Picture a locomotive sitting in a train yard. The engine car has sat idle for over two months. The long line of cars attached are waiting to be set in motion. How do we get things rolling again?
Holy Trinity, up and running, has 1200 people attending weekend masses, 10 weddings, 40 First Communions, 50 teens waiting for Confirmation, 50 funerals each year, 12 parish committees, and about 10 parish ministries having over 300 volunteers.
All has been on hold since Palm Sunday in April. How do we start up yet continue to be safe during the ongoing Covid 19?
Starting this Sunday, June 14, Holy Trinity will be open to the public for Sunday worship. It is right that we begin the start up of our parish by gathering for the most important thing we do . . . worship of God in the Eucharist.
Current public attendance is limited to 25% capacity of each particular gathering space. That means HT can handle 300 people at any one mass. (This is divided up into three spaces – – – Church Proper, Gathering Space, and the new Trinity Hall).
You will find on our website and Facebook the particular procedures we will be using to facilitate the safe gathering of all who come to mass. PLEASE READ THESE OVER CAREFULLY so you will be ready to help make a peaceful gathering for all.
In the meantime let me make a couple comments that will make our gathering a sign of our love for each other.
We need to begin with the attitude that things will be different for the time being. Where you sit at mass, the wearing of a mask, the way we go to communion, will all be a part of a new experience at mass.
Please be patient with the things that may irritate you. (Signing up for mass, people instructing you where to sit, no singing, social distancing etc.).
Remember we are all here to be with Jesus Christ and one another. The fullness of the Eucharistic presence is with us; no mask or distancing changes that.
This is only for awhile. We pray that our normal way of gathering will happen soon.
The work of a parish priest gives the chance to observe people in many different life situations.
The elderly smile and shine with pride when their children and grand-children are home visiting. The steely determination of parents as they sacrifice for their children. Nervous newly engaged couples approaching the church to plan their wedding. A stay in the hospital tends to bring out anyone’s true colors. We priests see it all.
But the ones that touch me the most are our young children and teens. They’re so “out there”, so new and raw, so . . . wonderfully goofy. Let’s marvel for a moment at our young ones.
Doesn’t it kill you when . . .
They smile that kid’s smile. It’s radiant without their knowing it. The smile doesn’t have the slightest notion of what we know (that heartache isn’t too far down the road.) “Oh,” we say, “If only they could stay here.” So beautiful.
A young person shows off some talent or favorite activity getting friends or family to smile and applaud.
The girls break into singing the current youth “anthem” at a party or game. They’re so free in that happy way.
The boys power down unbelievable amounts of spaghetti and get hungry 20 minutes later.
The whole school turns out for a prayer service for one of their sick class mates.
They try putting on some idea of adult behavior just to see how it feels.
They collapse in tears and fall into your arms . . . and still want you near them.
After days of whining and selfishness they come out of themselves and do something amazingly thoughtful for someone. “Yay! It’s working!”, parents think for a moment.
And don’t you wish you could . . . . . you know . . . control their lives!
Spare them the hurt you know life eventually hands out?
Let them see what you see in them (how wonderful they are)?
Give them the confidence they need without them having to earn it through trial and error?
Choose their friends?
Spare them bad, impulsive choices?
Find the perfect job, boyfriend, girlfriend, room-mate?
Get them to experience God’s Spirit working in their life?
Ensure their happiness and safety throughout their lives?
Oh how we want to live their lives for them!
So the question for parents and grand-parents is this:
Do you think God loves these children less than you? He made them!! He loved them so much He gave each of them a unique personality, style, and soul. To top it off. . . God gave them YOU.
So what’s your part in their life now? Here they are, physically grown, and old enough to make their own choices. So many choices out there; so many voices calling them to follow. They need you to witness to your belief in the goodness of life. They need you to show them why you continue to hope in spite of trouble and darkness . . . why you pray, why you believe in the goodness of people. Why you follow Christ.
Jesus may have been thinking of teenagers when he said, “Watch the wild flowers grow . . . they neither spin nor worry . . . yet not even King Solomon is as beautiful as these. Won’t God be sure to watch over you?” Luke 12: 27-28
BUT! Teach these young ones to “Seek FIRST my will in their life,” says the Lord. “And these other things will come to pass.”
What’s God’s part? “Take courage.” He says. “I have overcome the world”.
The common everyday meaning of hope has to do
with a DESIRE for some particular thing to happen
for me or for others. For example: “I hope it snows
all night so there’s no school!!” Or “I hope the Bills
make the playoffs next year.” Or “I hope he calls
me for dinner.” Or “I hope this medicine works.”
It’s sort of related to “wishing”. “I wish I could putt
(sing, dance, pray. . .) better.” In other words it is
my desire for improvement at something. Now to
the degree that a certain result lies in my power to
achieve, then, it would seem, if I applied myself, “I
would have every hope of succeeding”.
But more often we use hope to express our best wishes for ourselves and loved ones, hopes that are by no means certain. I hope you: win the lottery, do well on your SAT’s, get the promotion, meet up with her at the party, find those car keys. And to that, hope a friend would respond, GOOD LUCK. Good luck because “chances are” it might not happen. The New York Lottery is fond of playing on this “hope” of a win. “Play the Lotto because. . . Hey, you never know”.
This is not what Christians mean by hope. Hear the words of the Universal Catechism: “Hope is the virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises – – – not on our strength.” (1817). Scripture says, “hold fast the confession of hope, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb 10:23).
In fact Christian hope has nothing to do with wishing or chance. Through the merits of Christ’s Passion “this hope (of Eternal Life) does not disappoint.” (Rms 5:5). Hope is the “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul that enters where Jesus has already gone as a forerunner on our behalf.” (Heb 6:19-20).
In other words Christian hope IS A SURE
THING. It’s for sure because it is based on a
promise by God- – – God who can neither deceive
nor be deceived. When Jesus (the Word made flesh)
says: “I am the resurrection and the life.” “Whoever
puts their faith in me will never suffer eternal
death”, “I am going to prepare a place for you and
then I will come back and take you with me.” HE
MEANS IT. IT’S A SURE THING. He’s not kid-
ding around. He’s the way, the TRUTH, and the
life.
So hope is based on the Word of God (the promises made through Jesus Christ). It is of course preceded by faith. FAITH gives us the power to believe in the promises. HOPE now desires those promises as real and attainable. And these two give rise to CHARITY which, given the certainty of the promises, frees us from ourselves and our selfishness. We are then able to love God above all things and our neighbor as we love ourselves.
It is this peaceful, confident (based on God, not us) hope of a blessedness which we at Holy Trinity Parish desire to extend to all who are in need. How will we do that? By being people of hope.
If you were God and you chose to be born a human being how would you have done it? Find a list of choices below and see how your preferences compare with God’s. (Remember, you are God, the whole world is yours.)
1. When would you come to earth? Probably
around this time right? At least a time in history
with electricity and light and indoor plumbing and
TV of course! Wrong!! God came 2000 yrs. ago
not long after the Bronze Age. People were just
learning farming and writing.
2. Where would you be born? Let’s see . . . Paris? New York? Hawaii? Some exotic and beautiful place probably. Wrong!! God was born in a backward little town called Bethlehem next to the largest desert in the world.
3. Who would be your family? Your blood? Some famous stock of Roman or Greek or Egyptian nobility? Wrong!! Your blood is Jewish, a minor tribal grouping of people who were slaves for most of their history.
4. What would your financial situation be? I mean
really . . . God is rich. Right? God, as man, would
have the material world at his fingertips. What
comfort would not be yours while on earth?
Wrong!! He was born in a stable. His parents had
to stretch to make the simplest of payments. The
bible says he literally had no home.
5. Who would your friends and associates be? The
educated, the executives, the cultured and high
class, the religious for sure. Wrong!! He hung with
the working class. Fishermen, carpenters. He ate
with the outcasts: extortionists (tax collectors),
prostitutes, lepers.
6. Who would you have close to you? Your wife? Your cabinet? Cleopatra? The Queen of Sheba? The Harvard Board of Directors? Wrong!! You never marry (“What’s wrong with that boy?”). Your Cabinet (The Apostles) prove to be traitors and cowards.
7. What would be your greatest achievement? To be universally acclaimed as King of all the world? To have every people and nation bow to your smallest command? Wrong!! Your greatest achievement will be your death—naked and nailed to a cross— and then your Resurrection.
I think you begin to see how differently God chose to live his life from the way you and I would. That’s because we don’t get it. We think the purpose of life is to enjoy, to be fulfilled, to be happy in the ways this world can deliver. And as lovely as they are, we must be careful. We can get blinded by the shiny, sparkly things and begin to think that having them is why I’m here on earth.
To correct this Jesus came to show us what God the Father had in mind when he made us humans. How we are to be a Light to the World, not a sponge. We are a seed that dies to itself so it can give life a hundred fold. We are a branch united to God’s Vine (Christ) that receives his very life into us. (Read Mt. 5:13 – – The Beatitudes for the new key to happiness.)
And here’s the point . . . if we miss this we miss everything . . . “apart from me you can do nothing.” Jn. 15:5 Like a branch separated from the vine, we wither over time. That’s because we’re living life apart from our source – God.
What wondrous love God is! The small, the humble, the gentle, reveal His infinite power. This power of love has overcome the world. Jn. 16:33
I’m sitting here wondering what I can talk to you about
that might bring a bit of Holy Trinity to you in these days
when we can’t be together.
New York State just announced Phase I (of 4) goes into
effect this Friday. It allows necessary construction and
manufacturing projects to restart. Looking down the
staging it seems haircuts and church worship will begin
in Phase 4. Each phase is separated by two weeks.
That would put our gathering for mass at Holy Trinity sometime at the end of June (perhaps the 28th). By my reckoning that means we’re half way with the social distancing – – 6 weeks down, 6 weeks to go. Other things will open before that, retail etc., but Sunday mass is still a ways away
So how are you holding up? Getting tired of same old same old? Need a haircut? We’re all in that boat.
Remember when your parents piled you all in the car and
off you went to some distant destination . . . maybe
grandma’s or some state park. “Are we there yet?” we’d
asked over and over. “How long will it be?” (Dad would
be the one to stop the whining. “Just sit back and count
the cars. I’ll let you know when we’re close.”) We were
in agony in the back seat.
Kinda like now, only this time we’re older and much
more mature. Right?
Okay, so here’s what it’s like in the rectory for me and Fr. John. With no real appointment to keep until mass at nine each morning, our rising and starting the day varies. Generally speaking, I’d say we’re both up and getting ready for the day around 7 am (sometimes earlier).
I think Fr. John stays in his room for morning prayer and
then heads to the kitchen. I can’t wait. I want a cup of
coffee and the paper (and thank you to my friend, who
faithfully leaves it right outside the rectory door.)
Eight o’clock finds us reading the paper and making
comments on the news, “Hey Tim, it says here there’s
five things we need to know about how the Bills will fill
the outside linebacker position.” Or “John, did you know
now’s the time to plant peas?” Fascinating stuff.
(Are you still reading this?!!
Call someone for help.)
Then off we each go to continue the morning (shower, mass, morning prayer, more coffee then down to the office). Kasey Baker, Helen Sleeman and Pam Schultz are there at various times working away.
So time to read emails and respond. Write the bulletin message (you’re reading it now). Look out over the days ahead to be sure I don’t miss anything. Nothing going. By noon Fr. John is watching Governor Cuomo’s press conference. (Say what you want about his other shortcomings, this man knows how to handle a pandemic).
At some point you go over the readings for Sunday and
begin to prepare a homily. “Lord, let this be YOUR word
to the people, not mine.” (Fr. John and I take this part of
our ministry very seriously.) Preparation, reading the
scripture background and commentary, takes a good 3 to
five hours during the week, along with prayer asking for
the Holy Spirit.
Reading for pleasure has been a real gift in these days and each of us find an hour or two to follow our various interests. Fr. John is a voracious reader. He just finished all the Killing Kennedy, Jesus, Patton, Lincoln, etc.
I like to read stuff on anthropology (how humans developed) and biographies (Churchill recently).
Dinner happens around 5:30. We have so many parishioners to thank for bringing meals to the rectory. (I mentioned a few weeks back how we like spaghetti, and we do. But not three nights in a row. Cool it with the spaghetti please!)
After dinner, (still with me?) we catch the evening
news in John’s room then it’s off to our own apartment.
Reading, prayers, phone calls, music fill this time.
“Cocktails?” you ask. Why yes, I’d love one thank you.
This starts at nine and goes to ten. Truly a cocktail
HOUR. We watch more news (we’re junkies), some-
times switching between MSNBC and Hannity on Fox.
They’re on totally different planets. Someday we’ll end
the name calling.
Ten o’clock, in our rooms, lights out soon after. “Good
night Lord. Thank you.”
I presumed I’ve bored you to death, but now you know
what it’s like for Fr. John and me in the rectory. Com-
pared to us old guys maybe your life looks a bit brighter
now!
Please know we both miss you, pray for you, and can’t wait till we’re all together again. Don’t be afraid.
My mother, Rosemary, has been gone now for
eight years (?). (I’ve lost track of the time.) She
and my father brought three children into the
world. Dad wanted more but mom said, “this is
enough”.
I’ve mentioned in the past that mom was a bit different in her “mothering” style. She wasn’t known for her time spent in the kitchen (though when the pressure was on she did quite well). She wasn’t a hand holder or a big kisser, but she was quick to apply the band aid or administer the calamine lotion as needed.
What mother was wonderful at was conversation. It was fun to talk with her. She’d ask the best questions to start you thinking and then she’d listen carefully to your thoughts. She could read people and know what they were trying to say.
Please don’t be shocked by this but I’m seeing now
how, later on, I related to mom more like my
“sister”. There’s not this “lean” toward her as “life
giver” and “nourisher”. Rather she became a
“fellow traveler”, an “observer of life”.
She had a fierce loyalty to her husband Phil. I re-
member her tapping my hand as I grabbed for the
biggest pork chop on the platter. “That one is for
your father.”
And your mother?
Isn’t it wonderful that we all have one? And a father too. It unites us all . . . as children! You and I know what it is to know nothing; to be totally de- pendent on the safety and love and direction provided by our parents.
Women. You have this amazing thing in you. I write
this as a man, in an age where it’s discouraged to
make “general” statements about any group of per-
sons. I don’t care. Women. You have this amazing
thing in you. What tenderness, compassion, and
undying hope exists in this world – – – comes mostly
from two sources – – Jesus and women.
Women have civilized this world. Not only did you
give us arms and legs and eyes to see . . . you saw
to it that we grew strong; and you loved us into real
persons. You worried and prayed about us in ways
we’ll never know. You just have (it’s hard to find the
words) a gravity to you that keeps us in proper or-
bit. You are our home.
Yeah that’s it, you are “home”. And it’s quite a wonderful one (not perfect of course!) until we all meet up in Our Eternal Home.
One other thought about Mary, The Blessed Mother. May is the month we remember her is a special way. Remember Jesus on the cross just before he died? “When Jesus saw his mother and his disciple there (John) he said to his mother ‘woman, behold your son ’ To his disciple he said ‘behold your mother’”. John 19: 26, 27.
Jesus gave us a spiritual mother in Mary. She gave
birth to us in the waters of baptism. We became a
child of God, with the life of her firstborn, Jesus,
poured into our souls.
Each of us is left to “find Mary” in our own way guided by God’s grace. For me I talk to Mary as I would with my mother on our screened in porch so many years ago. It’s a little different with Mary however . . . there’s no cigarette and martini.
Thought I’d go back for this one. Back to when we were children and life was always serving up moments that we’d never experienced before. We’ve become quite used to them by now; they hold no special power to ponder and wonder about. Not so when they happened for the first time.
Remember when:
You made your first successful ride on a bike? Wonderful!
You got sick to your stomach. Where was it? At school? In the car? In the bathroom? “What the heck is happening to me?!”
Mom told you it was only a “nightmare”? (What’s a nightmare mom?)
You fell and got the wind knocked out of you? Can’t breathe!
You bumped your nose and the pain and watery eyes blinded you?
You ripped your pants in the back and the whole 3rd grade class roared with laughter?
Your first roller coaster ride? (Most people loved it. It terrified me.)
You caught the fly ball, sank the basket, got a hit, scored a touchdown? There are many “first times”. Some are very personal and for your memory only. But we all have times that have thrilled us and those that have pained us greatly. (Looking at my list above it seems I mostly remember the pain!)
What did we learn or how did these things shape us in life? May I suggest a couple “life lessons” that these memories can bring?
Life is a mystery. The wonder or shock that certain times can bring remind us that we’re not in charge. Life is bigger than us and we must learn to “keep our feet” and “deal with it”.
Happy or sad, in the end, most things turn out okay. (I mean look at you . . . you’re here and still standing!)
These moments give us tools for dealing with life. Happy events let us know that life is good. Really good. We can hope. Sad or hurtful times can soften our hearts and give us a compassion for others who suffer. “I know how it is brother. I’m here if you need me.”
These moments can turn us toward God. Unfortunately, it’s mostly the hard times that bring us to our knees. The happy times . . . well, they’re . . . fun! Remember the 10 lepers Jesus healed? Nine went skipping off home – – – only one returned to give thanks.
No really, suffering life’s moments can bring amazing things. It can increase love Jesus told us this, “So now you are in anguish, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy away from you.” John 16:22 Think for a moment. Haven’t the most joyful moments been proceeded by suffering? Mom? After the birth labor? Dad? When you came home to us from Afghanistan?
So here we are with a First Time for all of us . . . Pandemic 2020. What will it bring to the world? How will it change us? “Do not waste this time.” Pope Francis urges us. He points to this moment as a time to renew our turning to God, our resolve to be better people, to realize we are all connected as brothers and sisters.
It’s time to grow. It can be a new day for all of us.
But first we need to wear these silly masks.
I’m thinking of a spiritual lesson I’ve had to learn over
and over in my life. It’s the simple fact that God wants
all of me.
What do we mean when we say “all of me” (all of you)?
Think of our many parts . . . our mind and its reasoning,
our memory, our desires, our freedom, our work, talents,
relationships etc. All these are gifts from God to be used
in a loving “dominion” over this world. But he wants us
to do it in partnership with him.
The problem is I don’t want a senior partner, I want to be in charge. After all . . . these habits are mine. I’ve spent a lifetime developing my routine: bedtime, cocktail, personal time, a hobby, etc., all these are mine. I’ll do what I want with them. Again . . . it’s the “I’m the Boss” thing.
So God is patient. He lets us have our way. However it has profound effects in our relationship with Him. I don’t know about you, but every time I take free reign of my life, with no concern for God’s will . . . things get muddy. (Look at the frustration people are beginning to ex- press as we Shelter in Place. We forget the common good and start to see our private lives threatened . . . “What no haircuts?!!” . . . “I gotta wear a mask?!!”, “This is not Freedom!”)
It’s weird. I start out wanting a little “life for myself”.
And guess what? I start to discover there’s a growing
part of me that doesn’t want God interfering with my
habits at all.
Look what’s happened to God. God becomes “the Law”, the cop in my rearview mirror. A kill joy, someone to fear or at least avoid. This, friends, is the effect of original sin in us. God is someone to flee.
Poor God. How we twist things about Him. How we make Him out to be some grumpy boss who loves to order people around. Our vision of life slowly changes. Happiness is something to be grasped by ourselves. God is someone to flee. Adam and Eve hid themselves.
So what went wrong? We did. We failed to give God everything. Call it what you want . . . mistrust, selfishness, pride, arrogance . . . it’s all the same. Quietly God calls to us but we’re not in the mood to listen. We’ve forgotten something very important.
We’ve forgotten that God loves us. We’ve forgotten, that
in creating us out of nothing, He knows us better than we
know ourselves. And it’s from the love that thought us
up, we receive His will. And, get this, God’s will is our
true happiness! I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve
begged God for a particular outcome to a problem only to
discover God’s eventual answer was even better, smarter,
cleaner, kinder!
St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, prayed this
prayer (The Suscipe) for God to have all of him. Praying
this is like closing your eyes and falling into the arms of
God. See what you think.
O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my
understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all
that I possess, Thou hast given me: I surrender it all to
Thee to be disposed of according to Thy will. Give me
only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I will be rich
enough and will desire nothing more. Amen.
Still working on that “smile” thing.
How about you?
Some weeks ago in this space I mentioned a few “misconceptions” we have about God. The first, and probably most misleading, is the subtle way we manipulate God into being what we want him to be.
There’s a good reason why we have this tendency. After all scripture tells us we were “made in the image and likeness of God.” Genesis 2. The apostle John tells us “we are God’s children”. Jesus tells us to call God our “Father”. All these lead us to faith in God who is a “person”.
Yes, we are made in GOD’S image, we’re “like”
God. The gifts of intellect, freedom, and will make
us into “persons”. He created us “like” him because
he wanted to have a relationship with his creation
that was personal and capable of love.
Perhaps the most powerful affirmation of God being “like us” is in the very words of Jesus. When asked by Philip, “Lord, show us the Father.” Jesus said, “Philip, when you see me you see the Father. For the Father is in me and I in the Father.” John 14:8 No wonder we start thinking “God is like us”
But, here’s where we make our mistake. God is not
made in OUR image. He’s God! But that’s what we
so often do… we think of God acting as we would
act. And when it doesn’t happen the way we want
(when something seems “too late”, or “not
enough”, or “my wishful prayers go unanswered”) .
. . we start to think God just doesn’t care. God is
silent.
This brings us to a very important fork in the road.
We can submit to the fact that, as creatures, we
are given the privilege of knowing and loving God
OR we can declare ourselves The Boss and be our
own reason for existence.
Back to Adam and Eve . . . what was their temptation? “You will become like God.” said the serpent. They wanted a God “their way”, not as He truly is.
So what’s the solution to this tension (my way or God’s way)? It’s Jesus Christ. In him, God’s way becomes understandable and fully human. “I am the way, the truth and the life”, Jesus tells us.
My way or Christ’s way? Many walk away at this point. There was a critical moment in Jesus’s ministry when this very thing happened. He had just told the crowds that he is “the bread come down from heaven . . . the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. . . . as a result of this many of his disciples would no longer accompany him.” John Ch. 6 (read it all).
Jesus turns to the apostles and asks, “Do you also
want to leave?” What a moment! It’s either go back
to fishing and forget this Jesus OR SUBMIT to this
man as holding the key to human life. Peter, bless
him, answers, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life.” In other words . . . Lord
there’s no words of eternal life.” In other words . . .
Lord there’s no one else. YOU are God’s visitation to
us.
The stakes are pretty high. This is God’s way for me OR not. This is the one I will follow OR I’ll find my own way. This is the moment of Faith. It’s a moment of surrender to the mystery of God . . . as he is . . . not as I make him to be.
But remember, in the end, this is a surrender to
love. Jesus is the love of God. God’s love took on
human existence to be our brother, our shepherd,
our door to eternal life.
Dear God give us the grace to surrender to you just
as you are. Just as we see you revealed in your Son
Jesus Christ.
Has there ever been an Easter Sunday like this in your life? Remember your ashes on Ash Wednesday? Who
would have thought this?
But today, amidst the chaos and worry, our faith tells us Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
I’ve seen Him . . . no really, He’s there . . . in the men and women who put their lives at risk to save others . . .
In the good people exhausting themselves to find solutions to the virus chaos. . . . in the hope we hold in our
hearts, that by His death and Resurrection, Christ has secured an eternal home for the human race.
