Mk 12:38-44 Two Cents

Mk 12:38-44  Two Cents

(Click here for readings)

A poor widow came and put two small coins worth a few cents.  Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury.   For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

When something is very precious we say it is of great value.  When we say something weighs a ton we mean to say it has tremendous weight.  But for God, something “of great value” or “of tremendous weight” can actually refer to two small coins. 

I have no sense of direction.  I always get lost.  Thank God for GPS!  Believe me.  Some people are really bad at remembering directions.  I am horrible!  I not only get lost getting to someone’s house, I get lost leaving their house.  I am doomed if I don’t pay attention to where I am going and damned if I do!   I get lost everywhere, even in parking lots.   One day I was convinced that someone had stolen my car.  I was absolutely convinced of it.  But before I called the police, I decided to press the panic button on my keychain.  Although my internal GPS might not be good, my hearing is.  Over time I learned a trick:  to do the opposite of what I am thinking.  When I think I need to turn right, I will turn left.  When I am convinced I need to go north, I will go south.  If I do the opposite of what I think, I typically end up on the right side of the neighborhood.

Since the world thinks its standing right side up, I need to think upside down.  When the world thinks its heading in the right direction, I know it’s heading in the wrong direction. 

“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets.”

Wow!  That’s me.  That’s my natural idea of success.  Maybe it’s yours too.  Every day I yank out my internal yard stick and measure how I’m doing.  Let’s see…how many dinner invitations did I get this week?  How many people recognized me at the Pancake House this week?  How many people congratulated me after Mass?  Let’s see how I’m doing on the road to success!  Did I hear the roar of the crowd today?  Was it more or less than yesterday?

What does the Lord have to say about this?  BEWARE!

What do you consider to be success?  What’s your internal yard stick measure?  Is it the number of glances or winks you got in a single day?  Or the number of people who came up to you and said, “You look so beautiful!”  Do you keep track of how many dates you went on?  Or how many friends called you this weekend?  Do you keep count on the number of friends you have on Facebook or the number of high school or college graduation parties you were invited to?  Is it the number of pounds you lost?  We all know your list is long so keep going… 

St . Paul tells his young disciples, Timothy, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power:  proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching…“Be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry…I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.  From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.”  (2Tim 4:1-8)

Wow!  Do I think like this?  Do I even pretend to live like this?

The key understanding St. Paul is to understand Jesus Christ.  What does the Lord consider to be success?  What’s important to Him and how does He measure it?  The answer is found in the greatest commandment:  Love God and your neighbor as yourself.  How does the Lord measure this Love?  Not in inches or in pounds but in sacrifices. 

Let’s start measuring ourselves according to Christ’s specifications.  In this way, two cents will be much more than its weight in gold!

Mk 12:35-37 Jesus Is Lord

Mk 12:35-37  Jesus Is Lord

(Click here for readings)

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?  David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:  The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.’  David himself calls him ‘lord’; so how is he his son?”  The great crowd heard this with delight.

Throughout the entire week, we have read how the Pharisees, scribes, chief priests, elders and Herodians were attempting to trip Jesus up.  They never succeeded.  They never arrested his ideas.  They only succeeded in arresting him, and only temporarily. 

Christ taught the crowd and the crowd was delighted.  Finally, they thought, someone who speaks to us from the heart.  Someone who not only believes but witnesses to the truth they preach. 

But what is even more impressive, more impressive than a heart-filled preacher or a person who lives what they preach, is a person who can relate the truth of the Word of God and the Word made flesh with the confusing words coming from the crowd.   That is an achievement!

I recently read from the Public Research Institute that 62% of millennial Catholics (born between 1988 and 1994) say “present-day Christianity is judgmental”.  I have a few problems with this.  It is one thing to say to someone “You’re so judgmental”, but it’s actually a much smarter thing to be able to recognize how judgmental that statement you made is. 

I don’t have a problem calling some of our youth very judgmental because I’m judgmental too.  It takes one to know one.  And I know plenty of them.  I know how quick they are to judge their mom or their dad or their teacher or their friends.  So, I don’t find it surprising in the least that they would be so judgmental to their Church?  It’s who they are!  So let them!  Let them learn from their mistakes, unless it kills them.

I know enough to know they love their parents when they let them get what they want.  I know enough of them to know they hate their parents when they don’t get what they want.  Why would the Church, Holy Mother Church, not suffer the same growing pains parents suffer from?  

I know our youth are happy with their Church when the Church judges something to be good and right that they think it’s good and right.  I think the problem begins when their Church declares something to be bad or wrong when they think it’s good for them and it’s their right.  That’s when the Church becomes “judgmental”!  But it’s actually the moment the Body of Christ (or Holy Mother Church), invites them to be meek and humble of heart rather than scornful, threatening or insulting.  Only you Lord have the words of eternal life!   

But my biggest concern with this survey is the very low percentage (62%) of Catholics who think Christianity is judgmental.  I would have hoped and prayed that 100% of our youth would have agreed that Present day Christianity is judgmental.  [Notice, they don’t say that “Christians” are judgmental; they say “Christianity” is judgmental].  That’s important because we judge issues, not people!  We tell it the way it is, just like Christ.  If anything, Christians are far nicer than our “present-day” youth who judge issues poorly and people harshly!  Did you ever hear the Holy Father call someone a jerk or stupid?  Did the Holy Father ever use an expletive before the word “gay” or “atheist” or “socialist” or “communist”?   Did the Holy Father ever speak directly or harshly about a President or Dictator or Puppet?

We are only judge issues and forgive the mistakes that people make.  Unlike many of our present day youth, we do not insult or use vulgarities or throw punches or stones or bricks or even pies at our elderly, our parents or friends or teachers or politicians or “enemies” because they take a stand that we oppose. 

To never pass judgment on anything would be like never saying anything is right or wrong.  It’s like saying to our ancestors: “We have nothing to learn from you!  Go back to your dead!”  It’s like saying to our history professors, “Who cares if we repeat history!”  It’s like saying to our professional Shrink, “I ain’t got nottin to learn from my past mistakes!”  God forbid we would be so naïve to think this way. 

How funny it is that 38% of our Catholic youth say that Present-day Christianity is not judgmental?  How sad it is that more than 25% of our Catholic youth leave the Church by the age of 24.  Do they think it is different from ‘Ancient-day’ Christianity? 

Here it is!  Here is the biggest problem facing our youth:  no one dares teach them right from wrong, good from evil, holy from unholy.  Today it’s all about diversity!  It’s the key word!  A local Catholic school prides itself by saying, “We are a ‘diverse’ school.”  We are proud of our “diversity”.  That’s right!  Actually…that’s neither right nor wrong.  No one is wrong.  No one is right.  Nothing is bad.  Nothing is good.  If we were only talking about a child’s height or race I wouldn’t have a problem with it.  I wouldn’t have a problem with it because it isn’t a problem.  But that’s not the problem.  It’s not a child’s height or race we are discussing.  It’s a Catholic child’s faith.  And a child’s faith will determine the important decisions they make and the serious consequences they take.  Their faith will determine how well they live the rest of their life:  for better, for worse, in sickness or health, death or eternal life.

Our present-day Catholic youth that come from our Catholic Universities appear to never get more than a scratch from the sword that is the Word.  Although many of our youth participate in “Social Justice” missions almost none participate in Gospel missions:  Go throughout the whole world and preach the Good News.   As a result, our Social Justice has become their Peace Corp.  It’s all about doing some good and feeling some good about oneself without ever experiencing the pain that Christ experienced:  rejection.  It’s become a safe way to win the approval of the crowds while never getting the opportunity to have stones thrown at you for preaching the Good News.  There is nothing wrong with the Peace Corp.  But there is something even greater to offer in His Corp while in His Church and School. 

To bring clean water to poor areas is great.  To bring people to baptism is even greater.  There is nothing wrong with sharing some of our bread and wine.  But our Lord would love to share his Body and Blood.  There is nothing wrong with fundraising to remove a sadistic leader as the head of a child army.  But don’t we have kids with guns here?  Don’t we have kids here with all the clean water in the world but no clear idea of who Jesus Christ is? 

Jesus is not a social worker.  He is much more.  Jesus is not a revolutionary.  He is much, much more.  Jesus is not a protest marcher or a liberal or a conservative.  He is much, much more.  JESUS is LORD.  He is the same, yesterday, present-day, forever.  Our Catholic youth need to know that NOW.

Mk 12:28-34 Missing Link!

Mk 12:28-34  Missing Link!

(Click here for readings)

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”  Jesus replied, “The first is this:  Hear, O Israel!  The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these.”

There are some who deny original sin because they deny free will.  They deny it so that they can deny their sins.  They say, “This is who man is.” or “This is what men do.”  But then they go on to say that we’ve made so much progress over the centuries.  Look at what we have become!  But if we’ve made ‘progress’, doesn’t that imply we started from ground zero or better yet, from a negative?  And how would anyone know it was “progress”? Instead of progressing, maybe we’ve been regressing?  

Without a Standard, it would be impossible to know if we are actually going up or falling down.  Without the Sun, it wouldn’t make much sense to talk about night and day.  

I think the doctrine of the Fall of Man is obvious, very obvious.  It is made obvious by the way we speak about one another.  I have never heard someone complain at Sea World that a whale was not “whaley” enough.  I have never seen a bird that did not act like a bird.  But I have often heard others say, “This man is not ‘manly’ enough.”  Why?  What’s missing?  I think it’s pretty clear.  There’s a link that is missing between God and man and man with man.

You shall love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself.  We will always be at war with one another until we find peace with God.  We will always be “too manly” or not “manly enough” until we find ourselves united to the Son of Man.  There will always be saints and sinners; saints that have found the right stuff and sinners that come close but that are either “too manly” or not “manly enough”. 

Teach me your ways, O Lord (Ps. 25:4). Christ is The Missing Link that connects God to Man and Man to his brother and sister.  He sets everything right after we made everything wrong.  He gave us the standard:  Love God above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself.  He taught us the way:  Make yourself last and you shall be first.  Imitate me.

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a friend of mine who has four young boys.  I know his boys.  I know his family.  He and his wife will be saints one day!  This is what he wrote.

“Two weeks ago I lost a Mont Blanc pen, and last week my Bluetooth earpiece.  We have been searching for days without luck.  I offered a reward of $40 for the pair.  Tonight at dinner one of my boys suggested praying to St. Anthony, which I did.  Within two hours, both items were found in the course of normal activity!  Even better, when I offered him the $40 for his help, he took $5, and suggested I put the rest in the offering plate on Sunday!  Knock me over with a feather!”

To search for the pen, find it and take the money and run would have been the “too manly” thing to do.  To give up without searching would have been the “not so manly” thing to do.  To pray and search would have been the manly thing to do.  But to pray, seek and find the missing pen and lose the money was the greatest thing anyone could do.  It is the “God-man” thing to do.

Meghan Vogel had just won the race of her life.  She was the 1600 meter state champion, the first girl from West Liberty Salem to win a track title in more than 20 years.  But Meghan Vogel will not be remembered for the race she won; instead, she will be remembered for the race she finished in last place. 

Immediately after her stunning victory, Meghan had to race again.  Exhausted, she was just trying to finish the race.  As she was coming around the turn, with 100 meters left, she saw another runner, about 50 meters in front of her, fall to the ground.  Her opponent was done, finished, toast.  But what Meghan did next surprised the hell out of everyone.  To have ignored the girl on the ground and just run past her would have been the obvious thing to do; the “too manly” thing to do [Survival of the fittest, remember?].  To pick her up would have been the “not so manly” thing to do [It’s a race not a dance].  But to pick her up and let her cross the finish line before you, well…that can only be one thing:  the “God-man” thing to do.  And that’s exactly what she did. 

The local newspaper got it right: “Runner victorious by finishing last.”

Christ is our missing link.  He came to connect himself to us; the first with the last, so that the last could be first.  Have you accepted Him?  You don’t need to go out and search for Him.  He is not lost.  We are lost without Him!  It is not we who found Christ; it is Christ who found us. He picked us up while we dragged Him.  He carried us while we crucified Him.  He saved us when we killed Him.  His Cross forever connects Heaven to Earth and God to man.  He nailed himself to us.  He is at the center of our lives.  And this relationship will endure until the end of the world; until there will be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1).  

To love someone means to link yourself to them.  The way Christ loves us is the same way we love another:  by holding them in our arms. 

Mark 12:18-27 The Big Bang of Mistakes

Mark 12:18-27  The Big Bang of Mistakes

(Click here for readings)

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’  Now there were seven brothers…” 

Hypothetical scenarios are a great tool for discerning the wisdom of an argument.  However, Hyper-theatrical scenarios (exaggerated or highly improbable situations presented in order to create a show), are a lousy tool for discerning the wisdom of an argument. 

In today’s Gospel, the Sadducees pose a hyper-theatrical scenario to Jesus.  The Lord puts an end to the discussion (and “show”) with one decisive and embarrassing blow.

Did you ever take math in College?  If you did, did you ever experience what is often referred to as a “stupid” mistake?  I did and on multiple occasions.  If you don’t know, a “stupid mistake” in math is something like this:  You work long and hard, diligently and deliberately, through a huge mathematical problem.  You show all your work in excruciating detail and employ all the latest mathematical techniques you know.  Then, when you get your quiz or test back, you’re stunned to see that you got a 90 rather than a 100 because you made one stupid mistake in addition at the very beginning of your masterpiece.  Argh!!!!!

The Sadducees made one stupid mistake at the very beginning of their hyper-theatrical argument.  In their emotionally driven craze to outwit Jesus, they forgot something.  They forgot that God is the God of the living.  And if He is the God of the living, then it must mean that no one really dies.  I wonder how many hours they spent formulating their scenario to present to Jesus.  I wonder how many people were involved.  

It’s no wonder the Lord told them, “You are greatly misled.” 

It’s bad enough to be greatly misled.  It’s even worse to mislead others.  That’s what so many of our politicians, friends and neighbors have been doing for years.  They’ve been misleading folks in a big way.  Of course it didn't start that way, but a little bit of illogic eventually creates a big bang of confusion. 

I would hate to think that there are people out there that agree with me simply because they know me or that they agree with my point of view.  I would prefer that people agreed with me because my arguments were logical and that they stood on solid ground.  God is solid.  The Church is the Rock.  The Church lives by faith and logic.  If God is the God of the living, then anything contrary to life is wrong, period.  If a man is designed to be with a woman, then any other type of design is flawed, period.  You might not agree with me, but don't tell me I don't make sense.

When a relativist comes up to me and matter-of-factly tells me, “There is no truth.”  I let them matter-of-factly know they just contradicted themselves:  If there is no truth, then how can you know the truth that there is no truth? Even more interesting is the male Pacifist who is also an abortionist that comes up to me and says, “War is wrong because it kills innocent people.”  If he is against war, then he better think of another reason why he is against it.  He is just as inconsistent as the female Naturalist who prefers organic foods to chemical ones but uses artificial contraceptives rather than natural family planning. 

Of course everyone can feel however they want.  But feelings come and go unlike the truth that lasts forever.     

I wish our Catholic Middle Schools and High Schools would offer one semester of Logic.  I can tell you right now it would give our schools and students an incredible advantage over all the kids and schools in Dallas.  Kids that think logically would save our parents, teachers and society a lot of hard ache and headaches.  It might even put an end to the talk shows where talking about our problems is cheap and solving them is elusive.  Finally!!!  Finally!!! We could have conversations that went beyond feelings, emotions and sentiments.  Finally!!!  Finally!!!  We could have issues that were no longer emotionally charged but rather candidly honest.  Finally!!!  Finally!!!  We could know the objective God of love and truth, rather than the subjective god of feelings and desires.    

The Sadducees resorted to some roundabout sentimental scenario to justify their position.  The Lord struck a fatal blow when he said, “If there is no resurrection, then God would not be the God of the living but of the dead.   

God is the God of the living, not of the dead.  Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead not because we feel him but because He did.  “When we take our “feelings” off the throne, God can come in and give us gifts, both of faith and even of feelings, that we could never give ourselves.  But He does it in His time schedule, not ours.  He’s a lover, not a train.” (Peter Kreeft)

Let’s solve our problems by thinking through them and not by accepting our way to them.

Mk 12:13-17 Why So Nice?

Mk 12:13-17  Why So Nice?

(Click here for readings)

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. 

Those who harm you the most are often those who were the kindest to you.  They tend to inflate you before they puncture you! 

I can’t exactly remember where I read it, but I do remember reading a comment from a war historian that went something like this: “A sudden burst of kindness from an antagonist is a sure sign of imminent treachery.”  

We love to fatten the calf before we slaughter it.  It tastes better that way.  The same hold true for those who back stab you.  They savor every moment, especially the last moments, before they strike and kill.

Does any of this sound familiar?  Maybe you have heard a slightly modified version of this from your kids.

“Mom, you are an amazing cook….Do you think I could…?”

“Dad, you are the best dad ever!!!  Can I…?

When asked to give his opinion regarding Détente, Ronald Regan once said: “Isn’t that what a farmer has with his turkey – until Thanksgiving?” 

The Pharisees and the Herodians came up to Jesus and said to him, “We know that you are a truthful man.”  Wow!  Thank you so much!  I never thought I would hear that from you.  I really appreciate it.  “We also know that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.”  Aw shucks.  That’s so kind of you.  “You do not regard a person’s status…”  That’s true.  I don’t.  Thanks for noticing.

This sudden and unexpected burst of kindness, cordiality and flattery from these Jews leaders did not go unnoticed.  The disciples may have thought (naively) that they were coming around. But the Lord, who knows fallen human nature, knew better.  So when the Jews suddenly began to say so many kind things about him, we knew it was a well planned trap. 

If you think about it, everything they said is true!  That’s not the problem.  The problem is what they said underneath their breath. 

“We know that you are a truthful man” [because we are not].

“We know that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion” [like we are].

“We know that you do not regard a person’s status” [like we do].

   

They said all the right things while they were standing for all the wrong things!  Their words could be considered a type of Freudian slip, for they spoke honestly but never intended to be so.  If the Lord was a fraud, did they really need to be so dishonest to prove him wrong?  If the Lord was truly the Son of God, did they really think that they could trip up God? 

Talk about being confused! 

Their minds were twisted.  Their minds were perverted.  Their minds were a mess.

Give to man what belongs to man.  Give to God what belongs to God.  What belongs to God?  Man.  What belongs to man?  God. 

God doesn’t need our cleverness.  He doesn’t need our lies, our filth or our deceptions in order to convince Him of our love for Him.  If we want to defend God in our homes and in our society then all we need to do is give to God what belongs to God; that is, give Him the naked truth of ourselves and the naked truth of His Son’s love for us.  Let us give to God and man our fidelity and love.  That’s it. 

We don’t need to be sneaky, manipulative, and dishonest.  All we need to be is true and loving. 

Mk 12:1-12 Rejected But Never Lost

Mk 12:1-12  Rejected But Never Lost

(Click here for readings)

Jesus said, “Have you not read this Scripture passage:  ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’”

Have you not read this Scripture passage? How long has it been since you read this Scripture passage?  Actually, how long has it been since you read Sacred Scripture? 

The stone the builders rejected.  I have no idea how any Christian in their right mind could justify any law that goes against God’s stone; that is, the stone containing the Ten Commandments; or the Rock that is His Church.  How does a Christian reconcile abortion, euthanasia, and gay-marriage with Scripture or the Rock?  Is any civil law above God’s law?

Let’s say for a moment that today’s parable, of the man who planted a vineyard and leased it to some tenant farmers, was actually a powerful literary masterpiece describing God’s world leased to man and what we have done with it.  I don’t think I’m stretching it if I were to say  that all Scripture is a carefully worded masterpiece of a contract or living arrangement between God, His world and us.    

For example, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; make and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:26-27).  We know from Scripture (and from science), that we came on to the world scene last, and even though we were last, we know, “the last shall be first.”  Hence, we were given dominion over the whole world and all that belongs to it.  Of course, like good tenants, we are obliged to respect not only God’s property rights, and all His creatures, but also His laws.  After all, it's His Creation.  It's His baby!  He built it.  He designed the rules:  the physics rules, biology rules, chemistry rules, etc… He holds the patents; we lease them.  Could God not have created all humans male? or female?  Why both?  Please don’t tell me because we needed someone to love.  That’s ridiculous.  Why both then?  Was it to make things clearer, a little more obvious?  That Human love is an image of God’s love because it creates life?

A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower.  Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.  Recently, we’ve been working at a feverish pace to re-word or re-write our entire contract with God.  There’s no problem with this unless you don’t involve in the negotiations the Rightful Owner or a major signer of the contract.  I guess we could prepare something if we would only respect His Word.  We all know what He demands.  He chiseled a crucial piece of it in stone long ago.  He gave us His Son and His closest advisors to make it much clearer and to set the record straight.  And yet, don't you find it quite criminal (to say the least) to take away His property rights, His negotiating powers, His “God-given” rights just because He’s currently away? He's actually never away.  We just sent Him away!

In you, my God, I place my trust.  It shouldn't be hard to place your trust only in God.  Just take a look around you and see what we’ve become.  We are a bunch of spoiled rotten stinking little brats who, by definition, want more for themselves and less for others.  Just take a look at this morning’s news.  We are building three warships that cost 3 billion dollars a pop.  At the same time, we say we need birth control to stop the spread of unwanted children.  So, let me get this straight, do we want to spend 9 billion dollars on three ships rather than on unwanted children?  I know what you are saying, “That’s the way it is.”  No!  The real explanation is:  “That’s the way we want it.” Yep, spoiled rotten.  We have become the biggest hypocrites in the world.  In New York City, the spoiled rotten billionaire mayor wants to make supersized drinks illegal while at the same time make a little bit of marijuana legal for everybody.   How helpful of him!  Maybe that's how he'll get elected again.  So, he thinks the government needs to limit the choices we can make, except when it comes to being Pro-Choice.  Do you see what hypocrites we've become?  Do you see the type of people we've elected?  Does this guy really think we are that gullible?  I guess!  And he’s probably right, but he doesn’t have to be.  Every four years we have an opportunity to vote not only according to our conscience but, most importantly, according to God’s clear and unquestionable Word. 

It’s not hard to see why we should place our trust in God and in God alone.  It’s not hard to see why our ancient’s placed “In God We Trust”.    

Oh God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Mt 28:16-20 Most Holy Love

Mt 28:16-20  Most Holy Love

(Click here for readings)

The Eleven Disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.  When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.  Then Jesus approached and said to them, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” 

O most holy Trinity, Undivided Unity; Holy God, mighty God, God immortal, be adored.

They saw him, worshiped him, but they doubted.  They doubted???  How in the world could the Apostles have doubted if the Lord was standing right in front of them?  Were they thinking this was a mirage or that they were out of their minds?

Some people might not understand what the Apostles felt.  I do.  It’s not hard for me to believe they doubted.  And I want to give the sacred writer all the credit in the world for being honest about it.  I can understand their doubts because even though the Lord has done some incredible, amazing, and even miraculous things for me, doubt still finds a place in my heart. It's not hard for me to remember how incredibly hard it was for me to accept His call.   I thought to myself, “Is this possible?  Does the Lord really want me to do this?  I must be insane!”

Why does anyone doubt?  Why do “I” doubt?  The answer is frightening.  It’s because “I” am one…and alone. 

Yes, man is one and alone.  I have no “other” inside of me to bounce an idea off of me.  I am not a “trinity” of persons; “I am” one person.  My thoughts, my words and my actions are mine alone just as my death is one and alone.  “I” am alone, just like Adam was alone. 

The two shall become one.  For this reason, when God created man in his own image, he created man and woman.  God said (in the plural), “Let us create man in our image.”  And he did.  He created man and woman.  He created marriage.  And by doing so, he made it possible for the two to become one.  How amazing this is!  I can actually be more one when I am two than when I am alone.  Now we catch a glimpse of the mystery of the Holy Trinity that we were created from.  Now it’s not so hard to believe that God can be more One by being Three Persons than by being alone. 

But it gets even better…God said to Adam and Eve, “multiply”.  

Not only do two people become one spiritually, emotionally and psychologically, but they become really one, physically.  So much so, that you have to give it a name nine months later.  Now the “image” is completed:  three persons, one holy family.  This image is so beautiful it often gets repeated time and time again.  And then it becomes a disaster!!!  But let’s not forget what God said, “in our image.”  It’s not perfect, but it’s very close to the real thing.

Mystery.  The fact that the Holy Trinity is a mystery should not scare us; it should not even amaze us.   So let's never doubt it.  The Holy Trinity is not a mystery because it doesn’t exist.  After all, it’s not the only mystery that exists.  Don’t you realize we are surrounded by mystery? 

I surprised a lot of people the day I told them I was going to the seminary.  They were shocked, but not as shocked as I.  I think the one person I shocked most was myself.  That’s when I realized that I am a mystery to myself. 

We are a mystery to ourselves and we are a mystery to each other.

No matter how long you have been married, you will always be a mystery to your spouse and visa-versa.   Moms and dads do not be taken aback when your child comes up to you and screams, “YOU DON’T KNOW ME!!!!”  They are right.  You don’t know them.  And neither do they know you.  They do not know your deepest fears, your deepest pains, your greatest desires or your worst fears and nightmares.  They don’t know the joy you experience or the sadness you experience.  They don’t know because they can’t live what you live.  So much of who we are will remain a mystery.  We can spend an entire lifetime revealing ourselves but we will never be able to reveal it all. 

But Christ showed us the way.  He revealed how to reveal oneself:  “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  The more you love, the more you reveal who you truly are.  But the more you sin, the more you hide who you really are.

So then why does God remain a mystery?  When it comes to the mystery of God, it’s a little different.  God remains a mystery not because the Lord sins or because he does not love.  The reason why the Lord remains a mystery is because His love overwhelms us.  Yes, how He can love us so much is more than remarkable; it is incomprehensible. 

And yet, we know enough to know that God is LOVE and God continues to love us.