Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp,
Peace and love in the Holy Trinity. The last two Sundays, the Church celebrated the solemnities of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This weekend, the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Holy Trinity—that is, one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Of course, it is Jesus who reveals to us the nature of the Trinity. He calls God Father, and himself Son, and the third person of God the Holy Spirit. That is why in today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “But when he comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you to all truth… Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you” (Gn 16: 12-15).
Every time we mark the sign of the cross, we profess the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Nobody on earth, even the great doctor Saint Augustine, can explain this mystery. In an apocryphal letter of Augustine to Cyril of Jerusalem, Augustine referred to having seen a child who was trying to pour the seawater in a hole with a seashell, as he was walking along the seaside meditating about the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Augustine asked what he was doing and the boy answered that he was trying to empty the sea by pouring all its water into that hole. After having explained to the boy that it was impossible, the boy replied in Latin to Augustine: “Augustinus, Augustinus, quid quaeris? Putasne brevi immettere vasculo mare totum?” Which is translated as: “Augustine, Augustine, what are you trying to do? Do you believe to be able to pour the whole sea into a little jar?” Then the child disappeared from his sight (cf Jacques P. Migne, Patrologiae Cursus Completus: Series Latina, p. 1121). In other words, the boy’s answer was that, if what Augustine was doing was impossible, it was even less possible to try to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
While it is true that the mystery of the Holy Trinity is beyond human comprehension, Jesus reveals to us that the nature of the Holy Trinity is relational and love. As I look back at my 25 years of service in the Church, especially the five years at this local church of Saint Polycarp, I realize that it is God’s love that binds and brings me to a beautiful relationship with all of you. Just as love binds the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit into one, this same love also binds all of us into one family of faith and service. Thus, may I take this opportunity to thank all of you for your love and support. Please continue to pray for me as I continue to be faithful to my priestly ministry. Also, please keep Fathers Luis and Nicolaus in your prayers.
May God, through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and the Patron Saint Polycarp, bless you always.
Father Viet Peter Ho
Pastor
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