Celebrating 100 over years in Irondequoit
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Cycle A
- "Encourage one another"
- Q320: I find it hard to relate the Holy Trinity to my own life. Is there a way?
- Q476: I’ve watched too many football games with “John 3:16” cards held aloft — so often that the passage is losing meaning for me.
Richard G. E. Beemer, in a recent article on the International Special Olympics, told a touching story about the power of encouragement.
The "Special Olympics," of course, are athletic contests for people old and young who are physically or mentally handicapped. It was Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy, who launched these "Olympic" contests in 1963 as a builder of morale among the disadvantaged. Perhaps many people are unaware that one of the late President's sisters suffers a mental handicap. Hence, Mrs. Shriver's particular interest.)
In 1979, the Special Olympics, previously participated in only by Americans, were declared international. Held that year at Brockport, New York, they attracted contestants and "fans" from several nations. In these contests, as in earlier ones, winning was not the aim; finishing was. Everybody who finished was cheered and hugged just for making the effort. One of the events at Brockport was a wheelchair race. A thunderstorm broke out during the race, but the racers reached their goal anyhow. With one exception. The slowest of the "wheelers" had an accident. He hit some wet ground and fell out of his chair.
What did the audience do? "No one went to his aid," Beemer reported. "Instead, the crowd cheered wildly for him to get back into his wheelchair, and after what seemed a very long time, he finally struggled back onto the wheelchair and finished the race. "
One of the spectators noticed that a coach sitting in the sidelines was crying. "Are you all right?" he asked him. The trainer answered wiping away his tears, "I've been coaching and working with that boy for over two years, trying to teach him to climb back onto his chair should he ever fall out. This is the first time he's ever made it."
The coach was crying for joy, not for sorrow. Encouragement had turned the trick.
Father George Farrell, a Jesuit priest who took part in the Baton Rouge I.S.O. of 1983, had this comment: "These kids need the sense of accomplishment, the sense of self-worth. It gives you a great thrill knowing you've helped them to do something important."
When St. Paul told the Corinthians to "encourage one another," (today's second reading), he did not have only "special" people in mind. Specials are not the only ones helped by cheering. All of us need a pat on the back. All of us "love to be loved."
-Father Robert F. McNamara
Q320: I find it hard to relate the Holy Trinity to my own life. Is there a way?
Somewhere I remember reading a comment by that great Jesuit preacher, Walter Burghardt, that has stuck with me: “without the Trinity, life would make little sense.” The reason for me is simple: it is because of God’s love that you and I even exist! He desires to share His very life with us, and all He asks is that we return His love! Our Gospel today (Jn 3:16-18) proclaims that very essence of God, “love.” “Yes, God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son…(for our) eternal life.” Believing in Him, and living fully the Christian life that He taught us, is “returning” His love.
If you are single, you have experienced the unity, oneness and total self-giving of your parents, which co-created love: you! If you are married, you have experienced unity, oneness and total self-giving which of itself co-creates love: your children! This is not about “me”; it is about the “us” which is created by total self-giving. All of this total self-giving mirrors the love within the Holy Trinity. This is also why the Sacrament of Marriage is a wonderful example of and mystery of the Holy Trinity itself, as St. Paul teaches (Eph 5:32).
As you can see clearly, the key words above are “total self-giving.” This is the divine life God wants to share with us. This is the kind of human life we are called to lead. This is what “unity” is all about. And that is why, for me, “without the Trinity, life would make little sense.”
Know Your Catechism! Our Catholic Church teaches that God is One, in three Persons, the “Trinity” (CCC#253). This is an undivided Unity, and the distinction of Persons resides solely in the relationships between them; that relationship is always self-giving love (CCC#255). How are you reflecting that “totally self-giving” love in your daily life? Think about the implications of your answer.
Q476: I’ve watched too many football games with “John 3:16” cards held aloft — so often that the passage is losing meaning for me.
To bring it back to life, today try focusing on just one “key” word: gave. God loved the world so much that he didn’t just “send” his Son; he gave his Son! He was given as a gift to us. This gift is so incredible and wonderful that all we need to do is accept the gift, which means to believe in him.
There is more. That precious gift of Jesus Christ has a purpose. If we truly believe in him, then the consequence of that gift is our salvation. If we refuse to believe in him, we have chosen to reject this gift. Such a choice, to reject Jesus, is to condemn ourselves.
How can this possibly be, you ask? How can we condemn ourselves? Again, we need to look at the consequences of our choices. To ‘believe’ in Jesus is to follow him, to become his disciple, and to live the moral life of unselfish love that he exemplified. Our good deeds flow from our discipleship, which in turn flows from “believing.” The Most Holy Trinity comes to dwell within us and strengthen us through the Sacraments instituted by Christ.
One who chooses to ‘reject’ Jesus, on the other hand, will not have the benefit of the indwelling Spirit to help him, and may not be challenged to live a morally sound life. Thus, by choosing independence from Jesus he has chosen a path strewn with obstacles that might become insurmountable. A life that begins with sanctifying grace (baptism) is not an option for such an individual because of his fundamental choice to be a disciple of some thing or someone other than Jesus.
God gave; will you accept the gift and follow the example of Jesus?
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! The most precious gift that God could give to us is his only Son (CCC #219). Jesus came so that the world might know God’s love for us (CCC #458).
