Fr. Timothy Barr

Why America is so great.

Posted on by Fr. Timothy Barr

With so many things going on in America, there have been many people who would disagree with how great America is. Most of this thought is driven by political agendas that seem to be tearing at the very fabric of society. The socialism of old is rearing its head, exposing its lies of peace and equality while pillaging the hard work of anybody who is not from their group. But this is not America.

America was founded on Christian principles of equality, freedom and self-determination. We all have unalienable rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” In no other country on earth do we enjoy the freedoms we have here in the US. The freedom that we have today is based on God, not a state that gives it out. Socialism believes the opposite, that it is the state that has to authority to give rights. The difference could not be starker. The fact that the United States acknowledges that the rights are unalienable means that they are God-given. In fact, that is what makes it a right, whereas if it is the state that gives us these things, it is technically not a right, but a license, hence, driver’s license. So what God gives is a right, but the state only gives a license. The constitution acknowledges that it is God who gives us our rights and so can never take them away.

However, if the state has the supreme say in what a person deserves, then they can change their minds in an instant and take away the license to have freedom, and there would be no mechanism of seeking justice from the state. It is based on a Godless ideology, since at its core it denies God had any say. There would be no supreme being by which those who hold political offices would be held accountable to. The Ten Commandments are not part of the principles of socialism. But it is the Ten Commandments that hold people accountable. It is their belief in God who has given us an objective standard way of living in the Ten Commandments that can allow for a society to grow in justice, and fulfill the obligations it presents.

It is most unfortunate, like in the past; many people have denied these objective truths set before us by God. Socialism teaches that you may be deceitful, kill, or take away a person’s dignity if they deem it fit.

God made us free. He made us to have free will and exercise it as we will. He wanted us to be self-determined. God was willing to take the risk of sin because of His love for us. Free will is the mark that proves God’s love. In free will, we can choose to offend God. Why would God want to do this? The only reason could possibly be that He loves us and wants us to learn to love. Love is found in the will, not emotions. This is where we choose the good for others. Without free will, this is not possible. It is how God made us in His image and likeness. If God made us this way, who are we to deny it? America, by acknowledging our freedom as a right before God, allows us to love our neighbor. It even encourages it.

Later this week we will celebrate the Fourth of July. I hope you take the time to thank God that He made us free, with dignity, and He would entrust to us the right to use our will to love one another. There are so many examples of this in our country from the police, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, soldiers, and the average person at work who serve with love and devotion. This country truly is great. Its greatness is so well illustrated by the overwhelming goodness of its citizens. God bless America!

Human Ideas and the Father’s Love

Posted on by Fr. Timothy Barr

This is the homily as recorded from the 10:30 Mass, not the Mass streamed live on St Mary’s Facebook page.

Humanity presents to us only violence, hatred, anger by its fallen nature, whereas God the Father presents to us The Way in which we experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, self control. Our Father in heaven offers us the fruitfulness of His holiness here on earth. So which do you choose?

1 Corinthians 7:32-40

Posted on by Fr. Timothy Barr

Most people view God and his ways in ruling as with an iron fist. But that is not how God is. Certain things are absolute, but others are not. Paul is giving advice here, as some people have asked. He seems to prefer people to dedicate themselves directly to God. Paul knows how being married can keep us from God, but that does not mean that the nature of marriage takes us away from God. The nature of marriage is supposed to bring us to believe in Him all the more.

Marriage can be like miracles. So many of us look at the miracle and see the wonder of God, but get caught up in the mere human element. We get fascinated by the power of God and all the hoopla and excitement of a miracle and forget the relationship that God offers us through the encounter of the miracle. So many young couples and their parents are so excited about the new journey together and want to give the perfect wedding. That is all fine, but it can take away from focusing on developing the relationship with each other and God. They become ill-prepared for marriage. They get caught up in the emotions of all the different traditional dances of the night, and forget the foundation of their relationship and the God who gave it to them. Like anything else, leave it to our humanity to take God out of anything.

But it does not have to be that way. I encourage couples to pray together often. Pray when you get up or go to bed. Say grace before meals and bless each other with holy water. All you have to do is put holy water on your finger or thumb and make the sign of the cross on each other’s forehead while saying, “God Bless you” -or- “I consecrate you to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate heart of Mary.” It is as simple as that. Everybody in the family can do this for each other. It is especially important for fathers to do this. I know many men are shy to do this, but it would go a long ways and our Heavenly Father listens to that prayer and grace comes to your family. It just might be a new tradition you can start with your family beginning this Father’s Day.

On Paul’s advice, he suggests they “get married in the Lord” (v39). This is where they get married in the Church, now that she is in the Church. In these very early times in the Church, most people were married before their conversion, and so were not married in the Church. Now that they are in the Church, they would assume to get married with the blessing of God. This is why it is a mortal sin for a Catholic not to get married in the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, most people do not understand this. They prefer the pretty beach over the presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. When we get married in the church building, we are in the presence of God Himself in the Eucharist, asking for God’s blessing on the marriage, and making our vows before Him. These are vows, not just promises. They are before God, who is the very one who is love.

With these vows comes a blessing. The couple enters into a covenant relationship with each other by God himself. The marriage is not something for selfishness or for the couple as a whole. It is blessed by God to be a means of grace to each other and the whole world. That is why we have wedding banns. It is a profession of love to each other, before God and the community. Then the vows become whole. By the very love a couple loves each other and now become a light to the world. Because the couple asks God for His blessing, He listens to that prayer and does indeed bless the marriage so that grace may flow from it, onto each other and their children, building up a domestic church that glorifies His name and protects those who enter into such a sacred task. What a different view of marriage than what the world has to offer. Now that you know, how great your marriage could be!

Tantum Ergo

Posted on by Fr. Timothy Barr

Down in adoration falling,

Lo! the sacred Host we hail,

Lo! o’er ancient forms departing

Newer rites of grace prevail;

Faith for all defects supplying,

Where the feeble senses fail.

To the Everlasting Father,

And the Son Who reigns on high

With the Holy Ghost proceeding

Forth from Each eternally,

Be salvation, honour, blessing,

Might, and endless majesty.

Amen.

℣. Thou hast given them bread from heaven.

℟. Having within it all sweetness.

℣. Let us pray: O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament left us a memorial of Thy Passion: grant, we implore Thee, that we may so venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, as always to be conscious of the fruit of Thy Redemption. Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever.

℟. Amen.

Want to become a knight?

Posted on by Fr. Timothy Barr

Knights of Columbus Membership initiations are NOW ONLINE! If you are looking to join the Knights of Columbus, it is as simple as a call and using your computer. These membership initiations will last approximately 45 minutes – an hour at the most. If you’ve been thinking about becoming a part of the Knights of Columbus, this is a great opportunity to consider joining!

The virtual initiations will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:00pm and 9:00pm local time. There are also sessions Monday, June 29, at 6:00pm and 9:00pm. There are optional Spanish speaking initiations/dates as well.

For more information, contact Jeremy Grayewski at 773-383-0683 or jgrayewski@yahoo.com.

Corinthians 7:17-33

Posted on by Fr. Timothy Barr

Paul reiterates his advice not to change your status of vocation. He is encouraging stability in life to give us a clear vision on God’s plan for us. If we bounce around in our vocation, from marriage to celibacy, then this makes for a confusing life. These callings are very different and take time to prepare for. In both marriage and in religious life is the calling to live out the faithfulness of God. God is faithful to us, and the love spouses have for each other are to make this reality seen in each other, as well as when others look upon them. In a similar way, a priest or religious is to make the faithfulness of God and experience for the people. The people are to know the faithfulness of God because it is their experience in their priests and religious they encounter. Experience is knowledge. Sometimes we write it down as data. But mostly it is processed by our relationships we have as spouses, parents, children, priests or laity. The knowledge we gain in our relationships goes deeper than data. It pierces the subject, rather than observing an object. It is not something merely observed on the exterior; it delves into the heart. This is where God wants to be known. In the way God calls us, we want to make sure our relationships, our very being, proclaims God’s fidelity and love so that His desire may come to be. In this way, it becomes real, experienced and integrated.

In verse 28, Paul goes back to encouraging people not to marry. He goes back to the trials that marriage brings. That is not to deny the trials of any of the other states in life. What happens to so many couples that get married is that they think and may even be well prepared to get married, but find marriage is a different experience than what they had expected. In our world today, we define love as merely an emotion. The emotion is great and we should embrace it. It is God’s way of encouraging us in love for one another. But love requires sacrifice. Because marriage is a total gift of self, it is a total dying to self and living totally for the other. This is at the very core of living out God’s fidelity for us. It is found in marriage and in celibacy. Either one can be exhausting, but they are expressed in radically different ways. Stick with one and get good at it.

In the next verses, Paul starts to point to a higher reality based on nature. The world is passing away. Nothing that is created can live forever. The things of this world are “passing away” (v31). Marriage has its foot a little more in the door of this world (v33), whereas celibacy has its foot in the door of the spiritual life (32). What is created has a beginning and an end; it is finite. When a person dies, the marriage as we know it here no longer exists. That is not to say our relationships end, but they change radically, as expressed in the immense sorrow it brings. The physical expression of marriage is no longer able to be expressed. This expression is a mere symbol of the reality it tries to emulate. The reality of the symbol is now made real. As great as some marriages can be, it still falls short of the reality of God’s love and fidelity. The love spouses have for each other did not come from the spouse themselves. It originated from God. It was God who was acting in their marriage the whole time as they were married.

Thus, marriage gives way to God Himself; the image gives way to the reality. If you have a good marriage, this is good news! How much greater can the reality be? Don’t you want to find out? If your marriage is not so good, this is also good news. It means you’ve got something great waiting for you in heaven. Yet, we all need to remain faithful to Him.

We are Open for Public Mass and Adoration

Posted on by Fr. Timothy Barr

We are now open for public celebration for Mass. Forms are available to fill out on this link. Make sure you read through the page before you fill out the form at the bottom of the page. We are still in very different times and rules have been established to ensure the sefety of all who are there. We look forward for you to be back in His presence.