FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK……             TRINITY SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2004

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

    Do you like shamrocks?  I myself am partial to them.  I like their bright green color and find them intriguing.  Usually there are three distinct petals joined into one flower by a single stem. Shamrocks come to mind as we celebrate Trinity Sunday this weekend.  Tradition says that St. Patrick used the shamrock as an illustration to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity to the Irish people.  As Christians, we believe that God has revealed Himself in Scripture and Tradition as a triune God:  namely, three distinct persons, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit but only one God.  It is hard for our finite human minds to grasp this concept.  Even illustrations like the shamrock limp in comparison with the reality.  That's because there is nothing in nature that exactly mirrors the reality we know as the Holy Trinity.  Nevertheless, the ancient doctrine of the Holy Trinity is still important even in today's world.  It says something very meaningful about us.  In the first book of the Bible when God creates human beings he says:  "LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS."  (See Genesis 1:26)  Like God who lives in the relationship of three persons joined together as one by love, so also you and I are created to live in relationship. 

    One particular area in our lives where we can effectively fulfill this basic need to live in relationship is right here in this community we call "church."  Cardinal Mahony in his Pastoral Letter entitled "AS I HAVE DONE FOR YOU" promulgated on Holy Thursday, April 20, 2000, declares the Church to be an opportunity where "…THE GIFTS OF THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE FOR WITNESS, WORSHIP, & SERVICE ARE BEING SHARED FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD IN A COMMUNITY OF FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE WHOSE MEMBERS TOGETHER BECOME A LIVING DOXOLOGY --- ALIVE FOR THE PRAISE AND GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER, THROUGH CHRIST THE WORD, IN THE CREATIVE AND BONDING SPIRIT OF LOVE THROUGH WHICH THE WORLD IS TRANSFORMED."  ("AS I HAVE DONE FOR YOU," p. 21 #58)

    What a blessing it would be for the church of Mission San Miguel to become a "living doxology" in tribute to the Most Holy Trinity! A refrain of a popular hymn often sung at Mass comes to mind:  "LET US BRING THE GIFTS THAT DIFFER, AND, IN SPLENDID, VARIED WAYS, SING A NEW CHURCH INTO BEING, ONE IN FAITH AND LOVE AND PRAISE."  This is our challenge on this Trinity Sunday.

                                                       Sincerely yours in Christ,

                                                       Rev. Raymond J. Tintle, OFM
                                                       Pastor