Picture in your mind a spiritual power that can observe the material world and come up with ways to change it and make it better (tools, shelter, etc.). This spiritual power can create beautiful sounds, using cat gut for strings, and plucking them in various rhythms (music). It can observe the goodness and proper order of things . . . and greatest of all, it can love and serve the one who created it.

Now picture a way for this spirit to live in the material world; a home to live in here on earth. What would that “spiritual container” look like? It’s that miracle called the human body.

And that friends, in very rough outline, is what makes a human being. It is the inseparable union of body and spirit that exists nowhere else in creation and is called MAN. Two partners are needed to bring this creature about; one to provide the “container” – – – parents. And one to provide the knowing spirit – – – God.

Catholic theology tells us that it’s the spirit (soul), that gives us the potential to be a “person”. Your mother and father didn’t know who you were when you were born. Mom knew she brought forth a girl or a boy. That’s all they knew. It will take a couple years for parents to know “who this child is”. But God knew you, and He gave you the soul that makes you . . you!

But let’s not forget the body, for it is an equal partner in making a human being. Again, theologians (St. Thomas Aquinas) tell us that the body is the visible “form” of the soul. The body is what gives the soul its brain to think, hands to grasp, eyes to see, lips to speak.

Now there’s a mystery. The body is mortal. It will die. The soul, like its maker, is immortal. It will never die. So what does the soul do without a body to carry out its activity?

The two need each other to be that union of body and spirit that makes a human being. When the body gets buried in the ground, some have imagined the soul flying off to heaven to become an angel.

That’s not what happens. God wanted you to be a human being, not an angel. You will always be human. So what happens then? The body goes into the ground . . . and the soul has lost its home! Without each other to complete a human person,where are we?

Science doesn’t know. You and I don’t know. Nobody knows. Oh dear.

Except . . . . there’s this guy named Jesus of Nazareth. God, the Creator of Heaven and earth, became a human being. Jesus is the human body and soul of God. So being human, God lived a truly human life. He was born of Mary, grew to manhood, suffered, AND DIED. Just like we will. His body was buried (for like ours, it was mortal).

But then . . . “God raised him up, releasing him from the throws of death.” Acts 2:24. And “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (by Baptism), the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you..” Romans 8:11.

This is why Jesus was raised body and soul in the Resurrection. His body and soul needed to be united in that union we call Jesus. So too, you and me. In the Resurrection we will be given a “new body, a glorified body.” No longer subject to the limitations of space and time, we will look upon the face of God from our bodily place in the Resurrected Body of Christ.

Fully human in a way even better than our lives here on earth.

Thought you’d like to know.

Fr. Tim

W. B Yeats called it the ever “widening gyre” *. The image was of a falcon and the falconer who calls the bird to its roost. The bird has flown to a distance it can no longer see or hear its master. “The falcon cannot hear the falconer. Things fall apart. The center cannot hold.” The poem refers to the forces of history or culture that take a person and a civilization away from their true self.

Something like this happens in every age of history, its effects appear in our culture today and our young people are most severely affected. We’re losing a sense of our center, our true selves, and what is most disconcerting   we don’t sense the loss. The forces that separate falcon from falconer are many and complex. To keep it simple we can point to an imbalance of the “inner world” and the “outer world”.

The inner world refers to that realization a person has of himself. His center. His likes and dislikes, personality, characteristics and values. It’s our soul, our center. It’s the “me” that turns when someone calls my name.

The “outer world” of course, is that environment outside ourselves; events, persons, circumstances in which we act and are acted upon. Some have called it “the daily grind”.

Between these two poles, my human life happens. I go out of myself to encounter the world, then I return to the inner world and the conversation with myself begins. “What was that? Why did that happen? Did I do the right thing?”, etc.

These two poles of life, the going out and the returning “home”, need to be in balance. The problem is the world with its unending chatter of social media, news and entertainment, overwhelms the “inner person.” There’s no home to return to. We are in turmoil. Things fall apart.

Ever have one of those moments when television, the phone or internet are all turned off? We grow restless or slightly embarrassed to be “alone with ourselves”. The sudden quiet catches us off guard.

In the silence a weird feeling of being a stranger to our- selves comes over us. And so we check our email, text someone, see what’s on TV, phone somebody . . . any- thing to avoid being with myself.

This estrangement from ourselves has sad consequences for our relationship with God. How can we hear the voice of God if we can’t hear the voice of our own conscience. (that inner voice urging us to “do this.” OR “don’t do that” OR “good job!” OR “shame on you!” OR “that was wonderful!”

Remember Jesus telling us “when you talk to God (pray), go to your room. Close the door. And pray to your Father in secret.” Matthew. 6: 5,6 ? Why in secret? Because that is where God can enter your inner world. Here you can give your full attention to the visiting Spirit of God. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:9

In the quiet, over time, we return to ourselves and begin to hear things in our heart once again. I remember one year on retreat at a monastery walking down a country path. Suddenly it happened . . . I heard the wind blowing through the trees. I mean I HEARD THE WIND. I heard it because I was LISTENING.

Later on, if you continue to listen, you can hear the things your heart has wanted to tell God. “Lord, it’s me. I just want to tell you . . .” Many times it’s just being aware of your feeling and giving them to God “who sees.”

So how to end this? Get quiet. Put down the Iphone. Come home to yourself. Reaquaint yourself to what you’re feeling, thinking, loving, fearing. Then. . . turn to Him. Speak anything (anything!) you want to get off your chest, be grateful for, need help with. (Remember. Let the Holy Spirit guide your prayer.)

He is there. “Your Father who hears in secret. . . knows what you need.” Matthew. 6:8

That is a promise from Christ. Trust Him.

Fr. Tim

*W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming

Sometimes “religion” and believing in God can have a rather spotty start up. Or maybe there was little religion taught when you were young. Each person is left on their own to formulating their own philosophy of life. So where does one go to have a discussion about God and the purpose of life? It’s not something you bring up at a party or a family gathering.

Isn’t there a place where I can ask questions and give my thoughts about a topic that concerns everyone? Someplace safe where I’m with other people who have the same questions and are seeking answers just like me? Yes there is!

There’s something happening this Fall at Holy Trinity Parish that may be a help to you.

There will be a gathering of adults who want to talk about finding God in their life. These are not particularly “religious types”, just regular people who want to make some sense of their lives and see where God may be found. Let’s call them “searchers”.

Each Sunday at 12 noon we gather for one hour. Fr. Tim or Fr. John will speak on a particular topic for about 15 minutes. Topics like: Can we know God? Did God create us? Do I have a purpose in life? Who is Jesus Christ? What do Catholics believe?

It’s a lively discussion with no indoctrination. Our job is to share with you what the Catholic Church teaches and the solid reasons behind it. Over the Fall and Winter we will examine many of the spiritual gifts and teachings of the Church.

Over time, some discover a desire to join us in our community of Faith. This happens on Easter Sunday when members of the group are baptized or receive Holy Communion for the first time.

Would you like to join us? I promise you’ll meet some wonderful people who, like yourself, just want to make some sense of this life on earth. There will be no secret attempt to “get you to be Catholic”. But I’m confident you will be touched by what you learn.

So give it some thought. Talk it over with a friend or loved one (bring them along if you like!)

Mary Kramer is our Co-Ordinator for the “Searchers Group”. (Also called the RCIA   Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). Give her a call at (585) 943-0372 or email: mary.kramer@dor.org OR – – JUST SHOW UP!!

We start Sunday, September 25 at 12 noon. Join us in church. We’ll guide you from there.

Hope to see you. God bless you always.

Fr. Tim Horan, Pastor, Holy Trinity Church

PS Please share this with someone you know who may be searching.

If you’re over 50, you were brought up with a pretty clear idea about sin. Quite simply, it was doing something “bad”. Lying, cheating, stealing, lusting . . . are the first things that come to mind. And when we did any of these things, we pictured a “black mark” on our soul; some dirt or mud that covered our former innocence. To this day I don’t think that’s a bad start (at least for children) in realizing the damage sin causes.

But let’s go deeper. What IS sin? Does it exist? Can you hold it in your hand? The answer is “not quite like that”. It exists in a negative way. Let me explain.

Evil (another name for sin) can only be detected in the presence of Goodness. Think of the bright sunlight that falls on your apple tree. Both the sunlight and the tree have their proper being and purpose. There is a positive “good” to them. But there on the ground, is a shadow.

The shadow only exists because of your lovely tree. The most that can be said about shadows is that they lack sunlight! Shine a light on them and they disappear! Theologians say sin/evil is a “privation”, a “lack of being”. Something is wrong, only in light of what’s true. That’s why the devil is called the Father of Lies.

Many other images help us picture the negative nature of evil. Rust holes on your car’s fender, a vacuum that sucks up oxygen, a hole in a perfectly good pair of socks!

So what does sin lack? That’s simple . . . goodness. Another way to put it, sin lacks love. And what is the source of all love? God. And so, finally, we can come to an adult understanding of sin as “that which offends against God who is love.”

You can see now why the 10 Commandments are couched in negative terms, “Thou shalt not”. In other words . . . refrain from doing what is lacking in love.

And that’s why “confessing our sins” is not a matter of finding the times when we “broke the rules”. It’s recognizing when we have injured goodness as it exists in truth.

What does Jesus tell us about sin? Without abandoning “the shalt not” of the commandments, Jesus gives us a new law based on the positive. “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34.

So two things are at work here: refrain from doing evil, but also to DO good. A good check on ourselves and our actions is to ask the question, “What would love do?” St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is a reminder of what love DOES. (1 Corinthians 13).

Lastly, in going to confession, certainly there are things that we have done that are “bad” and for these we are sorry. But let’s begin to see these sins as lacking what love wants us to do. And in seeking to love as Christ has loved us - – – we grow in our union with God.

Lord, show us the way to your Peace.

Fr. Tim

One of the first prayers we learn as children is the Hail Mary. It’s a simple praise of the Blessed Mother and a request for her prayers. Did you ever wonder where the prayer came from?

The first part comes from the Gospel of Luke where the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary to invite her co-operation with God’s plan in sending His Son into the world through her. “Hail Mary full of grace”, he says, “Blessed are you among women . . .” The second part, also in Luke, is Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary as the expectant mothers meet in Mary’s visitation. “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

This prayer is on the lips of young children as they go to sleep at night and years later in the final breaths of those about to die – – – “pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” In their visits to the hospital, priests come upon people barely conscious who haven’t spoken for hours. Simply bending close to their ear the priest whispers, “Hail Mary full of grace . . . “ and with that the patient begins to mouth the words of this holy prayer. Next stop, heaven!

But there’s more to Mary than her prayer. In Jesus’s last words before he died he gave his mother to us as our mother. To John and Mary at the cross Jesus said, “Woman, there is your son. There is your mother.”

But what does this mean, “your mother”? I guess it’s for each of us to search our hearts for what “mother” means. On a natural level it means someone who gives us birth. Someone who gave us every cell in our body. Someone who watches our first steps and rejoices as we grow into maturity. And perhaps most comforting, someone who loves us as her very own child.

Each day the Church urges us to turn to Mary – – the real person who gave birth to Jesus; the woman who has us as her children. – – turn to her for her encouragement and prayers. She’s real.

Sometimes in the spiritual life we feel confronted by the big and imposing figures of God the Father and Jesus, the Son of God. (I’m speaking psychologically now). They “reign in heaven”, “They will come to judge the living and the dead.” Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords. ”It can be intimidating.

Not with Mary. She’s not there to judge. She’s there to nourish, to comfort, and to gently point the way to Jesus. She wants nothing more than for her children to find their happiness and, as a mother, she knows this can only occur when we love and follow her first born son.

Mary doesn’t take away the challenge of following Christ. (She herself bore this at the foot of the cross.) What she provides is a little shade on the journey with Christ; a little space to gather ourselves under her veil of womanly grace. Once renewed, we begin again.

So if praying to God the Father and Jesus is a little scary sometimes, if you feel “They’ll only be disappointed in me”. Talk to Mary. She knows you. She’s your mother. Something like:

“Oh Mary. I know God loves me but I just can’t face him right now. Please tell your Son I love him and I’m sorry for being so weak. Take my case to God, tell God I’ll try again. Right now I need your loving way with me, not your judgement. And please help my spouse/child/friend who’s just as weak as me.”

Dear Mary. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Fr. Tim

I mentioned to you several months ago that the church and sanctuary renewal is not done yet. So I thought it was time to update you on the plans going forward.

First off, we need to renew the large sanctuary floor. There had been talk of wood flooring with only accent carpeting near the altar. Various reasons (noisy footsteps) have led to the decision to carpet all steps and floor. We’ll be picking the color and fabric soon.

Next. There have been more than a few people who have commented about Mary and Joseph’s statues. The old stencil behind the statues (added @ 1940) were recolored with the new pallet. As handsome as it is, it proves to be too strong and obscures the figure of Mary and Joseph. A new design by Swietek is in the works and will be reviewed by the consulting committee when it is ready.

Lastly, we are looking into some interior accent lighting for the church walls and into the nave ceiling. You may have noticed that during the day sunlight fills the church through the stained glass windows. At sunset this light source goes away. The lighting in the ceiling is all pointing down leaving the walls in shadow.

Rambusch, Inc. (they refitted all our lights to LED about 6 years ago) are proposing three or four sconces to illumine the walls and several uplights into the loft of the blue ceiling. This will brighten the church after sunset.

Just a word about the design teams that are working on these new additions. The carpeting is the work of Bero Architecture, Inc. They specialize in restoring and renewing historic buildings and have a great sensitivity about color and how it should compliment the space. (They did the building design and color scheme of our new Trinity Hall).

The church painting design was created by Swietek Inc. They are a firm out of Buffalo which specializes in renovating church interiors. (I’ve worked with them on 3 projects prior to Holy Trinity.)

I mention these two to let you know how important it is to deal with professionals skilled in their craft. I am very confident in both these firms.

Of course, their ideas have to fit the spirit of Holy Trinity. This is where the Consult Committee (parishioners chosen for their appreciation of interior design and color) weighs in on the proposals and changes them if we feel it necessary.

You have been most gracious in this whole process of renewing our worship space. Many times when change occurs, people get anxious and frustrated. I know the new interior is not perfect and to everyone’s preference. (The above additions are meant to address some of your comments). But overall, you have been remarkable in keeping a positive attitude toward the renovation.

I hope we can have the whole project completed by Thanksgiving. But as Fr. John says, “We plan. God laughs.”

Thank you again for your comments and support. They will help us give proper honor and worship to the Lord.

Summer’s been great!

Fr. Tim

Theology is described as “Faith seeking understanding.” That means Faith comes first – – in the form of trust in what has been revealed. But then equally important, is the search for “a reason” for this trust. My reason won’t allow me to believe in something absurd.

So theology, trusting the Church which states that Faith and reason cannot contradict one another, has found good reasons for our belief. There we find in writing some of the “fundamental principles” that help explain the Christian Faith.

Let’s look at one of these defining principles . . . . Freedom. What is it exactly?

For a twelve-year-old, freedom means “staying up late because there’s no school tomorrow!” Or . . . summer vacation starts this Friday! Or . . . no homework. For a child, freedom means “not having to do something”. In fact, we all have this initial experience of being “set free”.

On closer look, however, things go much deeper. Human freedom is what sets us apart from everything else in creation. Think of it. Every creature you see, whether (as we used to say) animal, vegetable, or mineral, is harnessed to a natural order which totally determines what it becomes.

The flowers in spring, the geese flying south in a wing, that stone at the end of your driveway, are all part of a natural order. This “order of nature” requires flower, goose, and stone to be in a particular, predetermined way in order for them to be what they are. (Beware! The goose that stops by your kitchen to have coffee with you is really not a goose!).

The human being, however, is a different kind of creature. We are set in “openness” to becoming.

That means we are free to construct our own story as a “person”. Our freedom is not “freedom from” but “freedom for”. Our daily choices and habits add up over time. We become “truth tellers” or “generous” or “patient” or “forgiving”.

Or, equally possible, we can become “liars”, “greedy”, “unforgiving”, etc. It’s up to us. We’re free. This is the wonderful dignity of the human being as created by God. God has made us co-creators of ourselves. Our actions put into history who we are. We “become”. And because it was done in freedom . . . we become “responsible for it”.

Why would God do this? Why would He wait for our response without forcing us to do His will? Because that’s how love works. It can only exist in Freedom.

Some people don’t like this. It’s too heavy. “I just wanna be. Go with the flow. Chill out. I can spend my life anyway I want. I’m free.”

Our human nature, as created by God, has a purpose. It is to share in His nature! God created us to have His love as our meaning. Like a fine crystal goblet, we can hold the sacred wine of God’s life. But here’s the kicker. We are free. We can accept this gift . . . or not.

God revealed it in Sacred Scripture. What does the bible tell us about ourselves?

• 1. We are made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis).
• 2. We are God’s children. “What we shall become . . . when Christ appears (the Day of the Resurrection) . . . we shall become like him, because we shall see him as he really is.” 1 John3: 1-3
• 3. Ireneaus said it centuries ago, “the glory of man is to see God.”

So what are we to do with our freedom? Simple. Love God with all our heart. And love our neighbor as Christ has loved us.

Let’s get to work!

Fr. Tim

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 have to have a Master.

Someone to show us the way. 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 combustion engine (Yay!) and now we have global warming (boo!). 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 than a god. You have given them rule over the works of your hands. Put all things under their feet.”)

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

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