Trinity Sunday
Today, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we’re going to take a little journey into the greatest mystery humankind has ever encountered: the mystery of the Godhead itself. Are you excited?
Saints Sergius and Bacchus Chapel
Palm Springs, California
Today, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we’re going to take a little journey into the greatest mystery humankind has ever encountered: the mystery of the Godhead itself. Are you excited?
Today, we come to the apex – the pivot-point of the history of salvation. This is the linchpin that connects the risen Christ with each of us. As always, we need to step away from what, on surface, appears to be historical detail. If we don’t, we’ll find ourselves in irreconcilable contradictions. Although it pains us, with our current fixation on useless detail, in order to understand what we’re reading and hearing, we have to give up useless attempts to know exactly how the first disciples experienced the risen Jesus. They’re telling us what happened, not how it happened.
What do you imagine the disciples saw when the Lord ascended into heaven? Do you imagine the risen Jesus, standing on the Mount of Olives, surrounded by his disciples, his hair and flowing white garments blowing in the breeze? Perhaps then, when he’s finished speaking to them, he steps up on an invisible divine elevator that lifts him up into the clouds where they can’t see him anymore? Perhaps. But perhaps not.
What is a friend? Is it someone you can count on? Someone who’s always there for you? Someone who’s got your back? Is a friend someone with whom you share a certain intimacy? Is it someone you trust to keep your secrets? Is it someone who has your best interests at heart? Someone who’d do almost anything for you? I suppose so. I think any of us would feel privileged to have someone with those characteristics in our lives.
We’re used to thinking of ourselves – and all other living beings – as separate individuals. Isn’t it true that our births are uniquely our own, our lives are uniquely our own and, most certainly, our deaths are uniquely our own? No one else can actually do any of these things for us. And, if we’re honest about it, no one can actually do any of these things with us, either.
Good morning, fellow sheep! As you’re probably aware, sheep aren’t the brightest animals on the planet. When they’re lose in the pasture, they depend on a shepherd to guide and protect them. As intelligent as we may think we are, nevertheless, we have a lot in common with those sheep.
Who are you? I have no idea who you really are. Do you? Have you “found” yourself yet, or are you still searching? Don’t you sometimes surprise yourself even now, after all these years? I guess we are – all of us – still works-in-progress.
Scripture Readings Sunday, April 11, 2021 Is there life after death? What a question! That this question has persisted even now is testimony to the hardness and stubbornness of the […]
Scripture Readings Sunday, April 04, 2021 Our bodily eyes are blind. All they do is register reflected photons and give our brain cells electrical impulses for it to digest. The […]
Scripture Readings Saturday, April 03, 2021 What does it mean to be in “union with Christ?” After all, in tonight’s epistle, Saint Paul writes, “For if we have grown into […]
Scripture Readings Friday, April 2, 2021 If there were only one theme that I want consistently emphasized throughout this entire Lenten season, it would have to be found in this […]
Scripture Readings Thursday, April 1, 2021 This evening, we commemorate the Lord Jesus’s last supper with his disciples before embarking on the path that would lead him to Golgotha. As […]
Scripture Readings First Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:8-10,15 Second Reading: First Corinthians 3:9-13, 16-17 Gospel Acclamation: Ezechiel 37:27 Gospel: John 4:19-24 March 31, 2021 I want […]
March 3, 2021 Scripture Readings What’s going on? Why all the excitement? Obviously, the way Saint Mark describes the scene in Jerusalem this morning fills it with symbolism – some […]
March 21, 2021 Scripture Readings The story is told about a coach who was known far and wide for his wisdom, both on and off the field. At one time, […]
March 14, 2021 Scripture Readings I was standing outside Sutherlands IGA stoah one morning when I heard a flivver approaching down the street toward me. Which way to Millinocket? Well, […]
Although today’s gospel is very familiar to us, like much of Saint John/s gospel, its meaning can be quite complex. First, to make sense of it all, we need to […]
In the Lenten Series on this past Wednesday evening, I talked a little bit about the Satan – the prosecuting attorney in Hebrew. Like Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, this being […]
“The reign of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.” That’s the meaning of this Lenten season. It’s simple. Or is it? The meaning of the Scriptures is […]
Why do we care about this nameless leper? After all, the gospels tell us that Jesus cured many people — perhaps hundreds — over the years of his ministry. Of […]