In the church of Notre Dame des Otages in Paris, a solemn Eucharist was held on 30 May, on the feast of the Holy Trinity, to conclude the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the martyrdom of the victims of the Paris Commune. The Mass was presided over by the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Michel Aupetit, and was attended by several hundred faithful and several dozen priests representing the communities from whence came those shot during the Commune. Several brothers of the SSCC community, led by the French Provincial, Fr. Christian Flottes also attended.
In his homily, Mgr Aupetit said, inter alia, that Trinity Sunday is a celebration of the loving relationship between the three Divine Persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. As the French saying puts it: "United like the five fingers in a hand", the Trinity is unity in love among the three Divine Persons.
The five martyrs (Fr. Planchat, Fr. Ladislas, Fr. Marcelin, Fr. Frezal and Fr. Polycarpe), whose beatification is in process, lived this dynamic of Trinitarian Love until the end of their lives. They witnessed to this love with their lives, dying as martyrs of their christian faith.
Archbishop Aupetit reminds us how Jesus had said that His followers were to be sent like lambs among the wolves. The world will hate us blindly because they do not understand, nevertheless, it is amidst this kind of hatred that Christians are to witness the love of God and become the light of the world.
After the Holy Mass in the church square and in the parish rooms, the participants of the ceremony took advantage of the prepared refreshment, which also created an opportunity for people to get to know each other and deepen brotherly ties.
Video from the Eucharist: https://youtu.be/h-sEvr34heE
For photo album, please click this link: https://cutt.ly/BndZayo
06/01/2021