In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.... Amen.
Do you know what you have just done? You have just invoked the full presence of God into your lives. With the Sign of the Cross, we trace the Trinity on ourselves. We bring God the Father into our minds first. Then we bring Jesus into our hearts. And, with our hearts filled with the compassion of the Holy Spirit, we move the Trinity across our bodies to our shoulders and arms to better bear the burdens of our fellows.
God is acting in your lives right at this moment. And my friends make no mistake about it, God ACTS in our lives. The reading from the Book of Exodus very clearly lets us know that our God is not a hands-off God, but one that very clearly and very concretely gets involved with His people.
- A group of scientists decided that humankind had come a long way on its own and no longer needed God. So they elected one scientist to go and tell God that they were through with him.
The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we don't need you anymore. We've reached the point where we can cure just about any disease. We have the technology to both destroy creation and rebuild it - even making it better. We can travel across the heavens. We can even clone people. So, God, we really don't need you anymore and, frankly, we wish you would just go away.
God listened very patiently to the scientist. When he had finished, God said. "I see. But before I go, what do you say we have a contest? A man-making contest, the one who makes the best human being wins. If I win, I stay, and if you win I'll leave you alone, no hard feelings"
The scientist said, "All right, God, you're on." God then added, "Now, we're going to do this just like I did it back in the old days with Adam. We both start with simple dirt."
The scientist said "sure, no problem" and then bent down and grabbed a handful of dirt. But God stopped him and said, "No, no, no, you have to make your own dirt."
How many of you have seen the sign during football games that says "John 3:16"? The sign is simply a verse from today's Good News. It is just the basis for our entire faith life. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for us." That is exactly how God shows us His incredible love for us.
- In the winter of 1961, a father watched as his own 14-year-old son walked from Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba to board a plane that would take him out of the country and away from the family all by himself. Several weeks earlier, the father had decided that for the good of the family, the son must leave the country that at the time was being overrun by the Communist forces. The propaganda from the government at the time was very clear that young children would be indoctrinated into the godless regime, with some of them being sent to study in Russia.
A priest in Florida by the name of Father Walsh had established a conduit to bring children out of Cuba and save them from the regime; this was administered by the Bishop's Charities. This operation came to be known as Operation Pedro Pan, and during 1961 and part of 1962 was responsible for saving over 60,000 Cuban Children. This child was one of the first to come out on that exodus.
The separation of the son from the family was seen as necessary by the father in order to save the child and to pave the way for the family to be able to flee their native land at a later date. As the child walked out of the airport building and went up the stairs to the airplane, he looked back at his family who was standing on the observation deck of the airport. His heart was breaking as he saw his family for what could be the last time. Just before he walked into the plane that would take him to freedom, the boy felt tears break from his eyes, knowing that tears were breaking from his father's eyes at the same time.
Our God knows what it is to have His heart break by allowing His own son to go to His death for the good of all of us. That is what the Good News of our Gospel is all about. That God so loved us that he gave His own son for our salvation, and then he gifted us with the Holy Spirit to maintain us on the road to that salvation.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
(Comments to Al at ALazaga@mac-eng.com.)