The power of addiction can be overcome by God’s grace. Period. God does not want His children in bondage. He made us in the divine image, free to act and choose. Somehow the power of addiction has captured us. We need to find a way to let God’s power into this dark and scary place. How do we do that?

It’s probably best to turn to those who have experienced a release from their addiction. The first people that come to mind are our brothers and sisters in the 12 Step Program of Recovery. Over the years they have discovered a certain path to victory over addiction to food, alcohol, pornography, gambling, etc. These 12 steps, if followed with docility and humility, will lead to freedom from addiction.

I want to focus on the first three steps as I feel they hold the key to all that follows. Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over____________. Step 2: We came to believe that God (my Higher Power) could restore us to freedom and sanity. Step 3: We made a decision to turn our will and our lives to the care of God.

Here I think is the genius of the 12 Steps. It comes by admitting we’ve lost the battle. The addiction is just too big and too strong to hold out against. Every time it’s me vs. my addiction . . . I lose. I’ve tried a 1000 times to NOT do that and a 1000 times I failed.

The key to “sobriety”, as they say, is to admit I’ve lost. It’s a moment of terrible honesty. It takes real humility. Our enemy the devil, hates it when we’re honest. He wants us to think our addiction is not that bad so we’ll continue to play this losing game with him.

The terrible truth is I’ve lost the battle. I’ll never overcome this addiction by myself; and here is where the miracle happens. We let go of the part that’s broken (me) and we turn to a power that we’ve never called on before (The Lord).

Here’s a picture of what this healthy surrender looks like. Imagine a boxing ring (sorry ladies!). Inside stands Mike Tyson (the famous heavy weight champ). He’s breathing fire and motions for you to join him in the ring. You’ve gone toe to toe with him in the past. He always knocks you out. Every time.

Would anyone on earth fault you for not going into the ring with this ferocious warrior? In fact, wouldn’t people question your sanity if you were dumb enough to get in that ring? What’s the smart thing to do? Why not tell old Mike, “I’m done fighting you. I always lose. I’m not getting in that ring anymore.” The power of surrender robs addiction of its power. It can’t conquer you because you’re just not going to play. Simple eh?!

But now comes the positive side, something you can DO. Steps 2 & 3 point to a moment when “we came to believe that God will help” and “we made a decision to turn our will and life over to the care of God.” (This “came to believe” is a blind trust. It’s a letting go. A death of sorts. It’s a grace from God. Pray for this gift of surrender). In short it’s like saying, “I can’t God. But you can . . . if I get out of the way.” Then the daily repetition of these steps begins (sometimes out loud to God in prayer). “I can’t Lord. You can. I’m yours. Do what you want with me.” Daily . . . daily . . . we have to return to these steps: surrender, believe in that power beyond yours, and giving Him charge of your life.

Slowly, sometimes quickly, the compulsion to “get in the ring” weakens. The addiction doesn’t go without a fight however. It uses many tricks and voices in your head to try to convince you how futile are your efforts. “You’ll never lick this. Think how boring and cold life will be without me to comfort you. You’ll never make it without me (your addiction).” All lies.

So much more to consider on this topic but for now I think if we focus on two things:
1. “I surrender . . . I’ve lost the battle.” and
2. “I’m in your hands Lord. I’ll be the clay; you be the potter.” You will begin to see God’s freedom dawn on you.

One more thing . . . once you’ve surrendered DON’T LOOK BACK. Go straight ahead. Don’t worry. Freedom takes time.

Fr. Tim

“These things are addictive.” he said as he finished the whole bag of chips. We all know what that means. Something that tastes so good that it’s hard to resist eating too much of it.

But in the common mind real addiction happens when we experience an inability to stop. It becomes a way of acting to which we are driven (even in spite of our better judgment). Where does this strange power over us begin?

St. Thomas Aquinas would tell us, it begins with something quite good: desire. Many earthly activities bring about enjoyable physical and psychological states. Food, drink, sex, winning, etc. We desire those states and there- by insure their repetition. Food tastes good because nature wants us to eat every day. Sex brings intense pleasure because nature must find a sure way to foster new generations. These pleasures are strong inducements to these particular actions, but by themselves they are not addictive.

What makes a particular thing addictive is its power to increase this particular desire over other human experiences. We get to a point when, without this feeling we feel down, almost a sort of poverty. I begin to prefer my addiction to all the other states of being. I seek to always increase the time I might spend with it.

At this point the addictive power begins to limit human freedom. There is no end to my desiring this activity. It will not quietly take its place among other human activities. Like the moon which disappears when the sun rises, the other good things of life can’t compete with the blinding desire of addiction.

Moments like, kindness, friendship, generosity, humor, as pleasurable as they are, are not addictive because they lack the power to overwhelm. One experiences these moments without others losing their appeal.

Where does the addiction get its power? Science has been hard at work to find out. They tell us, over time, repeated brain waves of intense pleasure wear a pathway in our brain.

Along this path, powerful hormones (pheromones) produce a “high”. The addictive behavior has found a shortcut to the feeling of “well-being”. It’s only a matter of time that this easy “wellness” becomes our preferred state. In this theory all addiction is, in one sense, a drug addiction (the pheromone release in my brain.)

Other theories are more behavior based. But they too have a “pain relief” purpose. Psychologists tell us we all have elements of emotional pain in our lives. Some pain is life long and comes from traumatic instances in our youth. Others are less dramatic but chronic (loneliness, depression, fear, boredom, etc.). We can turn to certain behaviors that self-medicate painful emotional states.

For example, a person tied to a job she hates, without family or friends to enjoy life with, with little or no hope for anything changing for the better can self medicate at the casino, the bar, the internet, the kitchen, cell phone, etc. . . . . anything to change the low emotional wellness level.

Let’s be honest. We all run the risk of finding something to which we are inclined in an unhealthy, addictive way. Feeling his weak human nature St. Paul writes to the Romans, “My inner being delights in the law of God. But in my body I see a different law. A law that fights against the law of God . . . I don’t understand what I do; for I don’t do what I want to do, but instead I do what I hate.” Romans 7: 14-25 Ever been there?

How do we get free when being tied up feels so good? A spiritual thing has to happen. We’ll talk about that here next week.

In the meantime I beg you . . . please know that God has this figured out. There is a solution. It has to do with good people and embracing the Truth (which Jesus says will “set us free” Jn. 8:32.) As usual, it’s simple . . . but not easy.

See you at the ballpark?

Fr. Tim

As the spring ends and we look forward to summer, I am happy to say goodbye to snow, the school year, and the Catholic Ministry Appeal. Don’t get me wrong, I love the first day of school (said by all parents), a snowy white Christmas morning, and all the amazing programs and ministries that come directly from the CMA. But it is nice to wrap each of them up, take a break and get away to enjoy the beautiful summer. We also take this time to reflect on how harsh the winter was, how amazing our kid’s teachers were, and if we made our CMA goal.

Back in October 2017 the Diocese of Rochester asked its 90 faith communities to raise 6.55 million dollars at the kick off for the Catholic Ministries Appeal. This HUGE campaign goes to support everything from Catholic Schools, education for seminarians, support for the Catholic Family Center, and hundreds of jobs that make the Diocese of Rochester the wonderful faith community that we are blessed to be a part of.

Holy Trinity parish was asked to contribute $151,384.00 to the CMA. This ask was an increase of almost $9,000 from the previous year’s goal of $142,438.00.

WHY would they increase this number when we didn’t make our goal last year? HOW do they come up with $151,384.00? I asked these questions while I sat in the pew as a parishioner and again when I began working here 6 years ago.

No, they don’t just increase each parish 4%…. No, they don’t divide the $6.55 million evenly over each of the 90 faith communities…..No, they don’t pick a number out of a hat. The CMA for each parish is an allocation based on 4 factors.

1. The number of registered parishioners.
2. The average weekly attendance.
3. The average weekly collections over the last 3 years.
4. The U.S. median income for our area.

These 4 factors tell the Diocese what we already know. That Holy Trinity is blessed to have a large parishioner base of over 2,000 families, and 1,300 people attend mass each weekend. The Diocese rec- ognizes that we are a truly generous faith community and that they can count on us to be leaders in the CMA. There are only 9 other churches that had a higher goal than Holy Trinity placing us in the top 10% of the whole Diocese.

So, how did we do? Six-Hundred twenty-three families (623) pledged $149,645.00. When the campaign ended on May 31, Holy Trinity was $1,420.00 short. 31% of our registered households donated to the CMA (DOR average is 32%). Donations ranged from $5.00 to $5,125.00. The average gift amount was $241.00 (DOR Average gift is $242.00) and most often families gave $100.00.

We didn’t make our goal, BUT we got 99.06% of the way there.

That’s an A+ as far as I’m concerned!

So here’s one last THANK YOU – the CMA only happens because of YOU!

Have a great summer.
Kasey Baker, Business Manager

(Give this to a 20/30 Something)

Two roads lie ahead of us. One directs our lives to a God who we cannot see. The other road is in search of some hope for happiness here on earth before the lights go out.

The God Factor is critical in how you experience life. Things go off in two very different directions depending on what you believe about God and whether this God has a purpose for your life. See what you think. . . . .

Here’s what happens if there is no God
(or if God is totally unconcerned about humans walking the earth.)

Pretty grim, wouldn’t you say? Yet that is the way of the human heart without God. You see, we humans were MADE FOR God. Made to enter into relationship with Him and without Him . . . . we lose our purpose for existing. We become, as the great theologian Romano Guardini put it, “clever animals”.

The revealed God of Christianity changes everything.

Here’s what happens when you let God into your life. (These contrast with 1-8).

Go with God.
Fr. Tim

I remember a long time ago part of my seminary preparation sent me to a summer chaplain school in a county hospital in Dallas, Texas. There were 13 in our chaplain class. 12 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 relationship? Is there a familiarity with Jesus that one would have in a dear friendship?

Is there at times an emotional level to your speaking with God? (For example: “Lord you know I can’t do this. (forgive, try again, turn away from some habit). Please help me!!!” 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 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 any- one 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.” MT. 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

There was a beautiful “Prayer at The Foot of The Altar” at the beginning of mass some years ago. Translated from Latin it says, “I will go to the altar of God.” And the response of the altar server was, “To God, who restores the joy of my youth.”

I love that phrase . . . “the joy of my youth.” Some questions arise however: 1. What is that joy like? 2. What hap- pened to it that it has to be restored? And 3, why do I have to go to God to get it back?

1. Think back. What were the times that best captured the unique happiness you had as a kid? I think of Christmas morning (just before the presents were opened). Or some- thing new always got us, right? The first snow, a new ball glove, a doll, new shoes, a bike or a sled (wow!). Maybe it was a trip to a far away place. (The Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls totally amazed me at age ten!)

But what defines “the joy of youth”? How is it different from middle age joy? I think it has something to do with the fact that there is nothing to temper it. A child has no accumulation of disappointing moments or fears of being tricked or laughed at. Happiness (like tears) comes quickly and sharply with no filters.

And one other thing (the best thing actually) . . . joy (in a young person’s head) will last forever. There’s been little experience of life’s eventual hurts and disappointments. There has yet to develop that callus we all acquire to deaden feelings and expectations of happiness. Remember summer as a kid? It’s going to last forever!

2. So what happened to this joy? Well, life happened. Tricks were played, lies told, promises broken, bicycles stolen, plans abandoned. You know, life here on earth. Welcome to the world kids. This is life after that mysterious fall of Adam and Eve.

We cover up, we hide our feelings, sarcasm becomes the adult form of humor. Being “on guard” is how we live now because, as “The Who” sings, “we won’t get fooled again”. And on guard we should be . . . there’s tough things out there.

3. So how does God, and only God, restore the joy of our youth? Quite simply God has provided the remedy for the dashed hopes of the human heart. The remedy does not turn us back into children hoping for a new pony. It points us to the original plan, the one lost so long ago.

God redirects our faulty longing . . . toward Him. All the false joys and counterfeit happiness fade away in the in- tense light of what God has given us in His Son Jesus Christ. Hear what St. Paul (the former cynic known as Saul) says of this new thing that God has done.

“We have peace now with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we boast of our afflictions, knowing that they produce endurance, and endurance proven character, and proven character, hope.”

Paul goes on . . . “And this hope does not disappoint, be- cause the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Romans 5:5

It is this Hope that restores the joy of our youth. It made Paul say elsewhere, “there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38

So the joy of our youth is restored. That’s right children; we’re going to be with God in His Kingdom . . . forever and ever. Yay!!!

Spread the good news.

Fr. Tim

I recently attended a funeral for an old college professor of mine. Fr. Robert Madden taught English Literature to generations of students and was well known for his knowledge, wit, and kindly way. Perhaps greatest of his gifts, as noted at the funeral, was his ability to be a true friend.

It got me thinking how it might be that same way with Jesus. Why should Christ be any less of a friend? (He calls himself that, by the way. Jn. 15:15). Is it possible to have a personal friendship with Jesus? If so, how does one go about getting it/experiencing it?

Let’s use Fr. Madden as an example. I had heard about this short, round, red faced professor from all the upper class students. I was so envious of those who had had him in class and could call him by name and hear back theirs. Madden was a “figure” about whom I knew much but someone I’d never met.

Isn’t this like Jesus for so many of us? We’ve heard the bible stories, we’ve got a painting of him in beard and sandals. We say the prayer He told us to pray. But we’ve never met Him personally, heard His voice, or felt His presence. Can we really meet Him? The answer is . . . Yes! But it’s different.

How? Our faith teaches He’s “in the Spirit”. We can’t see or hear Him in the normal everyday way we meet others. We need a new way of seeing and hearing. Empowered by faith in the Resurrection and driven forward by a hunger to know Him, there is a gradual growth in the experience of Jesus present in our lives as friend and Savior.

Think of the things you experience with a spouse, a dear friend. (I bet you already have a friendship with Jesus.) It’s not that hard. What do you friends do? They know what pleases each other, what movies they like, what foods a friend prefers. You know what pleases Christ right? Of course you do!

Friends trust each other with secrets. To share a secret is to share your innermost heart. It invites them into your head, where it’s just the two of you. (With Jesus it’s called prayer.)

Friends can be free with each other . . . to say what you feel, to know they will understand, to be less than perfect and still loved, etc. All these things we have with Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit brings the friendship of Jesus to us.

Lastly friendship takes time. You and your friend didn’t just “pop up”. It took years to learn to anticipate each other, to forgive, to trust. Same with Jesus, when he asks us to step out in faith, into the uncomfortable . . . it takes years sometimes to let ourselves trust His presence with us. So what? The best things take time.

Where to look to find your friend Jesus. (Meanwhile He’s looking for you!)

Look closely at the movements of your heart. Moments of love, compassion, sorrow, joy (sometimes accompanied by tears), these are signs that Jesus is near. Speak to him at such times. “I am sent to heal the broken hearted”. Lk. 4:18

1. Pray! “Lord Jesus, let me see you in my life.” And then remember what you’ve prayed for! God will answer your prayers in some way through the course of the day or week. Generally it happens through events around you.
2. Watch for “a double grace”. The grace of the Moment … and … the grace to know “It is the Lord!”
3. Watch God’s “little ones”. Those especially close to Christ: children, the lost, the poor, the mournful and suffering. They have the spiritual presence of Christ all around them.
4. Pray just one thing for awhile … Let me see you Lord, or show me you are with me.
5. The Eucharist of course brings special graces to know Jesus in the “breaking of the bread.”

It’s called asking. And Jesus says, “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find.” Mt. 7:7

Good hunting! The Holy Spirit will be your field dog.

Fr. Tim

St. Paul tells us we are “Ambassadors of Christ. It is as if God were appealing through us.” 2 Cor. 5:20. On this Mother’s Day Weekend I’d like to give you an example of someone who was an Ambassador of Christ for me. My mom.

As always, the story is meant to get you thinking about your own life. Have you had an experience where some- one said or did something that caused you to know that God was working through this person? Here’s a time it happened to me.

I was in my third year of seminary studies (with two more to go) and I had gotten to the point of wondering if I’d made a mistake thinking I could do the things a priest must do. Studies were getting quite demanding and my formation board was pushing me to manifest a more “generous spirit in the community”. I was getting pretty grumpy.

On a short visit home, with dad taking a nap upstairs, my mother and I had a little visit in the living room . . . just the two of us. I asked how things were with dad and her alone in the house. How was she feeling? Then she asked about me; how seminary was going.

Most times I would put the best version forward (“Great Mom. Everything’s just fine.”). But this time was different. I told her how hard it had been and how I wondered if I could ever do all the things they expected of me. It all came pouring out . . . the long days, the difficult professors, the high expectations. “Mom, I just don’t know if I’m the guy they want. I don’t seem to fit the mold.”

Now you’d have to know my mother Rosemary to understand how unexpected was her response. You see my mother is not what you’d call the nurturing type. She was a brilliant conversationalist with a charming personality (Lauren Bacall would play her well). She preferred the company of adults to children. A martini and a good story was where my mother thrived.

So you can imagine my surprise when this elegant woman, with brow furrowed, said, “Well you might not be right for THEM . . . but JESUS wants you Tim. You’re going to make a fine priest.”

The words at the moment were touching. Mom doesn’t often talk like that. Here was a mother loving her son. I felt better. Cocktail hour followed immediately!

But the “God part” followed the next day as I drove back to Rochester. Somewhere along that boring drive I began to replay my visit and the conversation with mom was soon recalled.

I felt again the warmth of her words, her unquestioning confidence in me, and her faith that Christ would use her son to be a good priest if that was His will.

At this point . . . and I can’t explain how . . . my mother’s words, “you’re going to make a fine priest”, were heard as if Jesus were speaking them. It was my mother’s voice I was recalling but it was Christ who was speaking to me there in the car.

Jesus used my mother’s words to give me the confidence that God wanted me to continue. My heart was light and happy as I drove back to the seminary that day.

You are an Ambassador of Christ. God appealing through you. Be ready.

And bless you mothers . . . you gave us life. And then you show us Christ. You are wonderful.

Fr. Tim

One of the most common and sharpest pains priests hear about is the sorrow parents and grandparents feel about their children not practicing their Faith, not going to mass.

They look back over the years spent getting children to religious education, making all their sacraments, fighting and arguing on the way to church, and throwing hands up as they exclaim, “How did I fail them? What did I do wrong?”

It’s a big issue, not something to solve in this little article. But here are a few thoughts that might ease the pain and point to hope for the future.

First off, you are not the perfect parent. (Mary and Joseph came the closest to that and even they lost Jesus for three days in the temple!). You yourself were imper- fectly formed by your parents and they too, by theirs, and on it goes back in time. GOD KNOWS THIS ABOUT YOU. God judges your heart and your intentions for your children, not the imperfect answers you gave them about what we believe.

If you happen to know how you yourself came up short in faith, you may want to share that with your children, how you yourself wandered from your Catholic Faith. Yes, an acknowledgement from mom or dad about your own shortcomings can go a long way to heal old wounds and angry accusations.

Secondly, it’s not too late to share your faith. No longer in grade school, your children still look to you for love and guidance. But this time around it has to be different. They need to see how your faith and religious practices make a difference in your life. They need adult answers.

“So mom/dad, you believe in Jesus, right? Does that make you better than others? Am I going to hell because I don’t go to mass? Does God only love church goers? How does faith help you live your life?” Think long and hard about your answer. People need to see that following Christ really brings a peace “that the world cannot take away.” Jn. 14:27. Don’t let their honest questions upset you.

Are you . . . more Patient? Generous? Hopeful? Selfless? Forgiving? Less judgmental? Do you try to think the best of people? Are you happy? How does Faith help you with these things?

If we don’t exhibit these, why would someone want to practice our religion?

Third. This may sound strange, but the Catholic Church is not God. We don’t worship the church. She is God’s bride, the faithful witness to the Risen Lord. The church, like a mother, gives birth to her children in baptism. She nourishes us with the graces flowing from the sacraments given to her by Christ. She shepherds and guides us through life to follow Him.

God’s dealings with your children ARE NOT LIMITED to what happens at mass on Sunday. The Holy Spirit reaches out to people in thousands of ways. God uses the events of life to bring us to moments of faith (encounters with love and mercy, generosity, beauty, patient endurance, etc.)

Lastly, God knows your child better than you do. God knows why they do what they do to keep Him away. God also knows the secret goodness your son or daughter already has for God.

Remember the “Good Thief” who was crucified next to Jesus? He missed church his whole life, yet in his last moment he came to Jesus. “This day you will be with me in paradise.” Lk 23:43

So? Trust God to find moments of love to lure your child into heaven. And . . . be ready to be an instrument of gentle, patient witness to God in YOUR LIFE. And then? Pray. Pray. . . . invite, invite!

Love wins. All will be well.

Why? Simple. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

Fr. Tim

There was a catechism lesson we had when we were children. It was about the “Attributes of God”? God is all-knowing, all-loving, all-wise, and all-powerful. God can do all things. He can make a galaxy or an atom, an ocean or a raindrop, an elephant or a humming bird. Nothing exists outside God’s power to command.

But on second thought, there really is something God can’t do (or won’t do) . . . He won’t make us obey His commands. God can appeal to us with right reasons. He makes certain things speak clearly that they are true and good; all for the purpose of winning us over to His Divine Will.

But God cannot violate our own free will. He Him- self gave it to us to use in cooperation with His Will. God wants us to experience this participation as a joy and thereby discover our unique dignity and happiness. Our freewill is what makes us human beings. To take that away would destroy our humanity. Unlike how we can treat God . . . God will not go against our will.

We see this in the gospel (Mk. 6:6) where Jesus is teaching in his home town of Nazareth. The neighbors come out to see their “home town hero”. Suddenly the crowd became aware that Jesus was just one of them – – – no better, no worse. “Hey, we know you Jesus. You grew up here. You played in our streets. Don’t go thinking you are anything special. You’re not. You’re just like us.”

“So (Jesus) was not able to perform any mighty deed there . . . he was amazed at their lack of faith.”

Our unwillingness to believe in Christ makes it impossible for him to do his will for us. “I want to help you but I can’t…because you won’t let me do my will for you.”

We tie God’s hands when we refuse to welcome Christ into our lives. God is always polite. Most times He won’t enter where He is not welcomed or is ignored. Christ knocks on the door but only we can open it.

So why doesn’t God shout to us or make a special show of His power? He can and sometimes does. Oddly enough God reveals his power through us, his human creature.

The brilliance of the human mind is really our sharing in what God knows about his creation. Splitting the atom and the universal rejection of human slavery are both moments where God moved us to discover his loving will. (I personally think God will, in time, show our scientists a clean and renewable source of energy to advance human civilization). What will we do with that knowledge? God will leave us free to decide.

So have you done anything to celebrate Easter? Perhaps a road trip with family? A theatre presentation? Thrown a party or cooked a special meal? Visited a friend? What? God wants us to celebrate His Son you know.

Any event can be “A Special Easter Celebration”. Just call it that! I think I’ll have a “Special Easter Beer” tonight with Fr. John!!

Spring in your heart.

Fr. Tim