You Called?
As we enter into Ordinary Time, the first reading and the Gospel reading for this weekend center around the theme of “being called.” From the young Samuel sleeping in the temple of the Lord (1 Samuel 3) to the young fisherman Andrew and his brother Simon Peter by the Sea of Galillee (John 1), the dynamic of call and respond has center stage. It is a good thing to reflect on when and how each of us have actually heard God’s call in our own lives and how we have responded to it. This does not have to be dramatic; in fact, most of the time the call is not dramatic. The call to be understanding of another’s point of view; the call to be accepting of the differences between us; the call to be forgiving of the faults of another; the call to go out of my way to be of help. All of these calls, and countless others each day, are really wake up calls for putting our love for the Lord into action. A good prayer at the end of each day might begin with the question: “You called?” and then be followed by a good examination of the responses given.
Thanks be to God that a young man named Bruce Lavery heard the call to the priesthood and responded with a generous heart. Ordained for 54 years and having served in 5 parishes (23 of them here), Fr. Bruce helped countless people hear the Lord’s call in their own lives and then gave them the help they needed to respond. In the 13 ½ years of retirement from administrative responsibilities, Fr. Bruce was called to live his priestly ministry and presence in a new way. The final call came to him on January 9, 2021 when Fr. Bruce was called home to the Lord. He responded as he always did, and now rests forever in the presence of the Lord Jesus whom he loved and served. Thanks be to God for this man who will always be in the heart of St. Timothy Parish.
Msgr. John Urell
