Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Dear Parishioners,

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! On behalf of all our staff here at Holy Trinity, I wish you and your family a blessed and joyful Easter Day and season. I pray that all our hearts are open and receptive to our Risen Lord’s presence as he gathers us together “by his love, and when, as once for the disciples, so now for us, he opens the Scriptures and breaks the bread” (Eucharistic Prayer for Masses of Various Needs). This important reality should set us on fire once again to go out and share this Good News.

For some, this is also a time of remembrance of Easters’ past and a reminder of those who have gone before us. Without faith, these thoughts would be simply sad and possibly lead to despair — but we are a resurrection people! We place our hope in Jesus’ glorious Resurrection from the dead and his desire to bring all creation to himself. So take heart! God’s got this. He’s in charge. He has done all the heavy lifting. We simply need to let him into our hearts and change us.

As this is my first Easter with all of you, I am especially excited to celebrate all of the special liturgies surrounding this time. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for nine months now! I am both inspired and spoiled by your love and support (as is Snickers). As I write these words, my thoughts turn toward the proclamation from the Scriptures (Ps 118:24 & Is 25:9): “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!”

Blessing,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Love As God Loves

Dear Parishioners,

It is not uncommon for someone who was raised in a strict household to rebel some… either as a teen or young adult. After we have done our share of willfully ignoring the wisdom of our elders, we might look back and wish we could have spared ourselves the wreckage we inflicted upon ourselves. We may have learned that their boundaries were for our well-being. This is the context in which today’s Gospel should be received. Instead of looking at them as just rules to restrict our freedom. Hear these precepts in a new way.

The original precepts or laws of God to Moses were intended to be written on their hearts. But because of the hardness of their hearts, they continued to sin and ignore God’s plan for them. Thankfully, when the time was right, God sent Jesus to us, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it so that our hearts would soar, our friendships flourish, and our love of God be more passionate. Jesus revealed that God did not want simple behavior compliance, but rather that we would have an interior transformation, so that we would live by the Spirit which would exceed the mandates of the law. Imagine a marriage that was simply about behavior compliance. That sounds more like forced slavery to me.

This weekend we celebrated National Marriage Week. In this covenant of love, husbands and wives strive to live out the promise to love as God loves in a particular way by giving of each other without condition. Anyone who is married knows that the Sacrament isn’t about rules, yet without the boundaries that cradle the awesome covenant we call matrimony, it would decay from the inside out. I think it is safe to say that on their wedding day, most couples have hope that their marriage would bring a lifetime of love and intimacy.

So the call for marriage is to imitate God’s love by dedicating oneself to service for their spouse and be open to the children conceived from their love. In other words, their vocation is to love as God loves. Through the highs and lows, the ecstasies and crucibles of marriage, each spouse’s vocation is to help the other become more of what God desires for them. More than ever today, we need to lift up couples and this divine institution, that’s right, an institution created by God and not us.

Among many of the aspects of marital love, the conjugal relationship of marriage holds within it one of the greatest “super powers” we humans have, and that is to co-create life with God. Pope John Paul II in his monumental teaching on marriage, now called the Theology of the Body, spoke about this aspect of marital union as a way to touch heaven. The passion of love in the “marital embrace,” as he describes it, touches the divine. And if we think about it, our lives are made for infinity-for ecstasy, and our hearts know it.

Pope Benedict XVI in his first Encyclical, “God is Love,” shared that we are an integral person, body and soul, and that when our bodies love through an undisciplined eros (think erotic love without boundaries), we we degrade ourselves. But when it is disciplined (again think ordered or given boundaries), it can provided “not just fleeting pleasure, but a certain foretaste of the pinnacle of our existence, of that beatitude for which our whole being yearns.” Our being already yearns for heaven whether we know it or not. We were made for heaven. And the perfections of married life are intended to point us to heaven, where the Blessed Trinity, a communion of love, resides.

So, I want to encourage and thank all of our married couples for their daily example of sacrificial and passionate love you show to your spouse. Such a commitment encourages the rest of us who are not married to be faithful to our own vocations. I also want to let those who have broken marriages or marriages that have grown distant or worse, harmful, that you are not a failure. God’s love for you has not been lessened. His mercies are renewed each morning. In fact, our Lord has a special care for you who suffer in their marriage. And for those of you who are widows or widowers,  it is clear throughout the whole of the Scriptures that God has compassion for you.

"Mary, Mother of God"

Dear Parishioners,

Happy new year! And what better way to celebrate it than with the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God? She has been given many titles, but this one really puts the focus on what is the most important, and that is… wait for it… not her! It would seem that this is a Marian feast, and it is in a way. But, the title is one of the oldest for Mary, for it was a title given her as a way to make clear the identity of Jesus.

A controversy arose in the late fourth century about the identity of Jesus. What Jesus truly the unity of God AND man (also called the “hypostatic union”), or was he two separate “persons”in one body. So in 431 AD, the Church held an Ecumenical Council, now called the Council of Ephesus, which affirmed that Jesus was truly the God-Man, one person with two natures that are indivisible.

Okay! That’s pretty geeky, and today we don’t bat an eye at this truth. But in the early Church, there were many thoughts about which proposed a way to understand who Jesus was. So, the Council condemned “Nestorianism,” as this heresy became to be known (A bishop named Nestorius proposed this idea and had many followers) affirmed that Jesus was mystically the union (they use the word, “hypostatic union”) of divinity and humanity. And since this was the case, the Council of Ephesus decided to formalized the ancient title for Mary which proclaimed this truth. Yes, she can be called Mary, mother of Jesus in his human nature, but it was also, therefore, important to make even more clear that she was, in Greek, Theotokos, which literally means, “God-bearer.” If she was not bearing God in her womb, then that would mean Jesus was not truly God incarnate, that is God-made-man.

So, if your head isn’t already spinning, just rejoice in the wisdom of the early Church which put to rest and made clear who Jesus is. It is, therefore, right and just to also call Mary the “Mother of God” since Jesus is also God. Be aware, however, that other later reformed Protestant traditions are very uncomfortable speaking about Mary in this way, since it appears to be lifting her too high, akin to a god or even higher than Jesus. Of course, this is not what this title means nor are we to elevate our Blessed Lady beyond human. But, it is right to recognize her as the singular Saint who bore God in her blessed womb. This is a good reason to celebrate this solemnity at the beginning of the year, to remind us not just of Mary’s privilege, but more importantly, from whom that privilege was given: God! God is more important! Mary even makes this clear in the Scriptures. All praise and worship be to God as we begin 2023. May God bless you and be with you in every moment of this new year!

Blessed New Year,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Image: The Madonna of the Lilies, 1899 by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905)

Kerygma Series: "Response"

Dear Parishioners,

We have now covered 3 of the 4 dimensions of the Gospel message or “Kerygma.” In this series we asked questions:

1. (Created) Why is there something instead of nothing?

2. (Captured) Why is the world so messed up?

3. (Rescued) What is God doing about it?

And now we come to the final part, “Response.” The question is simple: “What is our role?” In other words, if we have grasped the profundity of the Gospel, there should be a natural response. That response will differ depending on who you are and where you are in your state in life. The big picture response is likely enfolded in two parts: Gratitude and Surrender.

Gratitude: I am thankful that God has saved me. I am thankful that he loves me and does not want be to be captured by the sin and wreckage I have created in my life.

Coming to Mass and receiving the Eucharist (word means “thanksgiving) is a potent way to show my appreciation. It also reveals that only in God is my soul at rest and capable of a joy beyond understanding. The goal of the kerygma is to come into a transformative, life-changing, and ongoing encounter with Jesus Christ. This is clearly a journey that fills one’s lifetime and culminates in heaven.

Surrender: With this understanding of the Gospel and having a personal encounter with Jesus, I trust Him who made me and loves me. He is the remedy for my wounds and reason for my rejoicing.

Almost every weekend, I have heard a story of how the Surrender novena has changed lives here at Holy Trinity and beyond. The novena itself is not magic, but it helps us to let go and respond in a potent way for all that God has done for us. When we finally let go of all those things that weigh us down and give them over the Jesus, we will be truly free. This is part of Jesus’ reasons he came. Recall the passage in John 10:10, “I have come that you may have life, and life in abundance.”

May this last week of Advent give you an opportunity to respond in gratitude and surrender once again to our Lord for his coming as man, dying on the cross, and rising again on the third day is the greatest news ever!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Kerygma Series: "Rescued"

This weekend, we continue our “Kerygma” series, and we reflect on the third part, entitled “Rescued.” By way of reminder, Dcn. Brett and I are framing each homily around questions to make it more accessible:

- (Created) Why is there something instead of nothing?

- (Captured)Why is the world so messed up?

- (Rescued) What is God doing about it?

- (Response) What is our role?

Last weekend, Dcn. Brett eloquently shared how we are captured by many things which promise us what inevitably are lies. As such, we then find ourselves shackled to false gods, struggling with sin which binds our hearts and minds, and we are, ultimately, unable to save ourselves from these evils. I pray that Saturday morning’s Communal Reconciliation Service was an aide to you in getting free from these things.

This weekend, I reflect on how great the Good News really is. Our world once had a sense of Christian ethos such that we could even speak of “Christendom.” This is no longer. Our world has removed God from the center and has become captured by Secularism, hedonism, and all their consequences. Pope John Paul II was known for describing our culture as one of death. The results have been catastrophic and horrific, not just bad news. And it is because so many people have domesticated the bad news to be something more akin to a side note, the Good News has been lost, forgotten, or even mocked.

The Good News is the Greatest News ever in the history of all creation! That is not hyperbole. We believe that Jesus came to us, incarnate as a baby, so that he could take on our sins, conquer the powers of darkness and death, and free us from the tyranny of the worst dictator ever, Satan. By coming as man, Jesus, God, became one of us, crushing the evil one, freeing those held captive, and opening the path to heaven! And if that was not enough, he desires to make all things new. Christ’s death was not a defeat nor the end. Rather it brought about the triumphant Resurrection. That cosmic event reoriented everything! Jesus completed the plan from the beginning whereby we share in God’s likeness in our own eventual resurrection.

So, let us rejoice always in the Lord on this Gaudate Sunday weekend. Give thanks for his marvelous deeds which has won for us: a prize of sharing in his awesome presence, transformed into His likeness as was the plan from the beginning of Creation!

Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

BOOK: “Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel” By Fr John Riccardo

A Trinity of Holy Days

Dear Parishioners,

This coming week, beginning on Monday, we begin a Triduum of celebrations of the Church: All Hallows Eve (a.k.a. Halloween), All Saints Day, and All Souls Day. Among these three the center is All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation. While our culture has taken on Halloween as the second most popular holiday (and a favorite of dentists all over), All Saints Day is that special celebration of those who are in heaven and are not named in our calendar of recognized saints. Yet, heaven is our destiny, and so we should celebrate what God has done to grant us such a gift. So, imagine what it will be like. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8) Why? Because all of these things in this world that have such characteristics are foreshadowings of heaven, but infinitely greater. Now that is Good News!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Remember: From Death Comes Life

Dear Parishioners,

It appears that maybe our summer-like weather has finally given way to Fall. Soon (Nov. 6), we will be turning our clocks back one hour. With such change, some of you may begin to struggle with the lack of light and the difficulty of readjusting your sleep schedule. The cold temperatures in the mornings have been teasing us, reminding us that Summer is no longer. But, as we hear in the Scriptures, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal” (Sirach 35:20) and “I will bless the LORD at all times” (Psalm 34: 2). So, do not lose heart. If you struggle, let God know. Cry out (Psalm 34:7) to the LORD who hears every prayer. And in the midst of the storms of your life, praise God for his everlasting love. Surrender your cares and concerns to Jesus, and let him take care of everything (cf. Surrender Novena). Put into place habits that will encourage you. Look about and praise the Lord for the colors that the trees and plants. Seek out the Lord and praise him for his creation which waters the land (and we need it!) as well as the opportunity to enjoy the warmth of your home. Notice the beauty of the season and remember that from death will come life. Let these wonderful things inspire you to consider the the poor and the needy who are particularly effected by the weather. In your prayers, ask God to speak to you about what you could do to help those in need, and then go do it. The best response to struggles in our lives is to turn to the LORD and give of ourselves.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

A New Adventure

Dear Holy Trinity Parishioners,

It is with great joy and excitement that I come to Holy Trinity! I have heard from Fr. Dave, Dcn. Brett and the staff about how kind and welcoming you are as a parish. You already have a wonderful reputation in the Archdiocese. With such a reputation, I feel honored and blessed to be coming to you as your new pastor. Fr. Dave is a saintly man and we have known each other since the later part of the 1980’s when he was first ordained and was serving in Eugene and I was a new college student at OSU. After I was ordained, I followed him at St. Anthony in Forest Grove in 2002. Parishioners there kept calling me “Fr. Dave.” Some would catch themselves and apologize. On my part, I simply saw this as an incredible compliment. Hey! If I can serve you with something akin to the passion of Fr. Dave, then I must be doing something right. I look up to Fr. Dave and will be reaching out to him for guidance, as I learn how to be the shepherd that God wants me to be for Holy Trinity.

Please forgive me for any mess ups, mistakes in speech, or the deer-in-the-headlights look that will be on my face for many months. This is certainly the largest parish I have been affiliated with as a priest. In addition, I am used to being at parishes that begin with “St.” so I will most certainly goof up our parish name in the first several months. Heck! Maybe even longer. In fact, I might even goof it up and say, “Holy Family,” as I used to go to Holy Family for spiritual direction for years. In some of my emails to Fr. Dave, I have mistyped the church name as “Homy Trinity” and had to correct it! Hah! Maybe that is what is meant to be, eh? Speaking of misspelling, in my coming bulletin letters, there are bound to be some doozies. Auto-spell has done me wrong before, and if I write or say something weird, let me know. Let’s talk. Let’s get clarity. I trust we will be merciful and patient with each other! Feel free to even laugh at me or with me. Life is short, and laughter is wonderful medicine to keep things in perspective, right? And beware! I like “Dad” jokes if that helps you get a sense of my humor.

A few other personal things about me: I am the ninth of nine children. I spent my childhood in Medford and teen years in Tualatin and Tigard. After graduating from college, I taught at Central Catholic (teaching Math, Computer Science, and Religion) and then Tigard High School (Math). I am a self-professed geek. I don’t even mind being called a nerd. I have many hobbies including kayaking and astrophotography. I am fascinated by gadgets and, as an extrovert, love to be around people. I listen to Christian music and have days where I just need to hear some 80’s tunes like that from Toto and such. I enjoy camping. You might even see me heading out with my little trailer just for a couple day R&R on occasions. I have had three dogs during my priestly ministry, and as things get settled may very likely begin the search for a new four-legged friend to assist me in ministry. You can visit my website, frbill.org at your leisure and have a presence on social media. A recent joy in my life was when I celebrated my 22nd anniversary of priestly ordination last Friday, July 1st.

I love Jesus! I praise the Trinity and thank God for all he’s done for me. Indeed, my life as a priest is my way of giving back to God for all that he has done for me. He wooed me, put a passion in my heart, and set me on a great adventure. I am spoiled by his love and grace. I look forward to meeting you and learning the gifts present here at Holy Trinity. I hope I can lead you closer to Christ and learn from you at the same time. I am sinner who also needs to be forgiven, so well-ordered love served with an outpouring of mercy is my thing. I ask for your patience as the learning curve, I expect, will take some time. I am humbled that Fr. Dave would invite and recommend me to come to Holy Trinity. Let’s see what God got in store! If its from God, it’s gunna be great!

Blessings,

Fr. William “Bill” Holtzinger

A Heart Full of Gratitude

Dear Parishioners,

My time here at St. Anne and her missions comes to a close this week. It is poetic that this is the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time as well as my 13th year as your pastor. This is a very sad thing for me and for many of you. This is the longest I have stayed in one parish assignment which makes this all the more difficult to bid you, goodbye. But, looking back, my heart is full of gratitude. So, pardon if this last letter rambles some. So be it.

I leave with wonderful memories and lessons. I have had the privilege to work with your children, been on retreats with your teens, offered blessings for your graduations, helped you prepare for marriage, presided over your weddings, baptized your children, blessed your anniversaries, anointed you when you were sick, offered some of you the commendation of the dying, and celebrated your loved ones funerals, and mourned with you at their burials. I have been deeply touched that you allowed me in to your struggles and was humbled to hear your confessions. I was honored to join you in your many celebrations of life and visited many of you in the hospital, care facilities, retirement centers, and homes. I made many friends, and have felt your prayerful support throughout these thirteen years. I could go on and on.

I became a priest as an effort to thank God for all that he has done for me. And in return, he gave me a grand adventure unlike any I could have imagined. All of you are part of that adventure which now turns a page to a new chapter. And so, thank you for what you have taught me. Thank you for your patience with me. Thank you for gently correcting me. Thank you for saying yes when I asked you to join a ministry. Thank you for stepping up to serve without even being asked. Thank you for putting up with my long homilies. Thank you for listening and sharing your faith with me. Thank you for being Christ’s hands and feet for me. Thank you for laughing at my silly jokes. Thank you for Helping me when I needed it. Thank you for giving me a ride when I needed to go to the hospital for health needs. Thank you for being kind to me when I failed to be kind. Thank you for forgiving me when I messed up. Thank you for sticking around to clean up after an event. Thank you for being gentle when I was hurting. Thank you for the cards you sent me on my birthday, Christmas, and Easter. Thank you for letting me take your picture for our website or social media presence. Thank you for bringing me cookies. Thank you for taking me out for meals. Thank you for participating in the planning, and building of our new church! Thank you for letting me park my trailer on your property so I could go camping. Thank you for listening when I was trying to teach. Thank you for speaking when I needed to listen. Thank you for reminding me that I am precious in God’s eyes and that he delights in me.

Thank you to all the wonderful staff I have known in my thirteen years. Thank you to those parishioners who visited our sick and dying. Thank you for checking on fellow parishioners when you noticed that they were unusually absent. Thank you for being so generous when a need arose. Thank you for accompanying new parishioners and visitors alike. Thank you for participating in our annual church open house and booth at the county fair. Thank you for your patience through all the changes during the pandemic. Thank you for stepping up to make our Food Box Program so successful. Thank you for giving money to the church so we could employ the talented staff that we have. Thank you for naming St. Anne, our school, and/or her missions in your estate planning. Thank you for coming and participating at Mass. Thank you for serving in our liturgical ministries, bible studies, music groups, rosary groups, our grade school, Faith Formation, youth and confirmation ministry, and even auxiliary ministries, most notably the Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul. Thank you for praying, serving, cleaning, fixing, and helping when no one was watching. Of course God saw it all… and sometimes I did too.

Thank you, most of all, for loving me, and showing me what it is to be a saint, being passionately in love with our Lord, and willing to share that joy with others. I take all these things with me, as I move to Holy Trinity. You have been a gift of immeasurable value to me. You have blessed me with Christ’s presence, for which I will be forever grateful.

So, don’t hesitate to come to Mass at Holy Trinity in Beaverton. Pray for me so that I can be the pastor that they need at this time, and that I will be responsive to their needs as God would want me to be. I will continue to pray for you. A big part of my heart will always be here. I will pop in to check on you on Facebook an YouTube. I hope to see the new and amazing things that will happen under Fr. Wolf, your new pastor.

My heart is full, and there is not enough room to write it here. So, I leave with the miraculous prayer given to me from my mother which has changed so many hearts: O Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything!

Blessings! Goodbye! God be with you! Thank you!

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor (2009-2022)

Thank you!

Dear Parishioners,

This past weekend we celebrated our annual parish picnic after being on a hiatus due to the pandemic. It was a joyous occasion to symbolically end the new church building project by burning a copy of our $1.5 mil. loan agreement from the Archdiocese. It was also a wonderful opportunity to begin, in earnest, the process of saying goodbye to myself, Fr. Stephen, and Sandra. The thoughts and hearts that were shared were truly wonderful. These are those times when God wants to tell us how much he loves us, and he does it through his people. Thank you all for your outpouring of love for me, Fr. Stephen, and Sandra. I will forever keep that celebration in my heart.

As you may know, next weekend will be my last as your pastor. Thank you to all who have lovingly walked with me in my stumbling, helped me get back up, challenged me to change, encouraged me when I felt down, forgiven me when I sinned, and prayed for me and my vocation. I am better for it all. Thank you, God, for such a blessing you have given me in the people of St. Anne, Our Lady of the River, and St. Patrick of the Forest.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor