This gets a little complicated. Stay with me.

Who are you? This is a question that has many layers.

One level is simple. For example, I’m the child of Philip and Rosemary. I am a Catholic priest, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, etc. The next level might get into one’s personality. (I’m an extravert, I like to talk. I enjoy golf and reading, music, and kidding around with Fr. John).

Going deeper someone might reveal their likes and dislikes (are you a Bills fan? Like to travel? Love your time alone?); deeper still, you could share your hopes and dreams for life. Lastly, one must share what they love and why.

Certainly we don’t go there when some stranger asks the innocent question, “who are you?”. These deeper levels of our personality we keep to ourselves or share only with those closest to us.

But there is another level of “who we are”. It’s who we THINK we are. And here is where we can develop a “False Self”. You see we all live in the world. We are affected by what we see around us. The culture in which we live has certain messages about what constitutes beauty, success, happiness, etc. And we are prey to this message. We want to be loved, admired and accepted.

So over time, we unconsciously develop an image of ourselves that tries to fit people’s expectations of success, beauty, etc. We all do it! It’s a hunger for acceptance and love from the very culture that can’t give us what we really need. (How many teenagers have been devastated by the mean comments from trollers on social media? How they look, what people are saying about them, etc.) We’re looking for an acceptance of who we are by creating a persona or mask we hope will satisfy.

Thomas Merton writes, “Alienation begins when culture divides me against myself, puts a mask on me, gives me a role I may or may not want to play. Alienation is complete when I become completely identified with my mask.” Literary Essays of Thomas Merton.

“This “mask person” is a person who cannot exist, because God doesn’t know anything about him.”

So who are you really? Merton goes on, “There is a paradox that lies in the very heart of human existence. It must be understood before any lasting happiness is possible in the soul of a man or woman. Man’s nature by itself can do little to solve our deepest questioning . . . because in the concrete order of things God gave man a nature that was ordered to a supernatural life. We are created with a soul to be perfected by Him in a way infinitely beyond human powers. We were never destined in God’s plan for a purely natural happiness.” The Seven Story Mountain (Merton).

Bless You.

Fr. Tim

“His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned.” Mt. 9:36. This happened while Jesus was making his way through many towns and villages. He saw people with no direction, no plans for life, and no one to show them a better way.

Ever feel that way? With a little wisdom and age there comes a way of seeing life that eluded us when we were younger. All the bright and shiny things we thought would bring us happiness, all the places “we just had to be”, the things we just had to experience . . . we see them now for what they were   – – – passing fashion, temporary amusement.

Fun and fashion are perfectly acceptable if we see them in their proper perspective. But they are NOT the meaning we all hunger for. They are NOT the key that unlocks a world of happiness and fulfillment.

Seeing this was the cause of Jesus’s sorrow. He saw people placing their hopes in things that disappoint and there being no one to show them a better way (sheep without a shepherd). So, “moved with pity”, Jesus instructs us to pray that God will send workers into the vineyard. “The harvest is rich but laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for the harvest .”

Most times this prayer was seen as asking God for more priests and sisters (professional religious). Everyday people saw themselves as part of the harvest. We waited for the priest to “come and get us”.

That thinking greatly limits the power of Christ’s message. St. Paul says it clearly  we are ALL “Ambassadors of Christ . . . entrusting to us the message of reconciliation, as if God were appealing through us.” 2 Cor. 5:20.

YOU are a laborer in the Lord’s Vineyard!

• Parents. It is your duty and privilege to shepherd your children. You show them what brings goodness. You train them to avoid darkness and evil. You are a beacon of Faith in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom to come.
• Grandparents. You are that “safe place” for children when their parents have temporarily lost their voice or their patience. You are Christ’s voice for them.
• Teenagers. Your gift of Faith gives you the eyes to see the world in a deeper way than many of your classmates. Help them discover that Faith in God opens our eyes to see “God’s way” and seeing life like that we have Hope. When it’s appropriate, tell your friends, “I’ll say a prayer for you.”
• Employees. Bring your Faith to work by how you treat coworkers, how you protect the work environment, (keep from gossip, honesty with superiors, diligence and patience with others). Keep a little crucifix or holy picture on the desk if you’re allowed.
• Young adults. Don’t be afraid to express your belief in God and in God’s way, even when it’s unpopular. Be ready to explain WHY you believe.
• Tell people in your own words what feeds your spirit, what gives you strength and hope. They’re looking for what you’ve found. God will give you the words to speak about your Faith.

God is full of surprises. Conversations and encounters you never dreamed could happen can occur at the oddest times. Be open to God using you. Be yourself.

Beautiful Summer days we’re having.

Fr. Tim

They asked a famous concert pianist about their practice habits. “Do you ever miss a day practicing?” His answer was interesting: “If I miss a day, no one notices. If I miss two days, I notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices.” The point is: every day matters if you want to keep or increase a talent or skill.

Why? Because everything in life is fluid and changing. If you’re not feeding, strengthening, watching over the house, the garden, your finances, your children, your job, your marriage, your Faith, . . . it diminishes. Nothing stays the same.

The dark auburn hair you had in your twenties is turning grey or leaving all together. The physique you had on the swim team has “matured”. The Spanish you spoke pretty well in high school, and haven’t used, has gone away. Your garden hasn’t been weeded since last June and it’s a mess. Thank heaven you can still ride a bike! (That will go away someday too.)

What are we getting at here? Simply put: if you don’t use it, you lose it. Why? Because things tend to fall apart. That’s just the way it is.

So, if you have something important to you, take care of it.

This applies to our spiritual lives (our life of Faith). We are given this gift at Baptism. It is nourished in the weekly Eucharist and practiced in acts of kindness to others. Or not.

And that’s the point. Faith can weaken unless it is practiced. I’d like a nickel for every time someone has told me, “You know I was an altar server when I was a kid.” Or, “I made my First Communion right here in this church.” Or, “I still have my child’s prayerbook.”

But, they haven’t seen a church in years. Somehow they think the Faith they practiced as children can deal with the complex problems we face as adults.

St. Paul said it well, “ When I was a child, I thought as a child, reasoned as a child, spoke as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1Cor:13. Childish things had served their purpose    to launch our life of Faith. But now it must be tended and deepened to properly direct us when so many voices call out to us.

Hospital visits often reveal how people can be stuck in a Faith that can no longer deal with life’s circumstances. For example: a doctor has just delivered the frightening news – - “The cancer has reached stage 4. We’ll do everything we can but there is no guarantee.”

What do you do? God’s been off the radar for some years now. Praying seems awkward and somewhat pointless. There’s a feeling like you missed your flight   the ramp is closed and the pilot (God) and the plane have left the terminal. We begin to pray to an unknown God: “God, wherever you are . . . remember me? Once upon a time I was an altar server. Help me!!” Or worse – – - “God how could you do this to me?”

God will help, of course. (“Not a sparrow falls from the sky that is not known by your heavenly Father.” Matt. 10:29) But it’s not the way He wanted it to go down. You see, God wants to journey with us in trust and friendship throughout our life. So that moments like that in the hospital or other times of simple joys or trials would be the ”stuff” we share daily with the Lord.

Because God loves you. “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me.” John 10:11.

See you in Church.

Fr. Tim

The older I get the more interested I am in what moves people to want what they want. What is it that resonates in a person that makes them want to spend their time and money on some object or activity?

It starts with our appetites. Certain things are built into us that create a readiness for something that appeals to the senses or the imagination. Most things come to us this way. Smelling bacon in the morning starts a wonderful process called breakfast.

Other things appeal to our higher senses. Telling the truth. Being faithful, courageous, or generous. These things have True Value as do. . . people, family, faith, country.

Now there’s a problem. Sometimes the “lower senses” of our physical nature can overpower our higher sensibili- ties. (try being patient when you haven’t eaten all day!). Other appetites insist we possess certain things: a new cell phone, laptop, puppy, vacation spot, etc. These can have a certain urgency that creates a “want” before we realize it. So let’s look at Wanting.

What’s wrong with wanting something? Nothing at all. It’s how God made us. The problem comes when “wanting” is for something I “don’t need” or “Shouldn’t have”. This can cause a real tussle. “But I WAAAANT IT!”, we cried as children (as our parents wisely hid the candy, or ordered the TV turned off). And thus began the life long struggle to achieve the proper balance between need and want.

As a priest I get a bird’s eye view of this struggle when hearing confessions. People come to confess their sins. Most often sin starts by “wanting” something that is contrary to what is right and good.

This wanting is VERY powerful; eventually it can outweigh the attraction to the higher good. The good loses its appeal. We fall prey to a desire that takes us away from who (in our right mind) we really want to be.

So how can we stop wanting what is bad for us? It comes in finding something I want more. Something in us has to be bigger than the powerful desires for booze, sex, prestige, beauty, popularity, etc.

The problem is at the feeling level. I can know an ideal is good but not FEEL it. But with, say, pornography . . . your brain knows it’s sinful but there’s a powerful wanting at the feeling level.

What can give us, not just the knowledge about what is right, but the felt “wanting” to do it?

The answer, of course, is love. Love in the form of “loyalty”. Think for a moment of those people who are privileged to have your love and loyalty . . . your spouse, your children, your best friend. Think how many times you walked away from something you really wanted because of your love for them. In most cases it wasn’t even close! (Her need for braces far outweighed your wanting that vacation trip).

Finally . . . God wants to be in that same privileged place as your daughter or friend. He wants us to walk away from some of our wants because of our love for Him. Jesus did this very thing in the garden. “Father please. Take this away…but not what I want…help me to want what YOU want.”

It’s a grace from God to want what He wants. Ask for it. His will for us is our peace.

Fr. Tim

Summer starts this Tuesday. At least that’s what the calendar says; I’ve been in summer mode for a couple weeks. How about you?

I thought it might interest you what summer at Holy Trinity will look like. What things need fixing, changing, finishing, etc. On a personal note, to let you know what tentative plans I have for the next couple months.

• The church. We all can see the new interior design that was accomplished this past Lent. Parishioner’s reaction has been mostly positive to the new schema. It’s not perfect (what is?!) but most are finding that it embraces you more each week.
  
  Still to be done this summer will be a new carpet for the sanctuary, finish wood staining the side altars and sanctuary chairs and some possible accent lighting for the church walls. It’s going to be beautiful.
• The Staff. Two members of the staff have recently stepped back from their ministries at HT. Judy Cass, our Confirmation Coordinator, and Pat Bell, out Catechetical Assistant, have completed several years of faithful service. Thank you, Pat and Judy! (We are currently interviewing candidates for a Coordinator of Confirmation and Youth Ministry.)
• Personal time. (I hope you get some yourself.) I plan on traveling to Ohio once or twice this summer to see the sisses. And yes . . . there will be some golf as well. Looking out a bit further I want to make my priest retreat this year. It’s been two years since I’ve been to the monastery I’ve visited for over 30 years. Covid has kept the monks wary of allowing visitors but this year I’m free to stay with them again. Sometime in the fall I’m thinking.
• Books. Fr. John sets a good example here (he’s a voracious reader). Thanks to him I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of reading. I hope to get to several books this summer. Fr. John likes mysteries. I like biographies and social commentary. Do you read? It’s better than TV!

So what are your plans? Travel? Reunions? Sports? Special family time? Whatever you do, I hope that, over all, you see this precious time as a gift. A time to experience the beauty of the world of nature, to use the fine weather as a time to connect with friends, family and neighbors.

Perhaps in those summer conversations you might even drop the name “Holy Trinity” and the fact that it’s a place where you find your spirit renewed. You might even ask them to join you some Sunday. I bet they’ve never been asked that before. Tell’ em they don’t even have to have envelopes!

Bless your Summer days.

Fr. Tim

(This past week was to be my 50th College reunion. Actually it’s been 51 years . . Covid happened. Anyway, I couldn’t go. So, this being the season for school reunions, I thought I’d share my 50th high school reunion once again.)

Archbishop Hoban High School was an all-boys Catholic high school (since become co-ed) taught by the Brothers of the Holy Cross (think Aquinas only a bit smaller). We had 252 graduating seniors. There were about 80 classmates at the reunion with their wives.

I wondered if there would be some big “life lesson” awaiting me that weekend . . . some dramatic news about a former rival, some hugely successful person, a headline story of fortune gained or lost. Nothing like that happened. It was all very simple and real    this was our dinner that night.

** We had gotten older. Some fellows (good friends 50 years ago) I didn’t recognize, others brought immediate memories . . . Wayne Hopp, a little cheery guy, would turn back to me each morning in homeroom to share some class news.

** We all got t-shirts with our class motto (“Who Cares?!”) printed on the sleeve. We were at the beginning of the turbulent ‘60’s and ‘70’s. We thought ourselves oh so clever back then. Many of us had dabbled in Hippiedom and its various excesses. Since then I’d say most of us had in fact learned “to care”. The wives and the children were instrumental in our transformation.

** Someone who cared from the beginning was Mike Kempel. He was a Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class in Viet Nam. He was killed as he carried three fallen soldiers to safe cover and was awarded the Silver Star. Mike and I had made our First Communion together at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. He was a quiet, kindly fellow who never called attention to himself . . . until he died saving his brothers.

** Another classmate, Steven Bligh, had just lost his wife of 45 years. Their 3 children were raised and living far away. Steve was somewhat lost as he wandered the party by himself. Finally, some of our “Who Cares?” classmates grabbed him and sat him down with a beer and some conversation.

** As I said, it used to be a blue collar allboys school. So we weren’t the smoothest guys when it came to girls. Those with their own cars (a very few of us) were fast starters on the dating scene back then. But eventually the boys got their courage up and found their partners in life. The wives seemed genuinely happy to be a part of the evening.

As we filtered out there were no promises to “meet up again”, just handshakes, smiles, and “great to see you’s”.

I’m blessed to have 4 or 5 friends from high school that I still see when I travel back “home”. But I’ll never see most of those people again. That, in itself, is a thought worthy to reflect on.

Terry’s killer smile. John T’s gift of getting us together. Wayne’s excitement over the Cleveland Indians, Steve’s sadness without his wife, Dave’s quiet helping hand, Roland loud with too much beer . . . guys, it’s been quite a ride. I’m privileged to have known you.

Dear God. You made each one of us as a unique expression of your glory. You put us on the earth to share your joy in the beautiful world you created. You call us to be like you in the way you love. You gave us your Son to be one of us and show us the way. Jesus told us we are your children and you are our Father. And we will be with you in the great mystery called heaven.

Thank you so much!!

Fr. Tim

Have you begun to notice how “time” has different speeds? We see “slow time” when we consider the Grand Canyon and the millions of years nature took to carve it. Still growing, the Giant Sequoias are now approaching 2500 yrs. old. Haley’s Comet will cruise by our planet in another 500 years or so. California is moving toward Australia by about 4 inches a year. Nature doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.

“Fast time” is something we humans invented. An hour is still 60 minutes, of course, but fast time changes our experience of those minutes. Aren’t you amazed when dinner with friends is suddenly over? The longawaited vacation has come and gone? You turn 20 or 40 or 60 or 75! “What?! I can’t be that old. Where did the time go?”

“Fast time” has invaded our culture. We have certain expectations that things happen quickly. Waiting is an evil to be avoided. Instant coffee, credit card checkout, microwave dinners, online shopping, create an intolerance for anything that “takes time”.

Technology has been a blessing, of course. It frees us to enjoy our time in ways other than waiting. But it can also keep us from experiencing the part of life that has its own time; things our wishes can’t make any quicker.

Things like:

• Physical maturity.
• Mastering a difficult skill. (It takes 10,000 hours, experts say.)
• Selflessness and generosity. (Marriage and children bring that lesson!)
• Wisdom. (I wish I knew back then what I know now.)
• Character. Virtues like courage, purity, perseverance, need to mature. They need to be “time tested”.

So too, our spiritual life needs time to mature. St. Paul, in a wonderful insight tells us, “When I was a child I thought as a child, acted as a child. When I became an adult, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11

Some of us take longer than others “to put away childish things”. You see this in your own children. Some progress, some “get it” sooner than others.

God knows this too. Think of the patience the Lord has exercised with us. It took the Jews 4,000 years to learn there is but one God and we are his people. It took forty years (two generations) of wandering in the desert to drive home this lesson   and we’re still learning.

In two thousand years of Christianity, many wonderful things have happened to God’s People. The Gospel is practiced in every country in the world. Institutions of charity abound. Democracy grows in many places. Yet still there is racism, hunger, war, ignorance.

Why doesn’t God, (who created time by the way), just put us into some spiritual microwave and set the timer for “well done”? Why can’t the saving message of Jesus Christ overwhelm the minds and hearts of humanity and bring about the completion of the Kingdom of God?

That’s not what love does. God, as is revealed in Jesus, has created us to be in a relationship of love and trust. Essential to this relationship is that we humans be FREE to accept or ignore God’s offer. And as we can see . . . this takes time.

How long? The early Christians asked this same question. Scripture responds: “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise. Rather he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:11.

A final thought. The Lord is patient. He can wait for you (or your child or the nation or the world). He’s got all the time in the world. His invitation to join with Christ will never cease, no matter how old we are. Things take time.

Bless you.

Fr. Tim

I remember a long time ago, part of my seminary preparation sent me to a summer chaplain school in a large county hospital in Dallas, Texas. There were 13 in our chaplain class, twelve Southern Baptists/Assembly of God and one Catholic (me).

We would meet daily for intensive meetings about the patients we were working with and then we’d break for lunch. It was during our lunches that we’d learn more about each other and what our personal faith traditions taught. You can imagine the attention the Catholic guy got!

Comments like:, “You Catholics like statues!” Or, “You worship Mary.” Or, “the Pope is as important as Jesus.” Or, “Just go to mass and you go straight to heaven, right?” But the one question that we spent most of our time on was, “Do Catholics accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior?” “Did you accept him, Tim?”

It really made me step out of my Catholic world to see what these Baptist classmates knew in their bones as little children . . . “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” A real, living, present person . . . my friend Jesus. “Yes”, I said, but they made me dig deep inside to realize this friendship.

Many Catholics are a little slow to answer “have I accepted Jesus into my life”? “Do you mean, do I love God? Of course I do. I go to mass. I say my prayers. I try to live right. Does that mean I have a personal relationship with Jesus?”

I would say “yes”. You’ve got the basics covered there .. loving and serving a God we cannot see. However, I think the question goes a bit further than that, asking in a sense, is this relationship with Christ PERSONAL? Does it bear the signs of a friendship? Is there a familiarity with Jesus that one would have with a friend?

Are there times when there is an emotional level to your speaking with God? (For example: “Lord, you know I can’t do this. (I can’t forgive, I’m tired of trying, I don’t want to turn away from some habit. I’m sick and tired of . . .!!!” That’s a personal relationship.)

What if I don’t recognize these feelings in my relationship with Christ? Have I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior? Don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember, you HAVE a relationship with Christ. It’s GIVEN to you in baptism. You are a child of God and you are invited to call God your Father. It’s a gift. Accept it.

The other personal feeling stuff comes naturally to anyone who loves God and tries to do what is good. If my chaplain friends had asked me, “do you always FEEL Christ’s friendship?” I would have to answer “no”. Feelings come and go. There are times when we are filled with affections toward those we love. At other times things feel dry and everyday. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s just how life is.

But there is one infallible way to determine whether we have a personal relationship with Jesus     how do we treat our neighbor in need? Why is this the measure (and not some spiritual feeling)? Because Jesus said so.

“As often as you (fed, clothed, visited, comforted) these little ones, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:31ff.

And,

“Whoever has not loved a brother/sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20.

In other words, Christ takes it PERSONALLY when we care for our neighbor. Kindness to them is kindness TO ME says the Lord.

Loving our neighbor is essential to having a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior.

God bless you and meet you in these spring days.

Fr. Tim

Sometimes it seems religion and science describe two different worlds. (One is observable . . . science, the other is in our imagination . . . religion). Science roots us in our daily lives. Religion, on the other hand, is about a reality called “spirit” that can’t be observed with scientific tools.

Here’s where things can go wrong. The two need to respect the other’s competence. Religion must accept scientific fact as part of God’s wisdom. Science must allow for truth to exist that can’t be physically verified.

In the past, religion has closed its eyes to scientific fact. “What do you mean the earth is round?! And you say ‘the earth travels around the sun?!’ Blasphemy!”

Science, since the Enlightenment (1600’s), has placed “reason”, aided by the scientific method, as the only way of coming to know what is true. You say, “God said let there be light? And that’s how it all started? Prove it.” You say, “Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead? Prove it.”

Some think when we talk about religion we have to put our knowledge of this world on the shelf (eg. our knowledge of astronomy.) Faith tells us Jesus “came down from heaven”, “he suffered death and was buried, and rose again”, then he “ascended into heaven”, and “is seated at the right hand of the Father.”

Science can read these words as indicating a heaven situated a few miles above us, from which he “came down” and then “ascended” back to “sit at the right hand of God the Father.” It’s like a palace in the air with two chairs set side by side. Nice thought, says science, but there is no evidence this is true.

I’m not trying to be a smart aleck here. This is what the words of the bible can cause us to imagine about God and Jesus and heaven. And these imaginings can seem childish next to the hard and sometimes scary facts about the limitless cosmos.

What can we say to help here? I think the first thing to remember is the difference between believing and imagining. “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” This is a statement of faith acknowledging a fact . . . there is one God, and all that is, comes from God.

But then we imagine. “What did making the earth look like?” Michelangelo tried his brilliant best in the Sistine Chapel. Remember that painting of God the Father on the cloud reaching out with his divine finger to touch the finger of the sleeping Adam? Did it really look like that? No. But does it convey a truth? Of course. God created us out of love. How exactly? We don’t know. Science can help here.

So two things are happening here. The WHAT (Faith) and the HOW it happened (science).

The WHAT of Faith . . . God created the heavens and earth in the “seven days” of creation.

The HOW of science . . . nature, over millions of years, progressed in form and complexity to bring about the beings we observe.

The WHAT of Faith . . . God made us from the dust of the earth and blew his spirit into us. (Genesis 2)

The HOW of science . . . evidence suggests an evolutionary force of nature brought about, over millions of years, a physical body capable of holding the human soul. The soul, created directly by God. Nature cannot create a spiritual soul.

The church wants us to know what is true; then artists and poets imagine the visuals. Science offers proven physical knowledge that can help us understand more deeply the brilliance of God, who, by the way, is the very source of reason itself.

Faith and Science . . . both on the same team.

Blessings.

Fr. Tim