A Word from Your Pastor February 17

Dear Parishioners:

We feel blessed about things that please us and we cry “woe” about the things we don’t like.  Jesus invites us to think differently.  Our measure is the problem.  How we see is the problem.  What we set as our goal or aim in life is the problem.  If we have the eyes to see it, everything is a grace from God.

God invites us to broaden our vision.  When we settle for less than God’s vision, we miss an opportunity.  Everything this side of Heaven is provisional.  God calls us to discover Who He IS and who we are first, because that is what will last.  Prayer draws us into a relationship with God that serves to keep us growing.

February is often a time of year when we feel like we are in a rut.  Gray skies.  Snow.  Rain.  Clouds and darkness.  This is Ohio, after all.  But the truth is that we can see beyond the clouds.  The sun is always there.  Sometimes, it peaks through and raises our spirits.

This weekend, we experience something else that ought to lift us out of the doldrums.  Bishop Frederick F. Campbell is with us for the Sacrament of Confirmation for our 8^th Graders at the Noon Mass.  This will be his last visit with us as our Bishop.  We welcome him heartily and thank him for all that he has done through the years for St. Timothy Parish and for the Diocese of Columbus.  We wish him well on his new ventures.

We have been a parish that has had Bishop Campbell present to us at least twice a year every year – for Confirmation in the winter months and for the Blue Mass in the Fall.  At least a couple of years we had him for three visits.  Who can forget our 50^th Anniversary Celebration in November 2011, where we also inaugurated the new English version of the Mass and had the Bishop bless our Rosary Prayer Garden?

If you have an opportunity this month, it might be a nice idea to send a message of thanks to Bishop Campbell.  We will welcome his successor, Bishop Robert Brennan, in March.  The installation of the new bishop will be March 29.  In the meantime, pray for the Diocese of Columbus and all its people as we experience this time of transition.

May we open our hearts to all the blessings God bestows on us and respond to the Gift of the Spirit by proclaiming the Good News to all we meet.