It’s strange. Something that gives me comfort in the midst of all the serious issues we face in our current world is the realization that some things are just out of my control. I’m not off the hook by any means. I must do my part. But how this all turns out    that’s in God’s hands.

So what are those issues? You know them: our polarized society, Covid 19, a broken political system, climate change, racism, etc. Each one of these problems (and more) taunt us with their seeming insolvability.

So what are we to do? You may scoff at the answer to follow. It can seem so naïve and childlike. And it is childlike . . . it’s called Trust.

But trust in what? To people of Faith the answer is simple. We trust in God who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us, “In the world you will have trouble. But take courage. I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

It’s that simple. We were created by God. We are privileged to bear God’s image and now we are God’s children (1 John 3). That means He will help us. This is the rock of Faith. This Sunday the Church proclaims Christ is King over all human history. Can you be a child and accept this?

It doesn’t mean the Lord will suddenly wipe away the damage we’ve done by our sinful behavior. God has chosen to accept our sinful choices and their consequences.

To heal the social wound requires a new desire within our own hearts. (God will not bring a healing of our wounds without our cooperation.) It requires (especially of Christians), Faith, good will, sacrifice, forgiveness and courage.

That’s it in a nutshell really. God’s plan for the world has already been secured. He has overcome the world by Christ’s death and Resurrection. There is no power on earth that can overcome the will of God to save the human race. Period.

There will be suffering along the way. Things may not fit the “happily ever after” we vision in fairy tales. (God’s way is not our way.) But for all we may have to go through, the future has been won. This is what the Resurrection reveals.

The final end of history will not happen without our imperfect cooperation. God wants us to share in the story He’s already completed. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” Matthew 6:33, 34.

This is a real act of Faith isn’t it? To trust in a victory that’s already happened; but one I cannot yet see. This Faith brings about the second great virtue   Hope. (Read the beautiful passage of St. Paul in Romans 8:18-25) “And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory . . . and this hope does not disappoint (in spite of life’s sorrows) for God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us.” Romans 5:5

We never give up hope. Never! Why? Because Christ has won the victory. Human history will complete itself in God’s good time. And when it does, you, who have longed for its coming, you scarred and wounded faithful, you will shout for joy.

Let us each do our part: trust in God and do good.

Fr. Tim

The thought came to me this week hearing St. Paul’s exhortation, “We no longer live for ourselves. While we live we are the Lord’s and when we die we are the Lord’s. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8).

See what you think of this.

We seem to have developed a renewed love and fascination for dogs over the past few years. Certainly you’ve seen the television ads where the family dog sits with everybody on the couch watching TV. Or the adorable puppy that cuddles with its owner and plays with the children on the carpet. Our hearts are touched.

But did you know that millions of dogs run wild in this world? They gather in packs to raid livestock and threaten humans when approached. They’re called “feral” or wild dogs. There are no rules in their pack – – food and breeding are what drives a feral dog. You wouldn’t want one on your couch.

What makes them wild? They lack a master. Someone to teach them to live with humans. Someone to demand certain behaviors that make them loving pets for owner and children. And when trained, they experience a dogs life that is the envy of any wild dog.

Got the picture?

It’s a bit of a stretch I know, but the same thing applies to us humans. St. Paul says we have a master. It is the Lord. We were created by God unlike any other creature. We weren’t made to sit on His lap, or lick His face; no, ours is a far greater privilege – – we were made to be God’s children. To live in His Kingdom. To love and be loved as persons. Through Christ’s humanity we now actually share in God’s divinity.

But here’s the rub. We need a Master. Someone who knows more about us than we do. Someone who sets the rules for our well-being. Someone who becomes a rule for our life. Without that we become feral.

Many will say, “We have our science and technology to improve our life. We have our reason to solve problems. We have the rule of law to govern us. We are our own master.” Yes, but WHO created us with these powers? And is there no one to whom we are responsible for how we use them?

Our brilliance learned to split the atom. Yes, and now there is a source of unlimited power. But this same knowledge enabled us to make the atom bomb. Human genius invented the internet (Yay!) but now we have those dark places that are only two clicks away. Oh dear. We have unlocked the human genome and now we have the power to clone human life. Who is our master? No one. We become “intelligent animals”. Feral humans.

Please don’t think I disparage the amazing advancement science and civilization have made in human history. (Psalm 8 says it so beautifully; “What are humans that you care for them. . . . Yet, you have made them little less that a god. You have given them rule over the works of your hands. Put all things under their feet.” Psalms 8:5)

This is all great news about us humans – – – so long as we recognize God as our Master. And what kind of Master is our God? Some stern and joyless King? Some faceless power that set the laws of nature and now sits back to judge?

No. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. He died that we might know God’s love for us. And once we know the love of God…we can bend our knee and cry out. . . . “My Master!”

Bless you. Child of God.

Fr. Tim

Back in the early 1950’s we lived on Bloomfield, a pretty city street in Akron, Ohio. Dad took the bus to work downtown and mom cooked, cleaned, and fed the three Horan children. I remember a big staircase we were forbidden to slide down and a bedroom I had all to myself.

We rented the house for five years. Then one day, to surprise his wife, dad put $2,000 down on a little Cape Cod north of the city. Mom was furious in that she hadn’t been consulted; but with feelings repaired, the Horan’s moved into their first and only home. Dad was pretty proud. The American dream was coming true. (Mom had still to say goodbye to the dream of moving to Columbus to be near her large family.)

So we owned a home. That’s where I learned to ride a bike and Jimmy Farrell and I would explore the woods behind our street. Patty and Maureen did all the things girls do to grow up. 52 years mom and dad had that house.

I knew the day would come, but it totally shocked me to see the “For Sale” sign in our front yard when I drove back home to see mom (dad had been dead 3 years). “I have no home now”, was the feeling.

I’m sure many of you have a story to tell just like this. The point to be made is, something we all discover sooner or later, we have no lasting home. St. Paul tells us that all things in this world are passing away (1Corinthians 7:31). “Time is running out. From now on let those . . . who buy or own act as though they were not owning, those using the world as not using it fully.”

Why? Because we are renting this body, this space, this time, this home, this family, this parish . . . It’s all passing away. Nothing material is made to last forever. That means we’re here temporarily. We’re renting. We’re pilgrims on a journey.

St. Paul even calls Christians “strangers and aliens on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13) “Those who speak thus show they are seeking a homeland . . . a better homeland, a heavenly one.” vs. 16. This in no way lessens the beauty and wonder of the world and our responsibility to work for a better world here and now. “God so loved the world” ….(John 3:16). So do we.

Our “passing through” has huge implications for how we use the things of the earth. Not being “owners” we are “stewards” instead. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us, “We possess external things not as our own, but as common, so that we are ready to give to others in their need.” Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si reminds us that the goods of the earth (our water, air, forests, farmland) are given to each generation to be properly cared for so they might be passed on to the generations that follow.

When you think of it, everything we have has been given to us: our home (Mother Earth), our very lives, our family, our country, our skills to carve out our life’s story. And then……there will come a time when we have to leave it all behind. We will pass from this earth to enter (once again by God’s gift) Eternal Life.

No more renting; we’ll be home. In the meantime let’s use this time to make this a better world for those who will follow.

Bless your Autumn days..

Fr. Tim

The blind man: “Lord, I want to see.”

Mark Chapter 10

This little conversation in the gospel for Sunday challenges us to know what we really need in our life. The man is blind, so when asked what kind of help he needed, he was quick to respond . . . “I want to see!”

For us the answer is sometimes not so simple. Why? Because we want so many things! Particularly when we are younger.

What do young people want and long for? Let me guess . . . to be pretty or handsome. To be popular with many friends. To date the cutest girl or guy. To be recognized for some talent. To excel at sports. To be smart. (Then there are the “minor wants” like a trip to Disney, sleep overs, pizza!, Summer vacation, a drivers license.)

When we get older our wants get a little more sophisticated. Things like financial security, good health for ourselves and family, certain possessions (home, car, leisure) that add comfort to our life.

Let’s be clear, each of these things are good. Who wouldn’t want any or all of these? But this is not your everyday. Today you’re meeting Jesus Christ. He is our connection to God. He is the one asking you, “What do you want me to do for you?”

And your answer? “Lord, I want . . . . . . . . . “ What?

Not so easy is it. We have to dig deep to discover just what is the desire of our souls. Take some time with this one. Put yourself in the gospel story (Mark 10: 46-52). You are the blind person. You’ve been selling pencils on the corner for years. Jesus is here. You call out. He asks, “what do you want?”

It’s all very personal of course, but here are some thoughts as to what one might consider   

• Freedom from whatever keeps you chained to harmful habits and ways of treating people. Freedom from fear, resentment, greed, lust, anger. What keeps you in chains?
• An ability to love again in the face of past disappointments, betrayal, tragedy.
• A personal experience that will let me know that God loves me and I can give my life to His care.
• A powerful life changing help for someone I love. Something that lets them see the light and turn from the darkness.
• A personal Faith that doesn’t turn away from the problems of human history but one that never despairs of the final victory of God and the salvation of the human race.
• The children. The children. Protect them Lord.
• A grace to hold on to hope in the face of personal loss and sadness.
• That every single human being, born and unborn, go to heaven.

Okay. So we ask the Lord these things or something similar. Now what? Two things happen, I think. First, Jesus has shown you what you REALLY want. You experience your heart of hearts and that’s where God is!

Secondly, all those other “wants” take their proper, lesser order. We see them in a new perspective. They don’t have the control over us they once had; we’re in touch with something bigger and more important   what God wants in us.

Never give up.

Fr. Tim

PS. But can I still ask God . . . for you know . . . Go Bills? Of Course!!

In the beginning when God created us human beings, He wanted a creature that would be free to choose what to do and how to act. In fact, this is what defines us as “persons”. We have reason and free will. These two qualities enable us to do what God most wanted – – to love. God wanted Lovers.

Also in the beginning . . . our freedom and will wanted to do what God wanted. To do God’s will was our happiness. We longed to act in accord with God’s wish for us. It came naturally. No big deal.

But then it happened. You know the story. In the Book of Genesis we have the mythic story of man’s origins (the Garden, the fruit, and the Tempter). There was a command from God who loved us. God had warned us NOT to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil. In our limited vision however, “it seemed good and pleasing” and eating it would make us like the God we loved. We disobeyed God’s will.

Something changed in that moment; something that would follow us throughout history. What came so naturally for us, what was so clear and apparent to our minds, was now clouded by things we’d never experienced before. Fear and the distance of God, alienation between man and woman, the Cain and Abel tragedy.

These were the consequences of acting contrary to the will of God. Perhaps most harmful was the fear and mistrust we developed for God. Now that the nearness of God disappeared, our finite freedom and reason started to see the world as “just us”. We lost sight of God’s plan for us. In fact God’s will had somehow become a threat to what we want. God became “The Law”. We experienced His will as a scourge or an unpleasant burden.

What we forgot was the fact that “God’s Will” is His love for us. We lost the innocence of a child . . . the ability to trust in the love God has for us. (“Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of God” Mt. 18:3)

We see this wherever we go these days. Cultural slogans abound that tell us our happiness lies in total freedom to do whatever we think will bring us happiness. We become “independent operators” deciding for ourselves what is true. What do we hear? “You find your truth, I’ll find mine.” “If it feels good, it is good”. “I have a right to be happy.” “Nobody tells me what to do.”

The wonderful thing about our desire for happiness is that God gave it to us! He wants our happiness. BUT . . . God knows what that is. We don’t.

What is our happiness? “God made me to know Him, love Him, serve Him in this life and to be happy with Him in the next.” Baltimore Catechism. God is our happiness. To be full of God.

Would you like a recipe for happiness? Jesus gave us that in the Beatitudes (Mt. 5: 3-10). Be careful however, true happiness, God’s love, will come to those who suffer for the sake of the Kingdom. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11.

Oh Lord, I don’t know what to want. I don’t know what you want for me. Give me your grace to see your plan and to want what your love wants for me. Amen.

Thy will be done.

Fr. Tim

One of the most debilitating things about sickness is the way it separates us from those around us. It may mean being confined to home or quarantined from those closest to us. It may mean being unable to participate in everyday activities that bring us together with others.

We have scheduled a Eucharistic Celebration with Anointing of the Sick on Saturday, October 16th at 10:00 am. This is the chance to bring your health concerns to the Lord in the context of mass and this faith community.

WHO SHOULD BE ANOINTED? The guidelines for the sacrament say, “any persistent and serious concern for one’s health…” is reason for someone to request the anointing. Health concerns such as depression, anxiety, addiction, spiritual doubt and chronic pain are all sufficient to receive the anointing. There will be no questions asked. Simply indicate your wish to be anointed.

Come and experience the healing and comforting Hand of God working through the Sacrament of the Sick and the care of this parish. We will observe all safe distancing, mask and sanitizing protocols.

However, if you are not ready to attend a Mass in person but wish to receive this sacrament, Fr. Tim will gladly come to your home to anoint you. Please call the Parish Office@ 265-1616 to make an appointment.

God bless you.

I thought it might be time to inform you about some upcoming happenings in our parish. You have quietly carried the burden of so many of our parish initiatives. It’s time to look at the road ahead.

Coming this Fall:

• We are currently replacing our 50 year old boiler in the church. We limped through last winter hoping it wouldn’t go flat. It held, but we don’t want to press our luck.
  Cost? $90,000.
• Two special masses will be celebrated this Fall. Saturday, October 16 at 10:00 am we will offer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Friday, November 12 at 7 pm the Mass of Loving Remembrance will be offered. (It’s an opportunity to pray for your deceased friends and relatives).
• We will be giving you the annual financial report at all masses this month. Overall you are stepping up in these Covid days with your contributions. We’re paying our bills and giving some away. That’s pretty good.
• Speaking of giving money away, the Catholic Ministry Appeal will begin in two weeks. You will be receiving a letter from Bishop Matano and myself asking for your participation. The request to our parish is for $167,500. So many people will be helped by your gift. Please be ready to help Holy Trinity help others.
• Plans for the painting of the interior of the church are progressing. The design team from Swiatek, Inc. in Buffalo has submitted a very preliminary sanctuary design with a color palette. It is going to be beautiful! More details to follow.

I hope you are enjoying these Autumn days.

Fr. Tim

One of the most debilitating things about sickness is the way it separates us from those around us. It may mean being confined to home or quarantined from those closest to us. It may mean being unable to participate in everyday activities that bring us together with others.

We have scheduled a Eucharistic Celebration with Anointing of the Sick on Saturday, October 16th at 10:00 am. This is the chance to bring your health concerns to the Lord in the context of mass and this faith community.

WHO SHOULD BE ANOINTED? The guidelines for the sacrament say, “any persistent and serious concern for one’s health…” is reason for someone to request the anointing. Health concerns such as depression, anxiety, addiction, spiritual doubt and chronic pain are all sufficient to receive the anointing. There will be no questions asked. Simply indicate your wish to be anointed.

Come and experience the healing and comforting Hand of God working through the Sacrament of the Sick and the care of this parish. We will observe all safe distancing, mask and sanitizing protocols.

However, if you are not ready to attend a Mass in person but wish to receive this sacrament, Fr. Tim will gladly come to your home to anoint you. Please call the Parish Office@ 265-1616 to make an appointment.

God bless you.

A wise and holy priest once told me that there were times when his only felt connection to God came in listening to his conscience. Prayer is dry and without feeling, the mass becomes “routine” with no inspiration, the Church seems terribly slow and out of touch with real life . . . . God seems so distant.

At such moments the only light that shown in his darkness was the light of his conscience. Sometimes God lets this happen. So let’s look at “Conscience” to see how we might meet God.

First off conscience is “a judgement of reason” which moves a person to do good and avoid evil. “It recognizes the authority of truth” pointing to God, the Supreme Good. “When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man hears God speaking.” (Catechism of The Catholic Church. P 438)

Think of a lantern you carry into a dark room. The light makes visible what is real and present. “Reason” is that light humans have in their very nature. It is our ability to swim in an ocean of truth.

Reason must be accompanied by freedom and will. Without these two an act has no responsibility (morality) attached to it. Without freedom an act is coerced. Without our will we haven’t chosen or “owned” the act; it is merely accidental or unintentional.

So how does all this connect me to God? Well . . . following my conscience is to experience the “messenger of Him, who, speaks to us behind a veil.” (John Henry Cardinal Newman 1885).

The problem today is we lack the training to become sufficiently “present to ourselves”. There is a certain “interiority” required to hear and follow the voice of our conscience. It comes from prayer, quiet time with our- selves, good reading, virtuous friendships.

Kids especially need help putting down their iphones to listen to their own thoughts and feelings   their own personhood. This quiet opens the door for the Holy Spirit with his gifts to present the knowledge and practice of the interior law.

Parents. You have the best seat in the house when it comes to teaching conscience. You are there to help your child “listen to that voice in your heart.” You are there to celebrate and praise the times your child “does the right thing” (thus adding to the voice of conscience that they just heard and followed).

You are also there when the voice of conscience went unheeded and dishonesty or meanness came forth. Parents you need to sit and lovingly help your child “see and hear” that inner voice. Not every instance require this teaching moment but sometimes God just puts it on a platter for you. Use it! Share a suitable moment from your life when you listened (or didn’t) to your conscience. A true life story from mom and dad!

In the end you are giving your child a compass, a tool that will guide them in moments of temptation and confusion. You give them a connection to their true selves and to God. “For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God . . . it is his most secret core and sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.” (Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes #16).

God’s got you . . . quit squirming!

Fr. Tim

Certainly you’ve heard the adage “you are what you eat.” And our computer geeks are fond of saying “garbage in, garbage out.” The point being in both of these sayings . . something becomes in large part the sum of what was put into it. Good health comes from a good diet. A dependable computer program only works with good data input. (The bible was on to this when 3,000 years ago it said “You reap what you sow.”)

It works like that with our spiritual life too. We are greatly shaped by what we think, and hear, and see, and touch. What we allow to enter through our senses creates the raw data for the kind of person we become.

So for example:

• Child psychologists tell us that hours spent watching violent images on television elevates the likeliness of children acting out violently.
• Constant attention to a handheld game boy or ipod inhibits a young person’s ability to interact with real people.
• Nonstop images of negative, argumentative relationships create the impression that this is how people naturally interact. Yelling, whining, cursing, name calling becomes the norm. Talk Radio is full of this stuff.
• Pornographic web sites demean the human spirit and unleash a powerful darkness
  
• Pretty much any television called “reality TV” has little grasp of what’s really real.

Why not put a stop to the “garbage in, garbage out” syndrome? We don’t have to drink from the media world what it calls “reality”. Why not dedicate ourselves to “Goodness in, Goodness out”?

What does this mean? It means putting a guard over what we let our eyes see and ears hear. I’m being literal here. Change the channel or turn off the TV when it becomes crass or trashy. Walk away from conversations that are only meant to hurt others reputations. Put away the electronic games or instruments when people are present to talk to.

And in their place? . . .

• Great music
• Good books and reading
• Cook something!
• Visit someone lonely
• Take in the world of nature
• Good conversation and listening
• Hobbies are great.
• At least 10 minutes of prayer each day (in a chair . . . talking/listening to God)
• Good TV or movies

I hope you are enjoying your summer days. This is a time to renew yourself with family and fun things. I hope you dedicate yourself to celebrating LIFE!!

Fr. Tim

Great Music…

Cooking…

Nature…

I’ve never been much of a joiner of clubs. Let’s see . . . I was a Cub Scout for about three weeks. We had the 15th Street Raiders on my block as a kid. I joined the Camera Club in high school and a book club somewhere along the way. That was about it for clubs.

Some of them had certain rules and regulations and secrets. I can’t remember the “Raider Handshake” but it let us know who was “in” and who wasn’t.

Sometimes we tend to think of religion as a club. The Catholic Club. There is an initiation (Baptism). It’s got rules (10 Commandments). It has a leader (Pope). And there are dues (pass that basket!).

But this view of the Catholic Church tends to liken it to a merely human organization like Kiwanis, or Rotary, or Sierra Club. (These are great organizations by the way. They do much good for our community.) However, each of them receives its origin and purpose from its human founder, and does not profess to be able to connect its members to God or Eternal Life.

That’s not the way it is with the Catholic Church. It’s not a club or even an “organization” founded for some beneficent purpose. It is the living, mystical (spiritual yet physical) body of its founder, Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son.

Yes, the Church is Christ’s Body. We are its members and are connected with each other as fingers on a hand. . Christ’s Hand! Together, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we make up the person of Christ in the world.

The power and beauty of who we are in Christ makes it all the more painful when we hear of the failures of those most trusted with the Faith.

News headlines today tell us how some in the Catholic Clergy have failed to live as that presence and have betrayed the trust of so many in the Church. (In every age the church has both saints and sinners as its members and thereby stands in constant need of purification.)

But this does not change the fact that God has adopted us as sons and daughters. We become “co-heirs with Christ” to Eternal Life. “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17: 28

To our friends who are searching . . .

How about you? Would you like to join – – – not a club! – – – but a group of people who are searching for God in their life? Would you like to talk with others who, like yourself, are trying to figure out what life is about and how we might find some bit of happiness while we are on this earth.

Would you like to learn what the Catholic Church teaches about the meaning of our lives, about God and how we can know Him? Would you like to be free to question and maybe disagree with some of what you are hearing? Well come along!

This group is called the RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation). It starts SUNDAY, October 3, AFTER THE 10:30 MASS (@12:00 noon.) in the Gathering Space. Meetings last one hour and we think you’ll find the discussion interesting and fun.

There will be no pressure whatsoever for you to become Catholic. However, if during the sessions you feel God may be inviting you to join the Body of Christ, that will be your gift come this Easter!!

Hope to see all you Searchers on October 3.

God’s Grace to you this week.

Fr. Tim

Do you remember some of the things you used to do over and over as a kid? Little, personal and sometimes quirky activities that you’d do when things got boring or you started getting nervous?

Some children would suck their thumb. Some might bite their finger nails. Maybe you had a special blanket you would take everywhere. (Later in life my father and I battled cigarettes (I still struggle!). We call repeated actions habits; we do them without thinking. They relieve tension or anxiety and bring a mild pleasure or calming effect.

Some habits are healthy and benefit people whenever they do them. “That’s a good habit to get into,” we say. (Brush your teeth/eat your vegetables.) Other repeated actions can hurt us or others. These are bad habits. Some are bad (e.g. Lying) because the act itself is bad. We call these “sinful habits”. Others are bad because they go too far (“Too much” of anything is a bad habit) or not far enough (sloth, or carelessness) in doing the right thing.

So . . . what’s the point? It’s simple. Get in the habit of doing good things. How? All habits begin with Repetition. Doing something again and again will bring a certain ease of performance. A good thing, once rather hard to perform (choosing not to gossip) can, with repetition, become easier. Parents, I can’t stress this enough for your children. “Repetition” of good actions is essential to finding a path to true happiness in life.

Our bodies themselves bear witness to this. Sit-ups/push-ups (yuk!) become easier with repetition. It’s really no different for our spiritual lives. Repetition makes for habit. Habit makes for virtue (an abiding strength). Virtue leads to happiness. Want to be happy? Keep on doing good. Simple eh?!

Let’s take matters of sexuality. I don’t think anyone of us is immune to the “sinful habit” that can develop in our thoughts or actions as we confront lustful images or impulses that exist within us and around us.

There is a “good habit” that can defeat this lustful impulse. It’s called “custody of the eyes”. It refers to a mental readiness to turn away from seeing things that we know go beyond “just seeing” to become “lusting”. It’s kind of like being nosy . . . with our eyes.

Here’s how it goes. Our eyes want to see everything. Some things are not ours to see (or show). We need to have a mental readiness to turn away from things we “ought not see”. (Be ready to change the channel, look away, find something else to focus on.) We do this because it carries a respect for that person. Repeated ways of acting in this way we call “modesty” and become a habit leading to the virtue of “purity”.

(Purity has gotten a bad wrap in our culture. It’s seen as prudishness or a “holier-than-thou” attitude, or even a certain fearfulness of sex. Not so! Purity is a veneration of the person as a vessel of the Holy Spirit. God dwells in each of us and therefore we are each worthy of love . . . not lust.)

The point here is to make clear these virtuous states don’t “just happen”. In fact, when left to nature, the opposite happens. Lust grows, not purity. Rumor, not truth. Selfishness, not generosity. It’s part of our fallen human nature that this tendency exists.

Let’s develop “habits of love”, actions of reverence for others and ourselves motivated by the knowledge of who we are . . . God’s beloved children. This friends is the way to JOY.

Everyone of us, God’s Children – no exceptions.

Bless your heart.

Fr. Tim

PS. A great habit? Morning prayer.