary to encourage us all to take advantage of this gift to the Church.  The Rosary has a history that is fascinating.  It shows that Heaven continues to work with us through time, inviting us to grow in our understanding of the Life of Jesus.

The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary were “added” to the Rosary by Saint Pope John Paul II in is Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae in October 2002.  The Holy Father proposed the addition of a new set of Mysteries to fill in the gap between the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries that move from the childhood of Jesus (the Finding in the Temple) to the Passion (the Agony in the Garden).  The new Mysteries, called Mysteries of Light or Luminous Mysteries, all refer to the public ministry of Jesus from his Baptism to the Last Supper.

The Luminous Mysteries are:

·        Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan by John, where Jesus is revealed as the Beloved Son in Whom the Father is well pleased and upon Whom the Spirit descends.
(Matthew 3:17 and parallels)

·        Jesus’ Self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana, where His disciples begin to see His Glory. (John 2:1- 12)

·        The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with the Call to Conversion.  This is the first proclamation Jesus gives after His time in the desert and the summary of the whole of His public teaching before His Passion. (Mark 1:15; Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48; and John 20:22-23)

·        The Transfiguration, which is the Mystery of Light par excellence, becaue the glory of Jesus is seen in His human nature as a dazzling light (Luke 9:35 and parallels)

·        The institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery.  This Mystery reveals the depth of Jesus’ Love and His full gift of Himself in sacrifice for our redemption.

These Mysteries invite us to reflect upon the Public Ministry of Jesus.  We discover Who He Is as the Light of the World, the One Who leads us from the darkness of sin into the Light of Life in relationship to God.

Pope John Paul II suggested that the Mysteries of Light be prayed on Thursdays.  It is noteworthy that the Pope did not impose these mysteries on anyone, but offered them as a suggestion.  They offer a way of seeing more deeply into the Mystery of the Incarnation, through which Christ makes us One with God in the joys and sorrows of our human experience and through the promise of glory.

Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us!

A Word from Your Pastor - October 9

Dear Parishioners:

The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary invite us to reflect on moments of the life of Jesus and Mary that are full of the infallible sign of the Presence of God: Joy.  In our human experience, we can know with a certainty that penetrates into our depth that God is with us when we taste the kind of delight that we call joy.

When we pray the Rosary and contemplate the Joyful Mysteries (Mondays and Saturdays), we reflect on key moments in the life of Mary as she and Joseph received Jesus into the world as our Savior. 

• The Annunciation is the moment when the Archangel Gabriel reveals to Mary that God wants her to be the mother of His Son.  Mary’s “yes” to God unites earth to Heaven and initiates the Incarnation of the Son of God, Emmanuel.

• The Visitation is an act of spontaneous charity when Mary goes to be with her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.  The encounter between these two mothers offers us words of prayer that are echoed throughout the world in the daily prayer of all believers.

• The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is the fulfillment of the promise that a Savior would be given in the line of King David.  Angels sing out the message and shepherd respond in wonder.

• The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is the moment when Mary and Joseph fulfill the Law concerning the redemption of the firstborn and when Simeon makes known to Mary how deep she would be affected – to the point of a sword of sorrow – by the life of her Son.

• The Finding in the Temple reminds us that Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived as an ordinary family, fulfilling together the dictates of the Law of Moses and that they experienced the joys and sorrows of human life together.

In our pondering of the Mysteries of the Rosary, we call to mind each Mystery as it unfolded in the life of Jesus and Mary.  Reflecting again, we can discover through our contemplation how the Mystery is experienced in the Church.  Again, as we come to know the Mystery in Faith, we begin to see how it applies to ourselves and our own human experience.

Families do well to pray the Rosary together especially while the children are young.  “The family that prays together stays together.”

The children of St. Timothy School and those in PSR and CGS learn the Mysteries and are invited to pray the Rosary together at different times.  A number of those who attend daily Mass pray each day before the 9 a.m. Mass weekdays.  The Knights of Columbus lead the Rosary once a month at the Rosary Prayer Garden (weather permitting).  How does the Rosary fit into your life of prayer?

Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us!

A Word from Your Pastor - October 2

Dear Parishioners:

October is a very active month.  We are invited to open our eyes to the beauty of Life – both in this world and the next – and to commit ourselves to respect the dignity of every person from conception to the call to the Kingdom.  We are also called to prayer, in a particular way to pray the Rosary.  The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is October 7^th, a day that commemorates the impact of united prayer on the efforts to establish peace among nations.

The witness of a family united in prayer is more crucial now than ever.  In this month of the Rosary, I invite every family to learn to pray together.  Do you have an established routine of prayer with those who share your household?  Try the Rosary.  It is truly a prayer that involves the whole person, body, mind and spirit.  It touches us heart and soul.  It draws us into a deeper relationship with Jesus and Mary and helps us to understand the ways of God in our lives.

The beads of the Rosary are held in our hands as we count our way through the Our Fathers, Hail Mary’s and Glory Be’s.  Our posture, generally kneeling or sitting attentively, take us into an attitude of prayer.  Reflecting on the Mysteries – Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious – take us through the whole reality of human life in relationship with the grace of God.  Each individual Mystery tells us about Jesus and Mary, about the Church, and about our own spiritual life.  We become ever more aware of the ways of God and that frees us to be more responsive to the Spirit’s promptings.

This month, I call you to prayer.  May you and your family grow in the spiritual bond that will see you through life’s journey.  And may we all learn how to proclaim the Gospel of Life that promotes dignity and harmony among all people.

Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us!

Focolare Word of Life for October 2016

“Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.”  (Sirach 28:2)

http://www.focolare.org/en/news/category/parola-di-vita/

A Word from Your Pastor - September 25

Dear Parishioners:

How do we need to improve in our commitment to the Gospel as the center of our life together and in our fulfillment of our responsibility to St. Timothy Church? 

Over the past few years, I have been reading and studying a lot about leadership.  One aspect of leadership that all leaders find difficult is to hold accountable people who work with them as paid co-workers and especially as volunteers.  In response to my own call and in light of the challenges that we are facing as a parish these days, I am working to be accountable to my own “duties” and I am trying to meet the challenge of holding us all accountable in the Name of Jesus to the witness we are called to share. 

I would like to invite you to reflect on your responsibility to be accountable in your choices to God and His Church as well.  If you will do this, it will certainly make my job easier!  How are you meeting the challenge of living the Gospel in your life?  When you commit to something, do you take the necessary steps to make it a real priority?  How are you responding to the call to stewardship?

Pope Francis has offered us a challenging vision for the Church.  We are meant to be a hospital on the edge of the battlefield of the world, giving comfort and hope to all who are wounded and suffering.  How do we give hope to others?  Is our witness truly a witness that is worthy of the Gospel?  When others see us, do they say, “See these Christians – how they love one another!”?

As members of Saint Timothy Church, we are to follow the example of our Patron.  We are to be men and women of God.  We are to “fight the good fight” and not be caught up in worthless battles.  We are to keep our eyes fixed on Eternity and to pass on the fullness of the Faith to the next generation.  Parents, how do you do this for your children?  Elders, are you holding strong in the face of life’s new challenges and continuing the race to the end?  Husbands and Wives, are you fulfilling your vows and cherishing one another in your Sacramental bond?  Young people, are you beginning to make the Faith you have received truly your own?

A Word from Your Pastor - September 18

Dear Parishioners:

“Go out to all the world and tell the Good News!”  This is the charge to proclaim the Gospel, the very reason for the Church to exist.  It tells us our purpose in life.  It is the Great Commission that we have received from the Risen Lord.  Jesus wants us to live so that others may come to know in Faith that He Lives forever and has the Gift of Eternal Life prepared for us.

Since this is so, Communication is at the heart of who we are called to be.  How do we communicate with one another?  There is one who tells the news, there is one who receives the news, and there is the medium or manner by which the news is told.

Each aspect of this is important.  If I want you to understand, I have to be clear about my message.  If you will truly understand, what I say has to be put in a way you can understand it.  And there has to be a clear transmission, without static or interference.

One problem we have regarding the proclamation of the Gospel is that it tells us news about the nature of the world itself.  Our own personal experience can only cover a part of the world, some limited aspect of the way things are.  So we have to use analogy, comparison, parables and stories to tell the news we have to share.

Over the past few years, in the St. Timothy community, we have shared an experience of mis-communication.  Having reviewed and reflected upon the surveys taken last Spring, it has become very clear to me that we need to go back to basics in regard to communication, to be sure that we understand one another.  So, my goals for the year are very basic: Communication, the Priority of Sunday Mass and Hospitality.

I will commit to the effort to be as clear and direct as possible.  I invite you to listen with an open heart.  When it comes to the Sunday homily, all are invited to pray, “Lord, give Your minister the homily you want me to hear; give me the ears to hear it, the heart to receive it, and the grace to put it into practice in my life.”

Let us seek the way of the Lord as we ask ourselves:  How do we communicate with the other members of the community and all who are part of St. Timothy?  What do we need to know and understand in order to meet our own responsibilities?  How can we grow together as a witness to the truth of the Gospel so that we may respond to the Great Commission?

A Word from Your Pastor - September 11

Dear Parishioners:

The events of 9-11-2001 forever mark the current generation of America, even though those who are now in High School and younger will have no memory of that day.  I recall it vividly, as the realization of what was happening unfolded for all of us in the midst of what appeared to be an ordinary day of School where I was at Blessed Sacrament in Newark.  The parish secretary told me to watch the news on television.  As I watched, it became clare to me that I needed to say something to our children, teachers and staff in our school.  As I walked over toward the school, a member of the staff met me in the playground and I made the decision to invite the whole community to the church to pray.  I sent out an email to parishioners inviting them as well. 

We gathered in record time and I set up for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  I led the children in praying the Rosary and invited the upper grades to lead each decade.  I told the children that they would need to carry a message to their parents: that God would be with us no matter what happened and that we would be all right.  Of course, I was near tears as I offered this Word of the Lord, but I spoke from the heart and they heard me.

It was very moving in the weeks ahead to see how many turned to Faith to find strength during that time.  The churches were full.  We prayed for those affected by the terrorism and for those who were fearful in the face of it.  It was sad that this condition did not stay on course.  Everything has changed.  But it has all gone “back to normal” and, in fact, is now even worse than before.  Statistics say that there is a whole new class of persons among the current generation that consider themselves “Nones,” that is, not having any religious affiliation.  In the past, some drifted away from church during high school and college, but then returned after Marriage or when children were born.  That is not so any longer.  They leave and do not come back.  Some now are raised without any religious education at all because their parents have no interest in it.

Jesus asked a question: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find any Faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)  This question is a serious question.  How do we help to ensure that there is Faith among us and our children?  Two simple answers: we live our Faith, making Sunday Mass a priority, and we invite others to join us in learning about the Faith.  We must communicate Faith in a way that it can be understood – by a living witness.  We must hold ourselves accountable by at least a weekly “checking in” with the Master.  And we must welcome others to share the Faith by our evident joy in a living relationship with Jesus.

Let us pray for one another, that we may be the disciples that the Lord calls us to be.  May we open our hearts to God’s grace and be generous in our response to His call.

A Word from Your Pastor - September 4

Dear Parishioners:

Labor Day weekend is always the sign that Summer is really over.  As we begin the next season, I want to share with you three areas I hope we will all work on together this year: Communication, Making Sunday Mass a priority in our common life, and Hospitality. 

We are seeking to discover a way to attend more closely to God’s plan for our Parish and to ensure that all of our activities are directed by the Will of God for us.  This means that we must make a commitment individually and all together to be intentional in our discipleship.  We must commit and follow through.  We are responsible to and responsible for one another.

Our Patron, St. Timothy, was a young disciple of St. Paul and he worked closely with Paul on the Mission of Evangelization, making the Gospel known to others.  He was faithful through a long life to the call he had received and to the tasks entrusted to him by St. Paul.  He fanned into flame the Gift of Faith and he persevered until the end and fought the good fight, accepting martyrdom at an elderly age.  Our Parish calls us all to live in accord with the example of St. Timothy.  To the King of Ages, the Invisible, the Immortal, the Only God Be Honor and Glory forever and ever!

As the year unfolds, I will come back to these themes again and again: Communication, Sunday Mass, and Hospitality, following in the footsteps of St. Timothy.  I invite every group in our Parish and School and every family who walks the journey of Faith with us to be part of this endeavor.

This week, enjoy the family time that Labor Day allows.  Make plans, too, to be part of the Blue Mass to honor those who give of themselves courageously to keep us all safe.

A Word from Your Pastor - August 28

Dear Parishioners:

As a community of believers, we are pledged to God and to one another to take responsibility for living the Faith we profess and for sharing that Faith with others. This is our true “job,” our reason for being.  While living in the world, we are not of the world, that is, this world that is passing around us.  We are destined for Eternity, and this has to be the guiding principle for all that we do.

The world around us belongs to God.  It is His Creation.  It is good.  It is beautiful.  As God created it, it is true.  As human beings, we are created connatural to the Truth.  That is, the Truth fits us as God created us to be.  We fit the Truth.  When we are in accord with Truth, God said that we are “very good.”  Sin has introduced a distortion into the world and this makes things more complicated.

Our mind, our intellects, our capacity to make judgments about what is true and good are distorted and confused.  We reach for apparent, temporary goods and we find that they do not satisfy our hearts.  Only God, Who IS Goodness Himself, satisfies.  As St. Augustine reminds us, God has made us for Himself and our hearts are restless until they rest in God.

 The challenge we face now is to live in a world that is actively pursuing a path that tries to leave God entirely out of the equation, as if God’s participation in His own creation is an optional part of the world’s existence.  We can be duped.  If we think that we are the authors of our own being, rather than co-creators with God, we are destined for nothing but dissatisfaction with our very selves and with the world around us.

On the other hand, when we choose to cooperate with God’s grace and to work with Him to establish a resting place for His Goodness in our world, we are capable of doing greater things than we can every ask or imagine.  When we are humble and accept God’s gifts to us as gifts, as an undeserved sharing in His Love, we receive great riches, wealth untold.  We begin to approach the City of Zion, the dwelling place of the Living God.  This is our reward for true discipleship.  May our hearts be open to such grace!

A Word from Your Pastor - August 21

Dear Parishioners:

This week, I will be away for a few days to experience something new.  A seminary classmate of mine will be ordained as a bishop in Boston.  Fr. Bob Reed, who has served in the Archdiocese of Boston, will be one of two ordained to the episcopacy to serve as auxiliary bishops in Boston. Bishop Elect Reed has been the directory of The Catholic TV Network in Boston, so I liken him to a modern-day Bishop Fulton Sheen.  I look forward to the chance to connect with some of my seminary classmates as we rejoice with our brother.

If you want to watch the event yourself, you can do so at this link:

http://ordination2016.com/home/broadcast-information/

This Wednesday, St. Timothy School will open its doors for a new School year.  We welcome back all our returning students and staff and pray that we will have a great year together.  Summer went by very quickly to say the least!  To those who are new among us, we offer a warm welcome and thanks for joining the St. Timothy family.

Remember that our St. Timothy School Mission Statement is this:

Live in Faith.

Love and Serve.

Learn for Life.

We are first a Community of Faith and we are called to reach out to others in need, sharing the Love God has for us.  This is a life-long project.  What begins here and now opens us to Eternity.

Parents, remember that the students you entrust to us need your witness as well.  When you throw in your lot with us to live and love and learn, they “catch” the Faith and Values we seek to share.  The mind can be given information, but only heart-felt practice of the Faith forms us as true disciples of Jesus Christ.  Let us live and love and learn together as we grow in the ways of Faith.

A Word from Your Pastor - August 14

Dear Parishioners:

This week is one of the last open weeks before School begins again.  We are saying our fond farewell to Deacon Dan Olvera.  It is hard to believe that his time with us is coming to its close.  He will be spending some time with his family and then will head back to the Seminary in Boston where he will complete his final year before priestly ordination.  We wish him well and thank him for his efforts among us through the summer.

As Deacon Dan leaves, I want to take the opportunity to invite you all to two simple tasks in regard to support of Vocations to the Priesthood for the Diocese of Columbus. 

First, make a commitment to remember Deacon Dan Olvera in your prayers throughout this year.  He will return next May to be the only priest ordained for the Diocese of Columbus in 2017.  Make plans now to be present for his ordination at St. Joseph Cathedral May 27, 2017.  Since he is the only one to be ordained, there will be plenty of room in the Cathedral and so this is a chance to see one of the most impressive ceremonies of our Church.  Have you managed to experience all Seven Sacraments of the Church?  If you have never directly witnessed the Sacrament of Holy Orders, this is your chance to do so!

Second, take the opportunity now to suggest the priesthood to boys among us who show an aptitude for caring service.  We have been blessed at St. Timothy Church to have many priests assigned to St. Timothy or in residence with us through our more than fifty years.  We have also had many seminarian interns assigned to work with us through the years.  We are happy that our own Jonathan Smith is advancing in his studies for the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia.  Let’s continue to seek out those who can follow the example that has been set.

The Serra Club has an annual picnic for priests and seminarians every August.  This past week as I attended that event, I was happy to find among our Columbus seminarians two who were grade school students at Blessed Sacrament School in Newark when I was Pastor there.  My prayer is that many St. Timothy youth will also hear the call to serve and be the Priests, Religious Sisters and Brothers, and Deacons who will respond to the grace God is offering in the years ahead.  They can do so only with the support of their families and parishioners to point out the possibilities.

Monday will be the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Since it falls on a Monday, the obligation for Mass is dispensed, but the Feast is still celebrated.  We will have a morning Mass (9 a.m.) and an evening Mass (6 p.m.) to honor our Blessed Mother.  Come with your family to make your Mother proud!

A Word from Your Pastor - August 7

Dear Parishioners:

The Gospel is an invitation.  We have to face two very difficult truths in our time:  First, the Gospel, which was once a “public” bedrock in our culture has been systematically rooted out as a foundation.  At times, we are not even permitted to speak the Name of God without facing rejection.  Second, we, as a community of believers have not as yet created a witness in the world that is strong and clear enough to win the world to Christ.  Our unity is not always evident.  Many of our actions work against unity.

This is not an easy admission to make.  But it is necessary, or we cannot hope to move forward.  We are blessed, because the Lord has chosen us to be His own.  How do we share this blessing?  Abraham was called to leave a place where he was comfortable and to move to a place unknown to him.  We are now invited to put our trust in the same Lord Who led Abraham to the land of Canaan in promise of giving that Land to his descendants.  When the Spirit leads, and we follow, God’s purpose is made ever more clear.

At St. Timothy, we have learned to acknowledge that we are called to be a welcoming community.  Some have experienced that welcome.  There are others who are looking for it, but have not yet found it.  We are to promote God’s glory – indeed His “greater glory” – by seeking to grow in our capacity to welcome and to live ever more truly a deeper spirit of welcome to all we meet.  We are called to give willing service to one another as brothers and sisters, united in heart and mind, as we pray calling God “Our Father.”

Jesus gives us fair warning:  “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”  No one can doubt that we are entrusted with much.  Much more is required of us than what we are already giving.  We cannot stay where we are.  We must grow.  We must be ready to take a journey to a place we do not yet know.  Are you willing to go?

A Word from Your Pastor - July 31

Dear Parishioners:

As July comes to its close, we are all wondering just where the Summer has gone.  We begin again all too soon to gear up for our busy Fall schedule.  In the meantime, it is important to take stock of what is most important in our lives in order to be able to discern direction as the busy-ness comes.  We have to remind ourselves of our priorities.

As Catholic Christians, there is no priority greater than our Faith in God and the connection to God that being members of the Church makes possible.  That has to be center of our lives.  We must be ready and willing to live for our Faith, and to die for our Faith, if we find ourselves confronted by the circumstances that warrant it.  How we choose to live our time in the ordinary “busy-ness” in our lives will set the pattern we will follow when things get difficult.  This Summer, we have heard of many who have been unexpectedly attacked due to their Faith and of so many who have lost their lives in the clashes of culture that are all around us.  As we enjoy what remains of Summer’s leisurely pace, let us renew our commitment to one another to put Jesus Christ at the center and our willingness to live and die for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

St. Ignatius of Loyola’s prayer is a fitting way to renew this covenant with God: 

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace.
That is enough for me.

In our daily “routine,” it is possible to set a pattern of response and to discern our actions based on priorities we have chosen.  If God is our Ideal, our First Choice, then we want to please Him in everything.  We avoid sin and pursue virtue because we love God first and best.  For those who share the covenant relationship created by the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, your spouse is first after God.  Then comes your family, and all the other host of relationships and responsibilities that are given to you in your personal state of life.  If we keep these thoughts in mind, many other decisions are made easier, even if they are harder to put into practice.  God is with us through His Spirit and in the community of the Church, to build us up and free us ever more to belong to Him.

A Word from Your Pastor - July 24

Dear Parishioners:

The Gospel reminds us that God is interested in hearing from us.  Jesus invites us to ask, seek and knock, and He tells us that we will receive, find and have doors opened to us.  In other words, He teaches us that we must be engaged by “getting involved” with our own salvation.  God has the power and He has the gifts He wants to give, but He has set things us to allow it all to flow only if we are open.

We are called not to judge our enemies, but to intercede.  Abraham has a face-to-face encounter with God as he prays for the territory of Sodom and Gomorrah, where His nephew Lot lived.  In the end, God saves Lot and his family (though Lot’s wife is lost by her failure to obey) for the sake of Abraham.  We have a relationship with God that is more intimate than that of Abraham because Jesus has taught us to call God Father.

Perseverance in prayer and persistence in asking, seeking and knocking at the door, are effective because they dispose us to be open to God’s will, which we pray is done “on earth as it is in Heaven.”  Prayer is the heart of the life of a Christian.  When we are too busy to pray, we are too busy.  When we pray, we find that God gives us the time to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine.

Unity of mind and heart come from prayer together.  May we find such unity among us that world will discover through our witness the truth of the Gospel.  Unity is a Gift from God.  It requires a Commitment on our part.  And we must see it as a Goal that will not be accomplished fully until all experience welcome.

Let us pray that all unity may one day be restored.  And they’ll know we are Christians by our love…..

A Word from Your Pastor - July 17

Dear Parishioners:

As I have shared with you in the past several years, I have found great support through a connection with the Focolare Movement, one of the new developments in the Catholic Church that includes all the diverse members of the Church in a spirituality of Unity.  I first met the Focolare (pronounced “FOH-koh-La-Ray”) as a student in Rome during my years of seminary. 

This movement had its beginnings in Trent during the Second World War.  A group of young women decided together that they wanted to take God as Love the Ideal by which they would live no matter what happened.  They told one another that they were willing to die for one another - taking the example of Jesus Himself in the Gospels, as He teaches about the Vine: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:3).  “We looked each other in the face and each one declared; ‘I am ready to give my life for you.’”  When they began to live this way, what they named “the Pact of Mutual Love,” they began to experience the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that He would be with them since they were gathered in His Name.  With “Jesus in their midst,” they began to know a growing sense of a call to service and to work to build unity in the world.

The willingness to die for one another in Jesus’ Name is the hallmark of Christian Love.  You may read more about the story of the beginnings of the Focolare Movement that speaks of the "Pact of Mutual Love" here:

 http://www.focolare.org/en/chiara-lubich/spiritualita-dellunita/amore-reciproco/

The Focolare Movement has been given formal approval by the Catholic Church.  Chiara Lubich, the Foundress, worked closely with several Popes, including Pope Saint John Paul II on this.  She was instrumental through the years in drawing various religious leaders together across denominations and religions.  Even people of good will with no religious affiliation are associated with the work of the Focolare.

I share this with you now because this weekend, I am participating in a Focolare gathering called a “Mariapolis,” that is a “City of Mary,” in Valparaiso, Indiana.  This is a kind of retreat, shared by members of the Movement and others who want to share an experience of unity.  I will be praying for you and ask you to pray for me and all who are part of the Mariapolis.  I hope that the fruit of Unity will be able to overflow into our life together at St. Timothy Church.

In my absence, St. Timothy Church welcomes the Missionary Appeal for Our Blessed Mother of Victory Mission that cares for the most disadvantaged Filipino children.  I know you will be welcoming and generous in your response.

A Word from Your Pastor - July 10

Dear Parishioners:

When folks think of St. Timothy Parish, many speak of the experience of the Festival.  It is old home weekend with a gathering of folks from all over for fun and simple enjoyment of being together.  This time is always a highlight of the summer for us at St. Timothy.  It also begins a countdown of festivals in our neighborhood parishes throughout the rest of the summer.

I offer thanks to the teams who put on the Festival, coordinated by Joe Lorenz and a group of leaders who oversee all the volunteers and the details needed to put it all together and then to take it all apart for next year.  Your efforts are deeply appreciated by the whole community.

As we observe the fun of the weekend and then the annual “miracle on the green” that makes it all disappear, let’s set our sights on next year.  The Festival for 2017 will be July 14-15.  Put it on your calendar now so you won’t miss it!

The Gospel calls us to love our neighbor as a sign that God is first in our lives.  When we respond to the invitation to follow Jesus, we are called into a deeper relationship with Him.  He draws us into His way of loving and we have something beautiful to offer to our brothers and sisters.  May the joy of this weekend keep us mindful of the call to live so we may inherit everlasting life.