Trinity Sunday - A Homily
Friends,
Happy Father's Day to all the dads who read this and blessings to those who desire Christian fatherhood.
It truly felt like summer this past week. The world is lush and green. The scripture readings this weekend paint visions of God bringing forth a beautiful people of faith. Ezekiel describes a sprig that once planted spreads its branches across the world. It is a lovely image of our church. A people blessed become as the psalmist declares, a people who "flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall they grow. They are planted in the house of the LORD and shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be."
Our parish, Seven Dolors in Manhattan Kansas is blessed to be in a college town and near a army base, Ft. Riley. Throughout the year, we have visitors returning to our parish to remember a formative part of their life. Often, they departed to new homes due to military service or simply that they completed their time at university. But they found some mustard seed of faith that has grown within them. Whatever the reason, it is lovely to have guests return and share stories of where their faith has taken them. We seem to have a ministry as a place where faith can be formed. My regular prayer is that we continue to find ways to plant the mustard seed in each generation anew.
Let us all continue to raise up people of faith.
Since it is summer, many of you will be traveling on vacation. Continue to stay connected with the church through attendance at Mass during your trip. Share your faith with those parishes. And remember to bring back to your home parish a bit of the faith you find during your travels.
Be well and God bless,
Deacon Ed Souza
If this writing was helpful, please some of my other writings on growing the faith. Including "On Vines, Faith, and Time".