Living Faith

Feast of the Holy Trinity

Baptism Class - What does “True and Living Faith” mean?

When I teach baptism classes I always begin with a question from the instruction for the rite of Baptism.  “What does it mean to have a true and living faith?”  This is a challenging question for the parents and god-parents to be.  They often respond with “Be kind” or “Believe in God etc.  I ask this question because when parents bring their children to the Church for the sacrament of Baptism, they are asking that the Church baptize their children based on their relationship with God.  If we don’t have a clear understanding of who God is and our relationship to Him, then passing on our faith to our children is a huge challenge.  It is a wake up call.

How do I know my faith is True?  Living?

I think it is a great question for all of us - what does it mean to have a True and Living Faith?  How do I know that I have faith that is true?  How do I know that I have faith that is living?

True Faith / Living Faith

To have a true faith means that what I believe is consistent with what the Church teaches about God.  To have a living faith means that I actually put my beliefs into actions - that my beliefs shape who I am and how I live.  I have an active relationship with God.

St. Paul teaches True and Living Faith

The readings today for the Feast of the Holy Trinity teach us how to have a true and living faith.  It starts with the nature of God as 3 persons.  St. Paul says this the best at the end of the 2nd reading today when he says - “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”  

A True and Living Faith is a Relational Faith

Put this in our own words - The Welcome of Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.  Each of these words are relational.  Do they reflect our relationship with God?  If we treat God as an idea and not a person then these words make no sense - however, if we are in relationship with the fullness of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit then we desire the welcome of Christ, we treasure the love of the Father and we live in dialog with the Holy Spirit as we go about our lives.  This is the goal of a True and Living Faith.

God is not an abstract idea to understand but a relationship to enter. To have faith in God is not mere belief, but a dynamic and living relationship that demands a response out of us. Every time we pray the Sign of the Cross, we are stepping into the living relationship of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice

I love the order of things from St. Paul’s letter that is our second reading - he says “Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

If we want to have a true and living faith then we need to begin from a place of joy - “Rejoice!”  We rejoice in the realization that the Father loved us first - and out of His love for us we are created.  This is the central point of today’s Gospel - John 3:16 which we see at the Football games - “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son”.  Is the foundation of our relationship with God one of Joy or Fear or Duty or some other motivation?  St. Paul's guides us to begin in Joy - which is the response to Love.

Sign of the Cross begins with Joy

When we pray the sign of the Cross we ought to begin with joy [PLACE HAND ON FOREHEAD] at the realization that God loves me deeply, fully, completely - [MOVE HAND TO THE HEART] - so much so that He sent His Son out of love to save us, redeem us, welcome us.  His son gives us the Holy Spirit [COMPLETE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS] who lives and binds the Church together today. 

“Mend your Ways”

To have a true and living faith that is rooted in the joy of the Love of All of God, we start with an examination of the ways that our hearts are distorted by sin and selfishness, and in-spite of that we are called to begin with joy.  

In his encounter with God, Moses learns of God’s nature:  “the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich (full) in kindness (love) and fidelity." Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."  God does not impose Himself on Moses but waits for Moses to invite Him into relationship.  As Moses encounters God he realizes that He and the Israelites (and you and I) are a stiff-necked people - and so we ought to “Mend our ways”

In case you are thinking [PUT HAND ON NECK AND ROLL HEAD] - Thank God I am not a stiff-necked person today then think - stubborn, or obstinate or willful…

God has given us the trait of stubbornness - not to be used to remain enslaved by sin, but rather that we are stubborn in avoiding sin.  In addition to being a trinitarian prayer [MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS] the sign of the cross is a reminder to us of God’s love for us - in that the Father sent his only Son to die on the cross and to heal our stiff-necked nature. 

Practical ways to live your Trinitarian Faith

“Encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace”

The fruit of the Holy Spirit - that is the Spirit of Christ is that once we have mended our ways we start to live our lives so as to reflect the witness of Christ. This is the Living part of faith - we allow the love of Christ to govern our relationships.  

“Encourage one another”

Encourage one another - when we are tempted this week, take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit for words of encouragement rather than criticism.  Each day this next week as you go about your day think of one person to encourage - it could be your spouse, your kids or parents or siblings or a co-worker.  

“Agree with one another”

Think about what you believe - is it in accord with the Church or is it different?  Where are the places in our lives that we are taking exceptions to our Catholic Faith?  These are areas for conversion.  For example, What are the areas of strife in my life?  What is behind those?  Is it that I am a “Stiff Necked Person”?  Is it something that I can find a way forward with?  This is especially true with spouses, and children.  The value of living in accord with one another and with the Church is that we invite God into our relationships rather than reject Him or close Him out.

“Live in Peace”  

During the Last Supper Christ says to his Apostles “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”.  When we live a Trinitarian life, our hearts are anchored in the the love of God and that allows us to look at all of the trials and tribulations of life as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ - even in the challenging things like a life-altering illness Christ invites us to abide in him, to not be anxious and to let his peace reign in us.  As we go to prayer this week - what anxiety or struggle do we need to surrender to Christ?

An Invitation to Immersion

The Gospel ends with a challenging Admonition:  “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  

Self Belief = isolation / death, Entrust Christ = Life

The word for belief in the Greek for this passage is πιστεύω (pisteúo) which means to entrust ones existence to God.  Jesus warns us that when we trust in ourselves, or in things, we will not have life.  Conversely when we entrust our lives completely to Him then we have eternal life.  When we immerse ourselves into this relationship with God, who is the source of life, our life is filled with his presence, his grace.  Christ invites us to entrust ourselves fully to the Trinity.  This is what it means to have a True and Living Faith; that I immerse myself [MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS] in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen

Forgive one another as I forgive you…

 Easter Test!

Father Sean loves to teach the Greek word for the day, so I thought it would be fun for (me) to see how well you are doing at retaining your Greek lessons from Father Sean!  Are you ready?

Christos Anesti / Alithos (Aleythos) Anesti

Christ is Risen / Indeed He is Risen!

This is the greeting of the early Church to the reality of the resurrection - to the reality that God brings good out of evil - which is what we as a Church will spend the next 7 weeks living out in our faith lives what that actually means.

The first encounter in the Upper Room

St. John recounts for us what happened that very first day of the week when the disciples encountered the Risen Christ - He greets them with words of peace and forgiveness - Peace be with you!  Then He shows them His hands and his side - the glorified wounds of Christ are fundamental to our witness this Easter.

From Christ’s wounds flow His Mercy

St. Faustina Kowalska had this image of Easter in 1931 - when the Lord showed her his mercy flowing from his heart in two streams - red - symbolizing the eucharist and white - symbolizing the purity we acquire at our baptism.  These are the streams of love that God is pouring into our world. 

Our world needs a witness of Mercy

Brothers and Sisters, our world is in great need to encounter the divine mercy of God’s love.  We live in a world torn by hatred, judgement and the misuse of power.   

Golden Nugget: We live in a culture where everything is permitted but nothing is forgiven. Jesus Christ, however, boldly proclaims the opposite: not everything is allowed, but absolutely any sin can be forgiven. Nothing is more powerful than the mercy of God.

Peace Be with You / Mission / Forgiveness / Holy Spirit

The Disciples rejoice when they see the Lord, so He doubles down on his greeting.

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.”

In the upper room, at the end of the day Jesus offers the disciples 

• Mercy (Peace be with you)

• Mission (As the Father has sent me…)

• with Support (Receive the Holy Spirit)

• to Forgive (Whose sins you forgive)

Today, in this “upper room” Christ does the same.

• He invites us to be rooted in His love

• He gives us the same mission - As the Father has sent me)

• And the same Spirit

• To be men and women of forgiveness

Bridge to Acts - How do we live Divine Mercy?

The Acts of the Apostles guides us on how we respond to this mission.  

First the Church was a community of believers.  

Challenge - If you are sitting next to someone who did not come to church with you - take a moment and introduce yourselves to one another and share one hobby you have with your neighbor.  This is a huge parish and we don’t often take time to know one another.  If per-chance you find something in common I want to invite you to take time to get to know one another better.

[[PAUSE]]

Excellent.  Often we Catholics get the bad rap of being an impersonal church - we all come here to worship God and sometimes neglect one another in the Pews.  St. Luke tells us that one of the witnesses of Divine Mercy was the community - that they were of one accord and that they took care of the needs of the community.  Sometimes those needs are financial or material.  Other times those needs are for community, companionship or caring.

Breaking of the Bread - Check!

The second aspect of the Church was that they gathered for the breaking of the bread.  Check!  We are here for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Life of Prayer - Double down with Grace

The third aspect of the Church was a life of prayer.  I know - we just survived a long Lent but seriously - did you adopt a spiritual discipline that drew you closer to God - especially in prayer?  Don’t give up - double down in this season of grace.

Second Reading Bridge (Peter) - Teaching of the Apostles

The fourth aspect of the Church that St. Luke speaks of?  The Church listened to the teaching of the Apostles - Which St. Peter shared with us in the second reading.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God…”

Peter reminds the Church to rejoice in a new birth, to a living hope - that God brings life after death - that God brings good out of evil.

We have an inheritance - that is a gift from one who has died that cannot be taken away.  That inheritance is a gift - a salvation ready to be revealed - that is after Christ conquered Sin and Death he came back and gave us the mission to be witnesses to God’s forgiveness - by becoming a Church of Forgiveness.

Seeing is Believing - the problem of St. Thomas

There was a problem in the Gospel today - he did not witness the resurrected Christ - and so he made his famous statement - until I can put my fingers in the nail marks and my hand in His side, I will not believe!

We see in this Gospel the first failure of the early Church - the Apostles tried but failed to convince St. Thomas of the reality of the resurrection.  The proof that St. Thomas needed was to touch the wounds and understand the suffering and pain that he caused Christ by running away so that he could understand the passion and love that Christ has in his forgiveness of St. Thomas.

It is a powerful thing to witness forgiving wounds

What stands out to me in the Gospel today is the prominence of the wounds of Christ as a testament to his suffering, death and resurrection.  

• It is those wounds that are the witness to Christ’s forgiveness.  

• Out of those wounds flow His Divine Mercy.  

• Through those wounds we receive forgiveness.  

• From those wounds we receive the mission to be witnesses that God brings good out of evil, life from death.

The Church is to be a witness of God’s mercy

We fulfill that mission by being women and men of forgiveness.  By being men and women who give witness to the love of God.  We are called as the disciples of Christ to give witness to His resurrection through our forgiveness of sins - through our willingness to bear the wounds that we have suffered and to forgive others.

Show them your hands and side - peace be with you

What does this mean?  Culturally we think forgiveness is to say it does not matter, we will forget a slight.  This is not forgiveness - this is lying about our wounds - which Christ wants to glorify.  Forgiveness is surrendering judgement to God - entrusting in his Mercy and Justice.  To ask for forgiveness or to apologize is to recognize that I have done wrong.  To offer forgiveness is to recognize that I have been wounded, injured and hurt - and to let it go and learn to love as Christ loves.  Brothers and Sisters, when we say that we forgive one another we are imitating Christ in the upper room and showing one another our hands and our side - and then saying “Peace be with you…”

Conduit of Grace

 Ash Wednesday’s readings teach us about Lent and how God works with us;  

Today’s readings teach us how God uses our sacrifices this Lent.

The readings for Ash Wednesday teach us what to do for Lent, and how God works with us during Lent.  Today’s readings point us to how God uses this season of Lent to help others to grow in holiness.  St. Paul in his letter to Timothy makes the purpose of Lent clear.

Beloved:  Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,

Lent -> Life :  Penance is the conduit for God’s grace

We are called to live a holy life during Lent - not by our own works, but that the grace of God might pour through us this Lent.  

As Catholics we have this season of Lent not just for 40 days - but to change the rest of our lives so that we might become more open to letting God use us as a conduit of His grace.

Let that sink in…

What is God doing?  Genesis

God Promises then God does - this is how we grow in Faith

God tells Abram what he is going to do and then invites him to participate.  He does the same with us - He invites us to let Him use us to bless other people.  This is in essence the mission of the Christian - that our life would become a blessing for others.

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse  you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.”

God makes 3 promises to Abram at the start of his journey:

• To be the Father of a great nation

• This is fulfilled at Mt. Sinai when the descendents of Abram enter into a covenant with God.

• To have a royal dynasty

• This is fulfilled in the Davidic line of Kings that comes from Abram.

• To be a Universal Blessing for ALL people

• This is fulfilled when Christ establishes the covenant for Jews and Gentiles.

God goes on to fulfill His promises to Abram throughout the rest of his life.  He invites Abram to be part of His story, and when Abram says yes, God blesses him.

The mission of the Christian - be a conduit for blessing

The third blessing to Abram is significant for us - let us dwell there for a moment.  Christian lives mirror in a way the life of Abram.  We start by being immersed in the waters of Baptism through which we are clothed with Christ.  It is through our Baptism, which is completed with our Confirmation that we are invited to become a blessing to others.  God gave us these gifts of Baptism and Confirmation to use us to bless others.

Between the 1st and 2nd predictions of the Passion

Today’s Gospel, the Transfiguration occurs right between the first and second prediction of the Passion, where Christ begins to share the heart of His mission with the Apostles.  Jesus invites Peter, James and John into the story.  He takes them up the Mountain where they see who He truly is, to strengthen them for the way of the Cross.  

Christ reveals the fullness of who He is

In this reading Jesus shows Peter, James, and John - and through them Us, who He truly is.  It terrifies them!  This is the reality of God that we often blind ourselves too - and yet Jesus did not hold back - he allowed the Apostles to experience the fullness of who He is through that encounter with Him and the Father.  When that experience had overwhelmed them it was by touch - the simplest and most primitive way to communicate love to a Human that Christ calls them out of their fear and instills in them the confidence to follow him on the road ahead.

The Transfiguration in St. Peter’s life.

An important tool for our own faith life is to understand where we are with Christ on the Journey.  When we look at the experience of the Transfiguration in the life of St. Peter we see that this occurs in the midst of a journey that still has many ups and downs ahead.  

Let me show you

• Jesus asks Peter who He is (Matt 16) - You are the Christ the Messiah of God - to you I give the keys to the kingdom…

• Jesus speaks of the Passion - Peter pulls Him aside and then Christ rebukes him.

• Then we have the Transfiguration - where Christ shows Peter what that means…

• This is in the larger context of Christ’s Passion, Peter’s denial, the Resurrection and then the encounter after Easter with the Lord on the sea shore (Peter do you love me)

• This is followed with Pentecost, and culminates with Peter’s own crucifixion in Rome…

How does that work out in your life or my life?

Where have we been challenged to grow in Faith by God?

How have we responded?

What is God doing?  My Life?

I want to share with you how I have experienced God building my faith over the course of my life:

I perceive that God Invites, I respond, then I see…

God is not yet done with me (like Peter).

Let me share an example - My vocation as a Deacon

Discernment for the Diaconate - having the powerful, visceral experience that God is calling me to be a Deacon, to see Him deliver on the promise then to be challenged in my belief and then to have God confirm his promise.

• 1996 - Serving God in retreat ministry and caring for those placed before me.

• 1998 - Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius - I want you to be my Deacon - Telling my wife

• 2000 - World Youth Day - flying home from Rome

• 2003 - The formation committee - realizing that God doesn’t just work with me but with the entire Church.

• 2007 Ordained a Deacon

• 2009 Embraced the cross of a divorce

• 2026 Still following Christ

Reflect on the story of your friendship with God.

I share this example to invite you to reflect on and understand your own story - your own Journey with God.  He invites all of us along the path of relationship that we have with Him - and each path is unique and different. 

The Transfiguration is light given in advance of darkness, reassurance before sacrifice. On the mountain Jesus reveals his glory before his passion. Lent is our mountain moment: a chance to see clearly who Christ is, so that when the road turns toward Calvary, we will follow not in fear, but in trust. 

Your story becomes a source of blessing for others.

The story of your friendship with God is not done - it still has ups and downs ahead.  This Lent, let us embrace the cross that God might use us to pour out His blessings on others that we encounter.

Lighthouse

 Sunday of the Word of God 

Decreed by Pope Francis in 2020 - Under the image of the Road to Emmaus.  

Scripture is my aid - my encounter with the God 

Scripture is ever-new and ever-revealing God’s love to me

Encountering God in the Scriptures.

When I read Scripture I want to bring it into my life to see where the Lord is speaking to my heart.

START WITH SCRIPTURE

• Introduce the Bible, 

• Its structure

• How to navigate it

Start with the Old Testament

Isaiah Background - Was a prophet who wrote at the start of the exile (740-680 BC).  God used Isaiah’s ministry to prepare for the coming of Christ.

A lighthouse guides me to a safe harbor - Isaiah

Isaiah 8:32-9:3 - Land of Gloom - See a great light! - The joy of finding a way out of a mess. 

Today, we are asked to figure out where I am in gloom.  Once I see that it helps me to see how to get out of the Gloom!

Where is my life in a mess - It is there that I need to invite Christ and His grace - because it is His presence that greets and heals me.

How do I respond to God’s love?  Like men making merry over spoils?

[[BRIDGE TO PAUL]]

Golden Nugget: Upon those who dwell in the land of gloom a light has shone. The Church is like a lighthouse, standing firm against the pounding waves of modernity and guiding travelers to safety. Jesus is the light, a beacon and searchlight for those who are lost, and a safe harbor for those who seek refuge.

We are lighthouse keepers

As Members of the Church we need to remember that our  mission is to be the keepers of the Lighthouse making sure that the light is able to shine in the darkness - to warn of danger, draw people to safety and provide a guide for growing closer to God.

Mission of the Church - Shows me what my mission is and how to pursue it.

Now let’s turn to 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 - At the Start St. Paul is reminding the Church of her mission - and then pointing out that the Church in Corinth is distracted from their mission.

 

Unity vs what distracts us as a Church

St Paul - The vision of the church is a place of unity, the reality of the Church when it is sometimes a mess - we need to be reminded of the central unity and mission of the Church.  

Christians need to encounter Christ - daily

But we need to understand that the Church too needs to encounter Christ - lest she get caught up in the drama of the day or of the world.  Here is where Scripture is useful for training us in what are the most important elements of our faith - its unity and conformity to the teachings of Christ.

Christians are the Lighthouse keepers.

One way that we strengthen the lighthouse is by holding fast to the faith of the Church - through which the Holy Spirit has worked across the millennia to bring us the same faith that St. Paul had - based on our Encounter with Christ in the Body of Christ (you and I), in the Word (our scripture) and in the Eucharist (in the Mass).

[[BRIDGE TO THE GOSPEL]]

The Gospel is the heart of the Scriptures / Christ is the Light of the Lighthouse

There are 4 books of the Bible which form its heart - and that is the Gospels where we encounter the actions and teachings of Christ.  If you have not done it I encourage you to take some time to read one of the Gospels.  This year, as a Church we are hearing from the Gospel of Matthew.  

Teach a little about St. Matthew

• A Tax Collector, and an Apostle

• Jewish and rooting Jewish converts to Christianity to the truth of the Jewish Faith

• Knew St. Joseph’s family

• Meticulous in his details of the life of Christ

The Gospels are like the Beacon at the heart of the light house - it is here that we encounter Jesus who is the light.  In the Gospel we hear his words - repent and believe in the Gospel - 

• Repent of the things we do in our lives that detract from the witness of the Church.  

• Repent of the things we do in our lives that trap us in sin and gloom and darkness.  

• Repent of the things of this world that trap us (like the nets of the fishermen) and leave those things behind hat prevent us from following Him.

Our mission is to be faithful keepers of the Faith that has been passed on to us.

Matthew 4:12-23

The Gospel - Jesus is the heart of the Lighthouse.  

Jesus begins to build the Church with individuals - Peter and Andrew, James and John and shows the work of the Church - proclaiming the good news of God’s love and healing those in need of it.

The Church is anchored in Christ - the Word Made Flesh

The Word of God prepares us for the Bread of Life

The encounter with the Word of God that we experience each liturgy is meant to lead us deeper - into our encounter with Christ who is the Word made Flesh that dwells among us.  The word prepares us to enter into communion through the Son into the Holy Trinity.

Today after receiving the Eucharist - I invite you to return to your pew - and open your scripture - either to one of these readings or another, and allow your prayer to be united to him - in the word, and in your life.  

Lord - let us be infused with your Word - that we might become better light houses for those we meet this week.