Deacon Tom Anthony

We are invited to partake in a very special relationship with our God. To do this we must first recognize the Infinite Nature of his existence. Time and space are irrelevant to God since he created them both. He is beyond time and space. We as human beings are regulated by time and space so it is natural for us to try regulate everything else in our Creation Experience by these standards and rules. The sun rises and the sun sets. People are born, they live, then they die. This holds true in our faith-life also. Over 2,000 years ago Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ was born unto the Virgin Mary and became man. He was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead. Forty days after his resurrection he ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit down upon his Apostles and disciples. Yes, these events did happen. Yet, it must also be understood that the Holy Trinity has been present eternally. As John wrote in his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word meaning Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, the Love of God, was also present and actively working throughout Creation.

The Holy Trinity has been working throughout Creation in the most beautiful and wonderful way. The Love of God has always been present and will be present. We are part of that creation and that makes us part of the experience. God is always in our midst and God is constantly involved in our lives. Jesus stands before us with his loving arms extended beckoning us forward to join in this wonderful relationship. The Holy Spirit calls to us to make that step forward to join the Father through Jesus Christ. The invitation has always been extended and it is up to us to accept it. That same invitation will not be revoked until the day of Final Judgment.

God loves us so much that he gave us the gift of Independent Thought to participate in the perfection of the Trinity. Original Sin was our decision to turn away from that perfection and live our lives according to our own Free Will, thoughts, and desires instead of that of God. Our nature was then corrupted further by our own decisions. We are not perfect and our history is reflective of that. All of us will never be perfect because of that initial separation.

Inside of us there is a longing which is the call from God to once again join him. This call can easily be ignored or misinterpreted because of our sinful nature. We are torn between our disordered desires and the longing to be with our Creator. Imagine a struggle between a parent and a child: the child knows that the parent loves them but the child also struggles for independence. Why do children rebel? It is a natural progression in child development. Us being Children of God have rebelled and continue to rebel. It is when we acknowledge this rebellious state and take measures to correct it that we start to be repaired. It is through the work of the Holy Trinity that we can start to be healed. It is through the Holy Trinity that we can start to fully participate in God's Creation around us.

Through the Holy Trinity we can realize God's Creation for what it is: wonderful, beautiful, and glorious. This includes us in a most special way. We are constantly tempted to ignore this and live our lives according to the imperfect society that has been built up around us. In fact, we are encouraged to do this through the demands and visions set forth by man's additions to creation. We are constantly sent the message that what society has built is better than what God has to offer. Again, this is part of our rebellious nature. The Biblical Story of the Tower of Babel is reflective of our constant struggle to be better than God; to do better than God. In the end, it is a fruitless effort. We will always fall short from perfection if we ignore God and pursue our goals without God.

If the Trinity is working throughout Creation constantly and is present amongst us, how can we continue to try and separate it from our existence? It is impossible. We have all worked on something in our lives that has not achieved the expected result. Even before the task reached its completion we knew it was going to fail. It made us feel miserable and incomplete. That same feeling will always be present if we do not recognize God in our lives. We cannot live alone and expect to build ourselves up to a level of happiness, fulfillment, and completeness without God. It is impossible.

When we embrace God we can then realize that everything else that society and man has to offer is immaterial. We can be happy knowing that we are loved by God. We can listen to him and be guided by him. He is here to help us and will never abandon us. He is our craftsman who has the ability to build us up to greater heights. He can also repair us when we are damaged. Nothing is beyond repair. Nothing that we do to ourselves or other people cannot be undone. Sin and failure is not permanent. It is a temporary state until we surrender to the Will of God. To do this we must recognize that God loves us, turn to God and return to him.

The Holy Spirit is loving us, Jesus is welcoming us, and the Father is waiting for us.

Deacon Tom