Deacon Tom Anthony

 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Lectionary: 164

Reading 1 EX 34:4b-6, 8-9

Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.
Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, "LORD."
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own."

Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!

Reading 2 2 Cor 13:11-13

Brothers and sisters, rejoice.
Mend your ways, encourage one another,
agree with one another, live in peace,
and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the holy ones greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

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 3:16-18

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

Journeying through the Easter Season we have been celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. During this celebration we were encouraged to meditate on the significance of this event and how it should influence our lives and our spiritual journey. We have also learned that we have the Holy Spirit as an advocate who moves us towards the Son who in turn leads us to the Father. All this is done out of love and through the Love of God which is revealed through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Each season of the Church brings about certain revelations and understanding about God and our relationship to Him. Each day of worship is designed through the presence of the Holy Spirit to bring about further wisdom that in turn brings about a transformative experience within ourselves. There is an action reaction here that is initiated by the Father, introduced by the Son, and fully defined by the Holy Spirit. To be true Christians we must be fully engaged in our faith; ready to be active in our relationship within the Trinity, for the Trinity is in constant motion and through this motion comes transformation. To remain stationary is going against the natural progression of God’s Creation and the Trinity itself. Are we so arrogant that we would actually do this willingly? As Christians we cannot unless we wish to risk the loss of our birthright like Esau. We as God’s children have been created to have the ability to be transformed by our relationship with God. When we don’t actually pursue this process then we are separating ourselves from God’s Creation and from our participation in the Trinitarian Experience. Being so separated leads us to one logical end: a life without God and a life unfulfilled.

This Sunday we celebrate Trinity Sunday. Having concluded the Easter Season and celebrated Pentecost, which is the birthday of the Church, the Catholic Church now takes the opportunity to introduce to us some of the basic tenants of our faith so as to make our Easter Experiences and the understanding of the Holy Spirit deeper and more important to us. The Trinity is God and through that title we get both a description of the relationship between the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and an overall concept of God. There are three parts yet these parts are merged together in a relationship that is both fluid and ever-changing. The relationship between the three is also influenced by our participation in that relation. The experiences that we encounter through this are both individual in nature and collective: no two relationships will be the same. What we experience will be experienced differently and processed differently based on who we are and our own experiences. Just as all of our relationships with different people are unique so will our relationship with our God be unique. This will be hard to describe sometimes but that is okay: trying to describe something as infinite as God and our experiences with Him can take a lifetime but that is point. Our relationship with God is supposed to last a lifetime here and throughout eternity. God is eternal and so are we.

Focusing on the Trinity and our relationship with it puts our faith where it should be: central in our lives. The more that we think about something the more the subject of our thoughts has the capability of preoccupying what we say and do. The same goes for God and our relationship with Him. The more we focus on Him then the more He will be in our thoughts and will then be able to influence our actions. What is important to Him will then become important to us and things will fall into place. We become receivers of all that is good from God.  In the Second Reading today Paul uses a standard greeting that we use today in the Holy Mass:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

This is a true vision of where we all want to be. Receiving the grace of Jesus Christ brings us to the Father who loves us completely. We do this through the urging of the Holy Spirit which is God’s Love and is the thing that binds us all together in Christian Community. Working towards this vision of relationship we flow towards God and not away from Him. Our thoughts and actions meld together with God and His presence is felt all the more. We are an intricate part of this process and we are participators in this process. Through our relationship with the Trinity we get better and all things around us get better.  With God as our guiding force we become shaped and formed into something better because of the experience.

Believing in God and understanding the Trinity brings us closer to that which created us. Just as our relationships with those closest to us have the capability to influence us for better or for worse our relationship with God has the capability to bring ourselves to our fullest potential physically, mentally, and spiritually. Digging deep into that relationship and discovering what it actually is and what it means in relation to us is an exercise that can only bring positive results. This is why the Church puts so much importance on Trinity Sunday and takes the opportunity to encourage more understanding of the Holy Trinity. More understanding of the Trinity brings us to a more understanding of ourselves.

Deacon Tom Anthony

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Jesus Christ intentionally puts himself at a disadvantage in the relationship that we have with Him. He has freely given Himself to us by offering Himself up on the Cross so that we may achieve redemption and eternal life. What a monumental display of courage and love. Yes, Jesus loves us so much that He did this for us. What can we really do in return that would mirror this gift? There is nothing that we can do but there is no need to be discouraged. True friends sacrifice everything for their brother and for the ones that they love. He did it as an example for us. In fact, it can be looked at as some sort of challenge. Where do we go from here? What can we possibly do it return for this great gift? The answer is nothing. Christ does not expect anything but, at the same time, appreciates everything that we do in reaction to this.

To further strengthen us, Jesus sent us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, so that we may experience the Love of God more fully. So, we now have the Son who gave everything to us and the Holy Spirit so that we may feel the Love of God. Who are we to be benefactors of such great gift from Jesus Christ which marks the beginning of the relationship with Him? We are then encouraged to take these gifts and claim our birthright as Children of God. We are welcomed into the relationship of the Trinity with no requirements or prerequisites. The only thing that we really have to do is respond to what is given to us. Yes, that may be very hard because of all the distractions that we encounter in our lives but still is it worth it? We need to ask ourselves that question every day: Is it worth it to surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ so as to experience the full relationship of the Trinity because He wanted us to do so? I feel that the proper answer is a resounding YES.

This Trinity Sunday has been developed so that we can more fully enter into what is our destiny: the relationship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have passed through the Easter Season and with its passing we have now gain a fuller understanding of the Resurrected Christ and what He means to us. We must now take that knowledge and apply it to our everyday life. We must now react to the presence of Jesus Christ and take what is ours. It has been offered to us and there is no qualification for this gift. We are Children of God and Children of the Resurrection. This is who we are. Everything else that we thought defined us is nothing in comparison. Jesus Christ is crying out to us to love Him. The Holy Spirit defines that point and the Father has already opened His arms to receive us.

We are armed with all of the tools and weapons necessary to bring about a joyful life. They only have to be used. There is literally an entire toolbox presented before us so as to fix and repair everything that we have done wrong. It is never too late to reverse what we have done wrong. It is never too late to repair that which is broken. Jesus is here to guide us, the Holy Spirit is here to love us, and the Father is here to welcome us. What more is necessary to complete us with the Trinity?
We ask and we receive. We pray and our prayers are answered. We want and we get. Yes, that is what a Christian Life is all about. Never mind what this world offers. Christ is here and Christ wants us to run to Him. Take all that is offered and spread forth the same amount to those who we profess to love. That is everyone.

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.

First reading
From the book of Job
38:1-30
God confounds Job

Then the Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Who is this that obscures divine plans
with words of ignorance?
Gird up your loins now, like a man;
I will question you, and you tell me the answers!
Where were you when I founded the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its size; do you know?
Who stretched out the measuring line for it?
Into what were its pedestals sunk,
and who laid the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
And who shut within doors the sea,
when it burst forth from the womb;
When I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
When I set limits for it
and fastened the bar of its door,
And said: Thus far shall you come but no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stilled!
Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning
and shown the dawn its place
For taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?
The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,
and dyed as though it were a garment;
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea,
or walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
or have you seen the gates of darkness?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?
You know, because you were born before them,
and the number of your years is great!
Have you entered the storehouse of the snow,
and seen the treasury of the hail
Which I have reserved for times of stress,
for the days of war and of battle?
Which way to the parting of the winds,
whence the east wind spreads over the earth?
Who has laid out a channel for the downpour
and for the thunderstorm a path
To bring rain to no man’s land,
the unpeopled wilderness;
To enrich the waste and desolate ground
till the desert blooms with verdure?
Has the rain a father;
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
Out of whose womb comes the ice,
and who gives the hoarfrost its birth in the skies,
When the waters lie covered as though with stone
that holds captive the surface of the deep?
RESPONSORY Romans 9:20; Job 38:3
Who are you, a man, to dare argue with God?
— The pot has no right to say to the potter: Why did you make this shape?
Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer what I ask.
— The pot has no right to say to the potter: Why did you make this shape?

Second reading
From the Moral Reflections on Job by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
The Church moves forward like the advancing dawn

Since the daybreak or the dawn is changed gradually from darkness into light, the Church, which comprises the elect, is fittingly styled daybreak or dawn. While she is being led from the night of infidelity to the light of faith, she is opened gradually to the splendor of heavenly brightness, just as dawn yields to the day after darkness. The Song of Songs says aptly: Who is this who moves forward like the advancing dawn? Holy Church, inasmuch as she keeps searching for the rewards of eternal life, has been called the dawn. While she turns her back on the darkness of sins, she begins to shine with the light of righteousness.
This reference to the dawn conjures up a still more subtle consideration. The dawn intimates that the night is over; it does not yet proclaim the full light of day. While it dispels the darkness and welcomes the light, it holds both of them, the one mixed with the other, as it were. Are not all of us who follow the truth in this life daybreak and dawn? While we do some things which already belong to the light, we are not free from the remnants of darkness. In Scripture the Prophet says to God: No living being will be justified in our sight. Scripture also says: In many ways all of us give offense.
When he writes, the night is passed, Paul does not add, the day is come, but rather, the day is at hand. Since he argues that after the night has passed, the day as yet is not come but is rather at hand, he shows that the period before full daylight and after darkness is without doubt the dawn, and that he himself is living in that period.
It will be fully day for the Church of the elect when she is no longer darkened by the shadow of sin. It will be fully day for her when she shines with the perfect brilliance of interior light. This dawn is aptly shown to be an ongoing process when Scripture says: And you showed the dawn its place. A thing which is shown its place is certainly called from one place to another. What is the place of the dawn but the perfect clearness of eternal vision? When the dawn has been brought there, it will retain nothing belonging to the darkness of night. When the Psalmist writes: My soul thirsts for the living God; when shall I go and see the face of God?, does he not refer to the effort made by the dawn to reach its place? Paul was hastening to the place which he knew the dawn would reach when he said he wished to die and to be with Christ. He expressed the same idea when he said: For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

First reading
From the book of Job
38:1-30
God confounds Job

Then the Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Who is this that obscures divine plans
with words of ignorance?
Gird up your loins now, like a man;
I will question you, and you tell me the answers!
Where were you when I founded the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its size; do you know?
Who stretched out the measuring line for it?
Into what were its pedestals sunk,
and who laid the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
And who shut within doors the sea,
when it burst forth from the womb;
When I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
When I set limits for it
and fastened the bar of its door,
And said: Thus far shall you come but no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stilled!
Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning
and shown the dawn its place
For taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?
The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,
and dyed as though it were a garment;
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea,
or walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
or have you seen the gates of darkness?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?
You know, because you were born before them,
and the number of your years is great!
Have you entered the storehouse of the snow,
and seen the treasury of the hail
Which I have reserved for times of stress,
for the days of war and of battle?
Which way to the parting of the winds,
whence the east wind spreads over the earth?
Who has laid out a channel for the downpour
and for the thunderstorm a path
To bring rain to no man’s land,
the unpeopled wilderness;
To enrich the waste and desolate ground
till the desert blooms with verdure?
Has the rain a father;
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
Out of whose womb comes the ice,
and who gives the hoarfrost its birth in the skies,
When the waters lie covered as though with stone
that holds captive the surface of the deep?
RESPONSORY Romans 9:20; Job 38:3
Who are you, a man, to dare argue with God?
— The pot has no right to say to the potter: Why did you make this shape?
Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer what I ask.
— The pot has no right to say to the potter: Why did you make this shape?

Second reading
From the Moral Reflections on Job by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
The Church moves forward like the advancing dawn

Since the daybreak or the dawn is changed gradually from darkness into light, the Church, which comprises the elect, is fittingly styled daybreak or dawn. While she is being led from the night of infidelity to the light of faith, she is opened gradually to the splendor of heavenly brightness, just as dawn yields to the day after darkness. The Song of Songs says aptly: Who is this who moves forward like the advancing dawn? Holy Church, inasmuch as she keeps searching for the rewards of eternal life, has been called the dawn. While she turns her back on the darkness of sins, she begins to shine with the light of righteousness.
This reference to the dawn conjures up a still more subtle consideration. The dawn intimates that the night is over; it does not yet proclaim the full light of day. While it dispels the darkness and welcomes the light, it holds both of them, the one mixed with the other, as it were. Are not all of us who follow the truth in this life daybreak and dawn? While we do some things which already belong to the light, we are not free from the remnants of darkness. In Scripture the Prophet says to God: No living being will be justified in our sight. Scripture also says: In many ways all of us give offense.
When he writes, the night is passed, Paul does not add, the day is come, but rather, the day is at hand. Since he argues that after the night has passed, the day as yet is not come but is rather at hand, he shows that the period before full daylight and after darkness is without doubt the dawn, and that he himself is living in that period.
It will be fully day for the Church of the elect when she is no longer darkened by the shadow of sin. It will be fully day for her when she shines with the perfect brilliance of interior light. This dawn is aptly shown to be an ongoing process when Scripture says: And you showed the dawn its place. A thing which is shown its place is certainly called from one place to another. What is the place of the dawn but the perfect clearness of eternal vision? When the dawn has been brought there, it will retain nothing belonging to the darkness of night. When the Psalmist writes: My soul thirsts for the living God; when shall I go and see the face of God?, does he not refer to the effort made by the dawn to reach its place? Paul was hastening to the place which he knew the dawn would reach when he said he wished to die and to be with Christ. He expressed the same idea when he said: For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

First reading
From the book of Job
40:1-14; 42:1-6
Job submits himself to the divine majesty

The Lord said to Job:
Will we have arguing with the Almighty by the critic?
Let him who would correct God give answer!
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.
Then the Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Gird up your loins now, like a man.
I will question you, and you tell me the answers!
Would you refuse to acknowledge my right?
Would you condemn me that you may be justified?
Have you an arm like that of God,
or can you thunder with a voice like his?
Adorn yourself with grandeur and majesty,
and array yourself with glory and splendor.
Let loose the fury of your wrath;
tear down the wicked and shatter them.
Bring down the haughty with a glance;
bury them in the dust together;
in the hidden world imprison them.
Then will I too acknowledge
that your own right hand can save you.
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.
I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;
things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.
I had heard of you by word of mouth,
but now my eye has seen you.
Therefore I disown what I have said,
and repent in dust and ashes.
RESPONSORY Job 42:5-6; 40:5, 4
I have heard of you by word of mouth, O Lord, but now that I have seen you for myself I disown all that I have said,
— and I repent in dust and ashes.
Though I have spoken once, I will not speak again; though twice, I will do so no more. I shall put my finger against my lips.
— And I repent in dust and ashes.

Second reading
From a letter by Saint Boniface, bishop and martyr
The careful shepherd watches over Christ’s flock

In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.
The ancient fathers showed us how we should carry out this duty: Clement, Cornelius and many others in the city of Rome, Cyprian at Carthage, Athanasius at Alexandria. They all lived under emperors who were pagans; they all steered Christ’s ship—or rather his most dear spouse, the Church. This they did by teaching and defending her, by their labors and sufferings, even to the shedding of blood.
I am terrified when I think of all this. Fear and trembling came upon me and the darkness of my sins almost covered me. I would gladly give up the task of guiding the Church which I have accepted if I could find such an action warranted by the example of the fathers or by holy Scripture.
Since this is the case, and since the truth can be assaulted but never defeated or falsified, with our tired mind let us turn to the words of Solomon: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own prudence. Think on him in all your ways, and he will guide your steps. In another place he says: The name of the Lord is an impregnable tower. The just man seeks refuge in it and he will be saved.
Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to him: O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.
Let us trust in him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful and he tells us: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Let us continue the fight on the day of the Lord. The days of anguish and of tribulation have overtaken us; if God so wills, let us die for the holy laws of our fathers, so that we may deserve to obtain an eternal inheritance with them.
Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor silent onlookers nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. Instead let us be careful shepherds watching over Christ’s flock. Let us preach the whole of God’s plan to the powerful and to the humble, to rich and to poor, to men of every rank and age, as far as God gives us the strength, in season and out of season, as Saint Gregory writes in his book of Pastoral Instruction.