A Word from Your Pastor - March 15 Lent IV

Dear Parishioners:

Everyone who watches a ball game on television knows that there is one Scripture verse quoted more often than any other:  John 3:16.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

John 3:17, which follows immediately after this, is also worthy to be noted:  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

God is all about loving and saving the world through His Son Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Light of the world.  He is the One Who reveals to us the Mercy and Love of God and God’s desire to make Himself known to us.  We are blind to the real meaning of our lives and of everything we experience if we have not yet come to see Who Jesus is.  This is also so if we have not come to realize that God wants us to share in His love for the world.

So many things that are happening these days are causing us to lose sight of what is central.  Can we find a way to renew our awareness of who God calls us to be?

Salvation is offered to all.  Not all will respond, but we who are among the People of God and who know of the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ are responsible to do all we can to pass on our Faith.  When we keep Eternity in our sights, the struggles of Time are more bearable and we are free to cling to Hope.

A Word from Your Pastor - March 8 Lent III

Dear Parishioners:

Lent is moving right along.  The Third Sunday of Lent reminds us of our thirst for God.  Zeal for God’s House consumes Jesus as He purifies the Temple in preparation for the revelation of His Glory.  We are called to allow that purification to take place in us.

The Ten Commandments are given to us to teach us how we belong to God and how our lives are meant to be ordered.  God must be first in our lives.  We must not approach God without awareness of the reverence due to His Name.  We are to keep holy the Sabbath – creating room for God in our use of time. 

Honoring our father and mother is the only commandment that includes a promise: that we will have a long life.  The commands not to kill, not to abuse our sexuality, not to steal and not to tell untruths relate to our cooperation with human society.  The commandments not to covet others’ spouses and others’ material goods point to the call to interiorize the whole list of commandments.

This week, we will have our Parish Lenten Penance Service.  It is an opportunity for us to “clean house” in preparation for Easter.  The experience of the Lenten times of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving has made known our need for God.  Hearing the story of the Passion through the performance of “The People of the Passion” has brought home to us all that Jesus did for us and the Love God has for us in sending His Son to die and rise for us.  May we respond to the graces that are offered now.  Come to Confession with your family.

All are invited to our Parish Lenten Penance Service, this Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m.
Come to allow the Lord to clean house in your heart.

The Pilgrim Statue visitation program at St. Timothy Parish

Would you like to invite Jesus Christ into your home through His Mother?

The Pilgrim Statue visitation program has been available to members of Holy Family Parish for over 2 years. The families report receiving many graces, especially a sense of peace during the time the statue stayed in their homes. Now this is available to the any member of St. Timothy. Sign up today for a home visitation of the Pilgrim Statue of Mary.  

For further information, contact Kathy Fulop at katful1425@yahoo.com or 614-690-6305.

Papal Pilgrimage to Philadelphia

 Women's Club is sponsoring the Papal Pilgrimage to Philadelphia for the World family meeting on September 24th- Sept 27th. This journey includes 3 hotel stays, 2 meals/day and sightseeing, all via air-conditioned, restroom-equipped charter buses. We will attend the Papal Mass (with 1-2 million friends) and return in the wee hours Sunday night/ Monday Am. First come, first served! We already have ten out-of-parish requests, so act quickly!

Our World Meeting of Families event is now available for online registration:

Please use this link: http://groupminder.com/internet/resEvt.cfm?cstId=101&evtId=57&evtName=St%2E%20Timothy%20Church.

A Word from Your Pastor - March 1 Lent II

Dear Parishioners:

The human being is intended by God to experience Glory.  This is part of God’s salvific will for all of us.  We are to be sharers in Divine Life and in Jesus Christ we see Divine Life lived humanly.  The Transfiguration of Jesus in the presence of His most intimate disciples, Peter, James and John, is a revelation of the Glory that is in Him, experience in His humanity just a short time before His Passion and Death.  It serves as a reminder that God is alive in us, present in our world and at the very core of our being.  A glimpse of Glory is a source of strength that frees us to endure whatever happens in the world due to our limitations, whether caused by mere human weakness or by our choice of sin.  God can accomplish in us more than we can ever ask or imagine.

As we continue our journey through Lent, we are invited to seek the Glory of God above all else.  All our decisions and choices must put God first.  When we come to realize all that we are considering more important than God, we must become humble and ask to see the world as God sees it.

The Transfiguration was an intimate moment of prayer for Jesus, as He meets Moses and Elijah to converse about what is going to happen to Him.  He chose to share this moment with His closest disciples, knowing full well that they would not yet grasp its meaning.  As they go down the mountain, after this truly “peak” experience, He tells them not to speak about it until after the Resurrection.  Only then will understanding dawn on them.  Much of our lives is like that.  We only understand after we have lived what God offers.

May we open our hearts to accept the grace and the tastes of Glory that God gives to us through Jesus Christ.  May our hearts be ready to respond to the Love that calls us to walk the journey to Calvary with Jesus so that the world may come to know the salvation that is ours through Him.

A Word from Your Pastor - February 22 Lent I

Dear Parishioners:

The Temptation of Jesus is a sobering reality.  As St. Mark puts it, Jesus “remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” Following this experience, He came out of the Desert with the First Proclamation of the Gospel. “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Encounter with God involves meeting both the beast and the angel.  At times, this may be outside ourselves.  But we must also admit that within our own hearts are the earth-bound and the vision of Eternity. 

Native Americans tell the story of two wolves:  An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life...  "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. 

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 
"Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

Jesus’ response to this battle going on inside and outside of us is to confront it in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The move of the Spirit leads us then to go beyond where we have been, to seek fulfillment in a living relationship with God, acknowledging His rule over us.  God must be first in our lives or we are not on the road to the Kingdom.  We must repent, that is, change our minds, re-think, see from God’s perspective rather than the way the world sees.  The Gospel tells us that the world is destined for more, for something greater, for something beyond our imagining.

As we journey through Lent, may we face temptation with courage and learn to trust more fully in the grace of God to see us through.

A Word from Your Pastor - February 15

Dear Parishioners:

Lent is coming!  This Wednesday, we will enter into a time of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.  It is meant to be a time of opening our hearts more and more to God’s grace so that we surrender to His action in our lives.

I invite you to decide to live the best Lent ever this year.  Choose as an individual and as a family to center all your activities on your relationship with Jesus. 

Pray.  Pick up the Rosary.  Do a Divine Mercy Chaplet.  Read the Bible.  Memorize prayers of your favorite Saint.  Attend Stations of the Cross with your family.  Spend time on Wednesday for Adoration.  Go to a daily Mass once a week as well as Sunday Mass.

Fast.  Go ahead and give up chocolate or some other favorite food this year.  Turn off the television or your favorite gadget.  Change how you respond to daily frustrations.  Open your mind and heart to a different way of thinking.

Give Alms.  Increase your stewardship for the Season of Lent.  Pick a new charity that needs your support.  Spend time with someone who would be lifted up by your presence.  Give of yourself in a way that costs you personally.

Ask the Lord to make known to you how to live this Lent.

Catholic Lenten Regulations

1) Abstinence on all the Fridays of Lent, and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• No meat may be eaten on days of abstinence.
• Catholics 14 years and older are bound to abstain from meat. Invalids, pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt.

2) Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• Fasting means having only one full meal to maintain one's strength. Two smaller, meatless and penitential meals are permitted according to one's needs, but they should not together equal the one full meal. Eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.
• Catholics from age 18 through age 59 are bound to fast. Again, invalids, pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt.

A Word from Your Pastor - February 8

Dear Parishioners:

This past week I was present at the deathbed of Msgr. Thomas Bender, a priest of the Diocese of Columbus.  He had asked me to serve as his Power of Attorney and other roles in case of need.  He was the last Pastor I had as Associate Pastor, when I served at St. Joan of Arc Parish 1993-1995.  He was a gentle soul, a loving shepherd of his flock.  He helped me in my priesthood to see Parish as a Family.  It was truly a privilege to accompany him in this final journey.  May he rest in peace and may the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.  His funeral Mass will take place Wednesday, February 11, and I have been asked to preach the homily.  Please keep me in your prayers as I take up this responsibility.

Being present to “Father Tom” and being able to offer him the Sacramental touches that the Church supplies in preparation for death brought home to me several things.  First, the Catholic Church has something to offer that really does serve to “take us home” to God.  The prayers and the Sacraments are strength and consolation for those who receive them and for those who have the privilege to administer them.  Second, all the other matters that cause us distress in Time truly fade into the background when we keep Eternity in mind.  Third, the Lord is truly faithful to those who love Him.

A number of families in our parish are experiencing similar moments in the lives of loved ones.  Many have lost members of their families and some are now facing illnesses that will soon call them to the Kingdom.  We are invited to put our trust in the Good Shepherd Who will lead us to green pastures, both in Time and in Eternity.  We keep these members in our prayers and ask them to carry awareness of our needs to God as they go forth from this life.

If you have family members in need of the Sacraments, please let us know.  Anointing of the Sick is available at any time for those facing a serious illness, surgery, or the burdens of age.  The Last Anointing includes special prayers and an opportunity to renew Baptismal Vows.  Reconciliation as death approaches includes Absolution with the Apostolic Pardon, a special blessing at the end of life.  The formal “Last Rite” is the final reception of Eucharist, called Viaticum, “Food for the journey.”  Often priests offer those approaching death “the triple-A treatment”: Absolution, Apostolic Pardon and Anointing.

Don’t miss out on everything that the Church has to offer.  Catholics are truly blessed to know the love of the Good Shepherd so personally through these consoling Sacraments.  Every Mass we attend and every Hail Mary we pray throughout our lives is present in the hour of our death.

This Sunday, we welcome Bishop Campbell for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  May the Holy Spirit guide our newly confirmed and their families to live the Catholic Faith fully, as disciples of the Good Shepherd.  May their lives be a sign of the Joy of the Gospel and a witness to all of the truth of our Faith.

A Word from Your Pastor - February 1

A Word from Your Pastor

Dear Parishioners:

This week, I have just one short message, which was presented at the Parish Council Meeting this past week:

  “In the simplest terms possible, I have to say
 that I believe Jesus, the Good Shepherd,
is asking me as your Pastor to lead St. Timothy Parish
to place Catechesis at the center of our life as Parish and School,
and that the project we are engaged in comes not from me or anyone else
but from the Good Shepherd Himself. The timing is His, not ours.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will develop full plan
in concert with all who are interested in helping.
The Diocese of Columbus has given us approval to seek funding
and to begin to make more concrete plans;
they will guide us along to ensure that the project does not interfere
with all that a parish and a school must accomplish.”

We will plan to have Town Hall Meetings to discuss the plans for developing the St. Timothy Good Shepherd Catechetical Center on Wednesday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m. (following Ash Wednesday Mass) and Tuesday, February 24 at 6:00 p.m. (to be followed by 7 p.m. Mass.  All are invited to participate.

The areas that will need input are:

·        Prayer Team – Prayer Warriors

·        Public Relations, Communication and Announcements in support of building a consensus in the whole community of parish and school

·        Fundraising to cover the cost without interfering with operating funds

·        Reclamation of Space and Planning for Needed Storage

·        Construction and Outfitting of Atriums and other Rooms, developing the concrete project plan

All are invited to participate.  Where do you see yourself?  Who in the community has the skills and vision to address these needs?

Focolare Word of Life for February 2015

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7)

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