On this Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the readings describe anything but an ordinary time. They are disturbing and they leave us disturbed. The Old Testament reading recounts a young man’s radical break with the past to follow a new path. The Gospel describes how life as we know it is abruptly changed if we follow the call of Christ. The psalm and Paul assure us that such life-altering change is possible only because of the power of God’s love. We are presented with a stark choice. To love as God loves, we must leave our old lives behind. We must leave behind not just the bad, the selfish, and the evil but the ordinary, our daily work, and the important, our families, our lives. Loving as God loves requires a radical transformation, not a smooth transition.

Today we celebrate the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Each of the readings includes a blessing and a sharing of food. They remind us of the central place of meals in our lives. Each meal brings to mind other meals: the sharing of cookies and milk, pizza and beer, loaves and fishes, bread and wine. When we prepare a meal for our family, our friends, even strangers, we always put something of ourselves into the preparation and the meal itself. The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ reminds us of what God put into the preparation for this meal that we celebrate today. We share this sacred meal and are transformed as we remember the death of Jesus and the sacrifice that nurtures our faith, sustains our lives, and supports our work.

Today we celebrate the Holy Trinity, one of the most confounding mysteries of our faith. Through this mystery we experience our relationship to God: Creator, Savior, and Holy Spirit. This relationship is not easy to understand or to describe. It does not become clearer through analysis. Its complexity mirrors the complexity of all our relationships. We understand our relationships with our spouses, our children, our parents, and our friends only through daily give-and-take, annual rituals, and the life-changing moments we share. We understand our relationships only as we live them. The relationships we have with those we love, and who love us, sustain us through an uncertain and difficult life. This is the Holy Trinity.

In between: we all find ourselves there from time to time—sometimes uncomfortably. Like in between money coming in and money going out, earning income and paying bills. In between customer and manager, diner and chef: any honest server trying to serve both. In between theory and practice, ideal and reality: everyone from parents to pastors. Ask the kids—or parishioners! This Sunday, in between Ascension and Pentecost, reminds us we're in between Jesus' departure and glorious return—sometimes uncomfortably.