Deacon Tom Anthony

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Lectionary: 166

Reading 1 Prv 8:22-31

Thus says the wisdom of God:
"The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.

"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2a)    O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Reading 2 Rom 5:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Alleluia CF. Rv 1:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

My Brothers and Sisters,

 Trinity Sunday invites us to contemplate the mystery of the Holy Trinity and its relationship to us. As Christians, we are invited into a relationship with the Trinity through our interactions with the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Regardless of where we are in our faith-life and our spirituality, the Trinity meets us where we are. To experience the Father we go through the Son while be guided by the Love of God which is the Holy Spirit. We will never understand everything about the Trinity but that is the expected. It is the journey to understanding which is important with the foreknowledge that all will be revealed when we are in full unity with our God. Until then, it is the experience of being in the relationship and the spirituality that it produces that really matters. It is impossible to know and understand everything but it really doesn’t matter how much we truly know only what we do with the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that we receive. Knowing is an asset but experiencing God in the moment is what really matters.

The Reading from the Book of Proverbs mentions the Holy Spirit being poured out throughout God’s creation. This happens consistently and is promised to do so for eternity. It is a reminder how everything came into existence through God’s Love and continues to be because of it. Coming into relationship with Jesus Christ and through Him coming to know the Father enables us to become open to God’s Love. It is through this love that we are healed, shaped, and formed into a more perfect creature; the way that God intended us to be. We then become receivers of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and part of the Holy Trinity.

Understanding our relationship to the Trinity helps us to understand ourselves in a spiritual sense which, for many of us, has been absent for a large amount of our lives. Deepening ourselves spiritually is the key to a more joyous and complete life. Where the spirit goes so goes our mental awareness and a restructuring of our lives on a solid foundation guided by the revelations we receive from God. This brings us in communion with God; exactly where He wants us to be. Doesn’t it make sense to know God if we truly believe what we profess every time we come to worship? Good spiritual health makes this possible and achievable. This leads to equilibrium and a balance which is then offers a clear path to greater things.

God will not disappoint us. It is impossible for that to happen. Many of us may find that difficult to believe because of some sort of suffering or betrayal we have encountered in our lives but we cannot base our relationship with God on our other relationships we have had. God is perfect. God always has our best interests close to His heart. Everyone else that we have interacted with and will interact with is imperfect and their actions will reflect that. Our relationship with God cannot be influenced by the experiences we have with others in the past. It is through God that our experiences will be different and will have different outcomes. Regardless of where we were where we are going will be different with God central in our lives. The Apostle Paul tells us all good comes from God while the disappointments and challenges that we face take on a different meaning with God. The whole character of these obstacles change into something good. Things that threaten or harm us are only things that cause us to become stronger and will eventually be overcome for the greater glory of God and for our betterment.

When we are in right relationship with God things tend to fall into place. As our relationship with God deepens things will be revealed to us. We will have a deeper understanding of certain truths that can become guiding factors in our lives. Being open and receiving God’s Love, which He offers to us constantly, sets us on a course towards perfection and joy. We will be able to make adjustments to our behaviors, our thoughts, and our decisions that will benefit us and everyone who interacts with us. This becomes a positive experience for everyone involved and excludes no one. We are an expression of God’s Love and those who share in that expression join together in a beautiful masterpiece for others to partake in. All are invited to join. Those who do join with us and us with them; living the Holy Trinity.

Deacon Tom