May 31, 2015: The Most Holy Trinity
May 31, 2015: The Most Holy Trinity
Click to hear Audio Homily
A group of kindergarten children were asked the following question, "Who is God?" A little girl replied, "He is Jesus' father and he is our father." Pretty good answer, isn't it for a 5-yr. old? Then the children were asked, "Where does God live, and would you like to live with him someday?" Most of the children answered 'Heaven' and 'yes' they would like to live with him.
So I ask you a very simple question: "Do you want to be in Heaven?" What is your reply? Your answer reveals whether you are aware of the deepest desire that God has planted in you. Most of us can’t begin to imagine what heaven is or what it’s like. St. Faustina, the saint of the Divine Mercy, had an experience when receiving Holy Communion. She said,
“Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God.” At another time, she explained that the experience of Heaven was felt in her soul through the indwelling of the Holy Trinity. She wrote, “Once after Holy Communion, I heard these words: You are our dwelling place. At that moment I felt in my soul the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I felt that I was the Temple of God. I felt that I was a child of the Father.”
It seems as though Heaven and the Holy Trinity are intertwined; to be in Heaven is to be in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity, and to be in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity is to be enveloped in love that we cannot describe with earthly terms. Is Heaven and the presence of Holy Trinity far away from us? Mother Teresa said, “We all long for heaven where God is, but we have it in our power to be in heaven with Him right now, to be happy with Him at this very moment. But being happy with Him now means loving like He loves, helping like He helps, giving as He gives, serving as He serves, rescuing as He rescues, being with Him twenty-four hours a day, touching Him in His distressing disguise.
Why do we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity? In the past couple of months, we experienced Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Through these celebrations, we have been renewed in our faith that God is not distant or abstract. We firmly believe that God is love. This love is not sentimental or emotional. This love is the love of the Father who is the source of all life, the love of the Son who died on the cross and rose, and the love of the Spirit who renews man and the world. Jesus is the Son who reveal to us the merciful Father and brought to the world his ‘fire,’ the Holy Spirit. How do we unite with the Holy Trinity who dwells in us? It is through selfless love. Do we see in ourselves selfless love, or selfishness? Do our everyday actions reflect the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or trappings of the world. It is our choice to live the life the Holy Trinity sets out for us.
-Fr. Paul Yi
Click to hear Audio Homily
A group of kindergarten children were asked the following question, "Who is God?" A little girl replied, "He is Jesus' father and he is our father." Pretty good answer, isn't it for a 5-yr. old? Then the children were asked, "Where does God live, and would you like to live with him someday?" Most of the children answered 'Heaven' and 'yes' they would like to live with him.
So I ask you a very simple question: "Do you want to be in Heaven?" What is your reply? Your answer reveals whether you are aware of the deepest desire that God has planted in you. Most of us can’t begin to imagine what heaven is or what it’s like. St. Faustina, the saint of the Divine Mercy, had an experience when receiving Holy Communion. She said,
“Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God.” At another time, she explained that the experience of Heaven was felt in her soul through the indwelling of the Holy Trinity. She wrote, “Once after Holy Communion, I heard these words: You are our dwelling place. At that moment I felt in my soul the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I felt that I was the Temple of God. I felt that I was a child of the Father.”
It seems as though Heaven and the Holy Trinity are intertwined; to be in Heaven is to be in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity, and to be in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity is to be enveloped in love that we cannot describe with earthly terms. Is Heaven and the presence of Holy Trinity far away from us? Mother Teresa said, “We all long for heaven where God is, but we have it in our power to be in heaven with Him right now, to be happy with Him at this very moment. But being happy with Him now means loving like He loves, helping like He helps, giving as He gives, serving as He serves, rescuing as He rescues, being with Him twenty-four hours a day, touching Him in His distressing disguise.
Why do we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity? In the past couple of months, we experienced Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Through these celebrations, we have been renewed in our faith that God is not distant or abstract. We firmly believe that God is love. This love is not sentimental or emotional. This love is the love of the Father who is the source of all life, the love of the Son who died on the cross and rose, and the love of the Spirit who renews man and the world. Jesus is the Son who reveal to us the merciful Father and brought to the world his ‘fire,’ the Holy Spirit. How do we unite with the Holy Trinity who dwells in us? It is through selfless love. Do we see in ourselves selfless love, or selfishness? Do our everyday actions reflect the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or trappings of the world. It is our choice to live the life the Holy Trinity sets out for us.
-Fr. Paul Yi
