Dear parishioners, visitors & friends,
The feast of the Most Blessed Trinity, which we celebrate this weekend, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of our Christian faith. Christianity is the only religion where God is a family and where God reveals Himself as communion of persons – as “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”. In attempts to explain the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, some theologians have in the past used some ingenious pedagogical symbols and concepts which were understandable but which did not justifiably explain the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. For example, the Trinity is depicted in a triangle by Saint Patrick, and by three musical notes making up one single chord or sound by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Any attempt to make sense of the mystery of the Blessed Trinity must not only take into account the divine essence but also how the three persons in the Godhead interact with one another. There is an undivided unity which exists between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The three divine persons work together daily for the good of the human race. This is in contrast with some religions where people are taught to believe and profess their faith in a god who created the world, and just abandoned it. Thus, it is almost like god deserted the world and does not care about the plights or sufferings of His children. This is called “deus absconditus” in theological parlance -hidden god who in His remoteness seems to ignore human suffering. Certainly, this is not the Christian god nor Christian understanding of their God. In the first reading, we saw how the Wisdom of God expressed a wish to remain with ‘children of men and women.’ The Christian God did not create the world and abandon it. By giving human beings rights over nature, God gave us the responsibility to care for the earth in a way that is consistent with God’s will. When human beings who were asked to nurture the earth sinned and turned against God, God did not abandon us. In the fullness of time, God in Jesus Christ intervened. The God who created the world and everything in the world, is the same God who redeemed the world. This same God, still sanctifies creation through the power of the Holy Spirit. Today in our world, there are people who reject and resist the notion of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. In fact, sadly there are Christians who struggle with the concept of the three persons in the God-head. They struggle with the notion of God as Father. But the truth of the matter is that God’s fatherhood involves not simply God’s paternal relationship with us humans, but above all, and in the first place, with His Son, Jesus Christ. This is why, the notion of God’s fatherhood cannot be subject to human creation. Therefore, any attempt to neutralise the identity of God is not only an attempt to trivialise the mystery of God, but also an incredible devastation and destruction of the identity of the Christian faith. The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity is the identity card of the Christian. As Christians we must always ensure that we reflect the face of our God who is “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).
God bless you all.
Fr. John Ikechukwu Echewodo
Parish Priest
St Mary's Parish is committed to the introduction of the Alpha programme.
Christmas 2018 Mass Schedule 
