I keep thinking of that little seed in the Gospel this Sunday. “Unless the seed falls to the ground . . . and dies. It remains just a grain of wheat.” Jesus is telling us the seed only has value for “what it becomes”. John 12:21

The kernel of corn becomes a corn stalk with ears of corn. An acorn becomes an oak tree. The grain of wheat, the apple, pumpkin, tomato, wild flower seeds . . . all of them must die if we are to ever have the wonderful gift they bring. (Seeds in a bag? What good is that? Spread ’em around and be amazed!!)

Jesus tells us in this short brilliant image that we humans must “die to ourselves” and begin “living for others”, and it’s when we do this that we discover who God made us to be. And this world shines a bit brighter.

So go be a good seed this week.

• Stay a bit longer with “that person” you’d rather avoid.
• Think ahead as to what might please your spouse. Do it.
• Smile when you’re not feeling happy.
• Say a prayer for someone who hurt you.
• Find a way to encourage a young person to use their gifts.
• Give some money away.
• Someone disappoints you for the 100 time. Smile and find a kind word for them.
• Sit with someone who needs some company.
• Think of a reason why someone might be so annoying. Forgive them.
• Presume you’ve been that annoying too. Ask for pardon where appropriate.
• Go out of your way to be kind to people who wait on you. A smile and a kind word can really help someone.

Have a good week you little seed you.

Fr. Tim

Ok get rid of all your pictures of “praying”. The bowed head, the folded hands, the gaze heaven ward . . . forget ’em. That’s for holy cards. Your prayer must be YOURS.

Below you will find some important things to “know about” prayer and then some hints about “how” to pray (what to do).

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1. Prayer. God starts it. Any thought like “Gee, I should pray for that”, OR “I need to go to God with this problem”, that’s God! He’s giving you a grace! (an invitation to pray).
2. Which child gets the most attention from a parent? The one who struggles with things right? Don’t worry about your prayer looking pretty. Trust God to know what you mean. The Holy Spirit is working in you.
3. Prayer is “wanting”. Wanting goodness, wanting peace, wanting happiness and then turning to God who is the source of all this.
4. Quiet is really important to prayer. Get quiet. (I like to close my eyes).
5. It takes a minute or two for the “noise of the world” to flow away (this too is prayer).
6. Speak what you want to bring to God briefly and honestly.
7. Having an “image” of God can help but is not necessary. God is in your brain seeing and hearing every- thing you are!
8. Was my prayer a good one or a bad one? Bad question. Any prayer is a good prayer.

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How to pray for three minutes each day.

1. Make the Sign of The Cross. Take 30 seconds to be quiet (No words. Nothing.) Let the world settle around you. Trust that God is watching with you.
2. Now say His name in your mind, “Lord”, or “Jesus”, “Holy Spirit” or “Dear God”. Let His name echo in you for another 30 seconds (say His name 2 or 3 times).
3. Next tell God how things are. (One minute). Are you carrying a heavy burden? Worried about something? Has there been a blessing in your life to be thankful for? Speak these to God as you would to your best friend. Remember, tell God your feelings (“how you are”) not what you need (solutions).
4. You’re there now . . . praying! One minute to go . . . after you’ve told God how it is for you, be quiet again. Relax and know God heard every word you just gave Him. The Lord will many times send a feeling of “peace” at this time. (30 seconds).
5. Finish with a request for the day. Something like, “Help me today Lord, I need . . . “. Close with an Our Father and/or a Hail Mary.

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This is just the start. God will teach you more each time you come to Him in prayer. We learn how to pray—by praying!!

Keep up your hope. God is working in you.

Fr. Tim

I’ve wrestled with prayer for quite awhile. I need to say at the outset it’s never been one of my favorite activities. I have similar feelings toward brushing my teeth or doing the dishes! I know of course that pray- er is a good thing. It honors God, it asks for help, it puts life in the right perspective. I feel better when it’s over. I know all this.

My childish problem with prayer is that most times it’s not fun. It is a mental routine that requires effort; sort of like push-ups or sit-ups. There’s a certain fa- tigue that happens. My adult self of course tells me life isn’t always “fun.” We do some things because they are good in themselves (“Eat your vegetables Tim. They’re good for you.”) Why do I still prefer pizza?

Added to the wrestling is the thought that God al- ready knows everything . . . so what’s the point in me telling Him stuff or asking for what He already knows I need. “God, why do we have to talk about it? You know it all already.” Left with these thoughts I struggle to be faithful to prayer. It’s tiring, lonely, and boring.

So what am I missing?

Well, consider life without prayer. When you think about it, it’s like life without God. To stop praying is to stop seeing ourselves in relationship with Him. I become the only meaning of the universe.

It doesn’t happen right away, but after some time (months, years) I’m blind to any sign or thought of God. I’m still a good person but it just happens . . . God has become pretty irrelevant at this point. “I have enough to handle in life without dealing with a God I can’t see or hear.”

This is the feeling that happens when someone has been away from Mass on Sunday for some time. The roof hasn’t fallen in so . . . I’m cool. Maybe you’ve been there.

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Did you ever meet someone whose only interest was in getting what was in it for them? Little children have a phase in growing up where they have to learn that they are not the center of all existence. A parent’s gentle “no” is the beginning of this lesson. Not a very pleasant experience at first. It leads how- ever to the happy experience of others — to “mom”, “dad”, “sister”, etc. And this is the point; the human being is the one creature God created “to be WITH”. We need the ‘other’ to become ourselves.

Prayer is the way God gives us to be in relationship with Him. God doesn’t need our prayers, like some beauty Queen who needs to be told how beautiful she is. We need prayer to discover the fact that we were made for “relationship.” And that relationship is best described as a child to their parent.

So why should I pray? Because that’s who we are, God’s Children. It fixes us in this crazy world. Pray- er helps us understand we are not alone and points us to what is our ultimate meaning – – to see God. It gives us a way to express the deepest longing of our heart. It connects me to God.

Lent. Week Three. Let’s keep moving forward. Have a good week.

Fr. Tim

P.S. Next week we’ll talk about a little “prayer drill” that can get you started praying again.

I’m thinking of a spiritual lesson I’ve had to learn over and over in my life. It’s the simple fact that God wants all of me.

What do we mean when we say “all of me” (all of you)? Think of our many parts . . . our mind and its reasoning, our memory, our desires, our freedom, our work, talents, relationships etc. God wants to be in charge of all these things.

The problem is I want to be in charge of them. After all . . . It’s MY life!!

So throughout my life I’ve tried to strike a deal with God. “I’ll give you most of me Lord. You can have my work and those work relationships. You get back what gifts you’ve given me (my big mouth). I’ll even throw in what kind of TV I watch (nothing smutty. You wouldn’t like that). All this is yours.”

“But . . . don’t ask me to give you my habits or my preferences. I’ve spent a lifetime developing them: my bedtime, my cocktail time, my personal time, particular relationships; all these are mine. I’ll do what I want with them.

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So God is patient. He lets us have our way. Habits and preferences (even the good ones) start to protect them- selves. To the point where they can start to run the show. We start living in service (slavery?) to our “wants”. (“What do you mean the plane is delayed? This just can’t be. I have to be in Rochester this evening!!” OR, “No cof- fee!!? That’s ridiculous!”

And I don’t know about you, but every time I take free reign of my life, with no concern for God’s will (I’m a good guy – – I don’t need God’s will to tell me what to do) . . . things get messed up.

It’s weird. Here I start out wanting a little “life for myself”. God won’t mind. And now I discover there’s a growing part of me that doesn’t want God interfering with my habits and wants at all.

And look what’s happened to God. God becomes “the Law”, the cop in my rearview mirror. A kill joy, someone to fear or at least avoid.

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Poor God. How we twist things about Him. How we make Him out to be some grumpy boss who loves to order people around. This friends is the effect of original sin in us. Our vision of life slowly changes. Happiness is something to be grasped by ourselves. God is someone to flee. Adam and Eve hid themselves.

So what went wrong? We did. We failed to give God everything. Call it what you want . . . mistrust, selfishness, pride, arrogance . . . it’s all the same. It’s a voice that says, “NOBODY IS GOING TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO. NOT EVEN GOD.”

Ever have that feeling? Ever hear yourself saying that? Welcome to this fallen world.

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We’ve forgotten that God loves us. We’ve forgotten that, in His love, He knows us better than we know ourselves. He made us!

And it’s from this love we receive His will. God loves us and His will directs us in such a way that when we follow it we discover our purpose and our dignity as Children of God. This is the joy that comes from life “in Christ”.

Soooooo . . . . what should we do? I’m going to ask God for the grace to let go of my “must have, must do” and to entrust myself to God’s will for me each day. (I’m going to need help with this. So pray for me. And I will pray for what you need to give to God).

God wants all of you because God made all of you.

Fr. Tim

Back in high school, trying out for one of the varsity sports there was this thing called “two a days”. Generally it consisted of four hours of grueling practice, two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. It was meant to see who really wanted to play. Faint- er hearts would soon find other interests. We hated “two a days.”

That can be how we look at Lent – – – six weeks of getting in spiritual shape. The same feelings get stirred. “No chocolate! No whiskey! No TV! No whining! Oh dear. “This is a good thing,” we tell ourselves.

This is not a very helpful way to begin! It puts us at the center of things. It makes MY effort, MY sacrifice to be the meaning of MY Lent. Rather, we need to see this as a time of God’s Grace given to us.

What is Grace? Simply put, it is God’s love acting in our lives. It reminds us of who we are (His child); it opens our eyes to see His presence in the world. God’s grace moves us to “get beyond ourselves”, to see others (God and my neighbor) as gifts to be loved and cherished.

So the key to the season of Lent is to ask for the grace to let go of what may keep us locked on ourselves. We’ve all developed habits in life that keep ourselves comfortable and self-contained (MY time, MY space, My schedule, etc.)

This Lent, is there one thing (not 2 or 3), that we might surrender to God in love that would make us “available” to be lifted out of ourselves? This surrender frees us up to be for others. MY time, once so precious TO ME, becomes a gift we can give to our children, our spouse, to God (prayer). Jesus nailed this when he said, “Whoever loses their life for my sake, will find it.” MT. 10:39.

Even this little “giving up” will hurt a bit at first. The bond of selfishness and habit is strong! This too requires God’s grace. To fail and to start again. To not become discouraged. Every day is a new day of grace which brings a new invitation from Christ to “Follow me”.

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Now the good news is it eventually becomes a joyful discipline. We rediscover some wonderful things we had forgotten, things like: a clean conscience, a clearer sense of purpose to our work and why we do it, a renewed appreciation for the people in our lives we are given to live and work with, a better under- standing of how to use the things of this world properly, without excess or hoarding.

So what is this joyful thing that happens? Freedom! Freedom from always having to satisfy your own wants and a clear space to feel what God intended you to be. . . Christ in your skin, with your voice. How wonderful you are when you get out of your own way!

So let’s start slow. Say goodbye to one small thing that you know needs to go (at least for a while). Make a conscious offering of it to God in prayer. (eg. “Lord help me to smile more even when I don’t feel it.” Or “Lord, I’m really good at finding fault. Help me to see the good and be thankful.” Or “Lord, this money was going to get me some new shoes. I don’t need them. Someone else does.” Or “Lord, I want to really love you more. Here’s my time spent watching TV; show me how to pray.”

“But Lord, I’m gonna need your Grace.” Lent. Let’s roll!!

Fr. Tim

Remember that moment in the movie when our hero writes a message, puts it in a bottle, and with a mighty heave launches it into the ocean waves? Will it ever be found? Will the message ever be read? Who knows . . . let’s give it a toss!

So . . . . to all our young persons away at school (or any young person for that matter) . . . . consider this a “message in a bottle”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This is the priest and family of Holy Trinity writing to tell you we love and pray for you. We want you to know that you always have a spiritual home here and we can’t wait to see you at Easter time.

We try to imagine what you are going through in this important time in your life. What you’re seeing, and hearing and thinking. Many voices are vying for your attention, many people are proposing their version of “how life really is”.

And this is how it should be. You must explore the world of ideas; testing their truth and staying power. This is the time in your life to test things out, to see what feels right for you. This is a time to ready yourself for what your mission to this world will be. Now is the time to forge life-long friendships to carry you into adult life. In fact all these new things might make the grade school/high school years seem corny and old fashioned.

Maybe you’re looking back on your time at Holy Trinity as a place you went as a child, but now that you’re all grown up you’ve learned other ways to view your life on earth. Many voices you hear will tell you the key to life is “success” or some version of “happiness/fulfillment”

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I’d like to talk you out of that one if I can.

Happiness and fulfillment, as nice as they are, only develop as a result of something else . . . . a deeper grasp of life.

Let’s start with what’s at the bottom of every human desire and longing. Every human being has a spiritual drive to achieve a state of loving and being loved. It’s who we are; it’s how God made us. Without love we become “clever animals”. (Picture a wolf that can cheat at cards!)

As wonderful as they are, the love we speak of is not “romance” or emotional thrill. No, we’re talking about “giving goodness” to others.

And this giving doesn’t come naturally. We have to learn it by first receiving it. That’s where your mother and father come in. They are the first givers of love to you. In your bones you know you are loved! From their giving we learn how to give love ourselves.

But this is only the beginning. You see this human drive to love and be loved gets kicked around, betrayed, withheld, because of human weakness (in ourselves and oth- ers). Nevertheless, our yearning for a love that does not disappoint will not go away.

Can love really exist amid all the trials and disappointments of life? Can I really believe in love as the meaning of my life?

The answer of course is “yes”! It comes to us from God who is love. He revealed this love to us in His Son Jesus Christ. Christ is the key to human life on earth. He shows us who we are and invites us to live in union with him as we live our days here on earth. (The Sacraments are huge here in keeping us united to Jesus.)

Soooooooo . . . . dear friend, please know we at Holy Trinity are praying for you and can’t wait to share the love of Christ with you when you return.

Bless you every day.

Fr. Tim and the people of Holy Trinity

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Flu season and Holy Communion.

During this flu season the Diocese of Rochester wants to caution us about the reception of The Cup at Holy Communion. It gives the option of offering only the consecrated Host at Communion (assuring us of course that receiving under one form still gives us the full sacramental union with Christ).

Here at Holy Trinity we will continue to offer communion under both forms with the caution that: only those without colds or flu concerns should receive from the cup.

Likewise those concerned with cold symptoms (theirs or others) should feel free to simply smile or nod to your neighbor at the Greeting of Peace. One should not be seen as “standoffish” or unfriendly should they refrain from taking someone’s hand. This holds for the Flu Season but should guide us throughout the year when we feel we might be carrying some germ.

Common sense is our guideline.

It was July, 2012. I had been here about a week when someone handed me a big thick book with lots of colored pictures in it. It was a two hundred page study of the physical structures of Holy Trinity parish.

Fr. William Michatek, your pastor, had wisely hired a professional architecture firm to set a “roadmap of renewal” for the parish buildings.

It showed a weather distressed church roof (100 yr. old slate), stained glass windows leaving their lead casings, protective window panels turned yellow by the sun, scary cinder parking lots with lots of pot holes and no lighting, the path to Phillips Rd. ready to ruin your tail pipe, no fire alarm system, etc.

These past six years Holy Trinity has been busy making these things right. We do this not just for ourselves but for those who will follow to worship here.

The bulletin this Sunday is here to say . . . we’re not done yet. There is much more we need to fix here. Let me elaborate.

Due to an increased need for meeting space, class rooms for the growing religious education program, the physical education needs of the Star children (our school tenants) and a midsize gathering space for parish functions – – – we are going to renovate what we have called “The Old Gym”.

Have you seen that space? We store the Star Christmas food and gifts there. It’s the blue colored room that looks like some dark boxing club down in the Bronx. It’s scary!!

This very week we have contracted with Bero Architects to design a multipurpose room that would house those several needs. Our Facility Committee (the people who made the church roof and parking lot happen) will be watching over the plans for this new undertaking. I think it will be a great addition to the life of this parish.

There’s more . . . . .
When was the last time you painted your kitchen/ bathroom/ or living room? I bet it’s been within the last twenty years, right? Know when we last painted the interior of Holy Trinity Church? ……………. 1968. That’s 50 years ago.

At that time, fashion had it, that you whitewashed a church space to accentuate the prominence of the pulpit and altar and the font. That’s what we have here at Holy Trinity; a white room with an altar. And the white walls have, over the years, taken on soot from the candles and peoples breath. (Yeah that’s right, your breath!).

Our beautiful dome depicting the Blessed Trinity was nicely cleaned a few years back so this would be untouched. But the rest of the church needs freshening and perhaps a new color scheme.

Now don’t get nervous. We all love this beautiful church. Any proposed changes will be shared with you via schematic drawings when the time comes.

So how will we pay for all this? In part, through a gift given to us a few years ago that insures the work of evangelization be continued in the parish (the classrooms mentioned above).

The rest? Well we don’t have the figures yet as to the cost of either project. I will let you know in the months ahead (early summer perhaps) what we are facing. I promise you here and now we will undertake no debt to accomplish these projects.

So now you know what lies ahead here at Holy Trinity Parish.

God bless you this week . . . . and then pass it along.

Fr. Tim

It’s been over five years since our Mission Statement first appeared on the parish bulletin. I thought it might be time for us to look at it again; perhaps ask some questions of ourselves to see if it’s true and if we’re headed in the right direction.

First off I believe it remains a fresh and simple statement about what Holy Trinity Parish is about and the invitation we want people to feel to be a part of that mission.

It’s four sentences long but it covers the basics pretty well.

1. We have experienced God’s love in this parish.

   Really? When did you feel that? At mass? Some social event? Christmas Star gifting? Praying in church? The people you’ve met?

2. We share our experience of God with those who are searching for Him.

   Can you think of one time this past year when you dared to speak about your belief in God to someone? Has there been a time when you went out of your way to help someone . . . just because you wanted to “give back” for all God has given you?

3. We follow Christ . . . who taught us to find God by serving others . . . and celebrating the Eucharist together.

   Soooo . . . do we see signs of Christ each day in our neighbor? Do we pray to know God’s will and the courage to do it? Have we said “no” to “lesser God’s” (money, possessions, food, entertainment)? Am I faithful in get- ting to mass.

4. Join us on this journey!

   Have you ever invited someone to meet you at Holy Trinity for mass? Have you extended an invitation to the parish picnic to someone who has no church or perhaps has walked away from their faith? Have you been a bridge for people to cross over to a new place with God?

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There’s a lot there. Of course we know that we don’t do all these things. Or sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that Holy Trinity Parish WANTS to be like Our Mission says.

It reminds me of an image I heard of some years ago describing the Christian mission in the world. “It’s one hobo telling another hobo where he can find bread for the day . . . and then taking him there.”

Bless your week you little hobo you.

Fr. Tim

This past weekend was a whirlwind. Everything in the parish was buzzing. The masses, the Jr. High liturgy and brunch, 3 baptisms, RCIA, Pre-Cana . . . . and the Bills on TV. All happened in good time, all did what was needed.

Along about six o’clock Sunday evening Fr. John and I found ourselves in front of a couple of hamburgers look- ing out on cold, dark, empty Ridge Rd. January in Webster, New York.

It’s hard to explain, but it was one of those times when, without explanation or reason, the bottom of your world seems to drop out. The winter night was especially dark, the cold seemed to say “forever more”. Suddenly there was this loneliness.

Have you had this? A mild panic grips your stomach. “How can I get out of this?” “I hope there’s something on TV later.” “Who can I call tonight?” Something deep down wants to see my mother again.

And then the feeling starts to spread over everything. “What am I doing with my life?” “How much longer do I have?” “What then?” It feels like you’re some astronaut all alone looking down on your life and then out to the blackness of space.

Ever had one of these? Of course you have. It’s called “life on earth”.

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Bright sunlight shines on the snow outside my office as I type these words. That “Winter Loneliness” is gone. I’m late with the bulletin article and have meetings and appointments throughout the day. I don’t have time to feel like that.

But still I ask myself “what was that?” What is that lonely “space ship” feeling?

I think these are moments when we bump into the fact that life is a pilgrimage. We can’t stay here. We’re on a journey. Something in us recognizes that we have no lasting home here.

We’re looking for completion, beauty, peace, harmony and love. And yet nothing satisfies. So we try to fill the loneliness (homesickness?) with diversions (TV, travel, entertainment, booze).

You and I know these eventually lose their power to bring joy. (That’s the sadness of someone who puts their whole sense of themselves and their value behind a “lesser god” – – – – – being a Bills Fan or a rock and roll groupie just doesn’t deserve to define who we are.)

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So what does this loneliness mean? Can it serve a good purpose? Of course it can. First of all, it can remind us that total happiness is not to be had here on earth. There is so much in life that we must endure. Jesus did. Why should we be exempt? Just deal with it.

Secondly, it shows us that this lonely part of us is on to something. It signals that something in us won’t rest until it holds what it longs for.

What do we long for? God of course. There’s no substitute for being held by God in a love that is divine.

Soooooo . . . . don’t be afraid of your loneliness. It makes us hungry for what our hearts can only long for. It comes to all us pilgrims.

So don’t worry that you’re some sort of emotional cripple if sometimes you face moments of sadness. It’s part of the journey – – – To God.

God bless you every day.

Fr. Tim

What would you do if in choosing a new physician you heard he stopped his schooling in the ninth grade? Or how about calling a lawyer whose education finished in junior high school? No way!! You would say.

Then why are we satisfied with our religious education that stopped before we went to our junior prom?

“Oh they drilled us full of religion.” We say, “I know all I need to know. There’s Jesus, Mary, the sacraments, the Our Father and the pope. What else do I need to know?”

Let’s be honest. Don’t you feel dumb sometimes when friends are going on about “you Catholics” and all we can do is look down at our shoes? You see, Catholics tend to be ignorant. Not stupid, just ignorant.

Don’t you wish there was an opportunity to hear about the Catholic Faith as an inquiring adult? A time you could ask all the questions your friends put to you and you could never answer? Tired of having no clue about your faith?

We’d like to help all us smart, ignorant Catholics!

You’ll find a flyer in this week’s bulletin announcing a four part discussion series on the “Source and Summit” of our faith . . . the Eucharist.

We’re going to travel in these talks from the Lord’s Supper in the Upper Room to mass at Holy Trinity 2018.

How did it develop? What does it mean? Why do we believe THIS IS JESUS? How can it be? Bring your questions (“There are no dumb questions”, said my high school biology teacher – – – “except yours Horan.”)

And it’s going to be fun! We have gathered three, really smart, fun, interesting presenters to guide our journey. They are all priests with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working. They bring expertise, prayer, and a clear, entertaining way of describing the great mystery that is the Holy Eucharist.

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If there is one time in the year to do “a little more” for your faith . . . this is it. I hope you and your family (babysitting for the little ones), set aside these four Sunday afternoons (2 – 3 pm…not long at all.) to in- crease your Jr. High Religious Education!!

I mean it’s winter. Football will be over. What else are you going to do on a Sunday afternoon? Now check that flyer out!

God bless you in this New Year.

Fr. Tim