n elderly woman was well known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it.  She would stand on her front porch and shout: "PRAISE THE LORD!"

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations, he would shout, “There isn't no Lord!!"

Hard times set in on the elderly woman, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance.  She stood on her porch and shouted:

"PRAISE THE LORD. GOD, I NEED FOOD!!  I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!"

Her neighbor overheard it. He took the opportunity to teach her a lesson. He quickly went to the store and bought some groceries. Then the next day, very early in the morning, he walked quietly to the woman's house and put a sack of the groceries at the door. Then he went hiding behind a bush waiting for her to come out to praise her Lord.

As usual, the woman went out on her porch. Before she could praise the Lord, to her surprise, she noted a bag of groceries at the door. So she shouted louder, "Praise the Lord. I know it. I know that you will take care of me! You will provide me food. Praise the Lord." 

The neighbor jumped from behind the bush and said, "Aha!  I told you, there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn't."

The woman started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, "Praise the Lord.  He not only sent me the groceries, but He also made a devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!"

There are still people who do not believe there is God. There are still people who deny the presence of God in the world. There are people who want to erase the symbols of God’s presence from the world.

On May 3rd, 2006, the federal district judge, Gordon Thompson ruled that the City of San Diego must remove the 29-foot cross that has loomed over San Diego since 1954 honoring American war dead or pay a $5000 -a-day fine.

Some people wonder, “Are these activist judges going to order all crosses at all Veteran Memorial Cemeteries be removed too?”

Obviously there are many political activists, civil rights activists, pro-choice activists who are working hard to erase God’s presence from our society.

San Diego Mayor, Jerry Sanders and other defenders of the Cross, are fighting back the court order.

Jesus’ Call

In one way or another, Jesus is calling every one of us to be “Christian activist.”

We hear in the Gospel reading Jesus commands his disciples:

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Moses’ Call

In the first reading, Moses encourages his people to commit themselves to the Lord. He invites them to go back in their history and test the truthfulness of his claim about the presence and the power of God.

This God chooses to reveal himself in the burning bush; this God chooses to deliver them from slavery through numerous signs and wonders.

This God had been so good to them in the past; to accept God’s law and to obey it so that God would be equally good to them in the future.

Boldly, Moses declares, “There is no other God.”

The God of Israel is the only God there is. 

Our Call

On this feast of the Holy Trinity, we pray that we are led by the Holy Spirit; since “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

We pray for the grace to allow mysteries in our lives. We pray by standing still and looking up at the universe and smilingly shake our heads, not in disbelief, but in surrendering to the evidences of God’s presence in the world and in our lives.

We are continually called to profess and proclaim our faith in the Holy Trinity. Everytime we make the sign of the Cross we bless ourselves with the Holy Trinity. To bless ourselves with the sign of the Cross is uniquely Catholic. Everytime we recite the Creed together at church or privately in prayer, we profess our faith in the Holy Trinity.

A man whispered, “God, speak to me.”
And the meadowlark sang. But the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, “God, speak to me.”
And thunder and lightning rolled across the sky
But the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, “God, let me see you.”
And a star shone brightly. But the man did not see.
And the man shouted, “God, show me a miracle.”
And a life was born. But the man did not notice.
So the man cried out in despair,
“Touch me, God, and let me know you are here.”
Whereupon God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

Jesus is always present with us as he has said,
“I am always with you till the end of the age” (Mtt 28:20).

Please take a moment to acknowledge Jesus’ presence.

Rev. John J. Tran Kha