By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily during the Mass for the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, May 26, 2024, at St. Paul Chung HaSang Korean Mission in West Park.
40 years ago, St. Paul Chung HaSang was canonized as a Saint by Pope John Paul along with St. Andrew Kim and other companions. These Korean martyrs witnessed the faith by shedding their blood.
Today, on this feast of the Most Holy Trinity as we thank God for their witness, we will also confirm in that same faith a few young members of this community. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit also make them faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ. As the Holy Spirit’s gifts produced many fruits in the Church in Korea as seen in the witness of these first martyrs of the Church in that country, may these gifts produce in the lives of those confirmed today many fruits so that they too witness to the faith without fear and without shame.
In the gospel today Jesus gives his disciples the Great Commission to preach the gospel to all the nations. This commission is given to all the baptized and not just to priests or sisters. St. Paul Chung HaSang was not a priest but a member of the faithful who took his baptism seriously and shared his faith with others even in the face of persecution. To believe in Jesus Christ is not a burden but a gift - the best thing that could ever happen to us. To share Jesus with others is a joy.
Today is the feast of the Most Holy Trinity - One God in three Divine Persons. This is a mystery known to us only because God has revealed himself to us in this way. God the Father has created us out of love, God the Son has redeemed us because of love, and God the Holy Spirit makes us children of God again because of love. God is love - and we are made in his image and likeness. So, we were made for love. As the Bible teaches us man is not meant to be alone. We grow, we flourish in loving relationships.
These relationships, when truly loving, unite one with another without destroying the personality of one or the other. This reflects in small way the mystery that is God who is one God in a communion of relationships, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Through Baptism and Confirmation and then through our Communion in the Body and Blood of Christ, we become one body in Christ, and through Christ we enter into the life of God who has made us for himself that we may live with him for ever in the glory of heaven.
The road to that glory passes along the way of the Cross. We walk through this life as disciples of Jesus strengthened by his Spirit until the day of Glory when we will see the Father in heaven.
As we celebrate 40 years since the canonization of St. Paul Chung HaSang, and 40 years of this Korean Mission here in South Florida, we remember the past with gratitude, we celebrate the present with enthusiasm, and we look to the future with confidence.
