A Word from Your Pastor - November 10

Dear Parishioners:

 

This week, our children’s School Mass included a Memorial Celebration for Alba Coletta, who is related to the Guarasci family in our parish.  A number of family members chose to have their celebration of their favorite aunt with our usual children’s Mass.  It proved to be a wonderful encounter with the Communion of Saints.  Alba’s Italian heritage and her zest for life were a great starting point for a recollection of the meaning of the recent observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day and the call to Evangelization that the Church is receiving in our time.

 

One of the nephews spoke about his aunt Alba and a motto she had for her life, which came from a song by Guy Lombardo: “Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later than You Think.”

 

You work and work for years and years, you're always on the go
You never take a minute off, too busy makin' dough
Someday you say, you'll have your fun, when you're a millionaire
Imagine all the fun you'll have in your old rockin' chair

 

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

 

You're gonna take that ocean trip, no matter come what may
You've got your reservations made, but you just can't get away
Next year for sure, you'll see the world, you'll really get around
But how far can you travel when you're six feet underground?

 

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

 

God has entrusted us to one another.  We are called to see every other human being as brother or sister, invited to be one with us on our journey to the Kingdom.  We are called to go deeper with one another in sharing our Faith and the delights of this world that open us to an understanding of the Kingdom.  We are called to spread the Word of God by our lives, and to share the invitation to the Kingdom with everyone we encounter – especially those who have wandered away from us and those who have never heard about Jesus in a way they can truly understand.  The message of Guy Lombardo’s song is that we need to pay attention to the present moment and to respond to what is right in front of us.

 

This weekend, some of our parishioners have participated in the New Evangelization in a practical way, working with our Seminarian Interns to take the Gospel to the streets of our neighborhood.  Like the disciples of old, they go out two-by-two to speak about the Kingdom and the call of Jesus.  How are you sharing in this venture?  Are you truly enjoying yourself and working for something that will last?

 

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

 

CHAPTER THREE    MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 2          WE BELIEVE      II. The Language of Faith

170 We do not believe in formulas, but in those realities they express, which faith allows us to touch. “The believer’s act [of faith] does not terminate in the propositions, but in the realities [which they express].”  (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, 1, 2, ad 2.) All the same, we do approach these realities with the help of formulations of the faith which permit us to express the faith and to hand it on, to celebrate it in community, to assimilate and live on it more and more.

171 The Church, “the pillar and bulwark of the truth,” faithfully guards “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” She guards the memory of Christ’s words; it is she who from generation to generation hands on the apostles’ confession of faith.  (1 Timothy 3:15; Jude 3.) As a mother who teaches her children to speak and so to understand and communicate, the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith.

Comment:  As human beings, we need to have an understanding of what we believe.  For this reason, our Faith is expressed in formulas and propositions, statements that have a clear and precise meaning.  Our Faith in not in these statements themselves, but rather in what they point to, the realities that are communicated to us through Revelation.  We put our trust in God and in His Church and we believe what we have been taught.  Are you conscious of your own act of Faith?  What gives you confidence that you will hold to the truth of Faith?

 

Focolare Word of Life for November 2013: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

 

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

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group and with the Home and School association.  Saturday October 12th  and Saturday November 9th the Door-to-door missions with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club  and St. Timothy Parishioners took place in the neighborhoods near the church.  Two other dates will be set for the Spring semester of 2014.

Upcoming events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

Nov. 14th – School Visit

Nov. 17th - Youth Group
Nov. 24th - Youth Group
Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.

 

A Word from Your Pastor - November 3

Dear Parishioners:

In every age, the Church needs to renew her witness of the Gospel.  This weekend, the seminarian interns assigned to us from the Josephinum are sharing information about their work with the New Evangelization.  The Seminary has invited us to collaborate with them by taking the Gospel door-to-door, giving the Church a personal face to those who live in our neighborhood.  Many who live nearby may know that we are here, but they do not know us personally or much about us.  This intentional effort to reach out is in response to the Church’s call in the present era, especially highlighted by Pope Francis, to “go to the outskirts,” that is, to address ourselves to the marginalized.

Every family has members who have little to no contact with the Church.  Many families that have had long and faithful histories of connection to their parish community watch the younger generations drift away.  Sometimes, this happens due to the negative witness of members of the Church, and for this we must repent and change our ways.  More often, it occurs simple due to neglect.  Now is the time to invite a new look at what the Church has to offer.  Our witness is to Jesus Christ.

God knows us and He has established a Church that meets our needs.  God destines us to share in the very Life of the Trinity and the Church is meant to be a Communion of Love, a Community of Believers united as one in mind and heart.  God’s call and invitation have gone out.  Our response personally and practically is needed for His plan for us to unfold.

The life of the Church, through the Sacraments, brings us to a right relationship with God and gives us a taste of the glory God has in store for us.

This past week, we have recalled our part in the Communion of Saints.  With the Feast of All Saints, we set our sights on our brothers and sisters who have been admitted into the Kingdom and who pray for us, spurring us on to Victory in Christ.  All Souls Day brought to mind all our beloved dead who are in need of the touch of God’s Mercy in order to enter the Kingdom.  Our own role as the Church on the March is in view as we worship God and as we seek to invite others into a living relationship with Him. 

Who is awaiting your invitation to share the life of the Saints?

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

CHAPTER THREE    MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 2        WE BELIEVE

I. “Lord, Look upon the Faith of Your Church”

168 It is the Church that believes first, and so bears, nourishes, and sustains my faith. Everywhere, it is the Church that first confesses the Lord: “Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you.” as we sing in the hymn “Te Deum”; with her and in her, we are won over and brought to confess: “I believe,” “We believe.” It is through the Church that we receive faith and new life in Christ by Baptism. In the Rituale Romanum, the minister of Baptism asks the catechumen: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” And the answer is: “Faith.” “What does faith offer you?” “Eternal life.” (Roman Ritual, Rite of baptism of adults)

169 Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother: “We believe the Church as the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the author of our salvation.”  (Faustus of Riez, De Spiritu Sancto 1, 2.) Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.

Comment:  Some try to create a false dichotomy between Faith in Jesus and Faith in the Church.  In truth, we cannot say we believe in Jesus if we do not accept His teaching in and through His Church.  The Scriptures reveal the Church as Christ’s own and her members are members of Christ because they are members of His Church.  How do you respond to the awareness that you belong to Christ in and through the Church?

Focolare Word of Life for November 2013: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

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

 

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group, the Home and School association, and the Men’s Club.  Saturday October 12th was the first Door-to-door mission with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club for this year.

Upcoming events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

This weekend the seminarians are speaking at the Masses of Sunday morning to promote the November 9th Mission and to invite parishioners of St. Timothy Church to take part.

Nov. 8th - Meeting to teach parishioners about going door-to-door

Nov. 9th - Door-to-door mission

Nov. 14th – School Visit

Nov. 17th - Youth Group

Nov. 24th - Youth Group

Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.

A Word from Your Pastor - October 27

Dear Parishioners:

This weekend, the Bishop Campbell and Diocese of Columbus invite us to spread the word about a program developed to confront a very modern problem.  The “My House Columbus” program addresses the issue of pornography which invades our lives in so many ways.  This initiative concerns something that affects us in our capacity to relate to one another with freedom and respect.  When we fail to see one another as a unity of body, mind and spirit, we lose our most precious gift this side of Heaven: a taste of the communion God plans for us in His Kingdom through our encounter with one another at a depth.

Pope John Paul II, who will be declared a Saint in April 2014, taught a beautiful vision for humanity.  His “Theology of the Body” is a look at the human person through the eyes of God as revealed in Scripture, especially in the Book of Genesis.  This vision is a powerful means to move beyond the temptation and enslavement that is created by addiction to pornography and other forms of sexuality that fail to correspond with God’s plan for us.  His message -- and the message of “My House Columbus” -- is that freedom is possible.  There are resources available to break the chains that bind and open us to God’s invitation to freedom and love.

Our Parish Youth have been studying Theology of the Body for Teens with a dynamic group of leaders.  They are given a taste of the vision for the human person that will enable them to confront the difficulties they will face in the years ahead.  The whole Church of Columbus is working to find ways for all of us to support one another in bringing God’s vision for our human relationships.  We can be free and live in purity of mind and heart, no matter what false avenues we have pursued.  The deception has been uncovered and My House Columbus offers ways to continue to bring it to the light.

See the materials about “My House Columbus” available in the vestibule of the church or take the time to investigate online at MyHouseColumbus.org.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also always available as a means of healing and forgiveness when we fall.

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

CHAPTER THREE    MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 2        WE BELIEVE

166 Faith is a personal act—the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself. But faith is not an isolated act. No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone. You have not given yourself faith as you have not given yourself life. The believer has received faith from others and should hand it on to others. Our love for Jesus and for our neighbor impels us to speak to others about our faith. Each believer is thus a link in the great chain of believers. I cannot believe without being carried by the faith of others, and by my faith I help support others in the faith.

167 “I believe” (Apostles’ Creed) is the faith of the Church professed personally by each believer, principally during Baptism. “We believe” (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) is the faith of the Church confessed by the bishops assembled in council or more generally by the liturgical assembly of believers. “I believe” is also the Church, our mother, responding to God by faith as she teaches us to say both “I believe” and “We believe.”

Comment: Faith is not a merely personal act, nor a private affair.  It is primarily a communal act.  We believe as individuals in the God Who is a community, Father, Son and Spirit.  An individual act of Faith truly makes sense only in relationship to the whole community called to a living relationship with God.  We receive the Faith as a gift, and we share it.  How do you understand your own act of Faith in relation to the wider Church?

Focolare Word of Life for October 2013: "Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom.13:8)

Word of Life for November 2013: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

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

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group and with the Home and School association.  Saturday October 12th was the first Door-to-door mission with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club for this year.

Upcoming events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

Next weekend the seminarians are speaking at all the Masses to promote the November 9th Mission and to invite parishioners of St. Timothy Church to take part.

Nov. 8th - Meeting to teach parishioners about going door-to-door

Nov. 9th - Door-to-door mission
Nov. 14th – School Visit
Nov. 17th - Youth Group
Nov. 24th - Youth Group
Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.

A Word from Your Pastor - October 20

Dear Parishioners:

Last weekend was an amazing time of grace.  I was in awe of the work that God does due to two special events.  The first was the presence in our parish of 18 seminarians from the Josephinum who were walking door-to-door in our neighborhood to evangelize.  They came to get some practical experience of talking to people about the Faith, making visits to households in our parish boundaries.  They went out two-by-two as representatives of St. Timothy parish just to greet folks in the name of Jesus.  Their plan is to continue doing this in our parish throughout the year, a couple of times each semester.  They also want to invite you to join them.  Is the Spirit calling you to be more pro-active in sharing your Faith?

The second event was the presence of my Mother (along with my Father, my sister and my nephew) in church for the Saturday evening Mass.  I did not know she was coming and she arrived just before the Mass started.  It really hit me as a moment of joy and an answer to prayers.  Honestly, as Mass began, I was near tears and was not sure I would be able to speak.  (Most who were there probably just thought it was the cold and the cough that I have been fighting the past couple of weeks.)  God is good!  You have been praying for my Mother and my family, and God has heard that prayer.  Mom’s being at Mass is a sign that she is on the mend.  This week, she was also able to stop in at St. Timothy Church for a visit during our Wednesday Adoration when she and my sister stopped by.  Although she is still a bit unsteady on her feet and walks slow, she is up and about.

I share these items with you because they are living examples to me of the power of Faith and Prayer to get us through and to open new doors.  Our world needs such examples.  You and I are invited not to sit back and watch things happen, but to be part of something bigger than ourselves.  We are called to be People of Faith, who invite the world around us to realize that God is among us.  How do you see this happening in your own neighborhood?

 

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

CHAPTER THREE     MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 1  I BELIEVE   III. The Characteristics of Faith

Faith—the beginning of eternal life         163 Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God “face to face,” “as he is.”  (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2) So faith is already the beginning of eternal life:

When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy.  (St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto, 15, 36; cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, 4, 1.)

164 Now, however, “we walk by faith, not by sight”;  (2 Corinthians 5:7.) we perceive God as “in a mirror, dimly” and only “in part.”  (1 Corinthians 13:12.) Even though enlightened by him in whom it believes, faith is often lived in darkness and can be put to the test. The world we live in often seems very far from the one promised us by faith. Our experiences of evil and suffering, injustice, and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it.

165 It is then we must turn to the witnesses of faith: to Abraham, who “in hope... believed against hope”;  (Romans 4:18.) to the Virgin Mary, who, in “her pilgrimage of faith,” walked into the “night of faith”  (Lumen Gentium 58; John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater 18.) in sharing the darkness of her son’s suffering and death; and to so many others: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Comment:  Faith allows us to taste in Time what we will know in Eternity.  In order to live by Faith, we must allow it to shape how we see what we experience in this world.  Witnesses of Faith allow us to discover the way in which Faith operates in real human lives.  What aspects of Eternity are evident in your Faith?  Who are the witnesses of Faith for you?

Focolare Word of Life for October 2013:

"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom.13:8)

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

The New Evangelization at St. Timothy Parish

Our Seminarian interns, Stephen Vaccaro and Alex Pacelli, are making the rounds of parish groups to share their mission for the year at St. Timothy Church.  They have visited with the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Pastoral Council, the Youth Group, the Home and School association and with Men’s Club.  If your group is not on the horizon, feel free to invite them.

Saturday October 12th was the first Door-to-door mission with Seminarians of the PCJ New Evangelization Club for this year.  We had 18 seminarians go out in 9 groups of 2x2 in our parish, sharing their joy in the Gospel.  When they returned, they offered a Te Deum and a prayer for Vocations in the church.

Upcoming events including the Seminarian interns for the first semester are as follows: 

Oct. 26th & 27th - Speak at Masses promoting the Nov. 9th Mission

Nov. 8th - Meeting to teach parishioners about going door-to-door
Nov. 9th - Door-to-door mission
Nov. 14th – School Visit
Nov. 17th - Youth Group
Nov. 24th - Youth Group
Dec. 5th - Planning day at the parish

Anyone who wants to tag along or participate in some way can contact Stephen Vaccaro at smv4h@virginia.edu. The hope/plan is to create our own Evangelization Club to learn about the process of evangelization and to create opportunities for members of our parish to respond to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization – new in its ardor and new in its methods.

A Word from Your Pastor - October 13

Dear Parishioners:

October is Respect Life month.  We are invited to reflect on the dignity of the human person from the first moment of conception until natural death and beyond.  God creates each soul as a unique and unrepeatable gift.  The human person is called to live on earth in anticipation of an Eternal destiny.  If we look at the teachings of our Catholic Church through this lens, we will see how they are truly one fabric, a whole that makes perfect sense. 

So often, the Church’s teachings are presented in fragmented ways.  The starting point of discussion is something other than the human person.  When we fail to put the human person in view first, with an awareness of God’s relationship to each unique person at the center, we come up with conclusions that fail to address the real problems.  The world is all about shortcuts, shortcuts at the beginning, the middle and the end of life.

A hard truth that the Church must hold out before the world is that some kinds of suffering are inevitable in earthly life and that suffering itself, when seen through the eyes of Faith, can have a redemptive quality.  The shortcuts and quick fixes that the world offers fail to take into account the human person and the whole life of the person.  They also take away the possibility of the greatness of the person being brought out by suffering.

The Church is called to proclaim the Gospel of Life.  She is also responsible to give help and show compassion to those who find themselves in distress in the face of the challenges of life: an unexpected pregnancy, relational struggles, illnesses that are heavy burdens.  In all of these situations, she is called to shed light on God’s plan for the unique persons He has created and on the power of grace to enable us to see our way through difficulties of every kind.  Life is God’s gift.  We must cherish it and give Him glory.

[A quick note: My Mom came to Mass at St. Timothy Church Saturday evening!  It was a happy surprise to me.  The Gospel called us to give thanks and I gave thanks to God and to all who have prayed for her recovery.  Welcome home, Mom!]

 

 

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

CHAPTER THRE

E     MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 1  I BELIEVE   III. The Characteristics of Faith

The freedom of faith     160 To be human, “man’s response to God by faith must be free, and... therefore nobody is to be forced to embrace the faith against his will. The act of faith is of its very nature a free act.”  (Dignitatis Humanae, Declaration on Human Freedom 10; cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 748 § 2.) “God calls men to serve him in spirit and in truth. Consequently they are bound to him in conscience, but not coerced.... This fact received its fullest manifestation in Christ Jesus.”  (Dignitatis Humanae, Declaration on Human Freedom 11.) Indeed, Christ invited people to faith and conversion, but never coerced them. “For he bore witness to the truth but refused to use force to impose it on those who spoke against it. His kingdom... grows by the love with which Christ, lifted up on the cross, draws men to himself.” (Dignitatis Humanae, Declaration on Human Freedom 11; cf. John 18:37; 12:32.)

The necessity of faith   161 Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.  (Cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:36; 6:40 et al) “Since ‘without faith it is impossible to please [God]’ and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life ‘but he who endures to the end.’” (Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 3012; cf. Matthew 10:22; 24:13 and Hebrews 11:6; Council of Trent: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 1532.)

Perseverance in faith   162 Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to man. We can lose this priceless gift, as St. Paul indicated to St. Timothy: “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith.”  (1 Timothy 1:18-19.) To live, grow, and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith;  (Cf. Mark 9:24; Luke 17:5; 22:32.) it must be “working through charity,” abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church. (Galatians 5:6; Romans 15:13; cf. James 2:14-26.)

Comment:  The Act of Faith is a fully human act.  It is not a stepping out of our human nature, but rather a personal expression of it, indeed, the highest possible expression of it in this life.  This Act opens us to God and His plans for us.  No other act we can do has the capacity to bring us into contact with God in such depth.  To be Faith, it must be free.  It is necessary because it is the only adequate means to unite us to God.  Perseverance is holding to Faith through to its goal: the moment when our life reaches is culmination.  How do you exercise your Gift of Faith?

Focolare Word of Life for October 2013:

"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom.13:8)

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

A Word from Your Pastor - October 6

Dear Parishioners:

Here is an Update on my Mother's journey:

This week, we are happy to report better news.  As of September 26th, Mom was moved out of the hospital (Mt. Carmel East) to rehab at Mother Angeline McCrory Manor.  This is a beautiful facility under the auspices of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm.  We were grateful for Mom to be in such surroundings, a real place of prayer.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that she contracted MRSA during her hospital stay, Mom did not have the opportunity to see much of her temporary home.  But she knows she was on the same floor as a couple of priests, and she had a few visitors that are there regularly.

Although she can be a bit stubborn at times due to the feeling of being cooped up for so long, Mom is getting stronger.  She actually finished her time of rehab at Mother Angeline McCrory Manor and  returned home on Friday, October 4th, to continue this effort in more familiar surroundings.

 

Dad has put in a new carpet in the living room at home and brother Bill has gotten her a chair that will lift her up slowly.  Home Healthcare will be able to assist us with her care at home.

We continue to be grateful for all the prayers and support.  I have personally been moved by the fact that a number of my brother priests have offered Masses for my Mom's intention.  Lovely cards and flowers have been sent by many.  Although we would never have chosen this journey, it has been a real grace for all of us.  I have certainly experienced a greater understanding of our need to be advocates for those who are in hospitals and nursing homes and for their families and the healthcare professionals who serve them. The paperwork alone (even if it is done on computers!) is nothing short of a nightmare.  May Heaven deliver us from bureaucracy!

I want to bring before our Parish Family a greater awareness of our need to care for each other, especially those who do not have family members close by.  Please look around and touch base with your neighbors and especially any fellow parishioners you have not seen for awhile.  Make sure they know we are with them.  Give support too to our members who work in the healthcare professions.  They have a big job in a bureaucracy gone wild.  Help them to persevere by showing them compassion and gratitude.

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

 
We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

CHAPTER THREE     MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 1          I BELIEVE      III. The Characteristics of Faith
Faith and understanding

158 “Faith seeks understanding”:  (St. Anselm.) it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love. The grace of faith opens “the eyes of your hearts”  (Ephesians 1:18.) to a lively understanding of the contents of Revelation: that is, of the totality of God’s plan and the mysteries of faith, of their connection with each other and with Christ, the center of the revealed mystery. “The same Holy Spirit constantly perfects faith by his gifts, so that Revelation may be more and more profoundly understood.”  (Dei Verbum 5.) In the words of St. Augustine, “I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe.” (St. Augustine, Sermo 43, 7, 9.)

159 Faith and science: “Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.”  (Dei Filius 4: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 3017.) “Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.” (Gaudium et Spes 36 § 1.)

Comment:  Faith and Reason are not opposed to one another.  Rather, they are complementary ways of knowing.  Faith concerns relationship with God and what He reveals.  Since is relationship with the world of earthly experience, what we come to know through our senses.  When these ways of knowing are used in their proper sphere and in concert with each other, they can take us far.  How do you make use of these ways of knowing in your own encounter with the world around you?

Focolare Word of Life for October 2013:

"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom.13:8)

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

A Word from Your Pastor - September 29

Dear Parishioners:

Thank you again to all who have been keeping my Mother and our family in your prayers.  This past week, she had a stent put in which has offered some relief.  We are still concerned about a number of things, but we are very grateful for her progress so far.  My Mother and all of us know the support of prayers. [This week, I am happy to report, she was discharged from the hospital to a rehab facility, Mother Angeline McCrory Manor.  We are very pleased with this step forward and are hopeful that soon she will find her way home again.]

 

Last weekend, I offered some comments [in my homily] concerning a practical way of living in response to the Gospel in the world as it is today.  I think they bear repeating.

The Scriptures show us some practical steps to take:

1. Don’t begrudge God your time for worship – the Sabbath rest and the Holy Days that are set aside for Him.  That means, not complaining about having to be at Mass every Sunday, and not looking at your watch at Mass to budget the time you give to God.  Even when it takes longer than expected, I’ll bet you give more time to sitting in traffic or waiting in line for some earthly things than you do to God….
       
2. Pay attention to what your choices do to the needy – are you using things more luxurious than needed when others at your doorstep are without?  Can you choose to take a step down from your own comfort (your equivalent of “ivory couches”) to make something available for another in need?  Who gets your time, besides you?
           
3. Can you pay attention to how those who do not have God in their lives show passion for the things they value – and try to follow their example by showing the same kind of passion for God?  What if you were cheer on a preacher on a Sunday the way sports enthusiasts cheer on their team?  Some congregations shout out “Amens!” to show they are getting the Spirit.  Can you find your own equivalent?

Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forever.

I would also like to suggest some thoughts that come from the interview with Pope Francis that the press has been distorting so often.  The Pope is not changing any teachings of the Church.  Rather, he is calling all of us to renew our commitment to the Source of those teachings – namely, Jesus Christ.  We are invited to realize that the Lord is merciful and that He looks upon us with eyes of Mercy.  When He looks at us, He loves us as we are.  He invites us to put His teachings into practice and to become witnesses.

We know that the Church has teachings that stretch all of us.  We are destined for Eternity.  If we have our sights set only on what this world has to offer, we will not get very far.  But first things are first: God’s Love is primary.  He first loved us.  By grace, He forgives us and brings us closer to Him than we were before we responded to His look at us.  And others will join us when we show that love in our relationship with them. 

The many other truths that flow from the Gospel take some time to understand.  If we start with the many details, we can get lost in them.  If we start with Jesus and His Love and His Mercy, and His invitation to Life with Him, then we can get lost in Him instead, and want to live what He teaches.  So, let’s begin!  We have Eternity ahead of us.

 

Year of Faith October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013

We continue our journey through the Year of Faith.  As one way of observing this year, each week a small section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is read before the start of Mass.  This is a small way of offering some food for growth in Faith throughout this year.

CHAPTER THREE     MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD

ARTICLE 1          I BELIEVE      III. The Characteristics of Faith
Faith and understanding

156 What moves us to believe is not the fact that revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our natural reason: we believe “because of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.”  (Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 3008.) So “that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit.”  (Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 3009.) Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church’s growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability “are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all”; they are “motives of credibility” (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is “by no means a blind impulse of the mind.” (Dei Filius 3: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 3008-10; cf. Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4.)

157 Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience, but “the certainty that the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives.”  (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, 171, 5, obj. 3.)   “Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.” (John Henry Cardinal Newman, Apologia pro vita sua.)

Comment:  Faith is addressed to the Truth that God reveals.  For this reason, we can be more certain about Faith than we can about anything else made known to us.  God is Truth.  We can be sure of God.  He is trustworthy.  Do you believe in God? Do you trust in God and in what He has made known to you through Faith?

 
Focolare Word of Life for September 2013: 

 “Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1 Jn 3:18)

Focolare Word of Life for October 2013: 

"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom. 13:8)

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