“The Holy Mystery” that is God….is always a reality that is infinitely beyond my understanding….and St. Augustine’s as well, who proclaimed that God was a mystery beyond our understanding, and that if we think we have come to understand God…whatever it is that we understand, it is not God…God will always remain a mystery. A deep and profound truth…beyond my grasp as a human being but one I become willing to enter into and to engage with…not seeking to fully understand it, but rather allowing the Mystery to envelope me.

The principle of an unshakeable human dignity is grounded in the faith conviction that we are made in the image and likeness of God. If we are made in the image of God this means in the image of the Trinity, our personhood and consequently our dignity may be more than we imagine it to be. In the Trinity, three Persons engage in a mutual and self-giving activity that is so complete it makes them a dynamic unity. This activity has been characterized as a relational dance. If we are made like this, as persons we are essentially social beings, in relationship to others, and in relationship with The Mystery by the very essence of who we are.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises us a Divine indwelling, a reality that one could argue is the cornerstone of the theology of the Gospel of John. Jesus tells the disciples that the Father will send the Holy Spirit who will remain within them, and he and his Father will come and make them their dwelling place. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are inheritors of that promise, we are the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity!

As we celebrate the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity, as it does most years, my mind returns to an 8th grade classroom and a tall red-haired nun, in full habit, named Sister Mary Janelle. I recall her patiently helping my classmates and myself as we wrestled with the concept of the Holy Trinity, three Persons who were at the same time separate but one. As she went through theological gymnastics trying to help us understand, ultimately, she conceded that it was a mystery…a mystery with a capital “M”.

At the time my classmates and I felt it was a bit of a “cop-out” on her part…but now over 50 years later I have come to see her wisdom, and have come to be comfortable with it, and truly enjoy the concept of mystery.

We live in a society that demands to know all things, to have concrete explanations for everything. All we have to do is ask Google or better yet, ask Claude! But the reality is that ultimately God is beyond our understanding…beyond even Claude’s, although Claude can go a long way in helping you understand St. Augustine’s treatise on the Holy Trinity!

Today I realize that I am part of a religious tradition that has passed on a faith…a faith filled with mystery and awe in our God.

There is a consensus of our ancestors that harbors and passes on “revealed truths” that are essentials of our faith, some of which will always lie just beyond our capacity to fully understand them.

The Holy Spirit has been sent into our hearts to lead us headlong into “The Mystery”…to live out in concrete terms what we say we believe even though we may not fully understand.

Our lack of understanding has no impact on The Mystery itself… The Mystery desires us and loves us just as we are… often conflicted and wrestling with our faith.

The principle of unshakeable human dignity is grounded in the faith conviction that we are made in the image and likeness of God. If we are made in the image of God, this means in the image of the Trinity. Our personhood and consequently our dignity may be more than we imagine it to be. In the Trinity, three Persons engage in a mutual and self-giving activity that is so complete it makes them “a dynamic unity.” This activity has been characterized as a relational dance. If we are made like this, as human beings we are essentially created to be in relationship to, and with others. There is an ongoing interrelating and interpersonal flow of energy between us as individuals. We are essentially social beings, in relationship to others, and in relationship to The Mystery by the very essence of who we are!

One of the most important realities is that we remain engaged…wrestling with our faith…engaged with God… wrestling with the Holy Trinity!

We must also remain engaged in the struggle for understanding, with hearts and minds open to the Holy Spirit, the bringer of wisdom.

And what wisdom and insight is the Holy Spirit trying to bring us today in the midst of the light that is being shined on sins and the darkness of our society, like greed, systemic racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and a growing lack of care and concern for the most vulnerable of our society, and how we need to respond to these sins? What wisdom is being spoken to us about the heartbreaking violence in our society and how we should be responding to it?

How comfortable am I with the concept of “mystery” of not fully understanding? How am I engaged in living out my faith? What am I wrestling with at this point in my faith journey?

Blessings,
Fr. Tim

The great feast of Pentecost is upon us…once again! The celebration of the great pouring forth of the Holy Spirit upon the face of the earth! That same “rush of the wind” that swirled across the face of the waters when the world was created! Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would return…and would remind the disciples of all the he had taught them! The Holy Spirit would embolden them…simple fishermen…to become great missionaries, carrying the “Good News” of the forgiveness of sins and promise of eternal life to the “ends of the earth.”

And that same Holy Spirit is upon us…here…today. So what will happen if we dare to inhale? What will happen if we take in the fullness of that Spirit?Everything will change…we will be transformed…led out of our safe and comfortable surroundings and into the chaos of the world! Called forth into the streets, doing all that we once feared to do and preaching what we never imagined we could preach! Let us breathe in deeply…and allow that Divine Fire to burn within us and give us new insight and clarity about what our lives are truly about!

But we must be prepared…it will be something “NEW” and unexpected, creative and lifegiving!!! Or…we can hold our breath and remain just as we are and the world won’t change and the poor and the marginalized will remain poor and marginalized…and wars will breed other wars…and there will be no “holy revolution”!
But what if we open up our hearts and minds to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to risk turning ourselves over to the power of the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to risk it all and be filled with the Holy Spirit?
We can choose to “just celebrate” the past…the “birth of the church”…and our parish…and of the Spiritan Congregation…or we can breathe into the future, and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and embolden us to be disciples on fire to preach The Good News; to go out into the world and to turn it upside down with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! What will I choose today?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
​

As we celebrate “the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord” I cannot help but reflect on the many ideas and concepts that swirl around this feast…some with unintended consequences! The word “ascension” itself congers up images of Jesus rising up into the clouds to join the Father and the Holy Spirit somewhere “up there”…far, far away. The problem with this is it can lead us to believe that heaven is “up there” and we are “down here” and that God is far off and distant from us and from our lives.

This stands in stark contrast to the heart and soul of the meaning and significance of the incarnation. The truth of our God having become “incarnate” (in the flesh) in Jesus, meaning that God is with us…and not off somewhere, watching us from afar. We need to recall Jesus’ promise “I am with you until the end of time”! These simple words are some of most profound encountered in all the Gospels!

There is no need for us to stand gawking skyward with our jaws hanging open, looking for the Risen Christ. The physical presence of Jesus Christ as a singular human and divine presence no longer walks the earth as before…but Christ is here, as close to us as our own breath, keeping us alive, to be his presence in our world. He told his disciples that he was in the Father and the Father was in him and he was in them. This is the “Divine indwelling” of Christ in us!

As we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus let us celebrate the presence of the Risen One in our midst! Before his ascension Jesus gave a clear command and mission to his disciples…to us. We are charged with preaching the “Good News” of Jesus Christ and to be that healing, loving and welcoming presence in a world filled with sickness, hatred, and exclusion.

Filled with “the Real Presence” we are sent forth to stand up and be the voice of the voiceless, to speak out on behalf of those who are silenced or ignored, to make sure that hatred, racism, and misogyny are not left unchecked. Filled with the Spirit we speak the truth of the Gospel to power, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether garnering us friends or marginalizing us. It is our call as disciples of Jesus Christ! In these dark days, it is critically important that we speak out and act out in peaceful and meaningful ways against political actions that strip people of their human dignity and their constitutional rights.

And we are able to do this precisely because “in God we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Filled with the very presence of Christ himself we are empowered and emboldened to go forth and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ even to the ends of the earth -- not just with words but with actions -- by the manner in which we live our lives…by the manner in which we show our love for one another, as commanded by Jesus Christ himself!

And so let us ask ourselves: how am I a “healing, loving and welcoming presence” to the immigrant, the refugee and to those who experience discrimination, racism and misogyny? How do I share the Good News of this “Divine indwelling” with my family and friends, and with my coworkers. And how do I take the Gospel values of the inherent universal human dignity of every person, and the call to love unconditionally, and preach it to those in political power?
​
Easter blessings,
Fr. Tim

I would imagine that most everyone has felt lonely and abandoned by friends or loved ones at some point in their lives. Most of us have felt fearful, wondering how we will make it through these difficult times for our nation, through rough times with our children or parents, siblings or friends.

Or, for African Americans, people of color and women -- they worry if they and their loved ones will make it through rising violence spawned by racism, white supremacy and misogyny that plagues our country, and our world.

Or, like the people of Ukraine and the Middle East, who have endured such horrible loss and personal suffering, wondering, how will they carry on?

Or, we may have suffered or be suffering a terrible illness and wonder if we will be able to make it through it.

Today’s Gospel tells us that in the very midst of our losses and "lost-ness”…our suffering…our fear or sense of abandon that we are never truly alone, we are not abandoned, for the Risen Christ remains with us.

When I was little, I used to think that Christ was with me….but only when I was doing something good or only when I was in holy or sacred places.

Oh, how wrong I was! Jesus proclaims to the disciples that no matter what they “feel,” no matter where they go, he will be with them. And, even more -- the Holy Spirit will be given to them and find a resting place within them.

We are the inheritors of this same promise. We are never alone; never abandoned! Our God is with us always…even when we can’t feel that presence or sense it, God is with us, dwelling within us.

Even in the midst of our worst moments, our most selfish actions, even in the midst of our greatest sin…God is present and loving us through that dark moment -- whether I acknowledge or embrace that presence or not! The “Presence” is still there! And because of that “Presence of the Divine,” each moment is charged with the possibility of different outcomes, precisely because of that “Presence” because of the love which is that Presence. And real transformation is possible, but only if I am open and present to the encounter; the encounter with that Divinity that dwells within me!

When I embrace the presence of the Divine that dwells within me, then new and different possibilities abound for my life.  Embracing that Divine Presence within me, and embracing it in “the other” is how I can work to overcome the sins of racism, misogyny and white supremacy that are rampant in our society and in our politics.

When I acknowledge and embrace God’s very presence in “the other” then I will truly see the “other” as they are. I will see them as “God bearers”: they themselves dwelling places of God!

This message of the “Divine indwelling” is a critical part of the core message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, along with Christ’s great command, to “love one another as I have loved you.” These truths leave NO space for racism, misogyny and white supremacy! None!

Let us continue to hold in prayer all the millions of victims of the wars and famine around the world, especially those exacerbated by the callous and self-centered policies and decisions of our elected officials. Let us not just pray, let us speak out and make our voices heard. The Pope and the Bishops have called on us as Catholics to write and to call our elected officials -- to call for an end to the wars, and to defend the poor, the immigrant, and needy, and we need to demand that all the social safety nets that they are dismantling be reinstated, and call for an end to this unwarranted, senseless war with Iran.

We need to be relentless in making our voices heard. We need to stand firm in our discipleship and protect the vulnerable and marginalized in our country. Let us work to find meaningful ways to fight systemic racism, misogyny and white supremacy here in the United States and around the world!

How do I respond to being loved so deeply and passionately by God? How do I share God’s amazing love for each person, with others who are different from me? When was the last time I heard the Holy Spirit calling me to live out my discipleship by doing something or not doing something, and what was my response?

Easter blessings,
​Fr. Tim

In the First Letter of Peter, we are reminded that we, in and through Christ, are chosen and precious in the sight of God! And in today’s Gospel Jesus tells us to not let our hearts be troubled, to have faith in him and in God; that when our life here has ended, he personally prepares a place for us and that he takes us to himself so that we might be always with him in eternity, precisely because we are chosen and precious in the eyes of God!

These readings today offer us a wonderful opportunity to reflect on God’s deep and passionate love for all of us, and the diversity of dwelling places for us. A place for each one of us, no one excluded by God, because of God’s amazing love for all of humanity.

Jesus tells the disciples that he is the way, the truth and the life, and we can know God and see God through him! Pope Francis reminded us that “Jesus is the face of the Father’s mercy”, a living incarnation of God’s mercy, an incarnation that we are called to become like, as disciples of Jesus. Jesus tells his disciples that through their belief in him they will be able to do what he has done and even greater! Perhaps that “even greater” is allowing the risen Christ, who dwells within us, to transform us into an extension of the living presence of God’s mercy in the midst of a wounded and suffering world.

Perhaps the call of the Gospel is to allow ourselves to become the face of God’s mercy; to take on, as his disciples, the mantel of mercy. To be willing to make meaningful changes to our lives in order that we might better show forth God’s mercy in word and action by reaching out to all the lonely and frightened people we encounter in our lives, and offer a word of hope and encouragement, an act of care that shows kindness, gentleness and mercy to them…that shows them
that they are seen, that they matter, that no matter what others have said of them or to them, they are the beloved of God!

The U.S. Surgeon General and the NIH have both released reports linking a grave increased risk for a whole host of serious mental and other health conditions such as a weakened immune system, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and even death -- all of these linked to loneliness and a lack of social contact with other human beings. And yet we live in a time of unparalleled social media connections, and nevertheless, more and more people are finding themselves feeling ever more isolated and alone in a deeply distrusting and divided society.

So, what is the answer? We are the answer! You and I. Our discipleship calls us to reach out to those in need, with both emotional needs and worldly physical needs, to stand with them and let them know that they are cared for and loved by God, and that we love them and care for them.

Making ourselves emotionally available to “the other” can be overwhelming and scary but it also can be a transformative
experience, one that takes us to a place of new relationships and can help to heal our own woundedness. And ultimately it
may very well be part of God’s plan in calling us to reach out to each other and to be of support to each other. To work together to create the “community of the beloved”! God’s community!

How can I be more merciful in my words? What specifically can I do to be more merciful in my actions? Who in my life right
now is most in need of being shown mercy and how can I do that for them?

Easter blessings,
Fr. Tim