The Impact We Make

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The Israelites had an excuse, they had to get out quickly. But any savvy traveler will tell you, always pack food for the journey, at the very least a snack! Since God hastily called them to leave Egypt, and because the trip was long (forty years!), out of His loving kindness the Lord provided bread as food for their journey: manna given from heaven, and water from rock. To us it may not sound appetizing, but it certainly sustained them. In our first reading however, Moses told the Israelites, that it wasn’t the manna, but “every word that comes forth from the mouth of God”, (that is, His promise of love and fidelity), that kept them strong and moving onward. The manna was merely the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Today we celebrate the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus and the real presence of Jesus in our bread we call “Eucharist” (“Thanksgiving”). Traditionally known as “Corpus Christi” (Latin for “Body of Christ”), this feast day originated in France in 1246 and highlighted the fact that while manna fed the Israelites, it could not give them eternal life. Only the bread of Eucharist which God feeds us, will sustain us through our journey of life into heaven and eternity.

Those of us who share in this meal will always remain in Jesus and Jesus in them, as promised in today’s Gospel. If we eat his flesh (a word He uses instead of “body” to emphasize His humanity) as means of nourishment, and drink His blood, (blood was thought to be the bearer of life and sacred to God), Jesus will raise us up on the last day, just as The Father raised Bread for the Journey Him, to have eternal life with The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We know from personal experience that meals do more than just provide nourishment. Sharing meals can also create a bond that can heal divisions and transform relationships. St. Paul declares in Corinthians, that our sharing of the blessing cup of Christ’s blood and breaking the bread of Christ’s body generates a bond that not only unites with Jesus, but also unites us as a community (“body”). But we must always keep in mind that Christian community extends further than the walls of our Church or the gates of our neighborhoods. We are called to be “bread for the journey” to the poor by healing the division between those of us who have, and those who have not. Bread comes in all forms: sometimes our very hands, and encouraging word from our mouths.

Today is also Father's Day. We wish to celebrate Fatherhood and the important role models which Dads are called to be. They are often the  "bread" of their families in so many ways - especially by the impact they can make. Thank you Dad's  and may our prayer below help you to be all you wish to be as you model for us, by the impact you make, the best Father ever - our Heavenly Father!

A Father’s Day Prayer

Lord, we give thanks for Fathers,

For their love and affection.

For their support and guidance.

For their humour and playfulness.

Bless all Fathers and help them to continue to model God’s unconditional love.

Lord, bless all men who are Father figures for children.

Bless the important modelling they do for children.

By caring and nurturing children

they give them a glimpse of the goodness and tenderness of God. We ask our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Impression You Make

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In the Ascension we learn that Jesus withdraws, so that we might ourselves be sent out to make Him present in the world. At Pentecost we rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, whom we receive at Baptism and Confirmation and through whom as disciples of Jesus we proclaim the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father. Pentecost comes because all of us need a beginning - but we need one that has His guidance and inspiration - especially in our mission of discipleship. Today we celebrate the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In the Feast of the Trinity - God communicates with us and His message is an infusion into our lives. Each of us seeks to make an impression – even rocks makes an impression in the sand. Our impression is often in the form of communication – think of the various methods we have today to communicate – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Email and even carrier pigeon I guess. But what we communicate – or more specifically – WHO we communicate is the focus of the Trnity.

It is from God the Father that all begins - He is the infusor into our lives. Fom within that unity of God we find the image for ourselves too. The Trinity teaches us that we honour not three separate god’s distinct - but a unity in the impression of one generated from the Father. So too in our lives when the impression we make is in unity of purpose with God’s will for our life, and what we communicate is generated from the Father, we find that our lives are in harmony.

Often the anxiety we feel in life, the confusion we sense, or the turmoil we go through, is because we are embarking upon a path that is not in union and is leaving the impression of self and not God. This disunity is what causes the lack of harmony.

John’s Gospel talks about this plan as eternal life. That is our focus and was the focus of the life that Jesus had been discussing with Nicodemus earlier in the Gospel chapter mentioned today. In other words, to have eternal life is to experience the kingdom of God by being born of “water and Spirit,” and the gift of the Spirit of God is what enables us to live “eternal life” here and now. Eternal life, therefore, is the baptized person’s participation in the life of the Trinity.

So how do we make sure that we are leaving the impression and living in the image of the Triune God. Well two ways get us on the road:

• That we ask ourselves often in prayer (during our appointment with God) – who are we representing – whose impression are we leaving? In the witness that we give, in the way that we walk as Christians, in the wisdom we share with others – is it our impression or God’s impact we seek to make?
• That we discern and decide we will live vertical lives and not horizontal lives.  Horizontal lives just keep “plugging along”, they “get through” stuff, or as we have put it in other messages series – they “survive”, not “thrive.” But a vertical life is always pointing upward to God. In our witness, in our way, in our words and wisdom – pointing to Him and making sure we are in union with Him.

So the Feast of the Trinity asks – who are we communicating, what impressions are we making and who are we in union with? May it be the Trinity!

Pentecost

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Can you recall the greatest gift you ever received? Perhaps as a child, it was a long sought after toy. Or maybe the keys to your first car as a teen. How about that diamond ring that came with a proposal for marriage? Around the holidays, jewellers promote diamonds as the “gift that lasts forever.” One thing certainly is true, the best gifts are the ones that show the giver really knows you; are personal, and are exactly what you need!

Today, we the Church celebrate the greatest gift ever given, or ever to be given. Rising from the dead and alive again, Jesus knew he would soon ascend and return to His Father. Before leaving, He promised he would give a farewell gift, one of far greater value than any precious gem, one that truly lasts FOREVER! This gift is the right colour, the right size, and exactly what was needed. Today we celebrate the fulfilment of the promise: Jesus sending his most personal gift, the Holy Spirit.

But what is the Holy Spirit and how can we receive and use this gift today? The Spirit is symbolised by a dove to indicate its unpredictable yet gentle presence; or by fire (God appeared as fire in the Old Testament) to indicate its divine power. Describing the Holy Spirit, many have said it is love; or “that voice that nudges me into action;” “the unity of God;” a supernatural force; “how I see God working in my life, the day to day feeling of God’s grace.”

While these truly describe the Spirit, they are only SPIRITUAL GIFTS His attributes, not what He is. The Holy Spirit is NOT an animal, an energy, or an emotion; not a feeling or philosophy or a force. The Holy Spirit also is not a human being but he is a person, the third person of our Triune God, yet pure spirit. Sometimes it seems the old term “Holy Ghost” makes it easier to comprehend Him: a gentle and benevolent divine person without a material body.

During the Sacrament of Baptism, before pouring water, the minister lays their hands on the person and says “receive the Holy Spirit.” And because Jesus PROMISED this would happen, His personal Spirit flows out from the Father through Him, and rests within (“indwells”) the person. For many, nothing noticeable occurs, even though within this great gift, “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (as Paul describes in his letter to the Corinthians), always to strengthen and empower the individual. However, if one learns to be docile and yield to The Holy Spirit, amazing manifestations of God’s love can occur during our ministry: healing, wisdom, teaching, tongues, divine faith, evangelization and even miracles. These “gifts” of the Spirit (manifestations) are given to strengthen, empower and build up His church. The Holy Spirit also unites and energizes the Christian community as well, with the purpose of helping all the faithful to be able to communicate with and experience God within us and in the world. Truly the greatest gift ever given and one that is everlasting!