At Archdiocese of Miami Scouts Mass

By Bishop Peter Baldacchino -

Auxiliary Bishop Peter Baldacchino preached this homily June 10, during an Archdiocese of Miami Scouts Mass at St. James Church in North Miami.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am very happy to be celebrating this Sunday Mass with you, not only because of your presence here at St. James Church -- dressed in full scouting uniforms, reminding me of my own scouting days when I was much younger--but above all, I am happy to be celebrating this Sunday Mass with you because today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, that expresses the true nature of God.

We heard in the readings that were proclaimed a few moments ago, that God makes himself known to the people of Israel, the people of the first covenant, in a very particular way. God presents himself in a manner that is completely different from the way the ancient peoples and tribes used to know and to relate to the pagan gods they worshiped in those times. Those gods wanted sacrifices; they wanted to be pleased, and people were worshiping them in the hope that they would receive good luck, health, money and power. And in order to achieve all that, people were prepared to do anything to “bribe”, so to speak, the gods.

But our God is not like that at all.  First of all, it is He who takes the initiative and not us. It is He who calls people, frees them from their slavery in Egypt and makes with them all sorts of miracles in order to form them as His Holy People, the chosen people of God.  Now, how about that?

But above all, and this is very different from the false gods of the past, our God presents himself in a completely different manner, “revolutionary” we may say. As we heard in that first reading: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

My dear brothers and sisters, young and not so young, this is the God that has presented himself to us. A God of Mercy, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Now, all you scouts take a “Scout’s Promise” to fulfill your duty towards God.  What does this mean?  How is this duty fulfilled?

We have just celebrated Pentecost, last Sunday actually, and each of us and the whole Church have received the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Most Holy Trinity. The Spirit of God in the real world where you and I live, is neither an oppressing force, that makes you do what you really do not want to do, nor is it like a light breeze that is more or less insignificant. Indeed, the Holy Spirit produces fruits within us and among us. It is somewhat like electricity: you do not see it, but when you put on that switch many things can happen. And Saint Paul actually tells us what it is that this Holy Spirit will do: It will lead us to “agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” This is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit: Peace. This is what God, in the Holy Spirit, is able to create within us and among us.

It is He who will do it; but since God is love and mercy, and since He respects you and me so much, the Holy Spirit does not want to do all this without you. This is precisely why He invites you to be participants in his plan. And this is precisely the Promise that you made; it is to fulfill your duty: Strive to live in peace.

But be careful: this is way more difficult that it may seem. You may be Cub Scouts, or Brownies, or Boy Scouts, or Girl Scouts, or even an Eagle Scout.  I’m sure you already know that “out there” not all people follow the same oath that you took, the discipline you have learned and the rules you abide by. Actually, even we sometimes fail to follow them.

However, God really wants you to work together with him in making this world truly one where all people live in peace.

Now, this is why God sent his only Son, the second person of the Most Holy Trinity, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. If you have eternal life within you, that means that you do not die. Most of you are young and perhaps many have never been close to a situation of death; yet, death is the reality of all human beings and will visit us sooner or later in life.   Would it not be wonderful if we could all have the certainty, the guarantee, the unfailing experience that the words of Jesus indeed are true for us? Well, if the Holy Spirit lives within you, and you live your Scout Promises: to help people at all times, even when they do not deserve it, you can indeed experience that it is really the Holy Spirit who does this good work in you; that God lives in you; and that you may truly love others in the same way that God is loving you. So, with the Holy Spirit we can do things that only God can do, having the same love towards others that Jesus showed towards us. He who loved us when at times perhaps we did not deserve to be loved, He now gives us his very same spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, so that we too may do the same, and love others.

Clearly, your promise and commitment to be “Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent” is a reflection of the Christian virtues that God has fully manifested to the world in his Son Jesus Christ.

My dear Scouts, girls and boys: you have a mission; and this mission has been entrusted to you by God, to help create his Kingdom here on earth.   I repeat it: You have a mission, and to have a mission in life, is better than to have a thousand options. And when this mission is given to us by God, when your duty is directed towards the truth, your life on earth will be fulfilling and you will also discover within you the guarantee, indeed the certainty already here on earth, of the eternal life that awaits us.

May God bless you.  Enjoy.