In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We say those words so often. Every prayer, every Mass, every blessing begins and ends in the name of the Trinity. And yet, today, the Church invites us to pause so that we can reflect more deeply on this great mystery of our faith – the mystery that God is not a solitary being, but a communion of Persons, an eternal exchange of love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Figuring out the Trinity is not some abstract puzzle to be solved. It’s not just a theological concept that is tucked away in the Catechism or in the writings of the Saints. The Trinity is the very heart of who God is…and because we are made in His image and likeness, it is also at the heart of who we are.

Scripture doesn’t give us a textbook definition of the Trinity – in fact, every person who has ever tried to explain the depth and fullness of the Trinity usually has committed heresy in what they have said. But what Scripture and the Church has told us is that the Trinity is revealed through relationship.

In the Book of Proverbs today, we hear Wisdom – often understood as a poetic foreshadowing of Christ – describing how He was “beside God as His craftsman,” delighting in all that was made. This is the creative outpouring of the Father through the Word. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit, who will take from what is His and declare it to us. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – distinct, yet united – working in perfect harmony.

Think of it this way:
The Father is the eternal source of love.
The Son is the one who receives that love and gives it back fully.
And the Spirit is the very love between them – so real, so alive, that He is a Divine Person.

That’s not just theological poetry – that’s the foundation of reality. And it tells us something fundamental about who we are: We were created out of love, for love, to live in love.

That’s why the Trinity matters – not just for theology books, but for marriages, friendships, families, parishes. If we are made in the image and likeness of God, then we are made for relationship. We are most like God not when we are being self-sufficient or isolated, but when we are giving ourselves away – loving, forgiving, serving, showing mercy.

And it’s that truth – the call to live in relationship with God and one another – that has made these past years with you here at Holy Family so meaningful to me.

As many of you know, this is my final weekend here before I begin a new assignment at St. Timothy Catholic Church in The Villages. And while I’ve known this moment would come for a while, it hasn’t made it any easier.

The Christian life is one of movement, of mission. The Trinity shows us this: The Father sends the Son into the world. The Son accomplishes our salvation and sends the Spirit. And the Spirit sends us, to be witnesses, to proclaim the Gospel, to go where we are called. And now, the Spirit is sending me, not away from you, but forward, along the road that God is placing before me.

But, I’ll be honest: I don’t want to leave you. I would have been content to stay. That just shows that my heart is full because this parish – you – have become my family. We’ve shared so much together – prayer, laughter, tears, hospital visits, confessions, weddings, baptisms, First Communions, funerals… some of the most joyful moments of life, and some of the most painful.

For me personally, one of the moments I will never forget – when I lost my dad – you carried me. This community wrapped me in prayer and love in a way that I will never be able to repay. You helped me grieve. You helped me keep going. You reminded me of what the Church is supposed to be: a family that lifts one another up in Christ.

So yes, this is hard. It hurts to go. But it’s because of how deeply I’ve been loved here. And it’s because of that same love that I can trust that the Lord is calling me to go forward now, to a new community, with a heart that is both heavy and full.

In the second reading today, St. Paul writes:

“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 5:1,5)

That’s what gives me peace right now – not knowing everything that lies ahead, but knowing that the love of the Trinity, the love that has shaped this community and shaped me, will not stop flowing. It will go with me. And it will stay with you.

You have taught me how to be a better priest. A better man of faith. You’ve given me the gift of your trust, your honesty, your vulnerability, your faith. I have tried to be faithful to the Lord’s call in my time here. And yet, I know I haven’t always gotten it right. There have been moments when I’ve fallen short; times I may not have been the priest that you needed me to be for you. For those moments, I ask for your forgiveness. I never want to lead others away from an experience of Jesus because I was being a knucklehead. Please know that I’ve always tried to love and serve you the best I could, even in my imperfections. But thankfully, God is bigger than any of us, than our weaknesses and shortcomings and He works in and through us despite them. And I know He will continue His work in all of us.

So, as I prepare to go, I leave you with this:

Stay close to the Trinity.
Let the Father remind you daily of who you are—His beloved.
Let the Son walk with you in every joy and every suffering.
Let the Holy Spirit stir your hearts to love boldly and serve generously.

That’s the mission. That’s the call. And that’s the love that unites us – no matter where we are.

So, this isn’t really goodbye. This is just the next step in the story God is writing in all of our lives.

Please allow me to close my homily today with the prayer that I hold in my heart for this community. It is a prayer that we hear often at the beginning of Mass and in many of the writings of St. Paul.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with all of you…forever.

Amen.

God bless you, Holy Family. Thank you, for everything. I love you and I will miss you tremendously.

Readings for Mass: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Image: The Holy Trinity, Luca Rossetti da Orta, 1738–9. Fresco in St. Gaudenzio Church at Ivrea (Torino), Italy. Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.