The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Lectionary: 166

Reading I

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 II

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,

Today is Trinity Sunday, which encourages us to take a closer look at The Holy Trinity and our relationship with it. The Trinity is a central dogma of our faith and not understanding it means that we are in danger of not fully experiencing our faith and of not enjoying a close relationship with our God. The relationship between The Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit is a perfect relationship that we are constantly invited into. This is what our faith is all about. It starts with relationship, continues in relationship, and ends in relationship. Just like there are different sides of us and people perceive us in different ways based on our different roles, the same can be said about The Trinity. When a part of The Trinity is revealed, we embrace that part of it and our relationship with it is affected at that moment. When one part is revealed, it doesn’t mean the other parts cease to be working, for the three remain as one and work as one. I do not cease being a father when Iacting as a deacon, nor do I cease being a husband. I can be defined by what I am doing at that moment, but that is only a revelation of the moment. There is more to me then what is displayed. The concept of The Trinity can be viewed the same way.

 

Much of our faith and our relationship with God is based on acceptance. It is impossible to know and understand everything. No one can claim to know everything about our faith. There is just too much to learn and to experience. There is no end to the wisdom of God. We are encouraged to learn as much as we can because it is through learning that we gain wisdom. The more wisdom we have, the closer we get to God. Jesus Christ has been described as The Word and as being the wisdom of God, thus being intricately connected with God, being one and the same. This develops an understanding that knowing more about God is essential in our relationship with Him. It is in the processing of learning that we can experience Him.

We all have different passions in our lives which drive us. We all have different interests which define us. It is good to remember that God and the pursuit of knowing God should be at the center of all of these. We are social creatures, created to interact with one another. We were not created to be alone or to act alone. This includes participating in a relationship with God. This goes beyond prayer and worship. It means experiencing Him in the moment and in all things. It is through our relationship in The Trinity and The Trinitarian Experience that makes this more possible. Jesus is the gate which we pass through to get to The Father, drawn by The Love of God which is The Holy Spirit. Being open to The Love of God, focused on The Son and seeing The Father as the destination can enrichen all our experiences in this life of ours.

 

The Apostle Paul tells us to accept spiritual things in spiritual terms. This means that spiritual wisdom is not earthly wisdom, thus spiritual wisdom cannot be described or understood with earthly wisdom. Earthly wisdom is limited by its origin. There is no limit to spiritual wisdom because it comes from God. When we pursue it, we will find ourselves in a better place as a result. This is also Paul’s teaching in his second letter to the Corinthians: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. For grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Just as grace is given from the Father through the Son, so there could be no communication of the gift to us except in the Holy Spirit. But when we share in the Spirit, we possess the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Spirit himself.

 

Jesus tells us that The Kingdom of God is within us. The Trinity is constantly at work within us, and we are encouraged to participate in this relationship always. It is through this understanding and acceptance that we can benefit from this experience flourish as a result.

 

Deacon Tom

 

Pentecost Sunday
Mass during the Day

Lectionary: 63

Reading I

Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

R (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
            O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
            the earth is full of your creatures;
R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
            may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
            I will be glad in the LORD.
R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
            and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
            and you renew the face of the earth.
R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.

Reading II

1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

OR:

Rom 8:8-17

Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
 

 

Sequence

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
            Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
            Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
            Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
            Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
            And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
            Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
            Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
            Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
            In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
            Give them joys that never end. Amen.
            Alleluia.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

OR:

Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

Today marks the birthday of The Church, the day Jesus sent the Holy Spirit down upon his Apostles and disciples in the form of fiery tongues. They spoke in many different languages and performed many miracles, converting thousands of people at a time to the Christian way of life. Last week, on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, we spoke about how the culmination of The Easter Season was love and that love should serve as the foundation of our faith. This Sunday the full revelation of God’s Love for us is displayed with the Descent of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit that our relationship with God can be realized. Understanding this relationship and entering into it willingly gives us all the capability to realize our fullest potential and to understand the special gifts that God has endowed to each and every one of us.

Indeed, we all are special and unique. Right down to our genetic code, no one is like anyone else. This is something that should be constantly meditated upon: we are a unique creation and an intricate part of this universe, God’s universe. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the Spirit of God dwells in us. When we recognize and embrace its presence, great things can happen. The desires of the flesh melt away and are replaced by heavenly things, which will make us desire things of the spirit. This will ensure that we remain on the right path and are doing the right things. Just as we are unique, the manifestation of the Spirit within us will have a different effect, thus all our experiences within our relationship with God will be unique. Each of us will have a special reaction to the presence of the Spirit, which will bring about a special transformation. As a community, we celebrate these together and individually we go forth into the world to experience a life filled with joy and promise.

 

We have all experienced a life with God and a life without God. We have all rejected The Gift of the Holy Spirit and have also been filled with the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is the perfect time to recognize The Holy Spirit and to let God rain down His love upon us. As the beautiful hymn Breathe on Me Breathe of God proclaims,

 

Breathe On Me, Breath Of God,
Fill Me With Life Anew,
That I May Love What Thou Dost Love,
And Do What Thou Wouldst Do.

Breathe On Me, Breath Of God,
Until My Heart Is Pure,
Until With Thee I Will One Will,
To Do And To Endure.

Breathe On Me, Breath Of God,
Till I Am Wholly Thine,
Until This Earthly Part Of Me
Glows With Thy Fire Divine.

Breathe On Me, Breath Of God,
So Shall I Never Die,
But Live With Thee The Perfect Life
Of Thine Eternity.

Within these lyrics contain a longing for intimacy with God and a wanting of The Gifts of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus when we accept what is being given to us. These gifts are presented to us continuously and laid out before us.

As Christians, it is necessary to recognize the Spirit of God and let it do the necessary work it has to do to keep us spiritually healthy. The Holy Spirit, The Love of God, is constantly in motion. We must be in motion with it, moving forward in our development and understanding of our faith, Worship, prayer, seeking wisdom, and acts of charity are all necessary to be open to The Spirit and to be open to what God wants us to do. As always, this is all for the benefit of us. God wants us to be joyous. God wants us to be fulfilled. God wants us to beautiful children created in His image. It is through The Holy Spirit that this is experienced and realized.

 

Deacon Tom