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Pope Francis has invited Catholic people around the world to participate in the 2021-2023 Synod with the theme of “Journeying Together”. Here at Holy Trinity, we will explore the themes of Listening and Dialogue in Church and Society.

II. Listening

Listening is the first step, but it requires having an open mind and heart, without prejudices.

To whom does our Church “need to listen to”? How are the Laity, especially young peo- ple and women, listened to? How do we integrate the contribution of Consecrated Men and Women? What space is there for the voice of minorities, the discarded, and the excluded? Do we identify prejudices and stereotypes that hinder our listening? How do we listen to the social and cultural context in which we live?

VI. Dialogue in Church and Society

Dialogue requires perseverance that includes silence and sometimes discomfort.

In the end it proves capable of gathering and understanding the experience of peoples.

Where do you find dialogue happening in the local and in the worldwide Catholic Church? How are differences of vision and their resulting conflicts addressed? Do we collaborate with neighboring dioceses or the religious orders in the area? Are there experiences of dialogue and shared commitment with believers in other religions? With nonbelievers? How can the Catholic Church dialogue with and learn from: the world of politics, economics, culture, civil society, the poor? How does the Church respond to social trends that challenge and conflict with the Faith of Jesus Christ?

All are welcome to join us on Tuesday, March 1, 7:00-8:00 PM or Saturday, March 5, 10:00-11:00 AM. Both sessions will be held in the Gathering Space.

Source: Welcome Back to Mass at HT

I Found this article by Seth Adam Smith and wanted to share his words on marriage.

Having been married only a year and a half, I’ve recently come to the conclusion that marriage isn’t for me.

Now before you start making assumptions, keep reading.

I met my wife in high school when we were 15 years old. We were friends for ten years until…until we decided we no longer wanted to be just friends. I strongly recommend that best friends fall in love. Good times will be had by all.

Nevertheless, falling in love with my best friend did not prevent me from having certain fears and anxieties about getting married. The nearer Kim and I approached the decision to marry, the more I was filled with a paralyzing fear. Was I ready? Was I making the right choice? Was Kim the right person to marry? Would she make me happy?

Then, one fateful night, I shared these thoughts and concerns with my dad.

Perhaps each of us have moments in our lives when it feels like time slows down or the air becomes still and everything around us seems to draw in marking that moment as one we will never forget.

My dad giving his response to my concerns was such a moment for me. With a knowing smile he said, “Seth, you’re being totally selfish. So I’m going to make this really simple: marriage isn’t for you. You don’t marry to make yourself happy; you marry to make someone else happy.

More than that, your marriage isn’t for yourself; you’re marrying for a family. Not just for the in-laws and all of that nonsense, but for your future children. Who do you want to help you raise them? Who do you want to influence them? Marriage isn’t for you. It’s not about you.

It was in that very moment that I knew that Kim was the right person to marry. I realized that I wanted to make her happy – to see her smile every day, to make her laugh every day. I wanted to be a part of her family, and my family wanted her to be a part of ours. And thinking back on all the times I had seen her play with my nieces, I knew that she was the one with whom I wanted to build our own family.

My father’s advice was both shocking and revelatory. It went against the grain of today’s “Walmart philosophy”, which is if it doesn’t make you happy, you can take it back and get a new one.

No, a true marriage (and true love) is never about you. It’s about the person you love-their wants, their needs, their hopes and their dreams. Selfishness demands, “What’s in it for me?” While Love asks, “What can I give?”

Some time ago my wife showed me what it means to love selflessly. For many months my heart had been hardening with a mixture of fear and resentment. Then, after the pressure had built up to where neither of us could stand it, emotions erupted. I was callous, I was selfish.

But, instead of matching my selfishness, Kim did some-thing beyond wonderful–she showed an outpouring of love. Laying aside all of the pain and anguish I had caused her, she lovingly took me in her arms and soothed my soul. I realized that I had forgotten my Dad’s advice. While Kim’s side of the marriage had been to love me, my side of the marriage had become all about me. This awful realization brought me to tears, and I promised my wife that I would try to be better.

To all who are reading this article-married, almost married, single or even the sworn bachelor or bachelorette-I want you to know that marriage isn’t for you. No true relationship of love is for you. Love is about the person you love.

And, paradoxically, the more you truly love that person, the more love you receive. And not just from your significant other, but from their friends and their family and thousands of others you never would have met had your love remained self-centered.

Truly, love and marriage isn’t for you. It’s for others.

Blessings, Fr. Tim