Trinity Sunday

From the Archdiocese of New York

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” From today's Gospel JN 3:16-18

Spring is a beautiful reminder of new life, where everything blooms. Summer is a beautiful reminder of joy, where we get to enjoy the beauty we saw blooming before. Then follows fall and winter, a time where the same beauty we once appreciated and enjoyed comes to an end and perishes. This could be the case with everything around us, just like flowers don't last forever, many of the things we buy and try to hold on to, pass away, even ourselves. Today’s Gospel reminds us of something that is beautiful and everlasting, faith in Jesus. He has promised that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but instead shall live in an eternal spring of everlasting life.

As we believe in the Son of God and accept Him as our savior, how do we live in this world of perishable things? The answer is time. Let’s take time to invest in things that do not perish, let’s make time to grow in our relationship with God. How to do that? Our prayer life for example, it is there that we can have a glimpse of eternal life when we come into contact with the Father. Reconciling with others, is also a very important part of having a healthy relationship with God.  By forgiving we are set free of grudges and resentments. Even if there is a justifiable reason for us to feel that way, these feelings weigh us down and take the space in our hearts where God wants to dwell.  And lastly, having a peaceful life, and this does not mean a problem-free life, but on the contrary to embrace our problems with love and faith. Living this way will make us emissaries of peace, men and women who know that even the biggest problem shall pass like everything else, but the peace will remain.

A good example of someone who lived a life trying to increase in “non-perishable assets” was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She had nothing that she could call her own, but her relationship with God.  She poured out her love for God through her work with the poor, and she was full of peace.  Her way of life, her Christian example, made her a model of peace. When she died, she didn't take anything with her, she died poor and weak, yet wealthy and strong in the love of God, and as a saint of heaven she will not perish.  Nor will the things that she did for others in the name of God, that are still bearing fruit in the world today.

Let us reflect on the things we do and give, and how these things are helping us grow in relationship with God, perhaps how these things will bring us a step closer to heaven. Just like Mother Teresa said: “Is not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts”, and this love can only be given if we truly believe in the resurrected Christ.

On this day, when we have witnessed weeks of turmoil in our cities, as believers in the One True God, who created all men and women in His image, we pray for peace, for an increase in faith and a fuller conversion of hearts for us all. Amen.