The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Lectionary: 166
Reading I
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
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 II
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
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
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,
On this beloved day we are invited to consider one of the fundamental mysteries of our faith that should be a central part of our lives and to our relationship with God: The Holy Trinity. It is through the Trinity (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) that we are invited into relationship with God. Jesus shows us the way, while the Holy Spirit moves us, and the Father waits for us. Each, in their separate identity, has a particular function while together they form one Godhead. We are told through Proverbs that wisdom, being Jesus, was with the Father throughout eternity. The love that is present between them is the Holy Spirit, which pours forth on us and all of creation. This becomes our final destination: drawing forward throughout our entire lives into a relationship with the Trinity, we are destined to become a part of it with full revelation and a full understanding of who God is. The three are one and cannot be separated, while the only way that we can be separated from it is by the exercising of our own free will. This is something that God does not want us to do, because we would be missing out on what He is offering us: His complete, unconditional love.
Exercising our will by choosing not to use it is the key to feeling the presence of God. God is ever-present and we have already been claimed by Him at the moment of our creation. Because of this, we are receivers of certain benefits and qualities that can only be recognized through a proper understanding and implementation of what Jesus tells us and through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. There should be constant action on our part, reacting to what is being said and taught. The guidance never ends. Our job is to listen. Jesus reminds us today that the Holy Spirit has the capability of guiding us to the truth through what is being told by Him, the truth being the Father. When we center all of our desires and actions around this concept, we will be more joyous as a result. Without God in our lives, things just do not make sense. We can be unfulfilled and restless as a result. Problems become bigger, while discontentment can be a stumbling block that can trip us into bad decisions, bringing about calamity and confusion. Peace is brough through Jesus path and a clear path regarding what we must do. This gives us purpose and satisfaction.
We are told through Psalm 46 to,
“Be still and know that I am God.”
This reminds us that silence and surrendering are the best actions to experience God and enter into a relationship with Him. If His love is already pouring out over us and He dwells within us, then any action that is not prompted by that fact becomes resistance to Him. Even the slightest deviation can have a tremendous impact. The Apostle Paul further tells us that we are, “Justified by our faith.” We believe and are set free from the bondage of self as a direct result. This means we are made righteous in the eyes of God merely by our faith. Our faith tampers down our will and God’s will takes over. Even the minimal act of just thinking about God has the potential to affect our thoughts and actions to become His. When this occurs, we then go on autopilot, with God steering us into the right direction of where He wants us to go. The journey and goal then take on a greater meaning because it is influenced by spirituality and the presence of the eternal.
In the working of everyday life, there are many times that we are told to set realistic goals. When it comes to material things and societal living, this may be sound advice. When it comes to God, that is not the same case. It is through God and our Trinitarian experience that things that were once bound become boundless. This is when we become glorified by the presence of God and are lifted up to the highest of heights. Focusing on things of Heavenly origin yield heavenly results. Being grounded in our faith lifts us off the ground and into the heavenly realm. The desires of the flesh and the temptations of a materialistic world melt away and only the love of God remains.
Deacon Tom
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