Trinity Sunday

St. Augustine describes the Holy Trinity as, “God is love, Jesus is the lover, and the Holy Spirit is the love shared between them.”  It is a nice analogy; it is one that helps us reflect on the power of love and its depths.  Yet, the Trinity is not the easiest thing to wrap your head around.  The basic teaching about that Trinity is that we believe in one God in three persons, each person is their own person and each person is God.  Each person is not simply a manifestation of God, but is God and each still remains their own person.  What we can’t wrap our head around is the fact that we are talking about distinction and unity all in the same sentence.  We understand the distinction, i.e. there are three persons, we even understand what unity means, i.e. One God, but when you put the two together difficulties arise because it goes beyond our capacity to fully understand.  Much like saying God is in control but we continue to have free will or it is God who saves us but we still participate.

The easiest way for me to understand the Trinity is to compare it to marriage or a family that is perfectly united.  Please do not misunderstand me, no analogy will ever perfectly describe or explain the Trinity nor can human relationships ever be 100% perfect, since human relationships are faulty due to our sinfulness and weakness, and yet we must try to understand it since it is the most important tenet of our faith.

Everyone who is married or wishes to marry dreams of and hopes for the perfect marriage and all marriages are perfect to some extent, all couples have shared those moments in which they were truly one, “the two shall become one flesh.”  In those moments of great intimacy, friendship, and love two people do become one in thought and spirit, they are inseparable.  Both can anticipate the other’s thoughts and movements, a bond exists that becomes unbreakable.  In these moments the person does not lose their individuality, they remain who they are but are also one in just about every respect.  Sounds like a beautiful marriage indeed, and yet I am sure and I hope you who are married have experienced this many times.  As Christians we are called to this same relationship with Christ where we become one with Him in every respect.  I mention all of this to try and get a glimpse into the Trinity.  All three are perfectly united, all three are always their own persons but at the same time they are also always one.

The theology of the Trinity is important, as faithful Christians we must not shy away from trying to understand it and trying to explain it to others, but what is more important is that we try to live our lives as a model of the Trinity, striving to be in perfect unity and community with one another.  Divisions among us can separate families, cause siblings not to speak to one another or old and good friends to part ways.  The Trinity is perfect communion of relationships between three persons, we are made in God’s image and likeness therefore we too are called to have that unity with God and each other.  Knowing the Trinity is one thing living like the Trinity is another and that living like the Trinity is based and rooted in love.  I will leave you with what St. Paul charged his followers with, I like his “THREE” theological virtues they make a lot of sense and at least in a small way remind us of the Trinity, “And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing . . . So faith, hope, love remain, these three;  but the greatest of these is love.”

Pentecost: All Kinds of Gifts and Callings

“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.” 

When the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and all of those gathered in the Upper Room gifts were given to all and the gifts differed.  All received the same flame of faith the one gift, but within that gift was also given purpose and direction.  Within each one’s call came some aspect or aspects of ministry in order to continue the building up of the Church.

Many are given the gift of the married life, others are given the gift of solitude and prayer, much like a hermit or cloistered nun.  Others are given the gift of ordination.  Those are the calls to vocation and within those calls the Holy Spirit gives us the gifts and talents that are needed to grow personally but also to assist in the building up of the body of Christ.  St. Paul says in another place, “But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ . . .” Eph 4:7,11-12

If we all had the same gifts the church and even the world would be a boring place.  In my years of seminary and in ministry since ordination I have come to find that people offer their gifts and services in many ways.  Being a theology student for a long time I thought that the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit was learning about our faith, about those who delved into the eternal mysteries with vigor and every ounce of their energy.  So, theologians and doctors of the Church like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Avila, John Paul the Great became my heroes, the ones with the greatest gifts.  I viewed all the other gifts as having a lesser place.  However, in my prayer, my reflection on St. Paul’s teaching on the Church and what I have witnessed as a priest has taught me otherwise.  There are many gifts each and all of them having eternal value.  One of St. Paul’s letters opened my eyes to this way of thinking and belief, “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.  Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.” 1 Cor 12:27-31

The gifts he mentions here I have personally witnessed in so many folks that I have been able to serve and serve along with.  I have seen it when people come together to help the poor both through their resources and time which we do here at Holy Family through our giving to the House of Charity and also in the ministries that we have that help those in need.  I have seen it in those who have given so much of their time to help build this parish up, countless hours and countless prayers and all done with a spirit of humility and generosity.  I have experienced in the confessional when people cry out for God’s mercy in their longing to be holy and one with God.  These are all mighty gifts given to build up the individual but also to build up our Church, here in our parish, in our diocese, in our world.

Pentecost is the receiving of tongues of fire and those tongues then enlighten in us an eternal flame to go forth and preach the Good News.  Some do this in healing ministries, others in ministries to the poor, others in service to their parish, others in prayer, others in teaching the faith, others in preaching, and some in total witness in giving their lives literally to Christ as martyrs.  We have all been given gifts on Pentecost at the birth of the Church today we are reminded of those gifts.  I pray you know your gifts and that as a good and faithful servant you return them back to the Body of Christ in order for the Church to continue to grow and multiply, not just in number but in holiness, Amen.

One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic

We believe that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.  In today’s first reading we see that apostolic succession at work when Peter, the leader of the Apostles speaks and wishes that Judas’ office, though now vacant, be filled.  Eventually his office is filled by Matthias, who was chosen by the Holy Spirit.  This happened to keep the number “12” intact, but also that the Apostle’s ministry would continue even after they were gone.

Throughout the New Testament more Apostles are added to the group, the Apostles went from place to place preaching the Good News and building local churches and as they did so they appointed presbyters, deacons, and bishops, the bishops being the figures of authority, but more importantly leaders of service, service to the Church.

The goal of the Church is to follow Jesus’ mandate, “Go to all the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  By doing so we would be offered to God and become one with Him, but also as the Gospel points out that we all may be one, united in a common faith

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The “oneness” or unity that we have is at the core of our beliefs, again, “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.”  Unity, however, does not mean we do not have diversity or that we are just complying into uniformity.  We share our core beliefs and dogmas, those do not differ nor do we  believe in different things, but within the vast Church, which is universal we have many different cultures, languages, customs – the way we worship is different, i.e. Eastern Rite Churches or local customs may vary.  Even within our own Diocese we have mass celebrated in the vernacular as well as in the old Latin Rite, we have mass celebrated in Spanish, and many other cultures as I myself have celebrated with the Filipino Community the mass of the rooster, bright and early at 5am.

We also have varying degrees of importance when it comes to belief, for example believing in the Trinity is the core belief of Christianity, maybe the most important belief as opposed to let’s say, should we hold hands when we pray or keep them folded.  You can see the difference, but to some folks there is no difference between the two, they will get all fired up if you don’t pray the right away, if you don’t kneel when you are supposed to, if you receive communion in the hands, etc.  Those are all minor practices relegated to custom and have no bearing on salvation.  People sweat the small stuff sometimes or think if we begin to change the small things we are on our way to changing everything, which is not true, small things have been changing in the Church for 2,000 years and we are still ok, so just R – E – L – A – X, RELAX!

Yet, sometimes even in the midst of confusion, tension, and even division the Truth prevails.  It prevailed for the Apostles in the Upper Room when they gathered to pray, when they gathered in the future to make decisions and so it continues today with Pope Francis and our Bishops, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and so it shall until Jesus Himself calls her home!  FJ

My Friends

John Chapter 15 was the Gospel I chose for my ordination mass.  It is my favorite Scripture passages in the entire bible.  It is a very powerful and moving chapter.  The passage speaks to me about three things, perseverance, love, and friendship.

All three are connected and related, none of them stand in isolation or apart from one another, for you cannot be a friend without love, nor can you call something love unless perseverance is involved, otherwise the thing would just be fleeting.  Jesus speaks of all three in John chapter 15.

Think on the Apostles, especially the author of today’s Gospel (we are not 100% sure who actually wrote the Gospel of John, it could have been John, but it was more likely one of his disciples who heard these stories and put them to pen, if you will – but for simplicity sake we will refer to the author as John) and his relationship to Christ.

John and his brother James were fishing with their father Zebedee and when Jesus called them, they immediately left their father and their fishing.  To immediately leave just by being called speaks volumes, for who would leave their livelihood at the drop of the dime to go and follow a stranger, unless the Holy Spirit allowed them to see Jesus for more than just the outward appearance, but that they saw something deeper, they saw love itself.

All the Apostles would go on to become friends with Jesus as this chapter tells us, “you are no longer slaves but friends.”  They are friends because they walked with Jesus their entire lives, just about all of them becoming martyrs for their faith.  But it was in the daily walk of life that they learned about love.

The Apostles perseverance is clearly seen in the lives they lived.  You have to remember that at this time Christians were being persecuted, they were a minority.  They made a brave transition from their life in Judaism to Christianity.  They also were different than the pagans who worshipped many gods. Most of whom looked to Caesar as a god.  It could not have been easy to go from town to town, village to village and city to city preaching the Good News.  They met resistance, were arrested, beat and tortured.  Yet, they pressed on.  It was the grace of God that gave them this strength but also their great love of Jesus.  No different than the love we have for our Lord and for each other.  Think of how a parent will go to any means to take care of a sick child or a child taking care of a sick parent - that is perseverance.

Friendship is also based on intimacy and our own friendship with Christ is very intimate, for He shares his very life with us, He is living in us when we receive the Eucharist.  “The two shall become one flesh and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”  In that sharing we also are united in death and in life with Jesus, we share both with Him, very powerful concepts indeed.  To share death and life with someone is a bond that is unbreakable; it means we are joined together in every way.

Finally there is love.  Love is sacrificial in nature it never looks to self but is always outward looking, meaning that when it is true it looks to make others happy and fulfilled, isn’t this what Jesus did, “I did not come to be served, but to serve.”  Yes, all of us desire to be loved, it is a great feeling knowing that we are loved, but the feeling is even stronger when I love others for love’s sake alone.

The entire Gospel or the ethos of Christianity is found in John Chapter 15.  God is our friend, we are His friends.  God loves us, we love Him.  Jesus persevered in His love for his people; we persevere in our faith in Him.  Think of how powerful that is, that Jesus (the Eternal Logos) would call us His friends, and we are His friends!  Remember that always and that true love calls us each to lay down our lives for our friends and most of all to give our lives to the source and fount of that friendship, Jesus Christ our Lord and our friend.

Know Jesus!

Often times Fr. Sanjai and I will share with one another ideas and topics to consider in our preaching for any particular Sunday or Holy Day that is approaching.  Just a week or two ago I asked Fr. Sanjai what his main theme would be for that coming Sunday.  He said that he wanted to express the difference between knowing “about” Jesus than “truly knowing” him.

         

There is a difference, between that of knowing about a person than actually knowing them.  This leads me into our readings for this week, in particular our 2^nd reading from the 1^st letter of John and the Gospel of John.  Both speak about “remaining in Jesus” and also “doing his work.”  One cannot carry the Gospel mandate out if our faith is only about knowledge.  Our faith must go deeper and become very personal.  To remain in Christ and to . . . “love in deed and truth,” one must know our Lord.

          

How do we get to know Him you may ask?  It’s simple; we are doing it right now.  We get to know Jesus right here at mass, through the readings, the homily, if it’s a good one at least, and most of all through the Eucharist.

         

We also get to know Jesus in a very personal way when we spend time with him in prayer and just allowing him to talk to us.  We all need to spend more time in quiet reflective prayer, especially on our Lord’s life.

          

We also encounter our Lord in Sacred Scripture, in our reading of the stories contained within, especially the story of our Lord.  Here we will get to know about our Lord, but also get to “know” him, as he speaks to us in his sacred Word.

          

To remain on the vine or to love in deed and truth one must get to know Christ.  I use the word to “know” here not just in the simple usage of the word, but the same if not more intense way that a mother knows her child or in a way that a husband loves his wife.  To preserve one must be in love and to be in love we must know the person with whom we are in love with.  Jesus wants us to know him more and more each day and he invites us into his life each moment, the question becomes have I taken advantage of this opportunity, for if I have not then how will I remain in his love and how will I love in deed and truth?  It’s a question only you can answer.  God bless you, Fr. John