May 31st through June 6th 2026
(May 31, 2026: Most Holy Trinity)
“Encourage one another. Live in harmony and peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
St. Francis de Sales had this to say about one of the most profound mysteries of our faith - the Triune Nature of God.
“From all eternity there is in God an essential communication by which the Father, in producing the Son, communicates his entire infinite and indivisible divinity to the Son. The Father and the Son together, in producing the Holy Spirit, communicate in like manner their own proper divinity to him. So also this sovereign sweetness was communicated so perfectly outside itself to a creature that the created nature and the godhead each retained its own properties while still being united together in such wise that they were only one self-same person…In short, God's supreme wisdom has decided to intermingle this original love with his creatures’ will in such wise that love would not constrain the will but leave it possessed of its freedom.” (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 2, Chapter 4)
What can we hope to consider or explain about the profound mystery of the Trinity in a way that makes a practical difference in our lives and in the lives of those we touch? For the sake of simplicity, let us look at each person of the Trinity in very broad strokes, looking at those activities – in our attempt to take in the mystery of the divine nature – which we associate with the Father, the Son and the Spirit in recalling the history of our salvation:
· In the Trinity, we experience a Father who creates us out of love.
· In the Trinity, we experience a Son who redeems and reconciles us out of love.
· In the Trinity, we experience a Spirit who encourages and enlivens us out of love.
We are most like the Trinity when we establish and sustain in ourselves the things that most clearly reflect our God-given, Trinitarian nature - when we create, feed and nourish relationships in which we are redeemed, reconciled and inspired to live in the freedom of the sons and daughters of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the words of St. Paul, we are faithful to our divine dignity and destiny when we “encourage one another…living in harmony and peace…”
We are most like the Trinity when we forgive, when we are willing to let go of hurts, disappointment, injury and betrayal. We are most like the Triune Godhead when we inspire, encourage, challenge and support one another to do the same
Today, might we best act in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit? How might we encourage (a word that literally means, “give heart to”) one another?
(June 1, 2026: Justin, Martyr)
“He has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.”
In his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Just as seaman who set sail with a favorable wind and in fair weather never forget the cables, anchors and other things needed in time of danger and storm, in like manner even though God’s servants enjoy the sweet repose of holy love, we must never be without the fear of divine judgments so that we may use it in the storms and assaults of temptations. Again, just as the apple’s skin – a thing in itself held in small esteem – still helps greatly to preserve the apple it covers, so fear, which in itself is of little value in comparison with love, is yet very useful for preserving love during the dangers of this mortal life…Although fear is very necessary in this mortal life, it is unworthy of having any place in eternal life, where there will be certainty without fear, peace without distrust and rest without care. Yet, such services as fear may provide on behalf of love will be rewarded in heaven.”(TLG, Book XI, Chapter 17, pp. 245-246)
In a perfect world all we would need to live – to do what is right and to avoid what is evil – is the love of God. The tenants in today’s Gospel parable might have fared a lot better, if they had had even the slightest respect or fear for the representatives of the owner of the vineyard or for the vineyard owner himself. Their total lack of fear emboldened them to give in to evil desires to the point where they murdered the owner’s son – with disastrous consequences to themselves.
As we know all-too-well from our own lived experience, this world isn’t perfect, and neither are we. Try as we might to do everything out of love, there are occasions in which it doesn’t hurt to have a little fear to provide our love with a little “back-up” or reinforcement when times get difficult, or evil desires attempt to have their way with us.
May God give us the precious and very great promises of grace to resist evil desires and to pursue desires that are good and righteous.
(June 2, 2026: Tuesday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time)
“Consider the patience of our Lord as salvation…”
If one conducted a survey of the things that people most frequently confess in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ‘losing patience’ would probably be near the top of the list. In addition, it is the experience of ‘losing patience’ that often leads to many other things frequently confessed in this Sacrament: taking God’s name in vain, using obscene language, saying something hurtful and/or doing something hurtful.
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales wrote:
“‘For you have need of patience that, doing the will of God, you may receive the promise,’ says the Apostle. True enough, for our Savior himself has declared, ‘By your patience you will win your souls. ‘It is man’s great happiness to possess his own soul, and the more perfect our patience the more completely do we possess our souls…Do not limit your patience to this or that kind of injury and affliction. Extend it universally to all those God will send you or let happen to you.” (IDL, Part III, Chapter 3, p. 128)
Jesus encountered his share of injuries and afflictions during the course of his public ministry, and, no doubt, he also experienced the frustration that comes with those same injuries and afflictions. Yet, Jesus seems to have never lost his cool when dealing with difficult people, situations or circumstances, other than when he drove the moneychangers out of the temple. He clearly demonstrated an ability to keep the upper hand over his emotions.
We are called to “Live Jesus!” We are called to continue Jesus’ saving work in our own day. Have you ever stopped to consider that one of the most practical ways of imitating Christ is to follow His example of patience? And win our souls in the process?
(June 3, 2026: Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs)
“I am grateful to God…”
How often do we say “thank you” to God? How often do we take time out to remind ourselves of how generous God has been to us? How often do we think about all the blessings that God has showered – and continues to shower – upon us? Of course, if we took the time required to consider all the things that God has done for us, we wouldn’t have time for anything else!
Francis de Sales offers us no fewer than ten meditations in Part I of his Introduction to the Devout Life. The considerations, affections, resolutions and conclusions contained in each meditation leaves no stone unturned in reflecting upon how good God is to us. A quick review of the things for which we should be grateful includes:
· Being created
· Being capable of being perfectly united with God
· Being destined for eternal life
· Sharing in God’s grace and glory
· Enjoying so many gifts of body, mind, heart and spirit
· Opportunities to serve God
· Opportunities to serve one another.
Francis de Sales also suggested that from time to time it may be appropriate – even helpful – to take time out and reflect upon our ingratitude. He wrote:
“Note how many benefits God has granted you and how you have misused them against their giver. Note especially how many of God’s inspirations you have despised and how many good movements you have rendered useless. Even more than all the rest remember how many times you have received the sacraments: where are the fruits? What has become of those precious jewels with which your beloved Spouse adorned you? Think about such ingratitude…” (IDL, Part I, Chapter 12, pp. 58 – 59)
Being aware of our ingratitude is a good thing. Being grateful to God is a better thing. Being mindful of God’s love for – and fidelity – to us is the best thing!
(June 4, 2026: Thursday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time)
“The first commandment is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Many men keep the commandments in the way sick men take medicine: more from fear of dying in damnation than for joy of living according to our Savior’s will. Just as some persons dislike taking medicine - no matter how pleasant it may be – simply because it is called medicine, so there are some souls who hold in horror things commanded simply because they are commanded. By contrast, a loving heart loves the commandments. The more difficult they are the sweeter and more agreeable it finds them since this more perfectly pleases the beloved and gives him great honor. It pours forth and sings great hymns of joy when God teaches it to his commandments and justifications. The pilgrim who goes on his way joyously singing adds the labor of singing to that of walking, and yet by this increase of labor he actually lessens his weariness and lightens the hardship of the journey.” (TLG, Book VIII, Chapter 5, pp. 67-68)
When you boil it all down, Jesus gives us two – just two – commandments to follow: love God; love your neighbor as yourself. At one in the same time these two commandments are not too much to ask even if they ask us to give them our all!
What better way of taking our medicine to good effect – and being medicinal in the lives of others – than by living these commandments joyfully?
(June 5, 2026: Boniface, Bishop and Martyr)
“One who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work…”
It has been said that practice makes perfect. Put another way, practice leads to competence.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines competent as:
1. Having requisite or adequate ability or qualities: fit
2. Qualified or adequate
3. Having the capacity to function or develop in a particular way
4. Having the capacity to respond.
Synonyms include able, capable, equal, fit, good, qualified, suitable, on the ball.
Recall Francis de Sales’ description of devotion:
“To be good we must have charity, and to be devout – in addition to charity – we must have great ardor and readiness in performing charitable actions.” (IDL, Part I, Chapter 1, p. 40)
In the opinion of St. Paul – in the mind of St. Francis de Sales – following Jesus requires more than simply doing good things; it requires that we be good at doing good things. How do we acquire the requisite or adequate ability to be good at doing good? How can we grow in our ability to be equipped to accomplish every good work in every good way? How do we make strides in our training in righteousness? Recall the punch line to the question: “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Broadway?”
Answer: “Practice, practice, practice.”
(June 6, 2026: Saturday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time)
“Be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient…”
In his Introduction to the Devout Life St. Francis de Sales exhorted:
“Be patient not only with regard to the big, chief part of difficulties that may come to you but also as to things and accidents accompanying them. Many people would be ready to accept trials provided they were not inconvenienced by them. ‘I wouldn’t be bothered by poverty,’ one man says, ‘if it didn’t keep me from helping my friends, educating my children and living as respectably as I’d like.’ ‘It wouldn’t bother me,’ another says, ‘If people didn’t think it was my own fault.’ Another would be willing to suffer patently false reports about him provided that no one believed his detractor. Others are willing to endure part of an evil, so they think, but not the whole of it. They say that they don’t complain about being ill but about their lack of money to get cured or because they are so much bother to those around them. Now I say that we must have patience not merely at being ill but at having the illness that God wishes, where he wishes, among the people he wishes and with whatever difficulties he wishes.” (IDL, Part III, Chapter 3, p. 129)
Many people would be ready to accept trials provided they were not inconvenienced by them. This statement sounds like the restaurant owner who says: “Business would be great if it weren’t for the customers,” or the teacher who opines that, “My job would be great if it weren’t for the students.”
In what ways might I be a “sunshine patriot” when it comes to following Jesus? Do I follow him when it’s easy, but head for the hills when it’s tough? Imagine if Jesus only helped people when it was convenient for him! Where would that have left the people of his day?
Where would that leave us in our day?