One of the attitudes that marks our Western culture is the notion that we are in control of our lives and our future. The powerful tools of science and technology enable us to live lives expecting results that will please and comfort us.

Let’s see . . . today I’ll take my car to the mall where I’ll buy an Ipod which has an app that, with two touches, books a room in a snazzy hotel and tells me the water temperature in the hotel pool. My doctor will fix my bad hip. The micro will heat my pasta. And tonight, I’ll watch the Yankees play Boston in high def. I’m pretty set. Life is good.

So pervasive is our confidence that these machines will (pardon me Webster) make my “life worth living” that we begin to expect life to be what we command it to be. We forget that we are mere creatures made by God.

But who needs God when life can be controlled and self-directed all by ourselves?

But, you and I know it’s not that simple. Life is bigger than that. “Things happen”. Sometimes life just doesn’t work out the way we planned. The comfort and convenience we get from our machines just doesn’t satisfy the hunger we have in our hearts.

You see, we were made for something greater than high def TV, and Ipods, and even the Yankees.

In short we were made for God. We were made in the likeness of God. Scripture says we, unlike any other creature in this universe, are God’s Children! How can this be? Because God became one of us when He was born a human being. And this human being, Jesus, God’s Son, has asked that we allow him to enter our lives and “live in us”.

How? By the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a Divine Person who we cannot see and, unlike our Ipod, we cannot control. On Pentecost Sunday we heard again about the strong driving wind which first blew over the waters of creation now blowing over the apostles making them “born again” in the life of Christ.

The fondest longing of the human heart is realized today. We belong to God and one day “we will become like Him”.

Again this is not because of anything we have done to cause it. We can’t make ourselves children of anybody . . . it has to be given to us. Today we are God’s Children by adoption. The Holy Spirit places in us the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and with that spirit a new life is begun. A life of Faith, Hope and Love.

Like a baby!! While we sleep. The Holy Spirit is working in us to bring us to the Kingdom of God where we, in union with Christ, will be with God forever.

How wonderful is that?!

Dear God, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit.

Peace. All will be well.

Fr. Tim

We learn some things more quickly than others. Walking, talking, the alphabet, times tables, and riding a bike come to us in the first years of life. Other things take longer – things of “character” (honesty, courage, patience, generosity).

So too, in matters of Faith, some things come to us quickly. “I believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son . . . born of the Virgin Mary.” (Apostles Creed). The Christmas Story, Heaven, Holy Communion, sin and sorrow for sin and God’s forgiveness all come relatively early.

But something, for me at least, has taken a long time to realize – Mary, the mother of our Lord. Please don’t be shocked. We each have a unique path in finding our way to the Kingdom. What comes quickly for some takes longer for others.

So what about Mary? We know several things about her from the Scriptures. She was married to Joseph, yet bore her miraculous son as a virgin. She followed her son throughout his ministry and was present at the foot of the cross when all but John had abandoned the Lord. She was present in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended on her and the apostles. And this weekend we celebrated her Assumption into heaven.

The glorious titles given to Mary by the Church: Mother of God in Christ, Mother of the Church, and Mother of all the Faithful, (along with the hundreds of holy cards showing Mary floating on a cloud) have somehow hidden her from me . . . “OUR MOTHER in the order of grace.” Universal Catechism 966.

I have always known these things “about” Mary. I believe them. But I watch and hear others who seemed to know and love Mary personally. I’ve been almost jealous of those I see place such trust in her, turning to her as they would their own mother.

So here’s what God is doing in me regarding Mary, my adoptive mother. (It’s a new thing that’s not done yet.)

• I’m letting Mary be a real person. A woman, a wife and mother, with all the joys and sorrows that go with that.
• I’m reflecting on Mary’s greatest moments: her “Fiat” (“let it be done” to Gabriel’s message, her standing at the foot of the cross watching her son’s crucifixion and saying, as did her son, “Thy will be done”. It doesn’t get any harder than that). These were human acts of faith that make this tough little woman . . . approachable..
• I can go to her now, knowing that she looked into the abyss of her son’s murder and kept the faith.
• I can watch her admire her son as a loving mother. “Tim, isn’t he beautiful! I wish you could know him like I know him.”
• Her voice is different than her son’s. (Jesus is sometimes demanding and matter of fact; setting his Father’s Kingdom in stark relief he says, “Repent”, “take up your cross”, “enter through the narrow way, etc.)

  She has a woman’s voice, deferring to the power of Her son who is the “Truth”, she has that tender concern for us, saying softly, “How are you doing with this? Are you okay? Are you getting what my son is saying?”

• I used to resist thinking of myself as “her child”, fearing being “childish”. It feels more like my mother trying to get me to understand my older brother – – – Jesus. “Tim, my son is your brother. Listen to him.”
• Mary knows her son like no one else. She knows what is in his heart for each of her adopted children. “He loves you, Tim, she says. Trust me, I’m his mother!”
• Sometimes you just can’t talk to a man, however wonderful they might be. Their judgements we can’t bear. We need someone to whom we can pour out our hearts. Our fears (as men), our weaknesses and failures, our moments of shame . . . all find a place of confidence in her loving embrace. My mother.
• But she’s no pushover either. All her kindness is directed toward getting us moving toward her son. “To Jesus through Mary”. I’m just starting to get it.

Summer blessings.

Fr. Tim

Have you heard someone say that to you? It seems to be a common phrase these days. Many feel it best expresses their view of life. Let’s take a minute to see what they mean by that. Let’s try to see the good thing they are pointing to because they feel it’s a thoughtful, virtuous way to live life. And it is.

“I’m spiritual”. It means a person is aware that there is “something” in this world beyond what we can see and touch. There is something that can’t be spotted by our microscopes or telescopes or chemical analysis. It’s a spirit that has a meaning and beauty that makes human life worth living. It seems very active in those “peak” moments of life . . . falling in love, the birth of a child. One gets the sense of being connected to something bigger than themselves, something kind and beautiful.

The phrase, “I’m spiritual”, is a non-technical term trying to describe a feeling or an intuition. When I am aware of it, I experience myself fitting into a universal, spiritual plan. The plan is good and benevolent, and I feel happy that I could connect with it.

That’s not bad, eh? Really. It sensitizes people to the beauty around us. It’s like a melody playing in the back-ground. When we feel this “good spirit” we say, “I don’t go to church. My church is a walk in the woods.” I think we’ve all found the beauty of nature touching us and leading us to the Creator. We’re all “spiritual” in this sense.

So what’s the problem with this? It doesn’t hurt anybody. There have been no wars fought over being “spiritual”.

My only thought at this point is there’s no one to thank. It’s a painting without a painter; a symphony without a composer. We’re still ALONE. Ultimately what good is that?

What happens when life turns ugly? What happens when I don’t feel my spiritual side; when sorrow or sickness or tragedy strikes? When my walk in the woods is scary and lonely? When life and its demands feel overwhelming? Being “spiritual” somehow doesn’t get to the depth of the human experience.

OK, so what about “religion” and how is it different from that “spiritual” feeling? What follows are words from someone who “believes in God”.

The Christian religion says that God has actually revealed himself to us in the history of the human race. There was a 5000 year old process of recording God’s actions in human history called the Bible (the creation of the heavens and earth, calling a people to a special relationship with him (the Jews), and finally coming to live among us in human form (Jesus Christ)).

In this process we are given a pretty specific description of who God is and how God acts. Time and again Jesus would say, “the Kingdom of Heaven is like . . .” and there would follow a picture of some aspect of God, right down to his name – – “Father”. One of his stories describes heaven to a king who has a banquet and we humans are invited guests.

So, Christians can’t walk away from this Revealed Word. We are tied to this belief about God and human existence. The word “religion” itself has the notion of being “tied to” something (religare – Latin meaning “to bind together”).

“Being tied to” what has been revealed is really important because it gives us the knowledge to know who God is. The people who hold this knowledge and act according to its instructions have what we call “religion”.

But, aren’t there many religions? Yes, there are many religions. So, then it doesn’t matter which one I practice, right? It does if you want to know the truth. They all might have something of the truth, but they can’t all be right. (The Resurrection of the Dead for Christians is to-tally different than the Re-incarnation for Bhuddists).

It’s here I think we go back to two things. True religion, unlike “being spiritual” has to deal with, 1. the staggering beauty of human life in both its joys and sorrows – – – what best explains who we are? What is love? How can there be suffering and yet still a God we can honestly worship? 2. How does one come to the knowledge and love of such a Being?

Answers to these questions are beyond our ability to fathom. God has to help us. He has to give us something that will touch the deepest recesses of the human heart and open us to His Mystery. It’s called the gift of Faith, and it was delivered to us in actual words by another human being, Jesus Christ .

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” Luke 9:35.

Blessings to you. Fr. Tim

Sometimes it happens, try as we might to hear God, we just don’t feel that God is speaking to us. We can pray all we want, but it just seems to go on a big pile of unanswered prayers. God is silent.

Mother Teresa’s memoirs tell us of God’s silence in her life for over twenty years. Unfortunately, many give up on praying. We don’t stop believing in God and trying to do the right thing. We just stop turning to God in prayer.

Jesus said, “Pray to your Father in secret and your Father who sees you in secret will repay you . . . he knows what you need even before you ask him.” Mt. 6: 6-8. And “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find.

Knock and it will be opened to you.” Mt. 7:7 Jesus could have just as well said,”you’ll hear back I promise”.

So, why does it seem at times we don’t hear back from God? Maybe the problem is with us. Somehow we”re not “dialed in” to God’s frequency. He’s speaking, but we don’t have the receptors to hear him. Or, perhaps some-thing is blocking our hearing.

Below is a list of things that people do or experience that make hearing God’s whisper unlikely. It’s hard to hear you Lord because…

• There is no silence in my life. I fill my every moment with gadgets that make noise, give useless information, or provide distraction. God speaks in the quiet of our heart. “Be still and know that I am God.”
• My image of God is one that keeps me from wanting to meet him. (It can be an unhappy image of “father” because my own father was absent or angry or stern). Jesus the Good Shepherd is our image of God.
• Sin. I’m living a life in which I consciously turn to sinful actions. I cling to an evil behavior that gives me comfort. Gradually it keeps me from feeling God’s “quickening” impulses in my heart.
• Resentment. Perhaps I’ve been holding a grudge or a prejudice or a hatred because of some wrong done to me. Get rid of it. Ask God for the grace to let go of it. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Resentment in the heart is too loud for us to hear God.
• Shame. There’s something in my life that makes me ashamed of myself. I feel there’s something in me that God hates me for, and I can’t bear to have that touched or exposed. That’s why I keep the TV on all the time. Stop hiding from God like Adam and Eve in the Garden. Let him see you. Warts and all. Confession is a healing balm for shame.
• Sometimes God can appear to be silent because He’s weaning us from our feelings. You see early on in our relationship with God there can be moments, wonderful moments of insight, or emotional consolation. God gives us these to encourage us on the path to a relationship with him. Not only do we “know about” God, but now we are “in Love” with him.

God can withdraw these consolations leaving us feeling alone, like he has forgotten us. Not so! It’s important to recognize this “silence of God” as a way of purifying our prayer. We can become attached to the warm feelings about God and our love for him . . . so much so that our hunger is for these feelings . . . not for God. This silence must be seen as a great step forward – an invitation to draw closer to him with purified hearts. The psalm captures this when it says, “like a weaned child on its mother’s breast, so my soul rests in you oh Lord.”

Whatever may be happening to make you feel as if God is not speaking to you, there is one sure way to proceed. Be patient, keep praying. God knows your need even before you ask – – trust this. THEN you will hear, in time, God’s word to you.

Summer blessings.

Fr. Tim

Just what does it mean to “worship”? To “adore”, to “glorify”?

We immediately think we know. It’s what we do in church. We offer our prayers to God. We are “down here” and God is “up there”, so we “send up” our prayers, songs and praises hoping that He hears us and somehow this makes Him happy.

That’s got part of what worship is about, but unless we go deeper we miss the amazing gift worship becomes for us. You see we were made to worship and adore. It is our highest activity as a creature. Our purpose as human beings is to praise and worship God. It’s as if the bird turns to the human and says “Look, you’re the creature God made to know him and love him. He only made us to fly. Would you mind telling God for all us birds how much we love flying?” We speak for all creation.

There can be some disconnect at this point. We can too soon associate this worship with the feeling that God, like a beauty queen, somehow needs our praise to feel better about Himself or to love us more because of our sweet words to Him. That’s NOT what’s happening when we worship.

First of all, worship is a matter of acknowledging what is true. The liturgy has us pray, “It is right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you glory.” In other words God is . . . God. The supreme and infinite and uncreated source of all that is. It is only right that we acknowledge that.

But, what comes next is almost as wonderful. Being in the act of worship we recognize our deepest potential as His creature. Again the Preface at mass says, “You have no need of our praise, but it is itself your gift to us. And makes us grow in holiness.”

Our reverent submission to the infinite knowledge of God opens the mystery of the created world. The countless galaxies, the sub-atomic universe, the human genome, the planet earth in the vacuum of space, reveal God’s effort-less brilliance and our privilege to share in a small part of that knowledge.

Our surrender to God’s moral law awakens within us our deepest beauty as participants in a life of love that is God’s very nature. Because of our union with Christ we become lovers as God Himself loves, and thereby we are united to the Divine.

Worship and adoration open us to the intentional beauty God has placed all around us: the vision of beauty that is the human being, the overwhelming power of a child’s smile, the glimpse of eternity that music can bring all have ultimate meaning because of God who is the source of all that is. Worship gives us the words “to give Him thanks”.

It was St. Ireneus who said, the “The Glory of God is Man fully alive.” In other words, when humans are living in a way that God has made us for (loving, surrendering to God’s way). We are giving Glory to God. This too is worship.

But, the Ireneus saying has a second part, “and Man fully alive is to see God.” This tells us of our final goal as human beings . . . to look on the face of God, to be filled with the Joy that is in the heart of Christ, and to see that joy in the faces of all who have loved in the course of their lives on earth.

In the end nothing satisfies the human heart but the Love of God. Till then we are restless until we rest in that unspeakable beauty.

Let’s go straight ahead.

Fr. Tim

I can’t imagine that Martha was anything but heartbroken and angry with Jesus when he showed up four days late to save her brother, Lazarus. She and her sister, Mary, had sent an urgent message for him to come; “Lord, your dear friend is sick.”

The two sisters were particularly close to Jesus (remember the dinner? Martha fumed away in the kitchen while Mary sat talking with Jesus.) They were themselves . . . no pious holy card figures. “Why weren’t you here, Jesus?! Our brother would never have died!”

And, what was the reason Jesus gave for his delay? “For your (the disciples) sake, I am glad I was not with him so that you will believe” (That Christ has power over sin and death). Jn, 11:15. What follows, of course, totally amazed everybody; Lazarus comes back to life.

So, what’s the point for you and me? Well, unless you are like Jesus and can raise dead people back to life, you’d better be there. What’s the line from the movie, Annie Hall? 80% of life is just showing up. Not being there to win everyone’s attention, not to do anything special, JUST BE THERE.

We don’t believe that about ourselves, do we? That we make a difference. Many times we think, “who am I that people would want me to be there? What will I say? What should I do?” They won’t care if I’m not there.

But, it’s not that way for people who love you. Your presence is a comfort to them. I remember my father’s face buried amongst hundreds of people in the stands as we faced our arch-rivals in basketball. It was such a comfort to know he was there . . . as we lost the game.

You see, you don’t need to say anything. You don’t need to be witty or profound or anything. Just be you and show up. Love will do the rest.

Show up for:

• Dinner with the family
• Dance recitals/games/birthdays
• Bed time/prayer time for the children
• Parish picnics/movie nights/walks with a friend
• Work/work/work/
• Mass/mass/mass!

Why show up? Because we’re less when you aren’t there. And you don’t know how many people are missing you.

See you in church. I hope.

Blessings to you.
Fr. Tim

There are many answers to this question. A couple simple ones come to mind:

–It’s a place that has a church building and a parking lot.
–It’s where I go to mass on Sunday.
–It’s where you belong, so when the time comes, you can get married or buried.

Canon Law (rules for church governance) says a parish is a geographical area in which baptized Catholics reside and are offered spiritual aid (religious education and the sacraments).

But, this description is rather dry and formal. What is your description? . . . not just any parish, but your parish . . . what describes the parish you want to belong to? Here’s mine.

I want my parish to be:

• Where I am reminded that god is with me.
• A place where I can find peace in times of trouble.
• A people who try to do what Christ did.
• A place where I am welcomed just as I am.
• A place where I can learn and grow in my faith.
• A people who are humble and quick to know where we need to do better.
• A people who welcome and learn from the “newcomer”.
• Where I experience God in the liturgy.
• Where I see and hear about opportunities to help others.
• Where I can learn from others how to help people in need.
• Where I can get help in raising my children in the faith.
• Where our children learn about Christ in a formative and compelling way.
• Where my faith finds practical and creative ways to aid the complex problems of the world.
• Where I can grow in my faith and knowledge of God.
• Where my marriage is made stronger.
• Where I can learn how to pray.
• Where I meet fun, happy, kind and gentle people.
• Where hope is renewed.
• Where I am continually invited and connected to effective social ministry.
• Where I learn how to bring Christ to others . . .

I could list about 50 more, but it would only bore you. Anyway these are my hopes for this parish . . . Holy Trinity. We are not perfect by any means . . . but we’re trying.

I hope you find something of interest in the weekly bulletin/web site. Won’t you join us in trying to make a difference in this world for Jesus Christ?

If you are new to the parish and feel as if none of the things I’ve listed above have happened to you – – – call me. Or write to me . . fhoran@dor.org. Tell me how you’ve found things so far at Holy Trinity. I, or someone on the staff, will be in touch with you (if you wish) to further the conversation.

In the meantime . . . God bless your week.

Fr. Tim

The Gospel of Mark has this remarkable sentence about Jesus: “He was not able to perform any mighty deed there (Nazareth) . . . he was amazed at their lack of faith.” Mk 6:6.

What’s amazing to me is not Jesus’ “unwillingness” to work his plan because of lack of faith. I can imagine Jesus with hurt feelings saying “Fine, you put no faith in me so I’m not going to lift a finger for you.”

No, it’s not Jesus “refusing” to help; it’s Jesus “unable” to help. His hands are tied! The citizens of Nazareth, his home town, have made it impossible for Jesus to do as he had planned. What a powerful force the lack of faith is – – it binds even the hands of God.

Picture going to your friend’s house as a kid to ask his mom if Billy can come out to play. “Leave me alone. Go away”, Billy says from inside. Suddenly everything is changed. You’ve just lost your playmate.

You can’t “make” Billy play. That goes against the nature of playing. You have to want to play for it to be “play”! So, Jesus had to walk away. The home game was cancelled. From then on Jesus played away games. (The big one being in Jerusalem.)

So, what is the lesson for us? It’s simple. The power of God’s grace working in our lives can only come about if we want it to. God will never force his will on ours. That’s not how love behaves. Remember how God approached Mary through the Angel Gabriel? God wanted to have a child with Mary but, like any honorable suitor, he had to seek her permission. “Let it be done.” Mary said.

Remember that terrible moment in the Garden of Gethsemani? Jesus feared what God’s will might be (“Let this cup pass me by,” he said). After wrestling throughout the night with the deepest fears of the human heart, Jesus said “Let Thy will be done”.

So, it’s a letting go of our own will while trusting the wisdom of God’s. Or perhaps, better stated, it is “submitting” our will to that of God’s. As if we were saying to God, “Lord, here’s what I think I should do.” Or “Lord, here’s what I hope you would do for such and such.” “But Lord, you know better than I, so, whatever you decide that’s what I want too.”

That’s when God’s hands are untied. Finally, we bring to him a heart that is willing to receive his grace, his wisdom, his peace.
Can you think of a time when you gave over your will to God, letting him have a free hand in moving you to a particular action?

Some time ago it was my intention to remove my name from candidates to serve on a priestly committee until a wise friend of mine said, “Horan, if God wants to ignore you he’ll ignore you. They’ll pick somebody else. But, don’t you go tying God’s hands if he wants you to play.” So I left my name in . . . and God let that cup pass!

Did you see God this week?

Fr. Tim

There is a program on cable television called “Dirty Jobs”. It portrays a typical day at some of the dirtiest jobs in the country. The nastier elements of garbage disposal, food preparation, sanitation work, cleaning and refurbishing are there to be seen in all their ickyness.

As tough as these can be, they can’t compare with what I think is the hardest job of all . . . raising children to be healthy, happy, self disciplined and kind.

It is a messy job, but not for the dirt and grime of the workplace. It’s messy because we try and fail . . . and try again. It’s messy because sometimes parents just don’t know the best way to handle things. It’s messy be-cause we can’t be certain of the outcome until some 25 or 30 years have shown what this child has grown to be. It’s messy because your efforts so often go unappreciated.

We hear of the heartbroken father in the gospel this Sunday, his daughter is sick unto death, “someone please help us!! Jesus come and help my daughter.” A parents worst nightmare- – – their endangered child. A more profound heartbreak- there is none.

And then . . . if by some chance you do everything right and your child grows straight and true . . . they find someone to love and leave you.

And you wouldn’t have it any other way, but it hurts.

So, why would anyone want this messy job, parenting? Because it makes you into the best person you can be. Children and spouse are the one force in life stronger than our selfishness. It is in raising children that you give your all (doesn’t it take everything?). You lay down your life for them. And as Jesus says, “No greater love hath someone that they lay down their life” for those God gives them. Jn 15:13

Monks have their chapel and their fields. Nuns have their convent and their work. Priests have their parish and their bishop. Parents have their family. Each lived situation works by God’s plan to help us forget ourselves and live for others.

Thank you Mother and Father for loving us more than you loved yourself.

Are you doing summer things?!

Fr. Tim