Four weeks ago I was in Albany watching my 3-year old grandson who had broken his collarbone. He wore a splint and Snoopy sling on his left arm and did amazing things with his right arm. When mom and dad left for work that first day, I busied myself cleaning up the kitchen, making beds and getting ready to read my book. Suddenly, I heard this little voice say, “Mima, want to play puzzles?” Well, for the better part of the next three days, I entered Tommy’s world and we played, building a garage with twigs to hold our monster trucks, building a bridge over a mud puddle, mowing the grass with make believe lawnmowers; entering a special relationship of innocence, joy, laughter and even a few tears. Our love and relationship grew deeper than I could imagine.

And, isn’t that what God wants for his children? In today’s gospel we hear: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. How many, many times have we heard this beautiful message. If you will allow me, I would like to rephrase that message a bit: “God so loved us that he put himself on our level, not to show superiority, but to embrace all the limitations that being human involved.” In Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, God felt hunger, thirst, fatigue, sorrow, pain, joy, and laughter; he was poor, obedient, a servant, a teacher, a brother, a faithful friend; he experienced life to the fullest and yes, he experienced death. Why, so that we might have love and a relationship with the God of the universe. Relationships are never about power and one way to avoid the will to hold power over another is to choose to limit oneself to serve, and isn’t that what Jesus did? No matter what God’s power may be, the first aspect of God is that of Father, Abba, Papa who reaches down to his children. He wants us to build that love and relationship with him not only here and now, but to be happy with him in heaven for all eternity. The second reading from 2 Corinthians is the guide to building that relationship with him and with each other: “Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another,

live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” How? Well, we cannot do it alone and God knows that, so he has given us the third person of the Holy Trinity, The Holy Spirit. God’s spirit dwells within each of us who love him and want him. The Holy Spirit is like a river of peace, healing, guidance, and wisdom that flows through each of us, a sort of reservoir to draw from in good times and bad. We can absolutely trust God’s life within us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Holy Trinity truly forms a circle of love and God invites us to enter smack dab in the middle of that love. Let’s join that circle of love and relationship and invite others to do so as well. I know one man who joined that circle years ago and invited me to do the same, and he is my dad. And, on this special day I want to say “Happy Father’s Day, dad,” my memories of you are the best and thank you so much for introducing me to Jesus. Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, especially our Heavenly Father.