The Most Holy Trinity 2025 - The Central Mystery that shapes our lives

 In seminary, we spent an entire semester considering the theological writings on the Holy Trinity. We studied the scriptural foundations of the Doctrine of the Trinity, and the writings of the early church fathers from the east and the west, the medieval theologians, especially the summa theologica of st. Thomas Aquinas, modern theologians like Karl Rahner, papal documents and saintly reflections.

About three quarters into the semester, I remember one of the permanent deacons taking the class raising his hand and asking, “when is any of this going to be applicable to parish life and preaching?” In other words, “how are the Trinitarian reflections of the Cappadocian Fathers like St. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzan, or the intricate arguments of Thomas Aquinas, or the run-on sentences of Karl Rahner going to actually help us in parish ministry or even the Christian life?”

I can’t remember how the professor answered, but the deacon’s question has stuck with me all these years. Why is seeking to understand the Trinity important? How is this supposed to affect my life? And I think that’s the point. As God’s faithful ones we ought to see understanding of the subject of our Love—God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and to allow that understanding to shape our life. 

Who. Is. God. The answer to that question will shape your life.

It even shapes the lives of Atheists. Atheists treat God as a man-made myth, a lie that believers tell themselves in order to give explanation to the unexplainable. And so they develop an ambivalence toward religion and often a hatred us. 

The question, “who is God” shapes the lives of those who believe in God, but don’t want anything to do with Him. They go from one unsatisfying pursuit of pleasure to the next, because they do not acknowledge that God can be found.

But Christians believe that God not only exists, not only can He be found, not only has He communicated with us and revealed himself to us, but we possess an understanding that God wants us to know him and love him and have our life shaped by our relationship with Him and the truths he has revealed.

Who God is and what God has done is meant to shape our lives. 

Today, on Trinity Sunday, we consider that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a communion of love. In creating the human family, God looked at his own inner life to find the design for humanity. God’s inner life is a loving, life-giving community: the Father and Son love one another, and from their love proceeds the Holy Spirit. If God is communion of love, than humans are made for love and communion and harmony and relationship and peace.

This truth is right there on the first page of the Bible, in chapter 1 of the Book of Genesis: God says, “Let us make man in our image”. A plurality of persons, a community of persons, sharing a nature, says let us make man to be like us. 

God is the source of life, God is love, God is a unity of holiness, and so that means we are made to seek life and love and unity through holiness. 

“Let us make man in our image” also points to the gift of will. God chose to make us—to give us life. And so too, we are able to make choices—to exercise free will, to pursue our highest good, or not. We can choose life or death—goodness or sin—love or selfishness—our highest good or depravity.

Now, the abuse of that free will has gotten us into trouble. Adam and Eve’s choice to separate themselves from the communion of love and obedience has caused ripple effects in every human life and mind and soul.

But even when we abuse our free will, in original sin or every other subsequent sin, God reaches out to reconcile because God desires communion with us. God so loved the world, that he sent the Son, to reconcile us to himself and to each other, and so that means we are to be people who like him, seek to heal wounds, and invite, and reconcile. 

So that students’ question: When will any of this matter?—the answer is: “always” in everything we do. Every sacrament we celebrate flows from who God is, what God desires for us, because he desires life and holiness and communion for us. Every teaching of the Church, every commandment is Scripture, every moment that we are given in this earthly life—all of it is shaped by who God is. 

When we know who God is, we come to know who we are, and how we are meant to live. As the Catechism puts it, “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the 'hierarchy of the truths of faith'.  The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men 'and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin'.

God is Trinity, and we are meant to live Trinitarianly—always. We are to live Trinitarianly on earth, so that we may come to share in the Trinitarian life of God in heaven, in eternal glory. 

This is why we begin each prayer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and end every prayer in the same way because it acknowledges that everything we are doing flows from Him, is to be guided by Him, is to be done in union with Him, and directed back toward Him. 

This is why the task of the Church is Evangelization because we recognize that all people are called to share in the divine life. God made us for life and sends us into the world to invite others to communion with Him.

And so, brothers and sisters, we don’t study the Trinity merely to pass a theology exam or fill a homily with lofty ideas. We contemplate the Trinity so we can live in communion with God in this life more fully, and become what we behold—a people of unity, holiness, and self-giving love.

May our homes mirror the unity of the Trinity. May our parish reflect the life of the Trinity. May our lives be filled with the love of the Holy Trinity To Him be glory and praise, now and forever, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

33rd Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Living with Awe, Trust, and Hope

 

We continue to read from the book of Revelation until the end of the liturgical year.

Having concluded the messages to seven churches, John is given a vision of the throne room of heaven: the beautiful and majestic creator of the universe, sits on a throne, and shining like precious gems, receives the worship of his heavenly court.  These verses evoke awe and wonder at the majesty of God, and they are reminiscent of heavenly visions described in the Old Testament—especially the vision of Ezekiel. 

In the first three chapters of the Book, we heard the messages to the seven churches and how many of them are experiencing persecutions and suffering for the Gospel. 

Chapter four begins with this vision of the glorious king of heaven. And reading on we will discover that the glorious king is not just sitting in heaven aloof or unconcerned with the plight of his Church. Like he announces to Moses in the burning bush, he has heard the cries of his people. And he is about to do something about it. 

And so the rest of the book of Revelation will detail how God’s plan of salvation comes to perfect completion. Scrolls will be opened, seals will be broken, trumpets will be sounded, angels will be sent, bowls of plagues and cataclysms will be poured out, as God’s justice is meted out, evil is conquered for ever, and the final chapters of human history on earth come to a close, before ushering in the new creation, a new heavens and a new earth.

Revelation is an absolutely fascinating book of the Bible that we are honored to read through during these last days of the liturgical year, reminding us that God is at work to bring about his justice, and that all things must come to an end in order to begin something new.

As we reflect on these readings from Revelation, let us draw practical lessons for our daily living.

First, cultivate a sense of awe and worship in your prayer life. Spend time adoring God for who He is—not just for what He does for us. Let the grandeur of this vision inspire a deeper reverence in your heart.

Second, trust in God’s sovereignty. Just as He hears the cries of His people and acts in Revelation, He is attentive to our struggles today. Whatever challenges you face, surrender them to the Lord, knowing that His justice and mercy are at work.

Finally, live with hope and readiness. Revelation reminds us that history is moving toward a glorious fulfillment in Christ. Let this inspire you to persevere in faith and to share the good news with others, so they too may share in the promise of the new creation.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, let these truths strengthen your faith and renew your commitment to live as a disciple of the Risen Lord for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in God’s sovereignty, we bring our prayers before the Lord, who hears the cries of His people.

For the Church, that she may continue to proclaim the majesty of God and inspire the faithful to live lives of awe and worship

For world leaders, that they may govern with justice and seek peace, mindful that God’s sovereignty calls all to account

For those who are persecuted or suffering for the Gospel, that they may find strength and hope in God’s promise to bring His justice to completion

For our community, that we may deepen our trust in God’s providence and live with readiness for the fulfillment of His divine plan

For all of the sick and the suffering and those who feel overwhelmed by life’s trials, that they may surrender their challenges to the Lord and experience His mercy and peace

For the faithful departed, for whom we pray in a special way during this month of November, that they may share in the glory of the new creation and behold God’s face in the eternal kingdom, especially N. 

Almighty God, you are the King of heaven and earth, and your plan of salvation is perfect and just. Hear our prayers, strengthen our faith, and guide us as we await the new creation. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

5th Week of Lent 2019 - Tuesday - Jesus reveals God's love

"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM”

Like the bronze serpent which was salvation for those who looked on it in that first reading, Jesus lifted up on the cross becomes salvation for all who look on him in faith.

What a strange utterance by Jesus, though. Upon the cross, we will realize that Jesus is God. To the ancient sentimentality and to ours, the cross was a sign of defeat. To the worldly minded, what better sign to prove that Jesus is not God. Look at his blood. Look at his suffering. Look at his death. How is that Godlike? How is a man, bloodied, beaten, and crucified, a sign of God, and not just a sign, but the sign par excellence.

Why does the cross, more than any of Jesus’ miracles, more than any of his teachings, show us God? Because it is upon the cross that Jesus shows us that God is radical self-giving love. He is not simply a God of strength who has the power to crush his enemies with brute strength.  He is not simply a God of wisdom who can outsmart his opponents. He’s not like the Gods of the Romans and the Greeks are essentially unconcerned with the affairs of mortals. God is Love, St. John says. And not love in the human erotic sense, or even the strong emotional bonds of family or country.

God is self-giving love. And it is upon the cross where that is most evident in the life of Jesus. “There is no greater love than one who lays down his life for his friends”.

And this is what Lent has been preparing us for: All the Lenten practices of helping us to be attentive to the needs of others, willingly undergoing penances so that we are not so afraid of suffering. So that we, like Him, can give away our lives in self-giving. The measure of holiness is our willingness to give of ourselves. Meaning in life is discovered, God is discovered, not in gaining possessions, having control over our peers, but in giving of ourselves in self-sacrifice for the good of others. This is a fundamental dimension of human salvation: being saved from selfishness by embracing self-donation.

May we look to Jesus, and so the merciful self-giving face of God, may we see him and believe in him and follow him unto the cross, unto death, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the Church will experience the graces of profound renewal during this season of Lent.  That we may grow in our eagerness in spreading the Gospel of Christ.

That all Christian families will recommit themselves to putting Christ at the center of their family life, so as to grow in faith, hope, and love.  We pray to the Lord.

For an end to abortion and for the reverence and protection of human life.  We pray to the Lord.
For the young people of our Church. May they be strengthened to be witnesses to the Gospel of mercy and work for a future that embodies a genuine culture of life.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that they will be profoundly blessed in their preparation for full initiation into the Body of Christ.  We pray to the Lord.

For the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, imprisoned, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  We pray to the Lord.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

5th Week of Lent 2018 - Thursday - Jesus Christ is the Great I AM

Christians believe that Jesus is “True God and True Man”, he is “fully God” and “fully human.” We also know that the instances where Jesus clearly proclaims his divinity are rather rare in the pages of the New Testament. But, on this Thursday of the 5th week of Lent, as Holy Week looms ever closer, we have one of those instances.

Jesus had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles—a feast celebrating the abundance of God’s mercy. Having Himself just displayed God’s abundant mercy in the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus stands before a group of fellow Jews. Jesus teaches that same God who abundantly forgives the sins of the contrite, those committing to “going and sinning no more”, has sent Him to be a light for the world, “those who follow Him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Then we hear today, the clear and undeniable teaching, “before Abraham was, I AM.” Jesus identifies himself as the very same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the very same God who appeared to Moses at the burning bush, the God of creation, the God of Israel.

Even though many Jews had come to believe in His divine mission, they only saw him as a human being, a prophet. His claim of equality with God, to them was blasphemous. And so, following the dictates of Levitical law, they picked up stones to drive Him from their midst.

During these final days of Lent, we show our belief that not only is Jesus a man who suffers for God’s will, as all of us are called to do, he is God with the power to save us from our sins, to heal broken hearts and broken lives. We prepare, during Lent, through our penances, to stand with the newly initiated at Easter, to acknowledge that it is through God’s mercy that we have come to believe that Jesus Christ is “True God, and True Man.” May our Lenten penances help us to deepen our conviction that “those who keep His Word shall never see death” and to strengthen our conviction for solemnly declaring to all the nations that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.