As I was perusing the plethora of articles on the website, 'We Are Church, Ireland", I came across the video entitled: "Father Brian D'Arcy, The Turbulent Priest'. This is a 'must see' documentary about Father Brian D'Arcy of Ireland, who had his knuckles wrapped for writing a newspaper story about the kinds of changes, in the Church, the Vatican ought to be considering and implementing. For example, Father Brian says that celibacy should no longer be obligatory. Father Brian is a priest who not only ministers to a nursing home and a parish, but, is also a journalist, who has a couple of radio programs.

The documentary relates how Father D'Arcy questions whether he will remain a priest after he's disciplined. To my knowledge, he remains, a priest in good standing, visa-vi the institutional church, and he continues to minister as he always did, for more than 50 years now.

Father Brian, comes across as being an honest, considerate, loving, intelligent, devout, and humble man. My response to the film was to laugh in some parts, and cry in other parts. This is truly an inspirational video because Father Brian is inspirational. I strongly recommend that you take the time to view the documentary. The link on you tube is here.

Listening to Father Brian and viewing his life story was the highlight of my spiritual life this week. The verse that came to me in conjunction with this experience was from the First Letter of John, Chapter five, verse twelve, which reads: "Whoever has the Son has Life"...

This was a bold statement for the author of John to have made 2,000 years ago, and it is still a bold statement. When you boil the issue of Church down to its' essence, what remains, is exactly what one John, 5:12 says, " if you have the Son, you have life" and he goes on to say, that "whoever does not have the Son, does not have life". It doesn't get any more simpler or clearer than that. For me, Father Brian D'Arcy has the Son and Father Brian D'Arcy has Life. AND THAT MY FRIENDS IS TO HAVE EVERYTHING!

Since it is the Feast Day of the Trinity, I want to say, that the 'Trinity', the Father/Mother, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are extremely important to me. In my journey with God, I have had personal encounters with each divine person. When I began my adult life with God, the Holy Spirit revealed to me, the nature of Church, by giving me the intellectual understanding, that the essence of the Church, is the 'Trinity' which we traditionally understood to be given by God at baptism. Today, there might be discussion about this indwelling already being present before baptism, but for my purpose, in this short article, I will refer to the time of the indwelling of the Trinity to be at baptism.

Interestingly, earlier this year, the priest who would have baptized me in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, passed away, and is with our Lord.....Father Duncan MacDonnell, good Scottish man from the Maritimes of Canada.

I understand that the 'Trinity' has been a confounding concept for some members of the faithful, but, I just see it this way, as described by Jesus, when he says, "I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me". Jesus also says, "that He will be with us always, and so he's sending the spirit". I see a natural flow and mingling of the Father/Mother, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

As well, as I wrote on St. Patrick's Day, I appreciate the lesson of St. Patrick, that the 'Trinity" can be visualized with the shape of the shamrock.

I began this entry by speaking of Father Brian D'Arcy, in whom, the Son, the second person of the Trinity, is alive and ministering, but, I would layer that thought, with the reality, that to witness, Father Brian at work, is also to witness, the presence of the Father/Mother, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity.

God Bless and May You All Experience the Intimate Union with the Son for Life, but May You Also Know the Totality of God, in the Trinity!

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