A Word from Your Pastor - October 18

Dear Parishioners:

As the Church continues her efforts to discover the best way to promote the life of the family, the fundamental building block of our society, it is useful for us to reflect on how ages past have seen family life.  For most cultures, it was recognized without any question that the best way to succeed was to have good family connections.  “Arranged marriages” were really an effort to take advantage of the unity that family brings to the advantage of both families of origin.  We look askance at this from our vantage point of the choice of the parties involved in the marriage, but the truth is that when families are compatible, there is a greater likelihood of success in a marriage.

St. Augustine in his Confessions looks back on his own meandering path and suggests that even in his day there was a motivation toward marriage and family that was ignored to one’s peril.  To marry could be to reach for a sense of “honor” that could be earned “by fulfilling the duties of a well-ordered marriage and raising a family.”  When one married instead due to lust or out of habit, the higher purposes of marriage were obscured.

In our time, we are being invited by the Church to renew commitment to being members of God’s Family and to living our own family life in the image of God through mutuality of respect and love open to God’s grace.  Young people, Pope Francis says, should not be afraid to embark on the adventure of marriage and raising a family.  The family is meant to be a school of love and to teach each member how to be sacrificial in giving of oneself to others.

Pope Francis in his homespun way tells tales of family life and invites us to love one another in practical ways.  Saint Pope John Paul II wrote much on family life through his long papacy.  We can learn much from these patriarchs in our church family.  Bishop Campbell has begun a series of talks about marriage and family that might be helpful to you and your family.

In the month of October, we celebrate respect for life.  The protection of life at every stage of development happens best in families united in mind and heart.  The call to prayer, especially the Rosary, is addressed to every family.  Attendance at Sunday Mass as a family, daily prayer and a personal commitment by every parent to raise their children by word and example in the ways of faith are all necessary components of family life.

Jesus lived as a member of the Holy Family of Nazareth.  May we learn to live as Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in the image of the Trinity.

A Word from Your Pastor - October 11

Dear Parishioners:

Reading the Message of Pope Francis to our country, I have come to a realization that I thought I would pass on to you.  What the Pope has to say to us can only be fully understood if you read all that he said and did while he was with us.  The pundits on all sides have started to pick apart what he said on the basis of sound bytes and as to what was said or not said in a particular speech or homily.  I have taken the time to download and read all the talks, and as I went through them all as part of my personal prayer time, I discovered that he really did say everything – even what he is purported as not having said!  He did use the words that he supposedly didn’t say, and his actions spoke louder than words in many situations.

In other words, the true Message of Pope Francis to the U.S.A. is to be grasped as a whole.  From the first moment he arrived until his last moments with us, he was a Message to us.  It is the Truth we all need to hear: that God is with us, that He loves us, that He wants to offer us His Mercy.  We are a family of nations. 

The fundamental building block of society is the family, according to God’s plan from the beginning and God Himself became one with us in the Family of Nazareth.  Each one of us can make a difference in the world by being willing to do the hard work necessary and by listening to those around us, making ourselves one with them and sharing our joy in the Gospel.

As I have shared on several occasions, the experience of welcome at Philadelphia was truly phenomenal.  I was in awe of the warmth and the efforts at outreach by local folks all through the weekend that the Holy Father spent there.  My first thought was that we can do this at St. Timothy Church.  We can be a truly welcoming community, but we have to make some decisions that put the Gospel at the center of our lives as individuals and as a parish family.  It cannot be “business as usual.”  How are you challenged to move outside your comfort zone and to commit?

A Word from Your Pastor - October 4

Dear Parishioners:

Pope Francis is truly all they say he is and more.  The privilege of concelebrating Mass with him in Philadelphia was truly a high point in my life as a priest.  Words cannot capture everything that I would like to share with you, but I will try to offer a couple of points.

First, the opening of the city of Philadelphia to all of us who descended upon them was a clear indication of what God can do with open hearts. As the local mayor and the Pope spoke of it, the city is “the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.”  Everywhere we went, we found a warm welcome.  There were no strangers, though we were literally from all over the world.

The time with the Pope was magical.  Everyone was excited together at the prospect of seeing him.  At one point, not far from Independence Hall, a group I was standing among was treated to a close-up view of the Popemobile – and we all laughed to discover that it was empty since he had been dropped off by the Lincoln podium where he would be speaking.  A few different times, I got to see the Pope pass by and I have pictures of his arm out the window to prove it.

The Papal Mass gathered hundreds of priests and bishops and cardinals and nearly a million others.  I was in the third row of priests sitting behind three rows of bishops.  That was a great view, except when the bishops put on their miters (their white hats).  Sitting several rows behind me was our parishioner Jonathan Smith, who is a seminarian for the Diocese of Arlington, and who studies at the Seminary in Philadelphia where the Pope and his retinue stayed.

When I was able to distribute Holy Communion, I was in tears.  On the way back, the song “Gift of Finest Wheat” began to be sung and it took me back to 1976, when as a Junior in High School, I attended the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia.  The whole experience was very moving personally.

I hear the Pope’s challenge to help everyone know that they are loved by God.  The kind of welcome the “secular city” of Philadelphia was able to give told me that we can do the same.  May we hear the invitation to be a place of welcome for all God’s Children.

See pix of the Pilgrimage here:  https://2015phillypopepilgrimage.shutterfly.com/

A Word from Your Pastor - September 27

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend, I am in Philadelphia for the encounter with Pope Francis.  Be sure that you and all your concerns and that of your families are with me as we participate in this historic spiritual event.  As you read this, pilgrims will be gathering for time with our Holy Father as he concludes his visit in the New World by celebrating Mass with the World Meeting of Families.

The pilgrimage sponsored by the St. Timothy Women’s Club has taken us to several shrines associated with Saints: St. John Neumann, St. Katherine Drexel, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, and St. Rita of Cascia.  Some of these are “home-grown” in our own lands.  All are a reminder to us that the Call to Holiness is addressed to all of whatever walk of life.  The invitation of Pope Francis is for us to respond to live in communion with the Church as a Family and to embody in our own families the values and the virtues that invite others to know the saving truth of Jesus Christ.

As we complete this journey, we are also preparing to continue to respond to Pope Francis’ invitation to celebrate the coming year as a “Year of Mercy.”  Now is the time to make concrete plans about how we will do this as a Parish Family.  What does Mercy mean to you?  How will you and your family keep the theme of Mercy alive in your home?  What will you do among your fellow parishioners and on behalf of your friends, your enemies and your co-workers in the world?  Mercy is for all.

A Word from Your Pastor - Sepember 20

Dear Parishioners:

The themes unfolding for this season in the life of our Parish and School are Faith, Family and Mercy.  This week, in anticipation of the Year of Mercy that begins December 8, I highlight the theme of Mercy.  This is especially timely since this week our nation welcomes the “Pope of Mercy,” Pope Francis, to our own cities of Washington, New York (including the United Nations), and Philadelphia.

Mercy is a word for our time.  Through the past century, the Church has begun ever more clearly to highlight this quality of God.  God offers us His Love.  When we reject it through sin and selfishness, He offers it again as Mercy.   This includes forgiveness of sin and an opening to a new and deeper experience of grace.  Mercy is an active, engaged attitude.  It is an opening to a new beginning, a concrete expression of trust on God’s part that we are willing to follow Him once we have been humbled to realize that we cannot do anything without Him.  God is merciful.  We are sinner, who do not deserve His Love, and yet He continues to offer us an invitation to a living relationship with Him.

Practically speaking, it is Mercy that shows us how to share God’s offer with the world.  The Works of Mercy, both corporal (bodily) and spiritual, are the “business” of the Church.  When we allow Mercy to flow through us, our own capacity to experience God’s Mercy grows.

This week, I invite you to open the eyes of Mercy as you look at all that is happening in our world and in the life of those around you.  If you have a heart ready to show mercy to others, God’s own Mercy will find a place in your heart and your life.  Listen to the Message of Mercy that Pope Francis speaks to us.

I offer three challenges to all in the experience of the Holy Father’s visit to our country:

1. Listen to his words and his message.  Don’t rely on the media’s spin of what he has to say.  Ask God to open your ears to hear.  I am sure that you will be able to find what Pope Francis says either at the Vatican website – www.vatican.va – or at the United States Bishops’ Conference site – www.ussccb.org.
   
   
2. Allow yourself to be “stung.”  If the message seems too easy, then you probably have not heard it.  The call for disciples is a call to conversion.  We have to change our minds and hearts, how we see, in light of the Gospel made practical for us.
   
   
3. Resolve to put into practice something you hear the Pope inviting you to do.  Be concrete.  Do it as a family.  Make a new commitment to be a witness to the Truth of the Gospel.
   
   

If we open our hearts, we will know Mercy all the more and we will grow as disciples of the Lord.

A Word from Your Pastor - September 13

Dear Parishioners:

The themes unfolding for this season in the life of our Parish and School are Faith, Family and Mercy.  This week, I want to highlight in particular the theme of Family Life.  Faith and Family are closely related.  “The family that prays together stays together” Is a saying from Fr. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., who was famous for his Rosary Crusades a number of years ago.

When the Church speaks of Family, she begins first with the model of the Holy Trinity, the Family par excellence, in the relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God is One God, Three Divine Persons, in a perfect Communion of Love.  Full Gift of Self and Full openness to the Gift Received from Each Person is expressed in Perfect Union.  God is God as One and Three.  The first earthly model that expresses this unity of Love is the Holy Family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  No discussion of Family Life in the context of the Church can be complete without highlighted these two models.

Genesis tells us that God has a plan for human beings that begins with the union of Man and Woman and is expressed in their fruitful love in the image of God.  The human family is first a family that God has united and that cooperates with His grace in bearing fruit.

As the Church seeks to grow in her understanding of Family Life, she begins with God and “in the beginning.”  She has the duty to proclaim the truth of what a family is and to invite all to be open to God’s plan.  The Christian Family, the Body of Christ, His Church, is also called to gather everyone into the Family of God by Word and Sacrament.  What we say and what we do, our witness to Faith, are the way God has chosen to increase His Family.

A family has to set priorities: God must have first place in the hearts of every member of the family.  Husband and wife are to love one another and to be open to the children God brings into their family to raise and nurture and teach in the ways of Faith.  In this way, the Kingdom is established among us and everything else is supplied by God’s Providence.

Although not every family has the configuration that is the model, the ideal, we are called to open our hearts to be a welcoming community.  Welcoming all, with all the reality of the human condition, brokenness and weakness, as well as strength and holiness, the Church is a family that opens her whole being to God.  We are destined to share the Life of the Holy Trinity.  That is the call and promise offered to every family.

This weekend, we are happy to welcome our PSR Students and all the Catechists who work with them.  As members of one family, we hope to grow in Faith and in our understanding of God’s ways.

Next weekend, we will experience a Ministry Fair highlighting efforts of our community to become an ever more welcoming family.  Make plans to take part.

A Word from Your Pastor - September 6

Dear Parishioners:

The themes unfolding for this season in the life of our Parish and School are Faith, Family and Mercy.  Faith is our very reason for existing as a Parish and a School.  We believe in Jesus Christ.  He is our Lord and our Savior.  He is the source of our strength and His Love is the power behind all that we are and do.

How do you and your Family reveal to one another and to the world around us that Faith is your center?  The Catholic Church offers us clear teachings that help us to ensure that our Friendship with Jesus is visible.

Mass on Sunday is the first priority that every Catholic Family ought to have.  It is not an optional part of the practice of the Faith.  If you think it is optional or if anyone ever gave you the impression that it is not important, now is the time to rethink your understanding.  To consider it not necessary or option would be like deciding whether you want to put gasoline in your car engine or not.  The Catholic community gathers and receives its power from Jesus in the Mass.  Other means are available to supplement this as needed, but there is no substitute.

Do you want your children to obey the 4^th Commandment (Honor your father and mother)?  They you must honor the Lord by obedience as a family to the 3^rd Commandment (Keep Holy the Sabbath—that is, for Catholics, attend Mass on Sunday and on all Holy Days of Obligation).  Faith is “caught, not taught.”  Your children need to see you practicing your Faith in very ordinary and practical ways.

Faith also requires that parents fulfill the promises they and the godparents made at the Baptism of their children: to raise the children in the ways of Faith.  What forms of prayer and devotion does your family have?  This needs to be an ordinary part of everyday life.  It ought to be part of your daily routine, just as care for the body and the emotional life of your family is something you attend to each day.  Do you feed and clothe your children?  Do you give them a place to live?  Do you smile and hug and affirm them?  Do you scold them and correct them for misbehavior when necessary?  So you are also responsible to nourish them spiritually, to clothe them in Christ.

Beyond the family, the domestic Church, you are part of the Universal Church as it is manifested locally, as part of St. Timothy Parish and the Diocese of Columbus.  Faith takes us out of ourselves into the neighborhood and into our shared efforts to care for our brothers and sisters.  We are also called to care for the environment, planet Earth, which is our common home. Faith has something to say about this.

We are called to be a Community of Welcome and a Community that enters into the tasks of the New Evangelization.  How are you responding to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches?