Happy Feast of the Most Blessed Trinity!
You might recall that at the beginning of the Lenten season I shared with you that I felt that the Lord wanted this past Lent to be a time of healing. And in many ways we saw this happen. I personally saw this through my pastoral ministry in counseling, praying and meeting with people, as well as sitting for many hours in the confessional. People experienced a lot of healing. In a special way we also saw a lot of healing during our Lenten Healing Service.
But not only has the Lord healed many people, but during this Easter there have been a number of signs that God wants to continue His powerful work of healing in us. Just recently during our day with the “Treasures of the Church” ministry of Fr. Carlos, one of our parishioners was healed of serious back problems. And then after the Mass of the Ascension, a woman from another parish came up to me and said she was healed from serious heart problems when she came to the veneration of the relics Monday evening. It’s interesting too, that she shared with me that she had no intention of coming, but her husband insisted that they go as a family. She came expecting nothing, but came away with a powerful gift.
Isn’t that the way that God often works in our lives? We have other plans but God asks us to move out of our comfort zones and trust Him. It’s much like I spoke of at the Feast of the Ascension. God is asking us to surrender our lives over and over.
The origins of the celebration of Trinity Sunday go all the way back to the 4th century. During the 3rd and 4th centuries there was a terrible heresy that divided the church called Arianism. Arius, a Catholic priest, preached that Jesus Christ was a created being rather than God. In denying the divinity of Christ, Arius denied that there are three Persons in God. Arius' chief opponent, St. Athanasius, upheld the orthodox doctrine that there are three Persons in one God, and the orthodox view prevailed at the Council of Nicaea, from which we get the Nicene Creed, which we recite every Sunday.
There is one kind of funny incident that comes down to us from the events of the Council. The debates and discussions got so heated that the bishop Nicholas of Myra (whom we know today as St. Nicholas, the origin of our Santa Claus) marched across the council floor and slapped Arius across the face.
I wouldn’t recommend this approach, but it shows you how these early church fathers were so passionate about the faith – we often forget Nicholas was imprisoned by the Romans for his Christian faith. He had paid a great price for his faith in Christ. No wonder he was so impassioned by the heretic Arius.
I mention this story because it shows us how deeply passionate these early fathers and believers were about the faith. So often today we see so called Catholic politicians outright denying the faith, blaze Catholics who have no more passion than an occasional visit to church on Christmas or Easter; signs all around us that the faith is under attack and under pressure. It’s time for us to recapture this passion. It’s time for each of us to be counted and to rededicate ourselves to Christ’s mission.
“O Father who sought me
O Son who bought me
O Holy Spirit who taught me”
The first reading from the Liturgy of the Holy Trinity is from the Old Testament book of Proverbs. It describes God as Wisdom. Can you see in your own life that our wise God and Father has sought you, Jesus the Son bought you through the cross and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit who has taught you? Can you see events in your own life that show the Father seeking you? Our Wise and Merciful God is continually seeking us out.
The Holy Trinity is not a concept or a theological proposition, the Holy Trinity is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the I AM who revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, the God who revealed Himself to the prophets. He is the Eternal One who in the days of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came in the flesh and revealed the love of God to us. And now the Holy Spirit, the life-giver and source of love desires to fill us and empower us to live the Gospel. The Holy Trinity is 3 Divine Persons who have revealed Themselves to you and are seeking a deeper relationship with you now.
Speaking of empowering, I am grateful for all the parishioners of Most Holy Trinity who have chosen to surrender their lives to Christ and seek that deeper relationship with our God, those who have expressed this choice through the service of their neighbor and our Church. I am grateful for all those who live their faith out daily and faithfully. Maybe we think that nobody knows, but God knows. That’s all that matters. All Praise the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen.
God bless,
Fr Dennis