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June 14, 2019Today as we celebrate Trinity Sunday, the readings proclaim the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always acting out of love for humanity. God is love. It is one of the first lessons that we learn about God and it is certainly easier to comprehend than how there can be three persons in one God. But love only makes sense in relationship with someone else. A father loves his child, a wife loves her husband, two good friends love each other.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love each other with an unparalleled love, a perfect love. It is love that is ever-generous, ever-selfless. It is a love that brought God to create the human race, that brought Jesus to redeem the human race, that brought the Holy Spirit to sanctify the human race, through God’s very presence in us. They are the very model of love for us. Today, on the day on which we honor fathers – our own fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, godfathers, and fathers of all kinds – we look to the Holy Trinity as a model for the loving relationship we strive for in our own families.
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. -- Mark Twain
Gospel musician Hilding Halverson told of overhearing a conversation between his son
and two other little boys. The youngsters were bragging about their dads. One boy said proudly, "My dad knows the mayor of our town!" Another said, "So? My dad knows the governor of our state!"
Halverson's son then came up with this touching comment, "That's nothing—my dad knows God!" Upon hearing this, Halverson quickly slipped away to his room and, with tears in his eyes, said, "O God, I pray that my boy will always be able to say, `My dad knows God.'"He knew he had been paid the supreme tribute.
Next Monday, June 24 th, there will be a Parish Town Hall Meeting at 5:30pm in Memorial Park before our monthly St. Michael Night Out gathering in the Park, which begins at 6pm. The Pastoral Council and I are considering several upgrades to our church building which we think will enhance the historical beauty of our little church. These upgrades include new flooring (and in the case of the sanctuary restoring the marble/terrazzo flooring), lighting, and security cameras. Conrad Schmitt Studios has also come up with a proposal that would by means of decorative painting give a background to the Crucifix and statues of Mary and Joseph which would add an even greater beauty and harmony to our worship space.
The fiscal year ends on Sunday, June 30 th. Because of the good stewardship practiced by so many of our parishioners and the generous offerings of our visitors, we should meet the offertory goal that was projected in the annual budget. A stewardship ideal is that all parish expenses should be paid out of the offertory. If there is a costly parish project such as running a school or building a church, fundraising or a capital campaign might be necessary, but ideally fundraising should only be a last resort when needed. Therefore, the finance committee believes that the proposed upgrades can be paid for out of parish savings without any fundraising. I am most grateful for your continued generosity to your faith community.I am in Charlotte this weekend officiating at the wedding of Ashley Baker and Charles Purcell. The Purcell Family are dear friends. I am grateful to Fr. Joe Smith and Fr. Frank Ziemkiewicz for filling in for me.
Vacations and Weddings can often expand our awareness that the Church is truly Catholic, truly universal. When I am on the road, I always look for a bulletin in any Church I enter. I like looking at what other parishes are doing, and I am not afraid to “steal” their good ideas. So I’d be grateful if you’d bring me back Church bulletins from your summer travels. And since I am not here to nag you this weekend, I’d be very, very grateful if you’d sign up to have your family photo taken this week for our parish directory. I am sincere when I say it is a great prayer resource for me. It will allow me to pray for you not only by name, but also as I am visualizing you. I’d love for every parishioner’s photo to be in our new directory. Our last photo session will be this Tuesday.
Fr. Jerry Ragan
