The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday May 30th 2010

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday May 30th 2010

I think that this Sunday (Trinity Sunday) we should all think about what it means to be guided in the truth. Do we believe that because we are being led by this awesome truth, that we can just take things for granted? Or should each one of us take a look at our lives and realize that we cannot go on without trusting God.
I recently read an excerpt from an album by Aaron Shust, in it he talks about how when we have a good day. We say. "God, Thank you. You are really blessing me." Blessing is a word that I only hear Christians use. I have heard it means to "speak well about a thing", but I think it's used more often in the sense of I need a raise, or a gift, or something specific. "God, bless me.” in this context means: I want straight AAA's in school, or I want to buy lots of new clothes, please get me a new car.
When I'm having a bad day, I say, "God, don't forget me, please hear my prayers", as if He may have forgotten about me. Aaron tells the story of a man who, through a series of events, misses his flight and, when the plane crashes and everyone dies, an article is written in a Christian publication saying, "God was watching out for him." Not long after that article appeared, another article is written by the wife of a man who, by a series of seemingly miraculous events, made it onto that flight, and the last communication that they had was waving goodbye to each other with joy in their hearts at how God had orchestrated events that allowed him to make his flight… that would take him to his death. So who was God really looking out for? Was God working in one man's life and not the others?
Some people or healed of cancer after much prayer. Many people die of cancer, even after much prayer. Some people are born physically beautiful, and with robust health; other people are born with physical deformities and terrible diseases. Who is God looking out for in these situations? The answer is that it is not in our capacity to understand.
Too often our perception of how God should operate is focused on how He should make our lives better- according to us. But one of the reasons His name is "God" is because He is smart, wiser, and infinitely better (perfect actually) than we are in all areas. We can't figure out the reasoning behind all that God does ( just as we cannot figure out the mystery of the Trinity) But we know that we are really loved by Him, because we FEEL it! We know in our hearts that the promises written in the Bible are true. Is this an act of faith? Absolutely. But it is like feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin; there can be no question that there is really a ball of fire in the sky.
So we have to realize that, whether we are looking at one stitch on the back of a tapestry and God is looking at the entire picture on the front, or "We may have a point of view, but God has view," the bottom line is, we are not skilled to grasp all that God has planned and we are okay with that. Because His ways are infinitely higher than ours. And we trust Him.




This Sunday is Trinity Sunday; here our belief in the one God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the central truth of all Christian faith.

Early in the history of the Church various controversies arose over the nature of the Trinity. The most prominent of these concerned the heresy of Arianism in the fourth century. Arias and his followers insisted that the Son of God was created and not eternal. This heresy found many followers, especially in the Eastern Church.

The Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 settled the controversy by defining the nature of the Trinity. Belief in the Trinity had been central to the Church since the time of the Apostles. As a response to Arianism, however, that belief was given a formal definition. The Church’s understanding was crystallized in what we now know as the Nicene Creed, which states:

The Council of Nicea explained that there were three persons in the Trinity, but only one being. The three persons are equal and of the same substance. All three persons are eternal and are to be worshiped.

The Council provided definition and clarity in the midst of controversy. However, the Trinity still remains a mystery beyond the ability of the human mind to fathom.
Sunday's Mass invites us to enter into the mystery and partake of the grace God offers. One of the prayers for Trinity Sunday speaks in these words to God: "You reveal yourself in the depths of our being, drawing us to share in your life and love."

Enjoy the readings, pass them on- tommyk

Readings for Sunday May 30th 2010 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity


Reading 1 Proverbs 8:22-31

22 Thus says the wisdom of God:"The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago; 23 from of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water; 25 before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; 26 while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world. 27 "When the Lord established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep; 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth; 29 when he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command;
30 then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while,
31 playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the human race."


Reading II Romans 5:1-5

1 Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 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. 3 Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, 4 and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, 5 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.




Gospel John 16:12-15



12 Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. 13 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. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 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."

1. A famous Catholic author, Peter Kreeft, said that the Trinity is three because love requires ‘threeness’: A love that is only between two does not get outside of itself. What does our understanding of God as Trinity teach us about the nature of love?

2. How can you better love like the Trinity, that is, love with the desire to give than with the desire to receive?




The love between Father and Son is so strong that it is itself a person, the Holy Spirit. The love shared between the Three Persons of the Trinity is so strong that God created life to share with us, His children. God has created us out of love, and His goal for us is to teach us what it means to love perfectly, to love as He loves. God wants our love for Him to be so devoted to Him that it calls us to put nothing ahead of Him. It is a love that is so valuable that we would be willing to love God completely, totally – even if we can’t see Him. It is a love that is so important to us that we would rather suffer and die than to lose that love.
In short, God’s love is the greatest possession we will ever have. (Think of this idea in light of the Second Reading from this Sunday, Romans 5:1-5. Look it up now.) God’s love is our true treasure. The Trinity is not only the source of our lives, but it is the goal of who we are. When we die, our hope and prayer is that we will enter into the life of the Trinity for all eternity. Our hope is that we will become members of the family of God, free from the effects of sin, free from all suffering and death. While we may be tempted to just accept God as Trinity on blind faith, allow yourself to meditate on this Reality. Reflect upon God’s great love, and let God Himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to transform all your actions into an offering of love.