[__01__] On this Sunday,
Holy Trinity Sunday, we also welcome and thank Mrs. Eileen Morgan and her
husband, Mr. Mike Morgan, for a special celebration after this Sunday Mass
downstairs in Connor Hall.
On
behalf of all of our young people, our parents, grandparents, and families, and
our parish staff, we are grateful for all you have taught us in word and
action. You have shared your personal relationship with Jesus Christ with us
and we are better disciples.
We
have also learned, we have been educated. We have been formed.
[__02__] Mrs. Morgan and many volunteers at our
parish – and you the families of our parish - believe in the importance of
education, of learning, of understanding our Catholic faith.
It
is Mrs. Morgan’s hope – our collective hope – that you would always desire to
know more, to learn more, because God is always revealing himself to us.
Isn’t
it true that sometimes our survival, or our success or prosperity in a
particular situation comes as a surprise to us?
That is, we know that we could not have made it through a difficult or
challenging situation without help
●
A tragedy at home
●
A difficult year at school or work.
●
An illness
In the words of David Byrne / Talking Heads,
”how did I get here?” And, yes, this is my beautiful house …
Pope Francis describes this surprise of
God’s grace as part of the transition, the changes, we experience always and he
reminds us that even some of the people
Jesus’ time (era) understood this. Others of his time did not:
“when one is on a journey one always
finds new things, things one does not know … a journey is not absolute in
itself, it is a journey toward an end point: toward the definitive
manifestation of the Lord”. After all,
all of “life is a journey toward the fullness of Jesus Christ, when the second
coming occurs”. It is a journey toward Jesus, who will come again in glory, as
the angels said to the Apostles on the day of the Ascension”. (Pope
Francis, “The God of surprises”, Monday, 13 October 2014)
Pope Francis continued in this reflection
to ask …
“Am I attached to my things, to my
ideas, closed? Or am I open to the God of surprises? … “Am I a stationary person or a person on a
journey?”
(Pope
Francis, “The God of surprises”, Monday, 13 October 2014)
To Mrs. Morgan, we are grateful that you have
shared your journey with us and we hope that you know that you will continue to
pray for us wherever you are …and we hope your journey brings you back for
visits…
[__03__] This time of year, many
students have recently taken – or will soon be taking – examinations. What happens in the days and weeks leading up to
the exam?
We’re supposed to be studying,
right? And, each day our accumulation of
knowledge increases ..and, we hope on the day of the exam that we can remember
everything. What happens when we walk out of the examination? Do we forget
everything? It may seem this way…but not really.
Then again, isn’t it true that when we
have to use the concepts from that test, then we learn it again. Many things need to be learned or acquired 2
or 3 times on along the way / journey.
And, this is especially true for teachers
and for parents. Of course, we believe
that all of our teachers and parents are just naturally gifted and wise, right?
But, they themselves know that it takes
preparation. And, Mrs. Morgan would affirm that she is still on a journey to
learn with you, to learn for you, so that she can teach you. All of her
learning has been for your benefit. This is not only about answers but also
questions.
As Robert Frost wrote about the two paths
which diverged in a wood, happiness is not a matter of velocity on a particular
road – heavily traveled or less traveled – but about a matter of reflection and
question at the intersections and crossings.
Mrs. Morgan thanks you for all of your
excellent questions, here at Eagle Rock and Main.
[__04__] What
is the topic of today’s journey and Gospel lesson?
It is the TRINITY.
The TRINITY of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
reminds us that God is love. God is a loving community and communion of three
persons. In family, marriage, friendship, we try to imitate this love.
This is not easy. It’s a challenge and
sometimes difficult to imagine why the trinity is important to our faith. What
is the trinity?
[__05__] Is the trinity … NUMBER? Yes, the trinity is a number and we
might rejoice that it is a low number, of low magnitude. Three. 3.
Perhaps, we have been asked to learn
what are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit? What are the 10 Commandments? What are the 27 books of the New
Testament? I won’t go there.
But, we can remember the 3 persons of
the Holy Trinity. God starts small – “In the name of the Father, and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.”
In the Trinity, there is 1 Son, and “For God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
And, we believe, through the Trinity
that Jesus gives us the one Spirit.
“There are
different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different
forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same
God who produces all of them in everyone.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
The Trinity is a number. 3.
[__06__] The
Trinity is not only a number. The Trinity is a shape – geometry – the trinity
is a triangle.
Of course, God is infinite in an
infinite number of ways. But in the trinity, we learn the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit are always connected, united.
And, this shape is meant to give us
confidence and hope.
That is, you and I are also united to
each other by God’s love.
Parent + child + love they share
equals a trinity.
Husband + wife + love they share
equals a trinity.
Pope Francis, writing about the care
of our creation, our planet, our common home, is communicating something abou
the trinity.
That is, we care for the air, water,
creation not only because they are gifts.
We care for them because the gift connects us to the giver. God gave
creation to us.
The trinity is the source and the
shape of all life.
[__07__] The trinity is also a mystery. It remains mysterious that God is both 3 and
1, that is both identifiable as three persons, but united as one.
Yet, in this mystery, he reminds us
that He is Love, that the trinity is a communion of love, and that by faith and
connection to him, we can also receive and share his infinite mercy in all of
our relationships.
Yes the trinity is a number, shape, a
mystery.
But the trinity is also a
relationship, a prayer and a conversation that we are trying to draw closer to
each day.
A conversation with God – and in God –
that we wish to hear more clearly each day ..and to retain what God wants to
teach us. [__fin__]
No comments:
Post a Comment