Where are we going?
Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
June 7, 2020
Back in the 19th century, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Homes had the reputation of being absent minded. One day on a train he was studying a pending case when the conductor asked for his ticket. Holmes searched each pocket nervously, but to no avail. The conductor said, “Don’t be concerned, Mr. Justice Holmes. We know who you are. When you return to Washington, you can send us the ticket at your convenience. Holmes lowered his eyes and shook his head sadly. “Thank you, my good man, but you don’t seem to understand the problem. It’s not a question of whether I’ll pay the fare. The problem is: Where am I going?”
During the past two months, as our world has been turned upside down, we may have wondered where we are going. A lot of the things we felt we could rely on suddenly weren’t there. We are still experiencing a global pandemic, which seems more suited to the Middle Ages or a third-world country. In a strained economy, many have lost their jobs or are forced to work at home while, at the same time, taking care of family, and trying to overcome boredom. Many, especially the elderly and those who live alone, have experienced an incredible sense of loneliness. And the horrible killing of George Floyd has raised our consciousness about the racism that infects our country and its institutions. People are rightly outraged, but some demonstrations have become violent, while some use the occasion as an opportunity for looting and destruction. And we in the church have been deprived of the ability to come together, to pray as a community, and to receive the strength and the consolation of the Sacraments.
And yet, a lot of good is being done. We have new heroes in health care workers, food store employees, first responders, delivery people, and many others who are, day in and day out, on the front lines of our urgent situation, serving others while jeopardizing their safety.
In Saturday (today/yesterday) newspaper there are two items that make us proud. Three members of our confirmation class, Ella McDaniel, Gracelyn Tatta, and Reyna Ortiz, who collected more than two thousand books for the Franklin County Jail, have been honored with Peacemaker Awards—community recognition of ways in which the youth of our county are making a difference and using their talents in creative ways. Likewise, there was an article about the Community Meals Program here at Our Lady of Peace. We have a dedicated group of volunteers who pick up food from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, put together meals, and hand them out to those who most need them each Monday evening. For weeks, it was bagged cold meals, but now they have begun to distribute hot meals—lovingly and safely, here in front of Our Lady of Peace Church.
Of course, the larger question in all of this is: Where is God? Our readings for this Trinity Sunday remind us that, in the most difficult times, our God is a God who has chosen to be with us. The beautiful Exodus event shows a God who takes compassion on the Hebrew people, frees them from slavery in Egypt, and then accompanies them on the harrowing journey through the desert, on the way to the promised land.
And for us Christians, we but need to look at the image of Jesus on the cross as a reminder of a God who wants to be with us so much that he became one of us, gave his life for his friends, and promised to be with us to the end of time. A God who is with us especially during the most perilous moments of our life’s journey—this is the God who strengthens our faith and gives us reason to hope.
And so, in the midst of the threat of the coronavirus, in the midst of our anxieties and fears, in the midst of our imperfection and sinfulness, we take our first halting steps back to the Eucharist—the source and summit of our life, our food for the journey. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes forgot where he was going. Today we gather to remember: we are heading toward the light, toward healing, toward comfort, toward the nourishment we need to take on the darkness of sin and violence, and to model for the world what it means to be a child of God.
Where are we going? Here is the simple answer found in the Old Testament prophet Micah: “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.”