A Word from Your Pastor - January 27

Dear Parishioners:

The Feast of our Patron Saint Timothy was celebrated Saturday, January 26.  Each year, we have a special prayer that all members of our Parish and School Community are invited to keep in mind and to pray frequently throughout the year.  The prayer for 2019 is as follows:

May the Spirit of the Living God form us as a community of Prayer whose witness shines clearly to our children and to the world, inviting all who share life with us to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to draw close to Him through the Sacramental Life of the Church.

As a parish and school, we want to respond to the action of the Holy Spirit Who teaches us how to pray, sustaining us in the practice of our Faith.  In particular, we want to live the Sacramental Life in such a way that our children grow in a living relationship with God through Faith.  All of us are called to be witnesses, to our children and to the world, of the truth of the Gospel.

Every member and every family of our parish and school are invited to join us in this prayer and to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He moves in us and among us.  Please take this prayer to your own personal prayer and to gatherings of the groups and organizations of our parish and school in which you take part.  Come, Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us!

A Word from Your Pastor January 20

Dear Parishioners:

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, shows us how to live in relationship to her Son in a manner that is faithful to His role as our Savior.  She sees human need, brings it to Him, and then lets go.  “Do whatever He tells you.”  Her purpose is to bring us to her Son.

Faithful to Mary’s example, we need to pay attention to the world around us.  We are invited to be a part of something and it is our role to bring Jesus with us.  It is easy enough to see that the world is in need of a Savior.  Our own part in bringing salvation to the world is more subtle.  It is very personal.  It is discovered as it happens in us.

The Spirit gives gifts to each soul according to God’s design.  Discovering our gifts and putting them at the service of others is a life-long task.  It is never too soon to begin to learn what is our unique contribution.  Nor is it ever too late to ask just what we may be able to bring to the table.  The Holy Spirit will guide us, if we are open to His impulse.

Here are a few clues:  What do you find comes spontaneously to your mind when you enter into prayer?  As soon as you move past your own desires, what do you want for others?  What do others ask of you?  Is there something that you find they always ask you to do or to offer, even when there is someone else who seems (to you at least) to be more qualified to give it?

Our God is a personal God, infinitely Personal.  The Holy Spirit tailors gifts to each unique soul in virtue of the place that soul has in the Body of Christ.  Scripture lists many gifts, but we don’t find our gift on a list or by asking for it as if from a catalogue.  Instead, we must listen, watch and learn as we live our Faith in the world that is being redeemed by the grace of Jesus Christ.

As one means for discovering the gifts we have for one another, I invite you to join the Christ-Life program that starts next Sunday evening.  Join with your brothers and sisters to learn more about our Catholic Faith and to share what God has entrusted to you for them.  Hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit in your heart, and do whatever He tells you.

A Word from Your Pastor January 13 - Baptism of the Lord

Dear Parishioners:

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord brings to a close the cycle of the Seasons of the Incarnation, Advent and Christmas.  At the same time, it opens us to the first part of the Season known as Ordinary Time.  This will last until Ash Wednesday (March 6) and will then begin again after the great Lent-Easter-Pentecost cycle.

The name “Ordinary Time” does not come from the idea of time being “ordinary.”  Rather, it comes from the simple count, using the “ordinal numerals”: first, second, third, etc., in sequence.  “Ordinary Time” in the Liturgical Calendar is a time of growth.  We celebrate the same Mysteries that are highlighted by the great seasons of the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery.  God is with us through Time.  Jesus Christ lived, suffered, died and rose from the dead to accomplish our salvation.

Living in Time, we learn to ponder on the Mysteries in order to prepare for our plunging into them when Eternity beckons.  As we recall the Baptism of the Lord, it is good for us to renew our awareness of the vows of our own Baptism.  These are expressed first when we receive the Sacrament of Baptism and then we renew them each Easter.  We also express our Faith each Sunday and Holy Day with the Creed.

Baptism makes us children of God and opens the doorway to the Sacramental Life.  It is a commitment and a promise of Life.

Here is the formula for Baptismal Vows:

Priest/Deacon: Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God's children?  Response: I do.

Priest/Deacon: Do you reject the glamor of evil, and refuse to be mastered by sin?  Response: I do.

Priest/Deacon: Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness? Response: I do.

Priest/Deacon: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?  Response: I do.

Priest/Deacon: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?  Response: I do.

Priest/Deacon: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?  Response: I do.

Priest/Deacon: This is our Faith. This is the Faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

May the Holy Spirit form us as a community of believers, one in mind and heart, with Jesus, the Lord!

A Word from Your Pastor January 6, 2019 - Epiphany

Dear Parishioners:

The Solemnity of the Epiphany is a call to rejoice in the gift of Salvation offered and proclaimed to all the nations.  We are reminded that the Good News is meant for the whole world, not for us alone.  St. Paul speaks of the Mystery that was made known that the Christ was sent not for the Jewish people alone, but also for the Gentiles.  We who have received the glad tidings are charged to be ambassadors of God, making known to everyone the wondrous mercy that creates the possibility for us to be one with our God and with all whom He has chosen to be His own.

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, the gifts of the Magi, symbolize the truth that Christ is King, God and the One Who gives Himself to God as a sacrifice for our redemption.  The arrival of this feast on the 12^th Day of Christmas tells us that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promises of the prophets and of the longings of human hearts.

Those who are able to visit Bethlehem for themselves will see an ancient church, the Basilica of the Nativity, which serves to unite us across the centuries with all who have adored Him, Christ the Lord, in the wondrous Mystery of His Birth.  Like the Magi, we are sent home to live the truths revealed to us and to carry the gift of the Redeemer to all we encounter.

May we open our hearts to the Joy that comes to the world because the Lord has come.  May we offer to the Baby in the Manger the gift of our response.  Our treasures become more valuable when we offer them to the One Who can multiply their effects.  Our worship of Him as the Son of God, the Word made flesh, deepens our realization of the meaning of our own lives and the purpose for which we were created.  Acceptance of the necessity of sacrifice unites our suffering to the salvific passion of the Lord, who came to give His Life as a ransom for the many.

Recall that the Christmas season continues another full week until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord.  For those who wish to hold onto it a bit longer, the 40 days from Christmas until February 2^nd, the Presentation of the Lord, is another observance that is traditional, especially among religious communities.  Let’s enjoy the fullness of the Season of the Incarnation and continue to adore Christ the Lord.  This Mystery frees us to live the full and joyful life that our God wants to share with us and with the whole world.

A Word from Your Pastor December 30

Dear Parishioners:

The Feast of the Holy Family puts front and center the “place” where God has chosen to intervene in the life of human beings.  He did not come from the outside.  He entered right where we are.  The love shared among members of a family is intended to mirror the inner Life of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Human beings discover who they are through the life of the family.

On this feast, it has been my custom since the first years of my priestly ministry to offer a special family blessing after the weekend Masses.  I always love to see how families enjoy being together for this blessing.  It doesn’t matter how things are going among the members; the blessing touches each one and all together.  The little children are most careful to ensure that the blessing covers all the members and doesn’t go further.  When individuals come forward, it is heartwarming to see how they are welcomed into other families as the blessing is imparted.

The Christian Community is the Family of God.  It is our responsibility in the world to show the world the joy that comes from participation in the very Life of God.  Through us and in us, God extends the invitation to become part of His family to all people of good will.  As we receive blessings with and on behalf of our families, may we become a blessing to all the nations.

May we live together as the Holy Family of Nazareth, united in heart and mind.  May the world discover the power of our Faith in Christ Jesus to bring about the healing and unity needed in our time.