What’s your favorite way of talking about the Trinity? Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer? Have you ever tried to explain the Trinity? Or even to understand it? God is one and yet we’ve got these three, what? So what is God? Maybe God is a shape-shifter, one minute holy parent, another holy child, another holy spirit. “God in three persons.” Talking about the Trinity is not easy!

The greatest mystery of this feast is not how God can be Three-in-One,  but why does this God choose to be intimately present to us.  Perhaps the mystery is that the triune community of the Trinity wishes to dwell within the community of humanity!

Living and dying the Paschal Mystery means that we are faithful witnesses to the God within. So what do we have to be for one another? The love of God poured out, the truth that guides. This is the glory of God revealed within and among us.

How often have you heard the more “mature” members of your family or parish talk about how “it used to be”?  I am sure you hear these stories more often than you want to.  It seems to be at the very core of being human to consider our past, to dwell on the times and places that held strong meaning for us.  This same thing was true for the apostles, way back in the first century (yes, even people that long ago had history to think about).

On a particular occasion, this group of close disciples of Jesus were sitting in a locked room, discussing and praying about the events that had taken place just weeks ago.  Namely the murder and resurrection of their leader, whom they believed was the Messiah, the Chosen one of God sent to redeem us.  How should they go on, now that He was not with them in body any longer.

As they talked, the Spirit of God came upon them.  This Spirit energized them – set them ablaze – and they were compelled to go out into the street and begin teaching others about the good news of Christ’s resurrection.  This is what we celebrate in Pentecost!

But, Pentecost wasn’t just for the apostles who felt stuck in the past.  Christians of all ages have had times in their lives when they have felt stuck.  The Spirit is here for us now – TODAY, just as it was for those apostles, that we may be energized with the “good news” to move forward from our place and see the great things that God is doing today.

Answer the call of the Spirit.  Let the past be what it is, take with you what you learn from it, and move outward and forward with this renewed energy for there are many good things our God is doing today and in our future!

Teaching children about the Holy Trinity is a dilemma for parents! How God can be one yet three, how the Trinity can be separate but the same is one of the deepest mysteries of our faith. Some will say, “We’re not supposed to understand it.”

That answer isn’t going to cut it with a curious child. He or she wants an answer, in black and white, and they want it now!

Here are some ways you can illustrate the Trinity to children of all ages.

Shamrock Activity

take your child outside to a grassy field and let them look for clover. The three-leafed clover, or shamrock, is the way that St. Patrick explained the Holy Trinity to the Irish people.

Back in the house, give your child a green construction paper shamrock and have them write “God” on the stem, and “Father,” “Son” and “Holy Spirit” on each of the three leaves. On the back, have them glue a printed quote (most likely legendary) from St. Patrick: “Even the plants of the field tell about God. The shamrock has three leaves but only one stem. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not three gods, but one God.”

The Triangle

Draw a triangle on a piece of paper. The three points are Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Explain that when God sent his Son, Jesus, to us and when he sends the Holy Spirit to us every day, he sends part of himself – part of the triangle as a whole – and not just a separate entity.

The Apple

Cut an apple down the middle from top to bottom. Show your child that an apple is skin, flesh and seeds – three parts. Without any one of them, it wouldn’t be an apple. The Trinity, too, works together as one.

Three Candles

Light three candles. Notice that there are three separate flames. Now, with help from another set of hands, tilt the tops of the candles so that the flames come together as one flame. Together they are one flame, yet three separate flames.

Here is a puzzle for you and your child: Trinity_Sunday

and A Word Search Trinity Sunday Word Search

Christians (of all ages) are called to live out a life that society would consider “not normal”.  This is one of the challenges of living a life of faith, becuase most people want to “fit in”, to be “normal”.  But what is “normal” life calling us to?  What are we giving up to “fit in”? and what are we gaining to be Christian?

Christ said, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 18:23) What do you think He meant by this statement?  Do you see any ways in which this applies to your own life?

Just think for a couple minutes what some of your “normal” friends are like.  What are their priorities?  Do they care about the Earth, or about their ageing grandparents, or about forgiving others?  What is it like to communicate with these “normal” people?

To live as a Christian means to “witness” to a different way of life.  Loving one another is our special way of life and this love is acted out by forgiving (70 times 7), loving our enemies, being concerned for the poor, the sick or injured, and spending time in prayer.  The Little White Book (for Easter 2010) says that “our witness may not always be dramatic, but even in the small things we do, we follow a very different way of life”.

I am glad to have you with me in this “different way of life”.  God bless you.

Is your generation, the so-called “Lost Generation”, really lost?  Take a look at this short (1 min 44 sec) video created by a 20-year old about what life may be like in 30 years for this “lost” generation.

This video is the 2nd place winner for a contest by AARP called “U @ 50″ asking respondents to consider life in 30 years.  How does this interpretation fit your thoughts?  How does this fit into the Christian image of life?

I would call this video a parable.  A parable is a story that creates an image in our mind, using something that is familiar (or “normal”) and then turns that image in a way that has us re-think what should be “normal”.  You can check your bible for any number of examples of parable by Jesus (i.e. The Good Samaritan – Luke 10:25-37).

Pentecost! The celebration of… what? Flames on heads? Speaking in tongues? The blessing of the Spirit on individuals?

Although Pentecost was originally a festival celebration of the wheat harvest in ancient Israel, and of the giving of the law which defined Israel as a nation, for Christians it is known as the time when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, and is sometimes called the birthday of the church. In that sense, Pentecost, which can also refer to the entire 50 days between the resurrection and the coming of the Spirit, is the celebration of the formation of the church as corporate body. Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to guide his disciples, just before he ascends to heaven, is sealed with the arrival of the Spirit on Pentecost.

The Spirit of God has, of course, been present since the beginning of creation, but the event of Pentecost marks the moment when the Spirit works to mediate the presence of the Risen Christ to the church community.

Pentecost, then, is more about the corporate body of the church than about the spiritual presence of God to individual believers. The Spirit is now available to guide the church in its mission to bring the Gospel to the world.

The effect on the disciples as they receive the Spirit is interesting in this respect. They begin to speak in languages other than their own, with the crowd who gathers hearing the disciples speak in their own language. This is the reversal of what happened with the curse of Babel, which resulted in confusion and lack of understanding between peoples. Rather, at Pentecost, all are made able to understand the message of the Gospel, and are drawn into the church through the power and understanding given by the Spirit.

What should this mean for us today, as a people of the Spirit? By this indwelling of the Spirit, we ourselves become advocates of God’s presence for others.  It maybe as simple as a reassuring touch or a helping hand.  It might be a sacrifice of time  in volunteering for a task that needs to be done for the good of all. In all, we are called to die to ourselves in order to be the true presence of Christ for others.

May has been a busy month of activities for the parish. We participated in the annual ACTION banquet, the Filipino community and our Youth Ministry celebrated the annual May Crowning and we were privileged to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with Dr Myreen Tomas.  In addition, the parish family celebrated the Baptism of two infants and First Communion with three second grade boys!  In all these are signs of new life in the parish family!

We, who have lost a loved one, know that their “spirit” often lives on long after their death. Certain situations will trigger our memory of them. Recalling what they said or did, we are inspired to live up to the legacy they have left us. In this way their presence continues through our words and actions.

We might well imagine the disciples overwhelming sense of grief and absence when Jesus ascended into heaven. As time will tell, Jesus’ absence will really mark the beginning of a new kind of presence. We, his followers, are commissioned  to preach that suffering and death lead to new life and that forgiveness will be granted to all who seek forgiveness. His ascension is our commission because we are now His presence on earth.

His very absence calls us to be and do as Jesus.  To put another’s needs above our own desires; to seek amends when forgiving another or letting go of grudges. And we don’t do this on our own, we are gifted with the very power of the Holy Spirit. Having experienced God’s saving action, we can be that saving action for others.

Pentecost marks the official end of the 50 days of the Easter Season (hence “Pente”). It celebrates the Acts 2 outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples and into the world. Informally it is known as the “Birthday of the Christian Church

Pentecost was originally a Jewish festival. Jewish Pentecost (“Shavuot”) is known by several titles: Feast of Wheat, Feast of Weeks, or Fruits of the First Harvest. Pentecost featured “two loaves of bread baked with yeast,” made from the first fruit of the Spring wheat harvest which was supposed to conclude 50 days after Passover. Those two loaves were “waved before the LORD” in the act of thanksgiving (Leviticus 23:15-20 NIV). Selected animals, such as lambs, bulls and rams, were also sacrificed in the Pentecost ritual.

The official date of Pentecost moves every year because its date is based on the date of Easter, and Easter is dated based on a lunar calendar, not a fixed Roman one. The Eastern Church sometimes has a different date due to a historic disagreement about the dating of Passover.

At Pentecost, the Disciples were empowered by the Spirit to share the Gospel.  Up until then, they had been keeping it to themselves. It is the gift of sharing the Good News boldly, and in such as way as it makes sense to those who hear it. It is not the gift of “speaking in tongues” as some mistakenly think. The Disciples speak in known languages.

It is a powerful metaphor for the Church today, and for teaching the Good News to children.

Pentecost Sunday and Color

Although this is not a season of days, it is important in that it commemorates the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. This marks the beginning of the Christian Church.

Color: red (tongues of fire associated with the Spirit)

Activities:

• Snacks can be made from strawberries  or strawberry-flavored treats.
• A paper fire with tongues of flame can be made. Each child will put his/her name and a “gift” (something he/she is good at) given by the Holy Spirit on a tongue of fire to add to the fire.

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

by Gwen Wise

On May 23, 2010, we will celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. The original Pentecost festival was the Old Testament Feast of Weeks, the celebration of the first fruits of the harvest, and was held 7 weeks after Passover. You can read about it in Deuteronomy 16. On the first Pentecost feast of the New Covenant, brought to us 7 weeks after Easter, the Church received the Fruits and Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The birth of our Church is always an important feast day, but for this Jubilee year an especially festive celebration is in order. Hospitality and breaking bread lend themselves well to a Pentecost party. Picnics, a tradition in many countries, are also a great way to bring people together to celebrate.

The intense love and fire of the Holy Spirit are represented in the liturgical color for Pentecost Sunday, red. Here’s a red-hot salad you can include in your meal:

RED HOT JELLO

• 2 3-ounce packages red gelatin mix
• 2c. boiling water
• 2/3 c. red-hot candies
• 2c. applesauce

• Add candies to boiling water and stir until dissolved.
• Add gelatin mixes and stir until dissolved.
• Add applesauce to gelatin mixture and pour into mold or serving dish(es).
• Chill for several hours until firm.

The flames of a barbeque and bonfire are especially appropriate for a Pentecost party or picnic – you could cook whatever you’d like on the barbeque, then toast marshmallows over the bonfire later in the evening.

The 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit are: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity. Have a 12 fruit salad for Pentecost dinner!

12 FRUIT SALAD

• 1 container whipped topping
• 1 3 ounce package red gelatin mix
• 12 different fruits.

There are so many possibilities, but here are some examples: grapes, oranges, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, kiwi, pineapple, pears, cherries, tangerines, apricots, etc.

• Stir the gelatin into the whipped topping thoroughly.
• Wash and slice fruit into bite sized pieces and fold in flavored whipped topping.
• Chill for several hours and serve.

HOLY SPIRIT COOKIES

Finish your dinner or picnic with some sweet treats. Using slice and bake sugar cookies or your own homemade cookies, decorated with red toppings and symbols of the Holy Spirit.

Give the older children the task of making little templates out of stiff paper. Cut out the shapes of a flame, cross, beam of light, and descending dove. Frost cookies with prepared or homemade white frosting. Lay the templates on top and moisten frosting slightly, then sprinkle red sugar liberally over stencil. Carefully brush sugar off the stencil and lift it off the cookie.

Try decorating some of the cookies with red frosting, red-hot candies, sprinkles, red licorice whips, etc. For a quicker dessert try cherry cupcakes with white frosting and red sprinkles.

Now go forth and make disciples of all nations! Blessed Pentecost!