Reflections of our Parochial Vicar

Aspects of Discipleship & Trinity

We celebrate this weekend our Trinity Godhead is of the same substance and that each person of the Trinity, which we celebrate on this Trinity Sunday, is important in our lives.  We have been chosen for eternal life out of the Father’s love for us, and so can address God the Father as “Our Father” in the Our Father Prayer said at every Mass.  Christ the Son spends a good deal of time in the gospels letting us know that the spirit that is within Him is the Spirit of the Father, the love that is within him is the love of the Father. Jesus became Man so as to allow us to become acquainted with the Triune God whose love for us can only be described as “radical.”

 

After giving us the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and wonderful example, Jesus went so far as to give His very life for ours! When Jesus rose from the dead, we were given the choice to choose life with God or death in choosing the ways of the world as our highest values. We were invited to eternal life with God as adopted sons and daughters. At Pentecost we celebrated being filled with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to choose right from wrong, allowing us to trust, allowing us to share love and compassion and become forgiving ourselves. How wonderful!!

 

 I compose this article reflecting that my time here as God’s disciple and priest has been more than I could ever have expected.  I have enjoyed the people – all ages, more than I can possibly communicate. I have felt  privileged with those I have celebrated the sacrament of Baptism with; I have also had the privilege of presiding at wonderful liturgies, serving as confessor; anointing of the sick; companioning families through the funeral processes; counseling; spiritual direction and weddings have been life-giving as the excitement of the bride and groom and families I find infectious.  I hope I have helped build a bridge between school and parish life for our school children and de-mystified what goes on in God’s tremendous love for us and in the actions  of a priest.  There are many other ways I have been called to serve  but in all have truly felt the presence of  God. Whatever gifts I have are and have been shared gifts from God. I have also found the people of the parish most charitable even when we differ on some points, because we agree in our belief of our Triune God working in our lives.

I have found a family that I love here in the parishioners, as if you were all related by birth. I will always hold you in my heart as I do my love for God. Because we are family, though soon to have a minor distance, it does not end my love and affection for you all. It simply means that we might not see each other as often. You all are always welcome wherever I am called to minister.  I believe we also have this deepening sense of being loved by God, if we search for spiritual awareness in our lives. There is no geography or circumstance that could change this.  God truly exists in and for us!

 

  Fr. Mike