This is not about the red faced, pointy ear, dragon tailed fellow we see carrying a pitch fork. That’s a cartoon or a Halloween costume. No. This is about a power that functions in our world and in familiar everyday sorts of ways.

The bible refers to this creature by name; Devil, or Satan. These come from Greek and Hebrew words meaning “enemy” and “accuser”. Our understanding of the devil has developed over time. In the Book of Job he is God’s “tester of humans”. Later it becomes a “resisting element” toward God’s will; finally we perceive a personal, spiritual creature that stands wickedly opposed to God and God’s people.

A generation or two ago it was common to hear “the devil made me do it” or we gave our children the image of an angel on one shoulder, the devil on the other. “Listen to your good angel, not the bad one.”

Today it’s fashionable to laugh all this off as childish, something like a Bad Santa. Be careful here. There’s something about the power of evil that has to be under- stood and yes – – – respected.

First of all evil is a mystery. We do not know exactly its beginning. It lies on the ground in the form of a snake as it tempts Adam and Eve. The Book of Genesis tells us it was cause of a rebellion toward God’s will and has lived ever since as God’s enemy. The mystery? Evil is with us, but its size and origin, its dwelling place, its activity, is usually hidden.

We see it best by its effects. In many situations evil acts as a parasite. It feeds on what is good and substantial. In fact it has no life of its own. It can only exist by virtue of something else (think of rust on chrome).

St. Augustine refers to evil as a “lack of being”, a shadow, rather than a solid object. A lie can only exist when there’s something true that can be lied about. Evil hides rather than stands out. Why do criminals cover their heads when the cameras roll? Why do most crimes happen in the dark?

C. S. Lewis in his Screwtape Letters gives a brilliant and humorous description of the devil Screwtape as he instructs his minor devils how to defeat people’s good intentions. The devil’s point of view looks like a photo negative; black is white, good is bad.

The world is in reverse. “So confronted with the situation,” says Screwtape to Wormwood, “the poor man took the true and noble road, the one we so hoped he would . . . he lied.”

To my knowledge, I’ve never met the devil. That seems to be reserved for the great saints like St. Francis, or St. John Vianney, or of course, Christ himself. The devil needn’t waste time on me. Sending one of his lesser spirits has usually gotten the job done.

So I don’t trouble myself with medieval images of Satan. Rather I call him “my enemy”. I’ve heard others talk about their tempting spirit as the accuser, bad spirit, the liar, the tempter.

What I do take seriously is the fact that this enemy spirit knows me. It knows where I am weak. It knows where I’ve hidden my resentments, jealousies, and sinful desires. My enemy can play me like a piano, hitting just those notes that can start me down a road that ends in sin.

My enemy speaks in my head and it sounds like me (because I’m already leaning in that direction). “Don’t be a sucker,” it sneers, “Everybody does it.” “Who cares if you keep that promise . . . nobody’s watching.” Or, “Who do you think you are? Those prayers won’t help anyone.” Or, “Did you hear what so-and so just did?” Or most discouraging, “Just give up, it’ll never change. It’s hope- less.” All with my voice.

It’s hard to put into words. (I worry about your reaction here – – – “Oh great, Fr. Tim’s hearing voices now!”). I trust you’ve heard your Enemy speak to you as well. So too I presume you’ve heard/felt the Holy Spirit speaking.

So what are we to do when our enemy starts speaking to us?

• Be in peace. It’s what happens. It happened to Jesus.
• Know what’s happening. You’re being tempted to choose something against God’s law of love.
• A little prayer of course. “Lord here I am again.. Help me.”
• For every temptation God provides an escape (1 Cor. 10:13). E.G. To suddenly remember a little courtesy you could do instead of the harsh word or rash judgement.
• Know that, by Christ’s death and Resurrection, your enemy has been defeated. Really. The Devil is busted!!

Straight ahead now.

Fr. Tim

Did you hear the one about the gardener who held a lawn party? He created a beautiful rose garden on the sight of the old town dump. At the grand opening, local town dignitaries, the news media, and even his pastor were invited to tour the marvelous rows of brilliant flowers.

Of course the pastor, ever anxious to preach and instruct, was waxing on about “the exquisite beauty of God’s creation.” And how, “The heavenly scent of each different flower could only come from God.” And finally that, “God Himself is the greatest gardener of all.”

“Yeah?” said the gardener. “You should have smelled God’s garden before I got a hold of it.”

The story in Genesis about the Garden of Eden gives us some critical information about life here on earth. The rebellion of Adam and Eve caused the garden to likewise rebel. From then on the earth would resist man’s efforts to cultivate it. (This is a great mystery by the way . . . why nature spawns things like drought or plagues of locust or cancer.)

“Cursed be the ground because of you. In toil shall you be all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you. By the sweat of your brow shall you get bread to eat . . . till you return to the earth from which you were taken.” Gen. 3:18, 19.

Work which had been meaningful and a pleasure, now had become hard and frustrating. (I don’t have to tell you that do I!). Nothing seems to want to work out. Things tend to fall apart. That’s just the way it is.

Think about it, your house, your job, your marriage, your parenting, your parish . . . All require hard work …or … they fall apart.

Fortunately, there are marvelous developments in the past 50 years to help those who struggle to make ends meet.

Welfare, unemployment benefits, Social Security and a faulty, but honest attempt at universal health care are all government’s attempts to help those in need.

I am glad for these achievements. But they are only there to “help”. They don’t relieve us of our duty to discover who we are through our life’s work.

We seem to have settled for something “less” than who we are. We’ve lost our “Purpose”. Flushed with the fun and ease of our internet lives, “living for the weekend”, sports and entertainment, and life styles that require 2 and 3 jobs to support, we can lose a sense of who we are and why we’re here.

Think about it. Who are you? What defines you?

A student? A Democrat/Republican? Spouse/parent? A Bills fan? A video game player? All these interests are just a part of who you are. Is there some way to understand ourselves that captures all of us; something that tells us what to work for?

There is.

But, it’s a definition that doesn’t come from the world. In fact, “the reason the world does not know us is that it doesn’t know God. Beloved, we are God’s children now . . . and when He is revealed, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 Jn. 3:1, 2.

When we start living from this staggering truth about ourselves everything changes. We can begin to treat our neighbor as brother or sister. We can use the things of this world in a way that no longer drugs us from the sadness of meaningless lives. Recreation, food, earthly pleasures are used to serve the higher vision of who we are.

This radical vision of human life comes from Christ. He shows us who we are.

Straight ahead now. Let’s get to work on God’s garden.

Fr. Tim

A friend of mine said his company, which prides itself on its exacting standards, was losing clients to inferior competition because their products were cheaper and “good enough”. It started me thinking about when we can settle for good enough . . . and when we can’t.

As I think about it, “good enough” is okay in many situations. Bottle openers, pencils, socks, hammers, cigarette lighters, ball point pens, all provide a function that does not require any special brilliance. One is as good as another.

However, some things by their nature require the very best. Things like . . . .Heart surgeons, airline pilots, psychologists, and how about . . . lion tamers? There’s no room for “good enough” here. Can you see the surgeon standing over your mother or father saying, “That’s good enough — close him up”? I’d look for another doctor.

Or, how about husband, wife, father, mother…. what’s a good enough mother? And Christian, what’s good enough there? It seems many times we settle for good enough when we say “I’m not very religious but I’m spiritual.” Or “One religion is as good as another.” Catholicism? It’s a “good enough” religion.

How that squares with Jesus’ words, “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you will not have my life in you”, is a mystery to me. Or, “Yeah, I go to mass. Not all the time but every couple of weeks is . . . (you guessed it) . . . good enough.”

It all boils down to love. It doesn’t ask what’s enough. St. Paul tells us love has no limit to its patience, its generosity, its hope, its power to endure
(1 Cor. 13).

Love wants things just right. Consider a bride coming down the aisle to meet her husband, her hair, her dress, is perfect – – – for him. Your baby’s crib and blankets need to be just right, not good enough. This is what love does. It gives everything.

Can you imagine Jesus, love incarnate, saying “Okay I’ll take the agony in the garden, the scourging at the pillar, and the crown of thorns. Forget that death on a cross thing. That will be good enough.”?!

So we say we love God. What’s good enough here? We have just begun the season of Lent. May I suggest that we have a great opportunity to grow in our faith and love of God. Please check the purple insert from last week’s bulletin with the schedule of prayer and worship for the season of Lent.

Won’t you join us here at Holy Trinity Church for this spiritual journey leading to the great Feast of the Resurrection. Easter . . . that day when love proved to be stronger than death and that dear friend is MORE than good enough.

A blessed Lent. Hope to see you at Holy Trinity.

Fr. Tim

There was a child’s toy back in the day that kept us busy for hours. It was primitive by today’s standard of i-phones and computer games, but its simplicity made it doable for any kid.

It was called Etch-a-Sketch. It consisted of a TV-like screen covered with a silver dust on the inside. Two dials at the bottom controlled an invisible pen that would carve a drawing onto the screen. It was fun to watch the tiny point trace your design into the silver dust as your picture gradually appeared.

The drawings were primitive to say the least; flat, two dimensional profiles were the best you could “draw”. I tried to draw side profiles of birds (cardinals mostly). I was terrible at it. The problem was that once you scraped into the silver screen you were stuck with it. There was no eraser.

So when my cardinal started to look like a dinosaur, I could either push on doodling what looked now like a monster of some sort . . . OR . . . I could start over.
Starting over was easy in Etch-a-Sketch. You just flipped the board over and the secret silver stuff inside would re-coat the screen giving you a blank canvas. It was a do-over.

Things are not quite that easy in real life, are they? Years of a particular behavior create habits that just won’t go away. They’ve worked their way into our lives so as to become part of “who we are”.

Hopefully most of these are good habits and we should continue to do these. But sometimes what started out as a cardinal now looks like a dinosaur in my life. Selfish, lazy, arrogant deeds appear regularly on my canvas. I don’t want them. They hurt people. And when I think about it . . they hurt me.

So what can we do? We can’t just flip our lives leaving everything behind. That would ruin the good that we have done. I think it calls for a good look at ourselves to find what makes us look like a dinosaur to others, to God and to ourselves.

What might that be? Actually I bet you already know what’s causing problems with those you love most. Do you need a list? How about these . . .
Ways of acting that hurt others and myself:

• Non-stop negativity about the world and the terrible state of things.
• Failure to tell the truth about things. Exaggerating or cutting corners about what really happened.
• Hunting for lustful images or welcoming them when they occur.
• Rash judgment of people and their motives.
• Refusal to let go of some slight or hurt from the past.
• Failing to respond to calls, emails, invitations etc. in a timely manner.
• Crude words and conversation to prove you’re a macho guy.
• A hunger to “tell all” about some person so other might share similar feelings.
• Enjoying the troubles and sadness of people you don’t like.

God and a close loved one can help you find what you need to address. What I most strongly urge (lest we be- come discouraged) is that you make your special Lenten effort about ONE THING. Don’t try to do too much. But hold yourself accountable for doing better with your particular weakness.

God bless your Lent.

Fr. Tim

A suggestion. Sometime in the morning as you begin your day, include this intention in prayer.

“Lord, this day I give to you . . . help me to turn to you when my old habit of ____________ comes knocking.”

Re-evaluate at noon and at night how you have done. No matter how it’s gone, thank God for the day and ask for the grace to do better tomorrow.

As I’ve mentioned to you, my father was an insurance salesman who overcame many personal qualities (he was very shy and prone to pessimism) to become an outgoing, confident, highly knowledgeable insurance agent.

Along the way he found a couple of motivational books that helped him get beyond his personality weaknesses: N. V. Peale’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, and The Power of Positive Thinking. These were life changers for dad, and he insisted his pouty teenage son read them both.

I hated them. They seemed so ’50’s, so “establishment” as my generation would caustically remark. “Just think positively and everything will turn out peachy keen,” I mocked. “Tell that to the guys in Viet Nam,” I said with righteous fervor. Get real dad.

That was a long time ago. As in many things, I’ve come to see my dad was right. You become what you believe in. You acquire the qualities of what you take into yourself.
For example, if I spend my time watching dark or violent or lustful images, I begin to have a hunger for these things in real life (ever see one of those cage matches on Ultimate Fighting? We become excited by human blood and pain. Horrible).

If I pride myself in finding something wrong in any given situation, I begin to prefer the negative. I feel validated by it, proclaiming myself a “realist”. Our spirits are shaped by what we take in to our minds.

On the other hand, if we feed on things that speak of goodness or generosity, forgiveness, mercy, sacrifice, joy and light, our spirits will have that same beauty.
Regard the face of the social worker who has devoted her life to helping the poor, or the face of the old nun who has taught thousands of school children, or the face of the symphony conductor finishing Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony . . . They are beautiful! Look at the face of the mother kissing her new born
. . .so full of love.

Now this is not a psychological trick like some chameleon becoming the color it touches. It’s real. The light is real. Goodness is real. Love is real. And . . . guess what? The light has overcome the darkness. Love wins!

How do we know this? Because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. “The Light has shown in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jn. 1:5

So what do we do in these winter weeks (and all year)? We take in the light, not the darkness — you know the difference, you can feel it. We give forth the light, we walk with those in darkness and negativity helping them to see life’s goodness.

And all of this “positive thinking” is not just some childish wishful thinking. It’s the rock on which we live our lives – – – Take courage. I have overcome the world.” JN16:33.

Let’s get to work.

Fr. Tim

As you know and as you’ll be hearing over and over, the message of God’s Mercy for all people is the focus for the Catholic Church this year. I hope that by December of next year you and I will be better able to understand and then explain to others just what Christian Mercy is all about.

More important than explaining it however is DOING it. Giving Mercy to everyone. Here’s a little story I heard on my visit to Sacred Heart Cathedral last month. The deacon there, John Giugno, told this in a homily. I think it holds the “motive” for giving someone mercy – – – it’s not because we earn or merit it. It’s because of the value God gives to each of us as His Children. See what you think.

I like this story for lots of reasons. It’s a happy story. What makes it happy is what it says about God. God, of His own free will, “lets us” be called His “Children” 1 Jn. 3:1. Any parent knows that their son or daughter, no matter what they do, no matter how bad their choices in life, NEVER stop being their beloved child. So it is with God (see Romans 5:6-10 It’s amazing!!). As the kids say, “God is good . . . . All the time”.

Okay, so we’re dirty little $20 bills that don’t lose their value no matter what we do. So what do we do with that?

A couple of things I think. 1. Knowing that we are so loved by God . . . don’t you want to love Him back? To live right lives? To give instead of take? 2. Don’t you feel that if that’s how God loves ME . . . I should love my NEIGHBOR because of the love of God?

It’s all pretty wonderful. Really. Fr. Tim

PS. That winter schedule I put in the bulletin a couple weeks ago has been changed. Sr. Pat’s “Catholics are Fun(ny)” gathering has been rescheduled for after Easter. Some other adjustments have been made as well, so a new order of events will be out soon.

PPS. I’m in Florida with my sisters. I’ll be thinking of you – – – by the pool!!

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We humans are such a complicated, changing, rational and irrational mix of thoughts and feelings. And yet these are the tools we use to guide our way through life. Which is stronger? Which is right?

As children our feelings are our only guide. Some things make us feel good – some things make us feel bad. So the child keeps doing the “feel good” till it doesn’t feel good any longer. (We all remember eating the whole bag of cookies/popcorn/candy till we got sick.)

Later on life has shown us that not everything that feels good is “good for us”. We learn the word “no” from parents who love us and want the best for us. We learn that sometimes it’s best to not follow our feelings. “No running by the pool.” “Don’t jump on the bed.” “No cigarette sales to minors.”

Most of these thoughts come from generations of trial and error. It’s a low form of what we call “wisdom”. How many of us have lamented that wisdom came too late? “I wish I knew then what I know now. Things would be different.”

So why do we have these feelings if sooner or later they trick us into some really bad choices? (Any tattoos you’d like to get rid of?)

It’s because at their beginning they propose to us a very good thing. Physical pleasure, emotional uplift, affection given and received . . . all these are fine, God given human desires. Feelings are what point us to them and secure them for us. Feelings are wonderful.

The problem is our feelings need a governor (or a cop). By themselves feelings are energy, desire, appetite. They are indiscriminate about what they are attracted to. They’ll chase whatever brings the desired feeling regardless of the results. Feelings need to be taught their proper purpose.

And what is that? – – – – What’s true. This affection you feel . . . is it true love? The fun gathering of friends . . . is it true? The desire to have some new possession . . . does it serve a truth.

Meanwhile, joined as a twin to the truth is . . . the Good. If something is true; it’s good. If it’s good; it’s true. And what is the source of Good and True? God of course.

So goodness and truth are the guides for our feelings, for what we should want, what we should do. This will at times require us to say “no” to certain feelings. Not out of fear or repression but simply because they don’t serve what is True or Good.

Remember when Jesus was fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights? Matthew:4 tells us “Jesus was hungry.” Bread looked pretty good to him at that point. Yum! “Order these stones to turn into bread”, the Devil said to him. Jesus of course replied, “Not on bread alone does man live, but on every word that comes from God.”

So feelings. They’re God’s way of leading us to what is true and good, but they need the eyes of Faith to see clearly their proper end. Let us teach these things to our children and show them in the way we live our lives as adults.

God Bless You.
Fr. Tim

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So I say to you, “I’ll give you $40 if you wash and wax my car.” And you say, “Deal”. So you do a great job, the car is perfect, but contrary to our agreement, I only give you $20. “Hey, you owe me $20!” you cry. “I changed my mind”, I say, “and besides, you used my bucket and soap!”
Besides never washing my car again, you’ll continue to remind me that I owe you 20 bucks. Why? Because we made a deal, recognized by law. I was legally obliged to pay you $40.

So knowing you’d tell everyone in Webster that I’d stiffed you, I finally decide to pay you the full amount. Our friendship will still need repair, but at least JUSTICE IS SERVED. Justice is giving to another what they deserve or have a “right” to.

So later that day I get in my shiny clean car and race across the Bay Bridge. Suddenly, there are those scary red and blue flashing lights in the mirror. “License and registration please,” says the officer. (68 in a 55 zone). That “deserves” $125 to the town court. Justice served.

We can get the idea that justice is the highest form of human relationship . . . to give everyone what they deserve and have a right to is humanity at its best. True, in a community wracked with poverty and crime – – – justice is a blessing. But, in the Christian perspective justice is the minimum that is expected of us. It’s no big deal to be “just”.

We are called to a higher level of relationship. We are to be a people of Mercy. Webster’s Dictionary defines mercy as “kindness in excess of what is deserved or demanded by fairness”.

We see it everywhere in the Gospels. Jesus tells us:

“Love your enemies, do good to those who persecute you.” Mt. 5:44

“Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.” Lk. 23:34

“If someone asks for your coat, give them your shirt as well; to walk a mile, walk with them for two miles.” Lk. 6:27

The father put the gold ring and royal cloak on his wastrel son because “He was lost but now he is found.” Lk. 15:24

The laborers received a full day’s wage for just one hour’s work. Mt. 20:8

And St. Paul marvels at the mercy of God when he declares “that while we were still sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us.” Rm. 5:5

Why be merciful? Because that is how God is.

So as we begin The Jubilee Year of Mercy, we are invited to recall God’s mercy in our own lives (the countless times I’ve received more from life and God than I ever deserved). And, we are called to let that mercy transform our lives, so that, as we have received . . . we now give this mercy to others.

Giving “mercy” is a work of God’s grace. God will inspire it in the particular kind that only you can provide. It has its origin, of course, in love. Love’s vase is filled with many flowers — Hope, Joy, Forgiveness, Patience, Constancy, and greatest of all is Mercy.

Fr. Tim

PS. Stay tuned for upcoming events at Holy Trinity that will help us celebrate The Year of Mercy.

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Okay. So here we go; winter in Western New York. As any veteran of these parts will tell you we’re in for four months of cold and snow. The exact severity of these is unknown at this point, although some reports tell us of a milder winter due to our friend El Nino.

If you’re planning a trip South for warmer climates – good for you. Safe trip. If you’re like the rest of us …pull up your collar and let’s soldier on.

Here are some thoughts about the next four months at Holy Trinity and how we might spend them growing in God’s grace.

+ Join us Saturday, January 16, for Christ On The Fringe. The usual pot luck supper will be followed by a discussion of Finding Christ in Sickness. Special presentations by a doctor and a Catholic Chaplain will explore the physical and spiritual difficulties of those seriously ill. Help for their caregivers will be discussed as well.

+ On Saturday, January 23, from 10 am. to 8 pm., all couples to be married are invited to our Pre-Cana Conference. We’ll talk and laugh and eat together as these couples prepare for their married life.

+ Calling all Teenagers. On Sunday, January 24 at 5 pm there will be a special Mass for Young People. Parents, teens get to sleep in that morning, but only if they join Fr. Tim for mass that evening. It will be a special liturgy using youth lectors, servers, Eucharistic ministers. The homily will be for teens with an opportunity for them to share their own thoughts on the readings. Pizza and youth group planning will follow in the Gathering Space. (Parents get your teens there!)

+ Saturday, February 6, will be a fun night in the gym. We’re calling it “Catholics Can Be Funny . . . Sometimes.” Pot Luck Supper at 5 pm. followed by Sr. Pat Schoelles who will help us see the lighter side of our faith and gather comments from us about how we want to learn more about living the faith.

+ Strong Catholic Families/Strong Catholic Youth. Sunday, February 28, (noon to 3 pm.), parents of school age children (grade school through high school) are strongly encouraged to join us to hear how they can share their own faith with their children. Learn what the latest studies show us about what our young people hunger for. You’ll be surprised! They want to hear about God! So often parents get “tongue tied” when talking about their own faith. The heart is willing but the words just don’t come. This one is for you!!

+ Then of course there’s Lent (Ash Wednesday is Feb. 10) leading to Holy Week and Easter (March 20 – 27).

So stay with us. Help us through these winter months. We need you. You need us.

God bless you as we begin our winter journey.

Fr. Tim

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Do you like fancy words? They can be fun sometimes just because they sound cool . . . anaphora, oxymoron, protean (look ’em up!).

Here’s your word for the Christmas Season – – – Incarnation. It means “to become flesh”. It’s what happened when your dad winked at your mom and she smiled back. Their love became incarnate . . . in you!

And that’s what happened when Mary said “Yes” to the Holy Spirit. God became incarnate in the child Jesus. The whole Christmas Season echo’s this one astounding fact – God the Invisible One has become a human being . . . and that means “in the flesh”.

Below is a little story we’ve printed before. I like how it captures both the astounding presence of God and the simple cooing of a baby.

The Infant God

Every once in awhile you come across a story that captures a profound mystery and puts it in words that help us see it more clearly. This little gem was written by a Frenchman held captive during the last world war. He was an atheist but also a writer. Asked by his fellow P.O.W.’s to write a Christmas play he includes, as part of it, this beautiful description of the young Mary holding her baby. It touches the mystery of the Incarnation. (The speaker is a portrait painter who is now blind. He is asked by a fellow POW how he would imagine the faces the mother and child.)

God bless and keep you in this new year.

Fr. Tim

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