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Sunday 12 June 2022

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Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Greetings to you all!

The Most Holy Trinity 2022 Year C

The Mystery of the Trinity

The world is full of mysteries. Our problem is that we find it hard to live with “mystery”. We want to resolve them because they are problematic. They don’t sit right with us.

There are mysteries on every level. From the makeup of the solar system to the minutest particles in quantum physics. Even what we know about ‘time’ and ‘space’ is up for grabs. There are mysteries about human nature: our motivations and emotions. Our capacity to love or hate. These are just a few, not even the tip of the iceberg. With all our probing and technology, with each discovery we seem to open doors to reveal even greater mysteries.

God is a mystery

How can we respond to this mystery par excellence, we call the Trinitarian God? Like all mysteries, the closer we get to understanding God the more question arise. Some would say that we should not be asking these questions. Others, that a concept like the Trinity makes no logical sense and therefore there cannot be a God, at least the Christian God. Nevertheless, the truth is that God continues to reveal himself. He reveals himself in creation, through the Incarnation of Jesus, in and through the sacraments, and in the ongoing development of the Church’s teaching and the living out of her mandate of preaching the Gospel to the poor.

The mystery of the Trinity is the embodiment of what we believe. No one or group can make the claim to be Christian without holding firm to this doctrine.

Living with the Mystery: If the mystery of the Trinity could be explained in human terms, then God would not be Divine. If we could reduce God to human understanding, that would mean that God could be contained by our definitions and our laws.

Knowing everything about God is not the point of faith or life. This however, does not exclude us from searching for clarity, or more knowledge or even a greater appreciation. Quite the opposite. God extends an invitation to us to keep on opening up doors, to a world of infinite beauty, knowledge and love. This is why we worship God. For example; I don’t know everything about my parents, yet I loved them while they were alive and still do now that they are heaven. However, even now, when I talk about them with relatives or people who were their friends, I delight in gaining new insights about them. Somehow, there seems to be more to love about them with every story. It is similar to knowing God. The more we know about God, the greater our hunger to learn more and know him more fully.

 Imagine the endless delight and love in the revelation of an eternal God who cannot be contained.

Becoming one with the Mystery

I have not explained the mystery of the Trinity nor would I want to, even if I could. Our doctrine of the Trinity does however; reveal some remarkable things about us and our destiny. By reflecting on this mystery, we can begin to grasp what God is offering humanity.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity, is celebrated after the Ascension and Pentecost. Therefore, it is to be understood in the light of God’s incarnate in Christ (the Son) and our unification through the Holy Spirit. Just as each person of the Holy Trinity maintains their unique personhood so too, do we, maintain our unique personhood when our union with God is made complete. This is contrary to the teaching of the Greek philosophers, in Jesus’ day. They taught that the ultimate goal is to be totally absorbed by a supreme being. A belief held by some, even today.

The Trinity teaches us that it is only when we are immersed (from the Greek word, “baptizo”) in love that we can be fully alive in every sense of the word. Immersed in divinity we retain the unique qualities which God has created in each of and which God so loves.

Because we are eternally loved by God, we become the not just objects of His love, we become the Mystery of Love, capable of loving all humanity and everything that God has created.

The weekend eBulletin

Click here to download the eBulletin for The Most Holy Trinity, Year C.

Monthly Seniors Morning Tea

Monthly Seniors Morning Tea is a special parish initiative to bring our wise people from our community for a special morning tea every third Monday of the Month from 10 am to 11am, to enjoy a cuppa with them and to listen to their wisdom and acknowledge their contribution to our community. It will be a regular event in the Parish each month, kindly place this event in your diary. Please do come and enjoy this social event. Our first morning tea with the seniors will be held on Monday 20th June at 10am in the Parish Hall. All Welcome.

Basilica Guardians

We are looking to have the Church open more to the public after weekday Masses commencing in July 2022. We would like to keep the Church open until 3pm each weekday and would require two or three volunteers for each day.

If you were part of the Basilica Guardian team prior to COVID and would like to return to the team, please contact the parish office so that we can recommence the roster. If you are a new volunteer and would like to join the team, then please contact the parish office, and leave your details and availability.

Parish Morning Tea

The next parish morning tea will be held on Sunday 3 July after the 8am Mass. All welcome to attend.

Catholic Missions Appeal

The Parish will have the annual appeal for Catholic Missions on the weekend of the 9th and 10th July, 2022. More information to come.

Prayer for Peace and Justice in Ukraine

God of peace and justice,
who change the hardened heart and break the power of violence,
we entrust the people of Ukraine to you.

Protect them in this time of peril;
let them know not death but life, not slavery but freedom.

You are Father of all;
we are brothers and sisters.

Give us the strength to live that truth in love,
choosing peace not war.

Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Planned Giving

The Planned Giving Programme is an important part of the Parish and assists us to maintain all aspects of the Basilica, Presbytery and Parish Administration Centre. To keep the Parish viable, we must maintain a target of 95% and above each week. Last week giving was 67%.

Please consider joining the Planned Giving Programme. For more information contact the Parish Office. Thank you!

EFT First Collection Details

BSB: 086 006

A/c No: 56187 5405

Reference: 1st Collection and your name

First Collection supports the Priests.

EFT Second Collection Details

BSB: 086 006

A/c No:  48797 3085

Reference: 2nd Collection and your name

Second Collection supports the Parish.

Regarding Masks

Masks are not mandatory; however, masks are encouraged where physical distancing is not possible if you have cold & flu symptoms, or you wish to safeguard yourself from the COVID-19 virus.

Safeguarding of our children in the Parish

The Archdiocesan Safeguarding Project was started in 2016 by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB with the aim of providing a safe and secure environment for all its members, leaders and especially children and vulnerable adults. The parish of St Patrick’s Basilica is committed to creating a safe parish. To read more please click here.

Upcoming Events

Monday 13 June to Friday 17 June: CBC Exams in Parish Centre

Sunday 19 June: Parish Sacramental Commitment Mass at 5pm

Monday 20 June: Senior’s Morning Tea

Sunday 26th June: IONA First Holy Communion Mass at 2.30pm

Wednesday 29th June: Oblates’ First Arrived in Australia 1894

Saturday 9th/Sunday 10th July: Catholic Missions Appeal in the Parish

God bless!

Fr Leo Mifsud OMI
Acting Parish Priest