By Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC
There are times and situations in all our lives when Jesus could easily say to us as he said to Judas, “Friend, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” We might wonder, too, why we haven’t learned the lesson Jesus worked so hard to teach us, to love one another as He loves us. We look for someone else to blame. But, like it or not, we were there on the hill of Calvary, and we didn’t lift a finger to help Jesus.
Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC (Pennsylvania Community)
Father Frank professed his first vows on September 14, 1952 and was ordained on July 13, 1958. He is in residence at our Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
Dear Friends,
Well, I hope everything is ok, knowing we are all committed to following what is truly important during difficult times.
I want to share news from Colombia: We are doing fine. Everyone is healthy so far. Today we started a 19-day lockdown. We are all confined. The numbers of people with the Coronavirus are growing-every single day we have new cases. Yesterday we had about 300 people infected; today we have more than 400 infected and 4 have died due to the virus. Things in the country don’t look good and the prognosis is not good. It seems to be getting worse as the days pass.
Here at Santa Margarita where I am living with Dario and two students, things are ok. We dedicate time for cooking, praying, and mass — resting since we have lots of extra time, and working as well. The students are attending online classes. It is a peaceful time at home, given everything. The other people at the seminary and Sacred Heart Parish are doing fine — no bad news or problems; we hope everything continues to be stable.
We are all united in prayer. Life is very demanding worldwide but the Spirit is still at work.
Thank you very much for your attention and support. We continue our journey united in prayer.
Hugo Leon Londoño, MSC
Bogotá, Colombia.
Blessings
By Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC
The Gospel for the fifth Sunday of Lent is the story about Jesus’ friend Lazarus being raised from the dead after being in his grave for four days. Jesus knew that what He was about to do would cost Him His life, but that didn’t stop Him from raising Lazarus from the dead. This miracle triggered the events of that first holy week. And true enough, from then on, the Pharisees and other critics of Jesus put their plan in motion to have Jesus executed.
Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC (Pennsylvania Community)
Father Frank professed his first vows on September 14, 1952 and was ordained on July 13, 1958. He is in residence at our Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
A Very Special Lent
Update from the MSC General House in Rome, Italy
By Fr. Mike Miller, MSC
Dear friends,
I thought I would give you an update about what is going on here in Rome with the CoVid-19 situation. Since I do not use Facebook, I am sending you this.
I am doing well here with the other 7 MSC in the General House. We have been on lockdown since March 10. It has become stricter since the March 14 weekend with the police checking papers on the roads. We do not go out.
Of the other 4 MSC who usually live here, two are stuck in Rio de Janeiro and one is in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. They too are now under lockdown. Who knows for how long? The original lockdown date in Italy is April 3, but there is talk of extending it, probably beyond Easter.
We are discovering that we have some men with fine culinary skills who are preparing some delicious meals, with other cultural flavors. It is really quite good. The Indonesians are going easy on the hot sauce, which they must have on everything. Not in my taste range at all!
We are all pitching in with the other house needs like cleaning, washing, etc. Fortunately, we have enough supplies like food, bottled water, and toilet paper.
Health-wise, we are well, trying to get some exercise, either in our small gymnasium or walking around our property compound. I have been feeling better since I started using our new Christmas gift gym equipment, elliptical bike, treadmill, and a weight machine.
We can pray Mass, Stations of the cross and daily prayers, etc. together, keeping our distance of course. We have enough hosts and altar wine. “We are praying for you, the families and victims of the diseases and all the health care workers, etc. who are on the front lines in this global fight. We are all well aware of the many difficulties that this is causing many people, in the USA and around the world, especially in the poorer countries that do not have the health infrastructure.” We pray for them all.
Since we still have WIFI connections, we can still get most of our office work done. So yes, we are working from home! We sent our employees home when the lockdown started.
We are fortunate to not be cramped up in an apartment like many of our neighbors. We have a big house and some grounds to walk around. I am sure you have heard already about all the cancellations and closings of almost everything, except grocery stores and pharmacies. The 24 hours stores are now restricted to around 8 am to 7:30 pm. People are allowed to go food shopping but with a one-meter separation. Fortunately, we have most of the food delivered by suppliers. People were allowed to individually exercise in the local parks, but recently they were closed as people would congregate there. Most people are respecting the social distancing and wearing masks and gloves where needed and when they have them. A heavy fine is handed out for those who are not at home without one of the three reasons: work, medical or health needs, or food shopping. One must carry a self-declaration of this to police when asked.
We are living in trying times now. “During this Lent, it helps us to put life in proper perspective. We all have to do our part in this sacrifice.” We know the situation here in Italy is serious and many are concerned, which we all should be, but at the same time we need to remain calm and levelheaded. You probably saw the high number of deaths here in Italy the last week, over 600+ a day. We pray for them and their families. This is mainly in the four provinces in the northern part of Italy. This occurred because people did not heed the warnings. If the whole world, literally, takes this seriously, we will recover sooner. If not, who knows? It seems that it goes in cycles. China is counting more cases again as people enter the country from outside. It seems to be another sign that we are all in it together to help save our planet.
God seems to be speaking to us all through this crisis. Let’s put our trust in the Lord and follow the experts’ advice, pray and do our part to live more simply.
I have been keeping up with what is happening in the USA through all the media. I know what all the major news feeds are saying, plus other sources here that are a bit more comprehensive.
The weather here has been beautiful, sunshine in the lower 60’s by day and 40’s at night. But today a northerly wind started blowing and temps have dropped. Tonight, the forecast is in the 30’s.
I was planning on vacation in the USA this summer, but whether I travel or not remains to be seen. I am not sure about whether it will be possible or not. That decision is farther down the road. So, we are all well here, hoping that this will end soon.
I wish you all the blessings of the Lord during Lent and the Easter season.
Greetings of Peace in the risen Lord Jesus Christ!
Fr. Mike, MSC
By Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC
In making His choice for the next king of Israel, the Lord didn’t look at any of the leaders of Israel. Instead the Lord turned His gaze on a simple shepherd boy with no pretensions to greatness and no qualifications to be a king except that the Lord looked at the heart of David. Amazingly, David became the greatest of all the kings of Israel!
Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC (Pennsylvania Community)
Father Frank professed his first vows on September 14, 1952 and was ordained on July 13, 1958. He is in residence at our Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
By Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC
Do we feel comfortable in His presence? As Jesus looks at us, would we be able to open ourselves fully without fear of being condemned? Nothing is more important than to open up to Jesus, because He accepts us as we are.
Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC (Pennsylvania Community)
Father Frank professed his first vows on September 14, 1952 and was ordained on July 13, 1958. He is in residence at our Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
By Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC We may find it shocking and daring that Satan would even try to tempt Jesus. But just think about it, if Satan had succeeded, what a boon that would be for Him. Actually, it’s a good thing that Jesus was tempted. Why? Because it helps us to understand ourselves…
By Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC
Lent is not about giving up dessert or favorite foods and drink. It is not about doing something hard for six weeks. Lent is a time for us to reflect on our lives, a time to have a better understanding of our relationship with God, and most importantly Lent is a time to grow deeper in love with the God who loves us.
Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC (Pennsylvania Community)
Father Frank professed his first vows on September 14, 1952 and was ordained on July 13, 1958. He is in residence at our Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
By Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC
God definitely wants us to live together in peace and harmony. No doubt about that! But that will never happen as long as we go on hating each other? God respects us and He wants us to respect one another. But that’s not going to happen either as long as we continue to devalue others by using suggestive and demeaning words and are condescending. Perhaps we are more like the Pharisees of old than we care to admit. Too much on-the-surface-stuff, and not enough from-the-heart-stuff, where it really counts.
Fr. Frank J. Timar, MSC (Pennsylvania Community)
Father Frank professed his first vows on September 14, 1952 and was ordained on July 13, 1958. He is in residence at our Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
By Fr. Rey Diesbourg, MSC People who are generous, down to earth, always willing to help, and faithful to their commitments, are often called the salt of the earth. We all know such people who have had a positive influence on us and who have made a real difference in their local communities….