The Power Of One

(This was written last May 4, 2005  for the Feast of the Holy Trinity. I found it in my files and I said it might be relevant especially when our society is being threatened by division. I also remembered the day when we reached our target of twenty-five million to cover the rest of the expenses for the construction of our church. !t was achieved because of being One. Our community lived and witness the essence of the Trinity. The title is very apt indeed!)

My dear people of God,

Peace be with you!

As Catholic Christians, we believe in ONE GOD. But the experience of our elders showed that our God has three Persons; GOD the Father, GOD the Son, and GOD the Holy Spirit. We further believe that they are distinct from each other yet equal in divinity. In every divine action, all three persons are present. GOD acts as ONE. They acted and are still acting as ONE in CREATION. They ACT and still are acting as ONE in SALVATION.

The communion of the Trinity is not only for the Trinity. It is in fact a model for each Christian community. It is a model for our community. At present, we are tasked to build our church (our place of worship) and our Church (our community of believers). I have to admit that they are two great tasks. Only one needs to experience building a house to know and appreciate the difficulties, intricacies, and complexities of building a church. One only needs to experience the process of organizing a group to know and appreciate the demands, resources, and efforts and commitments needed to establish and put into action an active Church. Today, more than any day, we need every pair of hands, every willing mind, every generous heart, and every body to fulfill these tasks

While I have said during my installation that I came here not to build buildings but to build people, the tragedy of the burning of our church made me redefine it. I am now here to build people through the building of our church with you and with the grace of God! It is our church. This is our community. I will be here to be with you and guide you in achieving our tasks. My ministry is at the service of all souls in this community as long as I am here. But we can achieve better if you are with me. If we will combine all our God-given talents, God will surely see us through. I earnestly encourage you to share not only what you have but most especially yourself. Together we will build our church and our Church. That is the power of being ONE; being ONE of the Trinity and the being ONE of the community.