+Dear Saint David Parishioners,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in CCC #234, the Trinity is the central mystery of the Catholic faith. We can never fully comprehend its meaning due to our human limitations. However, we may recall in our elementary religion classes how Saint Patrick used the three-leaf clover to explain the Trinity to people. As the clover which has three distinct leaves, yet is one, so too in the Trinity we have God the Father – our Creator; God the Son – Jesus, our Redeemer; and God the Holy Spirit – our Advocate, Guide, and Sanctifier, one God, three distinct persons in the Trinity.
Another method of describing the Trinity to young people is by using an apple. In a children’s book entitled A Picture of God: 3 in 1, Joanne Marxhausen explains that the apple has three parts: the peel, the flesh, and the core; so too there is the one true God in three Divine Persons.
Each part of the apple has a specific purpose. As the peel protects the apple, so is God the Father our Creator and Protector. People committed sin, and to take the punishment for us, the Father sent His Son Jesus Who became flesh, died, and rose from the dead. Marxhausen continues. As the apple seed is buried in the ground so was Jesus, and as the seed sprouts from the ground, so Jesus rises from the dead to give us a happy, new life. To have this new life we must have faith in Jesus. Just as we believe a plant will grow from a seed, we believe that Jesus died and lives again to give us new life. That is faith in Jesus.
Our hearts are like the ground. The seed of faith planted in our hearts is God the Holy Spirit Who keeps our faith alive and growing. We water our faith and allow it to grow by reflecting on Scripture, by praying, by participating in the Sacraments, and by loving one another. With a strong faith and with God’s grace, we can then bear fruit. What unconditional love the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has for each one of us. May we continue to allow the Holy Spirit to help us grow in the unity of the one God, 3 in 1!
Happy and blessed Memorial Day to all! Our deep appreciation and prayers are extended to our dedicated veterans living and deceased who gave their all to protect this great United States of America. God bless America!
In Mary’s Immaculate Heart, I am,
Sister Mary