Our Sr. Doris shared her reflections on today's solemnity through the Avera website (our Catholic Hospital System)...
"Unconditional"
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”(JOHN 3:16)What a happy coincidence that today’s feast of the Holy Trinity is also our national celebration of Father’s Day. Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world to show us the Father and to enable us to know what it means to be “Father”: one who gives life and love, who nurtures, protects and provides with loving care.
St. John reminds us that one can have no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Many of us we came to know that “in the flesh” through our own parents who sacrificed daily with great love to care for us. A vivid memory I have of seeing this connection between God’s care and that of my parents came when I was a very small child.
My dad was a farmer and dependent upon his crops for much of our livelihood. It was late afternoon in mid-summer when a storm barreled through our area. I can still sense the anguish in my father’s body as the raging wind and hail wiped out his season’s crop. I recall well my own feelings of bewilderment and fear. I remember my dad reaching down and holding me gently to himself as he spoke his trust. “It’ll be OK,” he said, “God will take care of us.”
That moment of deep anguish and abiding trust, manifested in so many varied ways during my early years of life has served as an anchor for me in challenging times. That was truly “father love,” God’s and my dad’s. Happy Father’s Day!
Gracious and loving God,
who cares for us with such great love,
be with us and with all fathers that we may know Your unconditional love.
We pray this in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sr. Doris, OSB
Spiritual Director, Sacred Heart Monastery
Spiritual Director, Sacred Heart Monastery
Gospel: JOHN 3:16-18
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