Feast of the Holy Trinity

                Happy Feast of the Most Holy Trinity!  It is truly a delight for me to be joining in the celebration of this particular Sunday on the church calendar, as my alma mater in high school was named after the Trinity!  So Happy Feast Day graduates! 

                In today’s First Reading, we learn in the Book of Exodus how God wanted to describe Himself to Moses and the Israelites.  First, as I Am, and then later on in exclaiming:

“The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.”

                He is approachable and ever ready to forgive.  How have we imagined God in the past?  This may seem like a review of what I have spoken of before (e.g. who is God to you, and who is He really?)  But I think this is really important to tap in to our prayer lives.  Let God reveal Himself to you. 

                Have a blessed week!

Seeing God As He Is

     What a week!  And now entering into the three-day weekend!  If you get a chance to reflect on this blog entry, I thought I might help you seek out who you see God as.  I have noticed in this past week’s daily readings that the use of Psalm 47 is used at least three times!  What struck me in it was the word King David finds best to see God as: the awesome!  It caused me to think of the way I use this word to delight in an accomplishment or in receiving exciting news:

     “That is so awesome!”

     Yep, they used that word way back then in the OldTestament too!  J  But the real question is: how do you describe your relationship with God?  As a personal example, I appreciate seeing God as “Father.” 

     As we use different titles of praise and reliance on God, know that He did not altogether leave us during the Ascension.  He sent the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, that He may continue to live among us.

     Have a great weekend and be safe!

Choosing to Keep Believing

Welcome back to in-the-presence-of-God blog; I truly hope that everyone has stayed well during this historical virus.  I realize a lot of people have different perspectives, from accepting it, to feeling terrified.  This is all due to experience or situation, and I would like to encourage us (including myself) to pray fervently for our priests and our fellow Catholics.

What with the dispensation from the sacraments (sharing in the Eucharist and Confession), we can increase our longing for God.  We must not let our relationship with Him go lax.  I agree, it is more encouraging to live out the Faith within the support of community; but we live in fear and separation right now. 

Please, go online and look up the Prayer of Spiritual Communion, pray the Chaplets of Divine Mercy and the rosary.  Now is not the time for despair, but of confidence that God is getting us through this mess.  Send a greeting card to your pastor, showing gratitude and encouragement while he Livestreams the Mass in an empty church.

Now is the time for faith!  Don't miss the opportunity.

Going Forth

     All through Holy Week, some of my family members kept a candle constantly burning.  Once one candle burned all the way down, (with the help of a glass holder, a stand, and some foil underneath it,) it was replaced with another one.  The same goes with our Easter celebration.  It goes on in the octave of eight days, goes forth with Our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, and then we are blessed by the solemnity of Pentecost. 

     Our joy of the gospel must always be fed, and we must never stop bringing it to others.  As the priest or deacon says at the conclusion of Mass, “Go forth,” we must go forth bringing the nourishment of the Word and of the Eucharist to others. 

Don’t let the fire in your hearts burn out!  Jesus is Risen, and we are inspired to bring this joy to others.  Alleluia!

Holy Triduum

    I have wondered if I should sit at my computer and write all of you during this Holy Triduum.  I won’t say much, but I hope that you are able to take the time to contemplate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord, Who cares deeply about us.

A Time for Faith, Hope, and Love

          We are approaching Holy Week… with a highly contagious virus floating in the air.  Masses and devotionals are being live-streamed and latex gloves are worn when touching anything beyond the house.  Personally, I’m not sure if this is a direct message from God, but I do know that there is a great need for faith, hope, and of course love for each other.  I would also like to add that the Church very recently commemorated 15 years since Pope St. John Paul the II’s death.  I love his timely words when he once said, "I plead with you--never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid."

          As we reflect on the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord, let us know Who to turn our hearts to.  We must follow all directions to stay healthy, but we can also do it in peace.  I know from day to day experience that is hard to live without anxiety emotionally knocking me over.  But I also know that Someone is here, caring about our well-being.

          Jesus, I Trust in You!

Bringing Jesus to Others

            So, I learned yesterday that Masses and ministries will be closed, according to the advisement of many bishops throughout the United States because of the worldwide spread of the Corona Virus.  My own parish is given this same order by our bishop.  Naturally, many people in my parish are crushed by this decision.  Yes, we don’t want this pandemic to spread, but there is this ongoing thirst to experience Christ in the Eucharist.  But, just because we don’t have ministries or worship, does not mean that Our Lord is not present among us.

            I must confess that I failed on a couple of opportunities when I went to Soup and Stations at my parish the other day.  There weren’t as many people there, and a couple different arrivals were eating, set apart from everyone else.  I was moved to sit with them, but decided against it because of my own personal anxiety.  I regret not having moved over there to talk to them as each person sat alone by themselves.  Is this gathering not to bring people together?  In praying the Stations of the Cross afterwards, the words brought out the seeing Jesus in everyone, especially in His suffering and our call to be compassionate.  Yes Jesus, I failed to approach You in Your loneliness in my brothers and sisters. 

            We may not be able to join together as much as we would like, because of the virus; but we can smile at one another, pray with Jesus in His set apart Agony in the Garden, and be strengthened in the redemptive suffering of Jesus.