Homily for June 15

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Homily for Trinity Sunday
(Scriptures for today's Mass)

Audio for homily

We’re all familiar with acronyms that help us communicate

more quickly and easily when we’re writing:

FYI: for your information           

SWAK: sealed with a kiss

ASAP: as soon as possible

And today, anyone who emails or texts,

anyone on Face Book or Twitter or Instagram or Snapchat

knows another popular abbreviation:

OMG: Oh My God!

Well, on the church calendar, this is OMG Sunday:

Oh My God Sunday   --   Trinity Sunday.

The scriptures chosen for this day present us

with a number of names and titles and attributes of God

whom we Christians worship as (OMG!) - a Trinity.

So in the readings  we just heard our Creator named as:

Lord     God     Merciful     Gracious     Kind     Faithful

God of Love     God of Peace     Jesus     Christ     Son     Holy Spirit.

Are you excited yet? 

Does the listing of God’s name give rise to an OMG! within you?

Me neither!

So, how about if we look not so much at the names of our triune God,

but more at how our triune God names – us:   names you and me.

OMG!  God has names for you and me?  Absolutely!

And the first name God gives each of us is child: son or daughter.

As our Father, God knows and loves each of us

individually and uniquely, from before all time.

Every one of us has always been and always will be,

in God’s mind and heart, a beloved child.

And the Father of us all cares for each of us as a good father would:

gently - yet with a strong arm; wisely - and with compassion,           

justly - and with mercy; and with unfailing love - forever.

But, OMG! that’s not all!

The second name given each of us from divine origin

is sister or brother.

If we are all children of one Father,

then we are all brothers and sisters of Christ,

the Father’s only begotten Son.

We are, without exception, siblings of Jesus:

Jesus our Savior and Redeemer, the Prince of Peace:  

Jesus is our brother.

Jesus, the Son of God, chooses to call us his sister and brother.

No one could hope to have a greater “big brother,”           

one who would lay down his life to save his sisters and brothers.

But - OMG! – there’s more!

And the third name God gives us is the most intimate:

in the gift of the Holy Spirit God names each of us his - beloved.           

With a lover’s heart the Spirit desires to dwell, to live in our hearts.

Like a soothing balm, the Spirit wants to protect and heal us,

to touch us where the pain is greatest,

the wounds the deepest,

our distress the most hurtful.

As a lover would do for the beloved,

so does the Spirit desire to do for each of us.

So we are three times named by our Triune God:

as son, as daughter (children of the Father);

as sister, as brother  (siblings of Jesus, the Son);

as desired, as embraced  (beloved by the Spirit).

O...  M…  G…           

In just a few moments now, the Spirit will draw us to the altar

to give praise and thanks to the Father for the gift of his Son.

Here we will offer gifts of bread and wine

which the Father will return to us as his Son’s Body and Blood,

all the while drawing us, in the Spirit’s love,

to communion with one another and with our triune God.

All glory and honor is yours, loving Father,

through, with and in Christ our Brother and our Lord,

in the unity of your Holy Spirit

O...  M…  G…           

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