May 30, 1999 |
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Feast of Holy Trinity, Jn 3/6-18 |
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| Background: The doctrine of the Holy Trinity was not revealed to baffle us, to test us, to challenge our faith. Rather it discloses to us that there is so much knowledge and so much love in God that it flows over into different personalities. God is necessarily a community of knowledge, power, and love. If a God like that is on our side, of what do we have to be afraid? The doctrine of the Trinity is for our reassurance and consolation. The Gospel today echoes this theme: it depicts Jesus telling his disciples that there is nothing to fear, even if he is about to leave them. He and the Father and the Spirit will continue to protect them. He does not guarantee that there will not be trouble or suffering but he does promise that there will be victory and eternal life. |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time, a young woman, who had not been inside a church for a long time, rather hesitantly entered a church and sat in the last pew. During the homily, she began to cry. One of the hospitality ministers noticed her looking through her purse for a tissue and leaned over and offered her one. She didn’t receive communion. At the end of Mass, she continued to sit, looking very dejected. The same minister approached her and said, "I think I’ve been where you are, would you like to get some coffee and talk." They went to a local eatery and for about two hours the young woman poured out her story while the minister just listened. She had come to the church that day as the last resort in her search to get her life back on track. As they left the restaurant, the minister gave the woman her calling card and said, "I hope you’ll come back again. Even if you don’t, feel free to call me if you just want to talk." The young woman came back. Now she is a hospitality minister. |
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