CALLED TO ETERNAL LIFE,
ETERNAL LOVE WITH GOD
Today is the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity. This is a great mystery of our Church, but we do have knowledge of the Trinity.
St. Augustine of Hippo was also troubled in understanding the Trinity. The story is told of Augustine, a great philosopher and theologian. One day, he was preoccupied with the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. He wanted so much to understand the doctrine of one God in three persons and be able to explain it logically. On that day, he was walking along the beach and reflecting on the Holy Trinity. Suddenly, he saw a little child all alone on the beach.
The child made a hole in the sand, ran to the ocean with a little cup, and filled it with water from the ocean. Then the child emptied the cup into the hole that was in the sand. Back and forth the child went to the ocean filling the cup and pouring it into the hole. Augustine went up to the child and asked, “What are you doing?” The child replied, “I am trying to empty the ocean into this little hole.” Augustine replied, “How do you think that you can empty this big ocean into this tiny hole?” The child replied, “And you, how do you suppose that with your small head you can comprehend the Holy Trinity?" With that, the child disappeared.
As we begin to pray, we make the Sign of the Cross. In doing this, we express our faith in the three divine persons. This connects us to a mystery at the heart of our Christian life and belief. The Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of our Christian faith and life.
The heart of the mystery of the Holy Trinity is that “God himself is an eternal exchange of love - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and has destined each of us to share in this exchange of love” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 234). God reveals himself to each of us with his grace, or, in other words, his love. We are called to a loving communion with God and each other.
It is often through human relationships that we experience God’s love and grace. One more time, it is often through human relationships that we experience God’s love and grace. We are called to share in a life of divine love by the grace of our own baptism, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The goal of creation and history is to unite human beings to the love of the Triune God.
Our gospel today talks about how much God the Father loves each one of us. God gave his only Son to us that whoever believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. When we say eternal life, one can say it as "eternal love."
The word might stands out pretty boldly in the gospel. What John is suggesting in our gospel is that we have a choice: do we want to have eternal love with God or not? He goes on to tell us that we are to believe in Jesus Christ and if we believe in Jesus Christ we might be saved.
So how does one show that he or she believes in God? A good example of this is to be a follower of Jesus. St. Paul offers examples of this from our second reading today. He tells us, mend your ways, encourage one another, and greet one another with a holy kiss.
Another example of believing in God comes from our first reading, as Moses bows down and worships God and petitions him, “The Lord of mercy and grace, slow to anger and rich in kindness, may you find favor with your people and forgive our weaknesses and sins and receive us as your own."
Another great example of showing our belief in God comes from the responsorial psalm. We are always encouraged to praise God, no matter the circumstance, whether it be a sad time or a joyful time. Glory and praise forever.
Believing in God means that we participate in his Holy Sacrament. Do we have any family or friends who are not baptized? Are we encouraging them for baptism? Do we need to go to confession? Are we encouraging others to come to confession with us? Are we confirmed? Are we consuming the living flesh of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist? Are we living in the graces of God in Holy Matrimony? Are we living a chaste life? Are we encouraging men to come to the sacrament of Holy Orders? And last, are we asking for the Anointing of the Sick when needed?
These are wonderful examples of showing our belief in the Most Holy Trinity, May we always be encouraged by our Mother Mary and follow the example of her holy Son, Christ!
Notes
St. Joseph's Church Downtown has reopened with the usual schedule of weekday and weekend Masses, sacraments, and ministry. We are asked to practice social distancing and to use a face mask during church services to keep everyone safe and healthy.
In observance of the tragic death of George Floyd two weeks ago, St. Joseph's will join the churches of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and other houses of worship across the country in the tolling of bells at 11:00 Tuesday morning, June 9. We pray for justice, reconciliation, and the recognition of human rights for all persons.
Next Sunday, June 14, is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, remembering Christ's gift of love in the Eucharist.
A video of Sunday Mass at St. Joseph's is posted on YouTube at the St. Joseph Church Downtown Media page starting this weekend. We thank the Strelchun Family and John Francis for filming and editing the video so beautifully. Visit the St. Joseph Media (Downtown) page on YouTube. Mass for each Sunday and major feasts will be recorded.
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated later this month: Wednesday, June 24, at 6:00 p.m. for our teens; Saturday, June 27, at 5:00 p.m. for adult candidates.
Please pray for St. Joseph's former pastor, Fr. Mario Marzocchi, SSS, who is recovering from a serious infection and facing other health issues in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. His mailing address is: Regina Health Center; 5232 Broadview Road; Richfield, OH 44286.
In a spirit of caring for each other in these difficult days, we encourage you to support efforts to feed our neighbors in need via Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and local food banks.