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Hello! This is just a little message written by Fr. Brian as I put up this blog. The actual message below was written by parishioners about their Household of Faith experience in honour of the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, which Pope Francis has named "Word of God" Sunday, calling all Christians to a greater love of the Scriptures!
Enjoy!
Fr. Brian Trueman
St. Timothy Parish Household of Faith
The Household of Faith made up of parishioners of St. Timothy wishes to highlight this Sunday of the Word of God (3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time each year) by sharing with you how we gather and celebrate the Word of God within the Scriptures.
We are a group of eight (8) individuals from various backgrounds and faith journeys who gather on the 4th Wednesday of the month at one of the homes. We formed our Household of Faith in April 2023 in response to the Archbishop’s invitation to form groups, get to know one another, grow in friendship, while sharing the Holy Scriptures. We have been getting together since then for about two hours each month.
For the most part, we follow the Household of Faith guidelines from the diocese: https://www.archsaintboniface.ca/main.php?p=1154#gsc.tab=0.
We begin the evening with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, a brief check-in with each other, and then we sing a couple of songs to praise and worship God. We are blessed to have a member who plays the piano and likes to search for songs related to the evening’s Gospel reading.
We take turns to proclaim and listen to the proceeding Sunday’s Gospel; reflect on the Word of God and share a word or thought in between each proclamation. The conversation about the Gospel is always enriching as we hear how it speaks to each of us and our lives.
During this time of listening, reflection and conversation, God is revealing Himself to each of us in Jesus Christ in the Sacred Scriptures – the Gospels. Often, we touch on the Sacred Tradition through the life that Jesus lived and taught the Apostles; and, we have brought in other resources for explanations to help us understand what we are reading at times. The Church has a rich collection of resources through books, websites, and holy men and women in the Saints to help guide us with our understanding or deepening our reflection.
We end our reflections with a closing prayer, our third song of praise and worship, and time for fellowship with one another while sharing some snacks!
We hope that as we grow in relationship with each other, we will continue to grow deeper in our personal relationship with God. After all, this is what God wants – for us to have a loving relationship with Him and with one another.
Here are some testimonies from the members on the fruits of our monthly Household of Faith:
We truly have such a wonderful group of people. It always makes it a pleasure and a lot of fun attending our household of faith meetings!
I feel inspired and encouraged when I hear the others talk about what is the “good news” for them after listening to the Gospel reading.
What I enjoy about getting together as a household of faith is discussing what Christ means to our lives. We get to talk openly and freely about matters of faith, which is not really possible in non-Christian settings in ordinary life.
The sharing that happens after reflecting on the Gospel reading shows how much God loves and invites us, no matter where we are at in our lives!
We are Christine, Corrine, Debbie, Erika, Garth, Mimi, Anthony, and Teresita, in our Household of Faith.
If you are longing for something else this new year, and uncertain what that might be, listen and pray; it may be
the Holy Spirit inviting you to start or join a Household of Faith! Contact the parish office to help you get started!
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