If I stood here and thought I could explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity, then I would be a fool. Theologians for centuries have tried, but, the bottom line is this: God is a mystery that is experienced and lived. In our rational and scientific world, the fact that God cannot be found under a microscope or detected by the most sensitive equipment, people walk away from the faith saying it is all false.
For you and me here today, Jesus is all the proof we need. His life and mission reveal all we need to know about God: God is Love. Not a sappy, syrupy love, but a love that sacrifices, focuses on the other, gives life, endures, forgives and never ends. Reread First Corinthians 13 and all you need to know about who God is there.
In our baptisms, we are immersed into that Love and rise a new person with a new mission of life. Our mission as the baptized people of God is to spread the Love that is God into our world. Again, Jesus showed us how: to live and love as he did. Our baptism mandates a way of life that is not always easy, but, true love never is. True love takes effort on our part, has responsibilities, and means we live in specific way. Remember the words of a church song that was popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s: they will know we are Christians by our love.
This Love must be the core of how we are formed in the faith. We have focused too much on the head and learning the doctrine (which is important), and this has been at the expense of experiencing the God who is Love. We worship because of Love not because of duty. Two married people long to be in each presence; we should long to be in the presence of the ultimate Love. A marriage will not last if the two people are not in each other’s presence, neither can our faith. The same with being a person of faith.
On the Altar, in the Word and in the community gathered, pure Love is present in our midst. True Love is not found anywhere else on a Sunday morning but at the altar of the Lord. A life of prayer, acts of charity, celebrating the sacraments are all about Love…..about God.
In a day and age, when worship is becoming less and less important, our mission is to remind our brothers and sister about the power of God and what true Love can accomplish.
Why? St Paul tells us in Second Corinthians: For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
How? Slip a copy of this homily under their door; I usually post them on my blog on St Mary’s website. Invite someone to come with you. We all need to live as Christians will the values and morals that Jesus taught us. Pray for one person who has fallen away. Remember though: you and I need to do it more than once! Feel free to add to this list and then share with others what you have done.
Our mission is to bring people to Jesus; let God, let True Love do the rest.
