Archbishop of Sydney

His Eminence,
Cardinal George Pell
Cardinal Priest of the Title of S. Maria Domenica Mazzarello

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Home > Our Archbishop > Homilies 2003 > Article	Printable Version

Trinity Sunday

St Mary's Cathedral - Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Mass
Deut 4:32-34, 39-40; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
15 June 2003

This annual Mass is a wonderful opportunity: i) to celebrate the work of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the Sydney Archdiocese, ii) to express the thanks of the Catholic community towards those who have taught for 20 or 25 years in this important task of preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth; iii) to welcome new catechists to the ranks; iv) to ask God's continued blessing on the catechists, old and new; and even more importantly on the young people whom we hope to lead to Christ, insert more deeply into the Catholic community and instruct about the truth and beauty of Catholic tradition. The wider church, and certainly the Archbishop of Sydney, commends your efforts to provoke in the hearts of your pupils a knowledge and love of Christ, a deepening appreciation and wonder at the romance of orthodoxy.

Mr. Peter Ivers, the Director, whose work I commend, has told me that the last 12 months have been significant for a number of different reasons; the move to the new Polding Centre, the development of new internet resources, a new parish handbook and most importantly the first increase in catechist numbers for 4 years since 1999.

All of us, parents, teachers, lay leaders, religious and catechists have to be concerned to encourage successors, to recruit them, encourage them through difficulties and give them opportunities for leadership. May these increasing catechist numbers continue into the future.

Mr. Ivers also informed me that there will be some revision of the Joy for Living Series to make it even more Christ-centred. This will continue to be based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and will be adapted to parallel more closely the curriculum and syllabus used by the Sydney Catholic Education Office and the revised texts to be mandated next year for the Catholic schools in Sydney, the series "To Know, Worship and Love." We ask your prayerful support for these important works of revision so that the youngsters know the basic Christian claims and something of the intellectual framework of Catholic teachings on faith and morals.

Being a follower of Christ is more than being a good citizen, having some idea of the difference between right and wrong; more than talking about kindness and concern for the battlers. As well as practising what we preach, translating our moral claims into action, the Catholic religion is a call of faith and belief; faith in an invisible God of Love who sent his Son to teach and redeem us and gave us His Spirit to be with us until the end of time. We celebrate this basic truth claim on this feast of Trinity Sunday.

We know most about the divine nature of God from what Jesus taught, what He was like and what He did. Building on the Old Testament teaching we have a unique glimpse into the God head.

The Spirit of God works everywhere, of course, except where goodness is rejected by radical evil, except where there is death-bearing sin, or mortal sin in the traditional term.

But God has chosen to work particularly through special individuals and groups of people. Strangely he chose the Jews as His own people, despite the fact they were surrounded by older, more powerful and sophisticated neighbours, especially the Egyptians. As the old piece of verse runs "How odd of God to choose the Jews." God has a taste for the particular, for individuals, because God wants things to be done!

The second reading reminds us that we are children of God, not followers, slaves, mere numbers or nobodies!

Great leaders sometimes have no concern for their followers. It is alleged that Napoleon explained that he was prepared to have thousands die in battle to hold a metre of important land. Stalin, and even Marshall Zhukov were impervious to Russian losses provided the big picture was good.

Jesus is light years from this sort of approach. He encourages us to call God father, and we can call Jesus, the only Son of God, Lord, God, Redeemer, brother and friend. God is like this.

We must try to communicate this love of God for us to our pupils and those around us.

In the gospel Jesus commanded his disciples to spread the gospel to the end of the earth. The ends of the earth are defined by where you decide to begin, but if we begin in Jesus' homeland then we are near the ends of the earth, proof that his teaching has been heeded.

And Jesus promised God would be with us until the end of time, in periods of growth and decline, in times of confidence and gloom, during all the ups and downs of history.

We should remember that the first challenge of the Church today is not to reach the poor, but to reach God. When we reach God and He is with us, then we are able to love our neighbours as we should.

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