The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the Most Holy Trinity – our awesome GOD. 

I like to use the metaphor of water in trying to teach second grade students this mystery of the Trinity.  To describe God the Father, we (my partner teachers) have the students think of flowing water.  We ask the following questions:  What makes up most of the earth?  WATER.  What is the one thing that the human body needs to survive?  WATER. God is as vast as the oceans, he “reigns” down from heaven, and we cannot live without him.

Maid in the Trinity ~www.catholicworldart.com

To describe God the Son, we get an ice cube.  We talk about how humans could not grasp God as the Father, just as we cannot hold liquid water in our hand.  So God the Father asked God the Son if he would leave heaven and become man.  The Son obeyed and for a time, humanity was given the gift of being able to touch God – physically touch him – a solid being and yet divine.  We could not hold on to him forever, for just as an ice cube melts in your hand and returns to liquid water, the Son had to return to heaven.

The Spirit was next and while the Spirit of God is promised all throughout scripture, the Son promised again that he would send an advocate.  We put the ice cube in a steamer and watch the steam rise to get an idea of the Spirit, a vapor, mysterious – you can pass your and through it but you cannot grasp hold of it.  Steam has the power to put things into motion just and the Spirit gives us strength when we need help.

This lesson may seem a little simple but oh, to see the students try to hold a cup of water in their hand, have them hold an cold ice cube – feel the smooth texture of it and watch it evaporate into steam is a remarkable thing to witness.  We can learn so much when we remember to marvel at the simplest things, when we remember that no matter what our age, we are children of God.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”                                                                                                                                                                                              Romans 8:16-17

Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.

Revelations 1:8

Shalom,

Tina

The Feast of Pentecost

I love the color red!  It is so vibrant and strong.  It is no wonder that red is the color chosen to represent the Spirit.  Last week I shared with you my prayer for the mystery of the Rosary, the Ascension.  Here is my prayer from Kennedy Prays for the third Glorious Mystery of the Rosary:

The Descent of the Spirit

I have learned that You keep the promises You make. Our covenant is sealed by the grace

and strength of the Holy Spirit. It is a strength that I cannot explain but I know that I am

ready to go forth and spread the good news of Your life and work! I have the strength to

proclaim that You, my Jesus, are the Son of God – the chosen one – My Savior! Hallelujah!

Have you ever felt strength beyond what you can explain as your own?  Have you ever had the power to do something that you did not think you could possibly do?  That strength comes from the Spirit of God.  Jesus did not leave us alone, he sent an advocate, the Holy Spirit. 

Being able to put to words the experience of the illness and death of my mother has helped me along in the grieving process.  I hope that my experience helps you somehow grow in faith or heal any sorrow that you may be carrying inside of you.  When Mom lost the use of her legs, I knew that I had to sing Psalm 116:  The Presence of God by Tom Kendzia, for her Mass of Christian Burial.  I also knew that the choir would be in the loft and would have my back should I fail to have the strength to give my Mom this last gift.  I had sung this to her a few times during her last months to remind her that she would indeed “walk in the presence of the Lord” for she always sang of the good things that God had done for her.

Now, I often pray for strength to proclaim the psalm before I leave my seat, but on the morning of December 31, 2014, I prayed with a vengeance for the strength needed to accomplish these corporal works of mercy of the funeral liturgy and burying my Mom.  Before I stood to pray the psalm, I sent one last request for strength and I want to bear witness to you of the Descent of the Spirit, for as I rose from my seat, I felt a power come over me that cannot be explained.  It was unworldly – the best way that I can describe the feeling is to say that I was given my own personal Pentecost at that moment.  The feeling was so intense and I was given the strength needed to stand and face my Mom’s earthly remains and proclaim with certainty that she would “walk in the presence of the Lord.” 

When we listen to the experience of Pentecost for the first followers of Christ we hear how there was a strong wind and tongues of fire came and rested over their heads.  Oh I have felt the heat of this fire!  One of my cousins recently shared with me that her mother saw rays of light coming from my fingertips when I raised my hands to invite those assembled to pray the psalm together.  This vision further affirms for me that the strength I needed truly was the Holy Spirit.  It wasn’t me – it was God working through me. 

Our God is so amazing and his Spirit is right there for the asking.  Call upon it when you need help to get through life’s daily struggles and life’s hardest battles – for I assure you that when you ask God will indeed provide.

Shalom,

Tina

Seventh Sunday of Easter ~ The Ascension of Jesus

Have you ever experienced the joy in being reunited with a dear friend or family member whom you have not seen in some time?  Just to hear their voice, their laughter, to see the light in their eyes brings comfort and somehow makes you feel whole again.  Then reluctantly, you must return to your corner of the world and feel a little melancholy for a few days because you miss being in their presence.

This is something that I think about quite often when I reflect upon the resurrection and ascension of our Lord.  I often wonder what it was like for the apostles, friends and family of Jesus when he told them that he would be leaving them once again after rising from the dead.  I mean, really, that had to feel like their heart tearing in two all over again.  As I was thinking about this, I remembered a prayer that I submitted to be published in a book of prayers which I was lucky enough to help create with students and administration of John F. Kennedy Catholic School, Kennedy Prays.  I would like to share the prayer which I wrote for the second Glorious Mystery, The Ascension.

I feel such peace in Your presence but now You say You must go. Your father awaits You. I am afraid to be without You again. Yet – as You rise to the Heavens – to Your father – the Peace remains with me. You have left part of Yourself here. You reside within me! Thank you! Hallelujah!

 

When Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered death and was buried, his mother, family members and friends were left with a terrible sense of loss.  Their world was ripped in two just as surely as was the temple.  Three days of darkness and their world opened back up again just like the gates of heaven when Jesus stood in their midst in the upper room.  They came to realize that indeed he was the Son of God.  After spending 40 glorious days once again in his presence, he tells them he must go.  Did they beg him to stay?  I wonder. 

 

I tend to think that this separation did not bear the same agony as his death; for they could now be certain that he was going to prepare a place for them in heaven.  This separation brought them hope that they would be reunited with Jesus in the kingdom of God.

 

This is a hope to which I cling, especially since my mother went home to heaven.  I long for the day to be reunited with her in the presence of the Holy One.  Until then, I will do my best to  . . .

 

“live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”                                       Ephesians 4:2-3

 

Shalom,

Tina

Sixth Sunday of Easter ~ Mother’s Day Blessing

Happy Mother’s Day!  This will be a difficult day for me as this is the first Mother’s Day that I and my family will experience with our Mother residing in Heaven.  Today is also my Father’s birthday, so we will be celebrating both life and death this day.  My Mom had an intense devotion to Mother Mary, so while I miss my Mom terribly, I can’t help but smile thinking of her celebrating this day with the Blessed Mother.  I imagine all the women in heaven gathering for a lovely tea as Mary shares stories of Jesus as a child.  Those years were not recorded for us, for Mary pondered them in her heart, but it is great fun to imagine Mary sharing those stories with other mothers in heaven!

My life has been filled with wonderful moments created by my mother.  In sharing some of the stories with you, I hope that some of my stories might trigger a happy memory of your own mother and childhood!

Birthdays ~ We had great family parties!  We were allowed to have what was then called “slumber parties” for a few of our friends.   Oh, the food she would make and the cake!  What I now realize is that while she created wonderful memories for me, this taught me a bigger lesson in life to not get caught up in materialism.  The important thing about celebrating is being with family and friends, not in the theme or elaborate setting.  The older I get, the more I understand this lesson. 

Vacations ~ our vacations were also focused on family.  My mom would often apologize to us for not being able to take us on a big fancy vacation but oh my gosh the fun we had visiting our cousins in Maryland and Indiana!  We thought that was great!  Our dad was very involved in the Optimist Club when we were young, so our vacations were often tagging along with them to conventions.   I do not know how my mother packed up six children, one husband, and everything needed for the hospitality room while in heels and looking fabulous the entire time.  Geez I can’t hold a candle to that!  Like my mom, I carry this guilt that our younger children have not been to Disney or Universal Studios or Niagara Falls. Our vacations have been to visit wherever their older brother lives and the yearly trip to the shores of Lake Erie with the McCue clan.  Another life lesson which I am still learning; it does not matter where you go but who you are with on the journey. 

Mother’s Day ~ as a young mother it bothered me that my mom was still the one doing all the work on Mother’s Day!  I would be fierce with my dad, husband and brothers that they should be doing the work.  Ah, another life lesson.  My mom was all about serving others.  Our Mother’s Day celebrations gave her the chance to once again feed her six children and their families.  This is a lesson that I need to learn, for in my selfishness, I want a day to be served rather than to serve.  I pray for the strength to daily remember “it is better to serve than be served.” 

So Mom, thank you for being such a wonderful Christian Mother, teaching me by word and deed how to walk like Jesus.  To all mothers and caretakers, thank you for being Jesus to those you love and serve.

Shalom,

Tina

Fifth Sunday of Easter ~ Remain In Me

Well, once again, God has provided fitting scripture for another milestone of our parish community.  Today, we celebrate with our high school seniors to honor and support them as they prepare to graduate from high school.   Life after Graduation is marked with a multitude of emotions for both the parents, and the teen who must learn how to become a young adult in today’s world.

We know that while scripture was written to a specific audience, it is at the same time speaking to us today in Northeast Ohio in the year of our Lord 2015.  I pray that all who read this blog are strengthened in their faith as I address the Class of 2015.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope that you pay heed to the words of Jesus Christ when he says to us “Remain in me, as I remain in you.  Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.”     John 15:4

YOU are the first class to which I taught Sacramental preparation.  I remember being scared out of my mind with the weight of that responsibility.  Just as I wanted to be sure that you were prepared to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist for the first time, I want to be sure that you are armed with the knowledge of your Catholic faith as you walk onto the path of your adult life.

He is the vine – you are the branch.  Remember this little song “He’s the vine and we’re the branches, he’s the vine and we’re the branches, he’s the vine and we’re the branches, and that’s why we’re bananas for the Lord.” 

You will meet others, as no doubt you already have, who have no idea who Jesus Christ is or have heard how he suffered, died and rose so that we might enjoy eternal life.  Throughout your lifetime, you will come across people who will question your beliefs.  My prayer for you is that you REMAIN IN JESUS, AND ALLOW HIM TO REMAIN IN YOU. 

Count for a minute how many times you may have said to your parents, “Why do we have to go to Church?”  You must now look in the mirror and ask yourself, “How am I going to remain in Jesus and allow him to remain in me.”  It is solely your choice whether to stay attached to the vine or reject the vine. Every adult faces this same question.  I want you to remember when you make this choice every day, the rest of the scripture verse “a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine.”  I bear witness to you that a life connected to the vine brings joy beyond measure.  Being connected to the vine gives strength that is needed to survive the hardships of life. 

My friends, just as it is necessary to attend college or a trade school to learn skills and gain knowledge for your future, it is necessary to remain connected to the Church to help you stay connected to the vine.  It is not the Church who makes this command; it is our very God who asks this of us, for it is written, “Keep holy the Sabbath.”  When you make the choice to love others, to serve others and to keep holy the Sabbath, you glorify the God who created you, and you will be rewarded with gifts beyond your imagination. 

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.  By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

John 15:7-8

Know this, I love you because God loved you into being, and know that I am here should you need me.

Shalom,

Tina