I think much of the modern problem about the belief in God comes from the image of God they reject. God as they see it is some grumpy old guy who never had a fun day in his life and now wants everybody to obey his every command and bow down to worship “that guy behind the curtain”.

What follows is a rant this old God might have about this world.

God Speaks:
“Oh I’m so worried about my children who don’t know me. I mean look at all I’ve done for them. I made them in my own image. I gave them an immortal soul created just so they can live in me eternally. When they wandered to every corner of the world (which I also made just for them) they forgot that I even existed.”

“Not only all that, but they’ve taken to hating one another for the dumbest reasons – – the different color of skin that I gave to each of them, the different religions that separate the human race, and now the huge gulf between the “haves” and “have nots”.”

“So never one to give up on what I’ve started . . . I myself entered the world. That’s right, I was born a human being some 2,000 years ago. My mother Mary gave me the name Jeshua (Jesus) and I tried like hell to show every- body that I was a God who could be loved and trusted. I even went so far as to let myself be falsely accused of blasphemy (Get that, Me, God, blaspheming myself!) and then crucified . . . dead at 33 human years.”

“But no, I’m still not done with my rebellious children . . . my immortal nature will not die. I Resurrect my Jesus back to Eternal Life and I begged any who would listen to follow me in that new direction of life.”

“So what do I get in return for all this goodness? “Maybe there’s a God. Maybe not. Who knows?” “God doesn’t seem to fix hurricanes so what kind of Supreme Being is that?”

“I trust things I can see and measure, how can I believe in something for which there is no proof?” (Get that!? I, who made the laws of physics and chemistry and gave people eyes to see my Milky Way . . . I, may or may not exist!!? Well La-Di-Da.)”

Aren’t we fortunate God is not like this? Like some grumpy uncle at a family reunion. Rather, how patient he is.

He’s waited billions of years to bring creation to this point. Life came forth from the watery slime; lungs and arms and legs evolved for life to walk the earth; a creature with the largest proportional brain of all living beings be- gins to stand erect on two legs and gaze at the stars from the safety of his cave.
And then . . . “in the fullness of time” . . . Christ.

So my point? Our children, grandchildren, friends and neighbors who don’t seem to know or care whether God exists (or has anything meaningful to do with them) . . . this doesn’t worry God one bit.

Wanna know why? Because he has a plan to get us. Somewhere in our life there will be time when all defenses are dropped, all excuses ring hollow, all false idols are seen as empty. It may be only at the time of our death that we realize these things. And what then is left . . . . . “you God?”

Hopefully it won’t take that long. There will be moments of love and kindness that touch their lives and lead them to the source of this goodness – – – Christ Jesus, “through whom all things were made.”

Certainly we parents have our part to play. We must bring our faith to our everyday lived lives. People need to see a kindness and confidence in life that can only come from the One who gave us life and loves us beyond our wildest imaginings.

Fr. Tim

PS. A friend told me to smile more. I’m working on it.

My dad was a big fan of positive thinking. Having a positive attitude was the necessary element to getting things done. Negative thinking people, so he held, were afraid to commit themselves to trying for something better.

Dad would look forward to his company’s “Sales Conventions” held at the home office. There would be a motivational speaker there telling everyone “success begins in your attitude”. (Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz is a current motivational speaker).

It’s taken me awhile but I’ve finally come to agree with this positivity message. I’ve seen over the years that starting with “It’s no use.” “That’ll never work.” “That’s impossible.” “No one will ever get it.” “I’m no good at this.” Leads nowhere. Negativity is contagious but so too is being positive.

So parents, let me be your motivational speaker. The topic? Teaching Your Children Our Catholic Faith. What can I say that will move you to be more engaged in sharing your Faith with your child?

• Your children love you. What you say to them is their truth, their world. Doesn’t it touch you how innocently they entrust themselves to you and what you say? God wants you to feel this because, early on, you speak for God.
• The message of Faith is just what your child is looking for. Children hate chaos. It’s a parents responsibility to keep them from falling into a world where nothing rules, where everyone goes their own way.

  What does our faith say? God is Love. Love created the world. People wouldn’t let God rule. So God became one of us to show us what His Love truly is – – Jesus Christ. And oh yes . . . there’s going to be a test – Did You Love?

• You’ll be amazed how God works through your conversations with your children to TEACH YOU! There will be moments when “suddenly you see!” what God has been all along in your life.
• Sharing your Faith with the children will give you the chance to open areas of feeling or thought your child has been having “about life”. These moments will let you encourage, praise, support, and sometimes correct your child’s thinking.
• It’s fun!! It can be time to play. Take one of the parables for children’s bedtime reading. Remember the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11)?

  Read it with your child. Ask them how the young man must have felt – being away from home, how it felt when his dad put his cloak over his shoulders and had a party for him. Let the children fill this in in their own wonderful way. There’s a ton of stories just waiting to be told.

  Add your own words to the bible stories. Things like “Wow!” or God said, “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you!'” Be free. You’re God’s Ambassador.

• Your own life will grow in purpose. You’ll discover the holy vocation you’ve been given in your marriage and your parenting. To quote the Blues Brothers, “You are on a mission from God!!”

Be positive. You can do it. You were handpicked for this job! God didn’t say, “Gee, look at all the darkness.” He said, “Let there be light!”

Spread your light.

Fr. Tim

Hope you’re coming to the picnic.

Webster defines joy as “a very glad feeling.” Theologians, as usual, complicate things by splitting joy in two: sensible joy and intellectual (spiritual) joy. Here’s what they say.

Sensible joy is easy to describe. Think of finishing your favorite meal done just the way you like it. Or hearing your favorite song by the original band; the smell of lilac on a sunny spring day. Joy may be either the action itself (the tasting, seeing, feeling) or the pleasant state that fol- lows having experienced this good thing (. . . how’s that for over analyzing?!)

Spiritual joy is different. It may have similar feelings attached to it (gladness, cheeriness) but it goes deeper than something pleasing to the senses. It has its origin in an awareness of a “Good” that has been obtained through virtuous action.

For example, swimmers exert themselves for months to train for the big meet. They experience joy when they see their efforts have paid off with their best time ever. The joy is in the awareness . . . “do you see what you have done? Your hard work has really paid off. Let’s celebrate!!”

OR Your love for someone is sorely tested yet you remain true through thick and thin. You never wavered in your loyalty. Suddenly you both realize that this is what friend- ship really means. This is a joy!

Spiritual joy can come with some effort of the will, some “doing the right thing”. There can be a bit of suffering for the sake of someone. Sometimes joy comes with the grace “to see” a profound good or beauty.

Moments of Joy:

• Many memories of friends and their great kindnesses.
• High School Senior year. Beating previously undefeated Gilmore Academy in triple overtime. I didn’t play one second of the game, but the joy it brought on the bus ride home showed me God is real and present.
• 21 yrs. old. Standing on the 17th tee at Durand Eastman, suddenly knowing that Rochester is where I wanted to live my life.
• Handel’s Messiah. Pure joy. Also Samuel Barber’s “Adagio”. I can die in peace.
• A dream I had about God a long time ago. I can still feel what it was like.
• The change of seasons brings joy (and a sweet sadness sometimes which is a weird kind of joy too).
• The times of uncontrollable, fall on the ground, close to tears, laughter.
• Being a priest and seeing God touch people’s lives.
• Watching children be children.
• Knowing (because Christ said so) that it’s all going to turn out right. Love wins. Somehow it’s all worth it. If we let it, God will, in His own way and time, set this world right. So we can spend this life doing the things He asks of us. This purpose in life brings joy.

“So you also are in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you . . . your joy will be complete.” Jn. 16:22, 24

These moments are simply a foretaste of the joy the Lord created us to experience . . . our participation by adoption in the very life of God.

“Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered the mind what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9

Are you coming to the picnic? Bless you.

Fr. Tim

(Give this to a 20/30 Something)

Just west of Des Moines, Iowa, Interstate 80 hits a fork in the road. If you’re going to San Francisco, you keep on I-80 heading west. If you want to go to Houston, you bear south on I-35. Two roads heading to two different places. Where do you want to go?

It’s like life. Where you want to go determines which road you take. Most times our choices are “day to day” and have to do with groceries or family gatherings or what’s on TV. Seldom do we think of the Big Picture (Where AM I going with my life?).

Two roads lie ahead of us. One directs our lives to God. Do you want to meet Him in heaven? The other road is in search of some happiness here on earth before the lights get turned off.

Here’s what happens if there is no God (or if there’s no way of knowing anything about him anyway).

1. Nothing means anything. “Good” or “bad” is merely your opinion. What you think is “your truth”. What I think is “my truth”. In fact there is no ultimate truth.

2. Since there is no ultimate goodness to guide our actions, then “lesser gods” will serve. Money, possessions, leisure and pleasure are what life is about.

3. Might makes right. My wanting more makes me a potential threat to what you have. (Why can’t I take what you have? You say, “that’s not right!” I say, “Says who?!”)

4. Sickness, poverty, or tragic happenings can only be seen as absurd or real bad luck. Flee these things. Pity those who encounter them. They are the “unlucky ones”.

5. Any moment of beauty or longing that our lives have ultimate meaning is an illusion and should be tolerated like Santa Claus with our children. (Let this God myth continue as long as it keeps people happy).

6. An “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is the best way of dealing with human conflict. But who has the authority to declare something as righteous or criminal?

7. Our best hopes for our children would be that they were skillful hunters in getting what they want in a world that doesn’t care.

8. About the best thing we can wish anybody is “Good Luck”.

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”.

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

1. Everything means something. The fact that something “is” gives it purpose in the plan of God. All that exists shares to some degree in the truth of its maker.

2. The “lesser goods” become what they were intended to be—joys in life that point to a loving God who wishes our happiness. They are not an end in themselves.

3. By God’s love (revealed in Christ), we become brothers and sisters to each other, NOT “threats” or rivals.

4. The hard things in life (sickness etc.) have been redeemed. They too now serve God’s purpose. They reveal true love. (We only know this by Jesus Christ who took suffering and death to himself to reveal what God’s love is like.) “Love bears all things.” 1 Cor. 13.

5. Longing for peace or purpose in life is a grace put there by God to remind us of our true home. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee Oh Lord.” St Augustine

6. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator . . .”

7. Our best hope for our children is that they would grow to be good and kind and happy in “doing what is right and just”. And that they too would come to know the presence of God in their life.

8. Our best wish for someone? “Go with God”. Go with God.

Fr. Tim

Pictures, as the saying goes, are worth a thousand words. Whether it’s about “a feeling” or “an idea” or “something we believe in”, it helps to get a picture in our mind that captures the essence of what we’re thinking about.

So, I was thinking the other day of what the faith teaches about “the effects of Original Sin”. You re- member Original Sin, right? In the mythic story, Ad- am and Eve disobeyed God’s command to refrain from eating the fruit of that tree. It’s the God inspired picture of an event no one was there to record. It is a great mystery.

The catechism tells us that one of the effects of Original Sin has been the wounding of our human nature. That means the creature, man, made in God’s image, has forfeited his original holiness and justice and “is wounded in the natural powers proper to it.” (reason and will) (Catholic Catechesis #405). In short, we suffer ignorance about who we are, and in this ignorance we are inclined to sin. This leaning toward sin is called “concupiscence”.

So, here’s MY picture. See if this makes any sense. . . . I had an old VW “bug” way back in college. Great little vehicle – started up every time. One problem, it was out of alignment. Driving down the road, if you let go of the wheel, before long it would pull left and take you into the oncoming lane. It wouldn’t happen all at once, but you could feel a leaning. Like the car had a mind of its own, it pulled you into the other lane. To counteract this you had to drive with the wheel pegged to the right. This would keep the car in the proper lane heading straight.

It is the same with us humans. If we let go of the wheel, if we don’t take control over the direction of our lives, we eventually “pull into the wrong lane”.

Each of us experience this pull in our own way. (The classic “pulls” are called the Capital Sins – pride, envy, anger, gluttony, lust, jealousy and sloth). What’s yours?!!

The church’s teaching about the effects of Original Sin makes great sense. It’s a pull, an inclination. Going our own way, without God’s will to guide us, sooner or later we fall. Everyone sins.

Don’t be shocked that you have this tendency to sin – – – everybody has it (except Jesus and Mary – but that’s another story!) We’re in a battle. Be ready to fight. Some battles we win; some we lose. But, we don’t give up the fight.

The good news is that we’ve got the power to overcome this misalignment. Be aware of the pull “and keep our hands on the wheel”!!

Pray and recognize your tendency, and ask God to help correct your alignment. Ask for the strength and avoid the places and things that approach you with the familiar enticements that sin brings with it.

Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to keep in the proper lane. A priest might be able to help you here. Certainly the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation (Confession) is a great source of strength and realignment.

Lastly, do really fun things. The devil hates it when people can laugh at themselves and share friendship with others who are keeping their hands on the wheel.

Please enjoy this summer. God will be pleased if we celebrate this wonderful gift.

Fr. Tim

Can you remember what you had for dinner last Thurs- day? If I sat for a minute to look at my calendar and what I did that day, I might come close (though no guarantees) to remembering what it was I ate.

This doesn’t disturb me in the least. What I do know is that “I ate”. And it must have been quite sufficient be- cause I don’t remember any headache or weakness that happens when I don’t.

All this points to the fact that food serves a purpose . . . it keeps life strong. Remember that saying? “We eat to live. We don’t live to eat.” It’s enough to know we did eat and it did what food is supposed to do.

Now, if we are quite content to eat and later to forget what or where we ate, it seems we have more important things to be about, right? Like life.

So when we think of the meal we had at Mass last Sun- day, what do we remember? Not much I bet. Certainly not the food we ate. The bread is flat and tasteless. (I can’t remember a single host I ever ate at Mass!) The cup of wine is no special vintage. Maybe we remember a thought or a prayer we prayed at the time, but probably not. Life has moved on and, as always, there are new issues or concerns that linger.

Why should we expect Mass to be any different than any other meal we eat and forget? Life has moved on and, as always, there are new issues or concerns that have our attention.

Is that okay? I mean this is no ordinary food we’re eating! It’s the Body and Blood of the Lord. Shouldn’t we remember each and every time we receive our Lord in Holy Communion? The simple answer is NO.

Why? Because the purpose of the Eucharist is to strengthen our union with Christ so that we GO FORTH into the world to bring his good news to others. And we deliver the news of Christ’s life by BEING that life for others, by laying our lives down as God asks each of us in our particular circumstances.

What if Jesus, after having eaten The Last Supper with his apostles, invited the boys to the drawing room for brandy and cigars?! “What a great meal Jesus. The lamb was just right. I’m stuffed!”

No. Rather . . . “They went forth . . .” Jesus changed the history of the world the next day by laying down his life in obedience to his Father’s will. (“Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” MT. 4:4)

Think if Jesus and the boys had stayed in the upper room that night. Let’s say they skipped the Crucifixion. What good would that meal have been? Just another forgettable Passover.

That meal, the first Eucharist, became the source of grace for all Christian life to follow. That is what the Eucharist needs to be for us at Holy Trinity. It is a strengthening of our union and life with Christ first and foremost . . . but then . . . we must “go forth to love and serve.”

Without our going into the world in the name of Christ, we are not doing what the Eucharist was meant to do in us.

One last thought. Just like that meal you had last week did what food is supposed to do in you, so the Mass and its spiritual food will accomplish its purpose in us. It’s a sure thing.

If we let it.

Fr. Tim

I keep coming back to a human experience that I think holds the key to understanding who we are as a human species. It is the experience of “wonder”.

Think of it – scientific knowledge, as wonderful as it is, is in the end “about things”. Science tells me an apple is a red, yellow or green sphere of cellulose, permeated with sugar and water; or ice cream, “a food consisting of cream, butter fat, sweetener and frozen”.

Does this Webster Dictionary description tell us what vanilla ice cream really is? Of course not. Human knowledge, to be more than stored computer facts, is experiential. You have to taste vanilla to understand it.

And here’s where the “wonder” part comes in. The most important human experiences elude scientific description; we say things like, “you have to see it for yourself”. Some things, (the Milky Way in the night sky, a new born baby, the death of a lifelong friend, or my own mortality) present a moment that is beyond our ability to fully under- stand and leaves us in a state of shock and “wonder”.

The Psalms are full of this mysterious sense. “Oh Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth!/ You have set your majesty above the heavens!/ When I see the heavens, the work of your hands/ the moon and stars that you set in place/. . . how awesome is your name through all the earth!” Psalm 8

Psalm 139 echoes this same moment of wonder and awe . . . “Such knowledge is beyond me, too lofty for me to reach . . . How precious are your designs O God; how vast the sum of them. / Were I to count them, to finish I would need eternity.”

Fear and reverence accompany such experiences. We meet face to face a truth that is real but beyond our ability to fully comprehend. It overwhelms us with its mysterious presence.

Such a moment came to me at age 19. I had tickets to an outdoor summer concert by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. Its world renowned concert director, George Szell, had just died. There at mid-stage was placed the empty Maestro’s chair.

Before some 8,000 rapt concert goers, with the sun setting on a soft summer night, the orchestra (without conductor) played the soulful strains of Bach’s Air on a G String in his honor. Something happened to me and I think to many in the crowd that night.

All I can say is, I was overwhelmed by “beauty”. And I mean beauty on a thousand different levels: The music transcendent, the new grass all around, the man (now gone) who created this magnificent orchestra, but still present as his musicians played, the thousands of people, silent and in rapped attention . . . and me, feeling 19, and ready to change the world.

It was a moment. We were all plugged into something that I can only describe as JOY. Something bigger and sweeter and more powerful than any one of us. We were together but each of us still ourselves. And we all “looked and saw how good it was”. Can we say Heaven was there for a moment? I can; at least a hint of heaven.

So what’s the point to all this “wonder” stuff? Quite simply these moments are the foothills of God. Children waken to these hills every day. Everything is fresh and full of wonder. They hold that key to who we are . . . the creature that can know and love the Lord.

What’s happened to us? Somehow we’ve lost the eyes to see and the ears to hear. We fill our senses with far lesser beauty. Our cell phones and computers, as wonderful inventions as they are, “reality TV” replaces real life with its wondrous joys and sorrows.

Is there a remedy? Of course there is. Prayer.

Every day. “Lord I want to see your face, your presence.” He knows your need. Ask Him.

Fr. Tim

“A Butterfly’s Lesson”

One day, a small opening appeared in a cocoon. A man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It ap- peared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could not go any farther.

So the man decided to help the but- terfly;he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a withered body; it was tiny and shriveled.

The man continued to watch because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand to be able to support the butterfly’s body and become firm.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and goodwill did not understand, was the restricting cocoon and the strug- gle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny openings, were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are sometimes exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Never been able to fly.

I asked for Strength…and I was given difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom…and I was given problems to solve.

I asked for Posterity…and I was given a brain and brawn to work.

I asked for Courage….and I was given obstacles to overcome.

I asked for Love…and I was given troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors… and I was given opportunities. “I received nothing I wanted…But I received everything I needed.

Live life without fear, confront all obstacles and know that you can overcome them. Share this message with your friends and show them how much you care. Share this with anybody that you consider a FRIEND, even if this means to share it with the same person that conveyed it to you. You can be sure that your circle of friendship is made out of true friends.

The number you see above is Fr. Tim’s emergency pager number. I am giving it to you because I want you to be able to get a hold of me in case of an emergency or some DRAMATIC need. Let me tell you a bit about the pager and how we’re going to use it.

Some years ago I was visiting some friends I’d known from a previous parish. It was a free evening and I had no pressing duties. The phone rang at their house and someone was asking for Me! It turned out to be a tragic happening that I needed to be present to. (The staff person called several numbers just guessing as to where I might be.) God’s grace got us connected that night.

So I’ve thought a lot about that and in the future I think God could use a little help getting you in touch with me at those crucial moments. So, like so many of you, I now can be paged. I want to be a phone call away from anyone in serious need.

What is “serious need”? It could be a number of things . . . accident, health crisis, tragic news, an immediate and pressing need . . . anything that you think a priest might assist you with at a moment when life feels overwhelming and help is needed right now. Please call 521-0017.

What’s NOT a serious need? Oh let’s say . . . you’re feeling a little blue, you’re a little strapped for cash, your dog caught a splinter, the Yankees just lost three in a row and you need to talk to someone . . . for these I’d ask that you wait awhile before calling. I bet you could work these out for yourself.

If you DO call you will be asked either to leave a return number or a voice mail message describing the situation. Anyway, I think you’ll understand when I tell you I hope I NEVER hear from any of you on this number. If I never get one call on my pager that will make me happy!!

But please know I want to be there for you in those times that sooner or later happen to most of us . . . times of real sorrow and need.

God bless you and keep you well. What a great summer!

Hope you are enjoying it.

God bless you.

Fr. Tim

Fr. John is my “Wing Man”. He’s my backup should I be far away at the time of your call.

I’ve been told there is a gizmo (a perfect term for tech challenged people!) that, with a push of a button, traces lost articles to their source. Sort of a GPS for misplaced keys or calendars. A perfect Christmas gift.

These weren’t available to shepherds at the time of Jesus either. Remember the gospel story about the lone sheep who leaves the 99 to wander about. Jesus says a good shepherd will leave the 99 in search of the lost one. The story gets ruined to think Jesus could just clip a little chip on each sheep and know its position on his shepherd radar screen?

So things get lost. Keys, pens, cars, you, me. Have you ever been lost? It can be scary. I remember my father in his early 80’s arriving home two hours late for dinner. Mom was sick with worry. Dad arrived white as a ghost, almost trembling.

“WHERE have you been?!” “I was lost.” Dad said. He’d had a mild stroke while driving the car. A city that he knew like the back of his hand suddenly lost all recognition. “Where am I?” Nothing looked familiar. He could have been in Buenos Aires for all he knew.

Slowly the confusion passed. Buildings and street signs started to communicate where he was and finally he’d found his way home!

Isn’t this the way it is in life for so many people? Over time, and letting go of the things we learned about our faith, we get lost to the things of God. We can’t feel Him or see signs of Him in our lived experience. It gets to the point where even to say the name “Jesus” or mention the slightest thing about “God” feels strange. Church on Sun- day feels like Buenos Aires (“where am I?”).

So what’s the point? The gospel is full of stories where Jesus meets up with people who had lost their way, wandered off. The scribes and Pharisees insisted that these people be shunned until they found their way back. Jesus says “No. These are the ones I’ve come for.” He searches the highways and byways for us.

What does this say about our children and grandchildren who have seemingly walked away from the faith? Will He find my lost child? Yes. But probably not the way you would imagine.

Something new has to happen. Something that on the surface has nothing to do with “Church”, or priests, or going to mass and confession. What does this search look like? Dinner. Conversation. Wine. Laughter. Stories. Friendship. Not church. Not yet.

Sometimes we have to meet Christ on the street or in the pub, or a movie, or a conversation with your closest friends. Something beautiful needs to happen. Something that reminds us of a “home” we have always longed for, a moment that touches us with its beauty, power and humanity.

It’s a moment (a grace) where a person feels invited to a deeper life. It’s called love. But, it’s not the romantic kind. This love comes from Christ. It comes as a surprise. It’s light and bright and chases the dark away. It whispers “this is for you child. It’s free and . . . it’s me, your old pal Jesus”.

Parents. Grandparents. You have this love in you. Be confident of it. Give it to your young ones lavishly, humorously, gently. Remember, as we said last week, you are Ambassadors of Christ, “God appealing to them through you”.

He’s the Good Shepherd. He’s out on the street looking for his sheep.

God loves you more than you know.

Fr. Tim