For many years Bro. Mong Ros tried hard to find God in his life. He chose to become a servant of God and though the way is long and hard, he has recently taken another step closer to becoming a priest. 

On 12 August 2012, his installation as an acolyte for the Battambang Prefecture was celebrated in Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. The mass was celebrated by Msgr. Enrique Figaredo, SJ who nominated him to become an acolyte. Bro. Ros' family was invited to mass as the community witnessed as he received his function as an acolyte. An acolyte has a special role during the celebration of the Eucharist, he is the one who gives the Bread and Blood of God to other people, and also helps out during special events of the church. 

During the mass, Msgr. Kike shared to Bro. Ros: "Bro. Ros you have to serve and thank God who has chosen you to become his servant. When you become an acolyte, you have to be with care and full of mercy. You have to follow Jesus and encourage everyone; the sick, the elderly, and others. Give them hope from God. The people are the living Body and Blood of Jesus Christ." 

Br. Mong Ros shared: "I am ready to serve our church and its people. I am here in the heart of the Catholic Church. I have a new role as an acolyte. This function may be simple as a servant in the Mass but the real service takes place in the soul. That means, I am not the one who gives the Bread  and the Wine. It is God  who has given us his real Body and Blood, through his Son... "

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Today is the Feast of the Holy Trinity.  There are several themes from which I can easily focus my homily: Trinity is a relationship, Trinity is a community, Trinity is love.  

I thought that in my parish, where there are many young people and children, I needed to explain the basic notion of God as Trinity.  I could not recall an anecdote to explain this part of our faith.  So I used the image of the coffee that I had this morning.  

I asked the people at mass if they know what is 3-in-1 coffee.  Except the children, almost everyone answered yes.  Here’s how I explained:

With the 3-in-1 coffee, you know that there are three ingredients:  coffee, milk, and sugar.  You can differentiate one from the other, each one distinct taste, color, and texture from the other.  

Once you pour your 3-in-1 sachet into a cup of hot water, the three becomes one color, taste and texture.  Each sip is a full experience of each of the three as ONE – each one complementing, and enchancing the whole. 

The same can be said of the Holy Trinity.  The Trinity is  God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with its own nature and mission.  The Father is the creator, source of life and love.  The Son is the redeemer and points the way, the truth, and life.  The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, inspires us, interprets the Word of God for us in our times, and leads us to the Father.  

Our experience of the divine is always an experience of God as one.  Each experience, like a sip of a good coffee, is an experience of one God as Father who creates and loves, as Son who redeems, and as Spirit that sanctifies.  

I am sharing these thoughts knowing that the image I used might have watered down the doctrine of the Trinity.  For this I beg pardon.  But as always, it is difficult to explain the Trinity.  Our thoughts and images will always fall short in explaining the mystery of God.  -  Fr. Totet, SJ