Unity of the Family = Unity of the Trinity
Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday in our Catholic Church. The Most Holy Trinity presents us with a mystery that is beyond the understanding of the human mind, a mystery that is understood in spirit and in truth through prayer, contemplation and Christian living.
St. Patrick gave us the explanation of the shamrock (or clover) – three leaves together on one stem – so that we could have a mental image to help us focus on the reality of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one Divine Person. Last week Monsignor Shora explained this unity at the 9.30am family Mass by bringing three children up to the altar and giving them a sign to carry; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In 15th Century Russia Andrei Rublev painted his famous icon of the Trinity that he offered to the Russian people during a time of discord and division, calling the people to contemplate, gaze on the icon so that it would lead them to unity.
As I spoke of several weeks ago in my reflections on the family, a unified family is a replica of the unity of the Holy Trinity. The communion between a husband and his wife and between parents and their children is the personification of the Holy Trinity in the family through the operation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the invisible protagonist between each family member. Every step in the journey of a family is taken under the sign of the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian love constitutes the very being of God. It is through the Holy Spirit that the family takes part in the vitality and vigour of the love that transcends from the Holy Trinity.
Where else can this transcendence in love be manifested other than in the Church and the liturgy. Participation in the Church community, the sacraments and the liturgy will allow our families to associate their communion with the communion of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, in focusing and reflecting on the importance of each family member and the role that they play over the last few weeks, my main aim was to help you to understand this very point: if they can accept the unity of the three persons of the Holy Trinity and understand how each person as unique as they are work together for the good of humanity, then they too can follow this example and strive to achieve the same. Allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and perfect their union is the key.
Fr Tony Sarkis
Our Children - A Gift from God
Dearest Brothers and Sisters,
Welcome to the Season of Pentecost. The Feast of Pentecost commemorates the day on which Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit. It was a moment in time when God broke into humanity to fulfil the promise that Jesus made to His disciples: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14: 26). Jesus knew that the gift of the Holy Spirit was the most important gift He could give them because it was the same Holy Spirit that led Jesus throughout His life. “He grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:40) Pentecost began a new era in which everyone, regardless of his or her language of origin, could hear the word of God through the Spirit. Pentecost is a time for each of us to hear God’s personal invitation to live a baptized life. The question is whether we will respond to His message or will His message be drowned out by the languages of the world that we are accustomed to hearing on a daily basis.
Continuing on the topic of the family, I would like to turn this week to the most precious gift from God – our children. Pope Francis says that children are gift to parents and society, and that there is no future for a civilization which views them as merely an inconvenience. Children, he said, “are the fruit of their parents’ love and a gift of God, whose own infinite love bestows inviolable dignity and worth upon each person who comes into the world.” He continues by noting how everyone has had the experience of being a child. To be children, he said, allows us to discover the free dimension of love, and to have the experience of being loved before doing anything to deserve it.
As parents do we cherish this gift by encouraging and supporting our children or do we discourage them by trying to control and dictate? Do we allow them to develop their own character or do we try to form them in a way that only suits us without allowing them to grow? Khalil Gebran, the famous Lebanese philosopher and poet says, “Your children are not yours, they are the children of life.” If we are good examples for them, then they will grow and learn through this example and the good life experiences that we provide. However, if we are bad examples, then we cannot blame them for choosing the wrong paths.
Last week we honoured two wonderful mothers who are great examples for us all at our Mother’s Day celebrations, Sr Constance Basha and Mrs Wardi Chahine. Their love and commitment to God and to this parish is extraordinary and we can all learn from their devotion. They have worked tirelessly during their lives in the service of this parish and they continue to do so. We honour them and all our mothers who are exceptional examples for us all. A big thank you to everyone who organized and participated in the Mother’s Day celebrations. Again, this day proved that when all our priests and committees collaborate and cooperate together with our parishioners, we can do wonders. Through your generosity we were able to raise just over $10,000 for the presbytery construction.
I pray that you all have a blessed week and truly experience the grace of the Holy Spirit in this blessed Season.
Fr Tony Sarkis
In honour of our grandparents
Brothers and Sisters, 
Welcome to the seventh and final week of the Season of the Resurrection. Today we celebrate the pivotal meaning of our faith through the new commandment that our Lord gives us – “Love one another…just as I have loved you.” If we take a moment to think about these words: Love one-another just as much as Jesus loved us. Are we able to do this? He loved us so much that He sacrificed His life for us. Are we able to sacrifice our lives for those we love? Our mothers and fathers sacrifice so much for us, husbands and wives sacrifice so much for each other and for their children, a priest sacrifices so much for his parish. But how can we love each other if we don’t love Him first and sacrifice of ourselves for Him. There are so many people that cannot afford to spend one hour with Him so that He can show them how much He loves them. They are more concerned about the material things about this world, the things that will not last. His love on the other hand will last forever
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Our grandparents are great examples of this love. When we think of our grandparents we think of the beautiful Lebanese saying: “there is no-one dearer than the child, other than the child of the child.” We see this saying in action in our parish when we see the abundant love that grandparents have for their grandchildren. I remember from my childhood how much my own grandfather played a big role in my life. He was a very wise man from whom I learnt so much.
Pope Francis tells us that grandparents play a key role in the lives of the youth. Reflecting on his own experience with his grandmother, he says that when the hearts of our grandparents are free from “past resentments and present selfishness,” they become attractive for the youth, “who hope to find in them a strong support in their faith and meaning for their lives.” He specifically pointed to the importance of prayer for grandparents, in which they are able to thank the Lord for many blessings that would otherwise go unnoticed, and intercede for the needs and hopes of the youth. This purifying ability of faith and prayer can also help society to find “the wisest way to teach the young that the true meaning of life is found in self-sacrificing love and concern for others.”
In our parish today we celebrate and Honour the life giving love of our Mothers and Grandmothers who truly manifest the commandment of our Lord by not only being examples but a living testimony to these words. No amount of thanks can exclaim the gratitude and love that we feel for them. No words can express exactly how much we love them. As I said last week, they teach us how to pray and how to communicate with God. Besides the gift of life, there is nothing on this earth that can be more valuable than this gift. Thank you for all that you do for your families, for your parish and for the world.
Don’t forget to look out for everything that is happening in our parish. We are bustling with the Marian spirit in this blessed month through all the spiritual celebrations, home visits, faith formation talks and we will be emanating the fragrance of roses this Friday as we celebrate the feast of St Rita. I look forward to seeing you throughout the week.
