homilies
on the liturgy of the Sundays and feasts

by george m. franko

Leap for joy
6th Sunday of Easter — May 5

“A” Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 • 1 Peter 3:15-18 • John 14:15-21

Title: Joy and Courage in Living

Purpose: (1) to list some major problems in living; and (2) how a Christian faces life’s trials that come from the world, from others, from self.

There are so many joyful celebrations during May—birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, May Crowning, First Communions. Needless to say, the expenses involved sometimes temper the joy of these festive occasions. Maybe it is a symptom of the prosperity we enjoy. Everything seems to be complicated and along come expenses necessary or not. This has touched even religious celebrations. They are joyful in themselves but sometimes people try to add to their enjoyment. At times this comes from individual rivalries or ostentation. What has happened with First Communion is a good example. The Church discourages dress extravagance but parents often try to make First Communion look like a costly wedding, at least for the girls. Now First Communion dresses can cost $300 and receptions for First Communicants are held in hotels.

True joy is not expensive, indeed it cannot be purchased. As Christians we have been blessed with joy year-round but especially in the Easter season when we celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death. Because this joy can be taken for granted and because worldly pomp and circumstance tend to overshadow it, we should turn our attention to it today.

Christianity is a joyful religion! We have every reason to be joyful every day of our lives. The Responsorial Psalm today was an invitation to joy. We sang the antiphon, “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.” The Psalm gave reasons: God’s deeds are tremendous, his might endures forever, he hears our prayers, his kindness is everlasting. The Psalm expressed the Chosen People’s joy over the creation of the world and freedom from slavery. The Church places it in the liturgy and thereby urges us to do the same. In recent years we have heard shouts and jumping for joy on TV in connection with space exploration—at blast-off, at views of earth from outer space, at a man’s walking on the moon, at a space ship’s safe return to earth. What is all this in comparison with God’s work of creating earth and the heavens! The Chosen People experienced the joy of victory when they crossed the Red Sea dry-shod and saw their Egyptian pursuers swallowed up in the waters. Their descendants were commanded to remember and experience this joy through all generations. As Christians we share their joy but experience a far greater joy when we contemplate Christ’s work of redemption and resurrection from the dead. During the Easter Vigil we sing: “Rejoice heavenly powers . . . Exult all creation . . . Jesus Christ has ransomed us with his blood . . . (He) has destroyed the darkness of sin . . . (and) washed (us) clean of sin!” This is the sixth Sunday of Easter but the Church’s triumphant song of joy still resounds in our ears. The cheers of crowds watching a conquering general ride under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris or down New York’s Broadway can never be compared with it. The apostles rejoiced when they saw the Risen Savior and were filled with wonder as they gradually realized the meaning of his promise to prepare a place for them in heaven. We share their experience. Christ is preparing a place for us too in heaven.

Because joy is a basic human emotion every normal person experiences it often in the course of life. It is not necessary to define it. It is delight in good fortune or in the prospect of attaining it. There are, however, not only degrees of exuberance but also different kinds of joys. The difference comes from the stimulus that arouses it. When King David decided to bring the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem he led the procession “leaping and dancing” much to the chagrin of his wife, Michal. His answer to her was, “I will make merry before the Lord regardless” (2 Sam. 6:16f). Herod Antipas enjoyed the dance of his step-daughter, Salome, even though it led to the death of John the Baptist. The wedding party of Cana in Galilee enjoyed the wine Jesus provided by miraculously changing water to wine. Ticker tape is showered on returning heroes by wildly applauding crowds in New York. Sinners enjoy the pleasure of sin. Who has not enjoyed a hobby and in this materialistic age who has not taken pleasure in luxuries? The old adage “different strokes for different folks” holds true for experiences of joy. Our concern, however is religious joy, a fruit of the Holy Spirit emanating from his Gifts, and this joy is basic to happiness in this life and in the next. The joy coming from Christ’s Easter Victory lasts. It dwells in us, sustains us in sorrow and inspires us to ever higher heights of holiness.

Religious joy is not a for-the-moment delight like standing up and cheering for a home run. Since it is firmly founded on faith and hope in Christ it is a powerful force for good in our lives. Not only does it help us develop a spiritual optimism toward life, it also expresses itself in courage. Holy Job was sorely tried. In a matter of days he lost everything he had worked for, his oxen, asses, sheep, camels and the men who tended them. He lost all his sons and daughters and then in great sorrow he tore his cloak, cut off his hair and said, “Naked I come forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back again. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21)! Instead of cursing God Job resigned himself to God’s will. Such resignation is admirable and salutary but it is no excuse for us to do nothing in our trials and crises. God knows there are many in life and it often seems easier to surrender to passive resignation. Unemployment, a troubled marriage, divorce, death in the family, illness and depression are such woes. Joy in such circumstances would seem to be a mockery of human suffering. To feign it would seem hypocritical, and yet religious joy at such times is possible. We do not ignore the problems but realistically face them knowing that we are never alone in our suffering. Christ the Victor is at our side. In the Gospel we heard him say, “I will not leave you orphans,” and so we are convinced that he will never abandon us to despair. Our first and continuing response to difficulties should be confident prayer. Prayer should not be the last recourse but the first step toward finding a solution. Religious joy also leads us to trust in our own ability to help ourselves. A cheerful disposition is no cure-all but it allows us to take stock of our resources truthfully, correct our mistakes courageously and call upon an inner strength that faith has endowed us with. Lastly we should also avail ourselves of the help that our brothers and sisters in the faith can provide.

Membership in Christ’s Church and the Mystical Body of Christ allows us to reach out and take a helping hand humbly. St. Paul urged us, “Let us do good to all men—but especially those of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10). This personal exhortation becomes a pledge of help in time of need. We are not the only ones urged to do good. All of our brothers and sisters are and some will be found to help—not only with a sympathetic word but also with practical advice and support. This is the reason why the Church provides pastoral help in parishes and relief in the social apostolate of our dioceses. When help is offered it should be accepted humbly, when help is received we should receive it joyfully and we should await it joyfully long before it comes. Our membership in God’s People is always cause for joy.

When the Virgin Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth, in the hill country of Judea, John the Baptist leapt the joy in his mother’s womb. It was his first meeting with his Lord and Savior still in Mary’s womb. Meeting Christ is always a joyful experience. We meet Christ daily in prayer, in our brothers and sisters, and especially at Mass. We leap for joy! We do not shout, dance or wave our hands but we look at our Christian vocation with a smile on our face and courage in our heart.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 301, 523, 736, 1829, 1832.

The things above
Ascension Thursday—May 9

“A” Readings: Acts 1:1-11 • Eph. 1:17-23 • Matt. 28:16-20

Title: The Ascension

Purpose: to show that: (1) we too will rise and ascend to the Father after death; (2) so we should live as people destined for eternity and not for this life only.

There are several Halls of Fame in the country. Probably the two best known are the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York and the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. We may not have visited them but people who have, tell us that there are statues, photographs and other memorabilia on display immortalizing players who have been admitted. Undoubtedly the players deserve the recognition and sports lovers are only too glad to give it.

When Jesus ascended into heaven he was not being admitted into some Hall of Fame where he would hang his picture, place a statue and retire to enjoy the accolades of saints and angels. He ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of God. From this position he continues to exercise his mission as King of the Universe and Eternal High Priest.

Today we celebrate Christ’s ascension. Let this be clear—there was something very new and wonderful when Jesus returned to his heavenly Father. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity left heaven to take on a human body born of the Virgin Mary and was named Jesus. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity remained in heaven as a member of the Holy Trinity but he also began to live on earth as Jesus, true God and true man. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he, as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, came with his glorified body, the body that hung on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead. He came with his five wounds that would forever serve as trophies of his victory over sin and death.

You may have noticed that the First Reading was from the Acts of the Apostles and there St. Luke seemed to say that Our Lord ascended into heaven forty days after the resurrection. In his Gospel, however, he seems to say that Jesus ascended into heaven on the day of his resurrection. He was not contradicting himself. Jesus ascended into heaven on the very day of his resurrection but continued to appear to his apostles and disciples over the span of forty days. After his resurrection Jesus was not hiding out somewhere on earth for forty days. From heaven he appeared to his disciples with his glorified body over the span of forty days. He made it clear to them that from that day on they would have to continue his mission on earth without his physical presence. Today, on this feast of the Ascension we celebrate Our Lord’s definitive departure from earth. He would make only one exception. Several years later, he appeared to St. Paul on the road to Damascus.

This feast then celebrates Christ’s final departure from earth and also his exalted position seated at God’s right hand. In the Apostles Creed we pray, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” What we must keep in mind, however, is that Jesus is active in this position. The very fact that he appeared to the apostles over the span of forty days shows this. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit while on earth. This he did after the Ascension. He promised to prepare a place for the apostles so that where he was they would eventually be. He “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near to God through him.” He is the one mediator between God and man. Finally Jesus also promised to be with his Church to the end of time. St. Mark writes, “The Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his seat at God’s right hand. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere. The Lord continued to work with them throughout and confirm the message through the signs which accompanied them” (Mark 6:20).

There is still another facet to this feast. In the First Reading we heard that Our Lord charged the apostles before his final departure from earth, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” This was the Church’s missionary mandate and for the past two thousand years dedicated men and women have brought the Gospel to distant lands and peoples. They were not the only ones to heed Christ’s call. History shows that no land, people or nation has remained permanently evangelized without sacrifice. Once Christian lands in Asia have bowed to Islam by force. Other Christian lands in Europe have become newly pagan through indifference and neglect of the practice of the Faith. It is only when devoted pastors have cared for the flocks committed to them, when parents have brought up their children in the practice of their faith that the evangelized persevere as evangelized. This call to evangelization is certainly urgent in our nation at this time.

Evangelizing includes not only preaching the Faith to others, it is living the Faith. A true internal commitment to the Faith precedes the mission to others, and so Christ’s ascension into heaven is also a call to holiness. On the day of Ascension angels asked, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky” (Acts 1:11)? Looking at the sky never made a person holy. St. Paul indeed writes to the Colossians “Set your heart on what pertains to higher realms where Christ is seated at God’s right hand. Be intent on things above rather than on things of earth” (Col. 3:l-3), but this is not a matter of day dreaming. It is a matter of prayer and cooperation with God’s grace.

When Jesus ascended into heaven he returned to the Father with the infinite merits of his life on earth. He returned with the glory of his life, death and resurrection. He returned with his mission accomplished. He returned as Savior of mankind, Eternal High Priest and Universal King. During his life on earth he had preached the coming of God’s kingdom as the heart of the Good News. His ministry was a sign of its arrival and his reign was announced. “Though already present in his Church, Christ’s Reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled ‘with power and great glory’ by the king’s return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers . . . . According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness . . . . It is a time of waiting and watching” (CCC 671-672). Many of Our Lord’s parables, for example, The Sower and the Seed, The Wheat and the Weeds, The Watchful Servants, show that there is a period of probation and maturation on earth. It is on earth that we must be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The promise of the Kingdom always had conditions—fidelity to the Gospel of Christ and obedience to his commands. If Christ did not return to heaven “empty handed,” can we? “‘Happy now are the dead who die in the Lord!’ . . . ‘Yes, they shall find rest from their labors, for their good works accompany them’” (Rev. 14:13).

I doubt that any of us will ever be admitted to some Hall of Fame in this world. We all, however, can be admitted to God’s heavenly Hall of Fame. Jesus, seated at God’s right hand, makes this possible. We shall not be mere statues around him, but reigning gloriously with him. We cannot hope to be admitted to his kingdom if on earth we only pay tribute to statues of discipleship. We must be living, active, zealous disciples of Christ!

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 659-664, 671.

What is prayer?
7th Sunday of Easter—May 12

“A” Readings: Acts 1:12-14 • 1 Pet. 4:13-16 • John 17:1-11

Title: Daily Prayer in Catholic Living

Purpose: (1) to describe the various kinds of prayer; and (2) to give practical advice on how to pray.

After the death of Jesus the apostles came together in Jerusalem and stayed behind closed doors “for fear of the Jews.” After the Ascension of Jesus the apostles again came together in Jerusalem, not for fear of the Jews but for joy in anticipation of what was to come. They were united in prayer with the Virgin Mary and other believers in Jesus. The Lord had told the apostles to go and teach all nations but now it was necessary to pray. Work would come later. We have just celebrated the feast of the Ascension of the Lord and have come to church to worship and pray. It is the Lord’s Day. Prayer is my topic.

What is prayer? St. Therese of Lisieux answered, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” St. John Damascene answered, “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” These definitions, I think, pretty well explain what prayer is. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, however, introduces a new idea concerning prayer, one that may seem strange to us and yet one that should be obvious. It teaches that prayer is a struggle. Why?

Prayer always presupposes effort. This is a struggle in itself. As we call to mind the great men and women of prayer in the Bible and in Church history we find that prayer is indeed a battle against ourselves and against the evil spirit who does all he can to keep us from union with God. We pray as we live—because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we habitually pray in his Name.

To give ourselves earnestly to prayer therefore, we must first confront in ourselves and around us erroneous notions of prayer. Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration on some spiritual topic. Others reduce it to ritual words and postures. Is it a trance? Does yoga help? Still others look on prayer as divorced from daily life and so they have no time for it. To them it seems only to be daydreaming. This is not what we mean by prayer.

Prayer is also a struggle in another sense. Since prayer requires a certain amount of attention there is the battle against distractions. Someone has said, “If you cannot pay attention to your own prayers, how can you expect God to pay attention to them?” On the other hand, God knows of what we are made. “For he (the Lord) knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust” (Ps. 103:14). God knows the limits of our powers of concentration. He does not want us to pray like someone other than what he made us. He accepts our prayers with all our distractions and so it would be a mistake to let involuntary distractions dissuade us from prayer. Prayer is like so many spiritual “push-ups.” We lift our minds and hearts to God in prayer, and some distraction lets them fall. If we persevere and do fifty such spiritual push-ups we make our prayer fifty times more pleasing to God.

Prayer implies a more serious battle, the battle against our sinful tendencies. We remember how our Lord castigated the Pharisees for being hypocrites. We cannot be hypocrites if we wish to pray properly. There is so much involved in this. It is not only overcoming feelings of indifference and laziness, but also postponing prayer until we are half-asleep at night. It means getting our whole life in focus, seeing ourselves as God sees us. Therefore we must be open to a humble confession of sins, a desire to do penance and reform, a willingness to forgive those who have injured us, and most of all, we must overcome self-will and surrender ourselves to God’s will and his providence. In brief, we must pray as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will but thine be done.” Living as Jesus lived must be our goal in life and in prayer.

When Moses summons all Israel and proceeded to teach them their obligations as the People of God he pointed out that God’s law is not “too mysterious and remote” for them. It is “not up in the sky,” that someone should say, “who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?” Nor is it across the sea that someone should say, “Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out” (Deut. 30:11f)? Then Moses said, “No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” What Moses said of God’s law, we can say about prayer. It is not up in the sky, not across the sea. It is near to us, on our lips and in our hearts.

As Catholics we are familiar with three major expressions of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation and contemplative prayer. All three bring us into union with God. Vocal prayers need not be said aloud. We can say these prayers alone or with others. They may be spontaneous or “from a prayer book.” Most of us have memorized a number of prayers and it may be that these are the prayers we say most frequently. Memorized prayers are not childish or inane. How often have we spent a great deal of time looking for a greeting card for some special occasion. It isn’t that we could not simply say, “Happy Birthday,” “Happy Anniversary.” It isn’t that we could not compose a letter of congratulation. Sometime we feel that we just cannot express ourselves adequately. We search the rack and finally we find a card that just seems to express what we feel perfectly. We are relieved, overjoyed. We have the same feeling when we say the prayers that we have memorized. We memorized them because they say what we want to say in the right way.

Meditative prayer may frighten us. We may feel that this prayer is reserved for priests and nuns. Priests and nuns may feel that it is reserved for stigmatics and saints. The fact is that meditation is quite familiar to all of us. We say the rosary and meditate on the mysteries. This is the beauty of the rosary. It combines meditation with vocal prayer.

Contemplative prayer may frighten us even more. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “it is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love” (CCC 2724). We have heard the story of an elderly lady who spent hours sitting in church. Her eyes were fixed on the tabernacle. Someone asked her, “What are you thinking? Your lips never move.” The lady replied, “I look at Jesus and Jesus looks at me.” This is contemplative prayer. Frequently ejaculations lead to contemplative prayer. We repeat an ejaculation over and over and suddenly we forget the ejaculation and are caught up in contemplation.

Many people today have lost a thirst for the spiritual. We are all aware of nutrients being taken out of processed foods. Maybe we all may become aware of the best part of life being taken out of living—prayer. What does this to us? Who? The foolish “life-styles” of the modern world. It is the old problem—how to make room for God in our lives when the world, the flesh and the devil want us for themselves alone.

My conclusion is a fervent plea that we always remember that our churches are houses of prayer. Our Lord became angry when he found the temple of Jerusalem more a market place than a house of prayer. He quoted the prophets, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matt. 21:13). There are many reminders of this in our church—statues, stained glass windows, candles—but the spirit of prayer is absent unless we place ourselves in the presence of God. God is here in a special way. Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist, in the tabernacle. If we do not recognize his presence in the tabernacle before and after Mass, chances are we shall not recognize him even when we receive his Body and Blood in holy communion.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2559, 2700-2719, 2725-2745.

Led by the Spirit
Pentecost—May 19

“A” Readings: Acts 2:1-11 • 1 Cor. 12:3-7 • John 20:19-23

Title: The Holy Spirit as Teacher and Guide

Purpose: to explain the role of the Holy Spirit (1) as directing the institutional Church now as in the time of Jesus; (2) as directing individuals; (3) as teaching and guiding as the Spirit of Truth.

Some time ago the king of Morocco, who liked golf, was pictured on a travel poster swinging a golf club. Few of his subjects ever heard of golf. Seeing the poster they thought their king was clubbing someone to death. The poster had to be removed. It was a misunderstanding, the authorities explained. Sometimes there is an unfortunate misunderstanding concerning the Holy Spirit and his work in our midst.

The First Reading told of the marvelous display of power in Jerusalem on Pentecost when people of different nations heard the apostles speak in their own tongues. The Gospel, however, was more concerned about what happened on Easter when Jesus appeared to his apostles, breathed upon them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This was more important because it indicated the work the Holy Spirit was to do through Christ’s Church to the end of time—forgive sins.

Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles but it was fifty days before Pentecost that Jesus first said to his apostles, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This apparent problem was clarified in the 6th century at the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople. The Fathers there explained that the Holy Spirit was truly given by Christ on the day of his resurrection and the breathing was not merely symbolic. The further outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was to manifest the Church to the world with special charisms. The gift of the Spirit ushered in a new era, “the age of the Church, during which Christ manifests, makes present, and communicates his work of salvation through the liturgy of the Church” until he returns in glory (CCC 1076).

Charisms are special graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church and her mission in the world. Some of these special graces are enumerated by St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians and in his Letter to the Romans. Some of these charisms may appear to be quite ordinary until they are lacking in a given church community, for example, the charisms of administration, teaching and preaching God’s Word and leadership. Where they are lacking there is chaos and loss of faith. Some charisms are fully extraordinary and may at times be feigned by deceivers. Consequently even when real they may be suspect by the faithful, for example, the charisms of tongues, healing and the power of working miracles. Still other charisms are poorly understood by the faithful even though they are very necessary to the Church in every age, for example, apostleship, the discernment of spirits, prophecy and infallibility.

The Holy Spirit showered the infant Christian Church with many extraordinary charisms. The First Reading reminded us of the amazement of people gathered in Jerusalem when they heard the apostles speaking in tongues. The Galilean apostles spoke and were simultaneously understood by diverse nationalities. Some of these extraordinary charisms became less frequent as time went by and so, for example, the gift of tongues became a problem for some. One Father of the Church expressed it this way:

Therefore if somebody should say to one of us, “You have received the Holy Spirit, why do you not speak in tongues?” his reply should be, “I do indeed speak in the tongues of all men, because I belong to the Catholic Church and she speaks all languages. What else did the presence of the Holy Spirit indicate at Pentecost, except that God’s Church was to speak in the language of every people” (Liturgy of the Hours II, p. 1006).

Extraordinary charisms of the Holy Spirit are given to the Church as needed even today. We have priests who are eloquent preachers and zealous teachers of religion who can explain the teaching of the Church effectively. We have many miracles received through the intercession of saints before and after their deaths. We have perceptive confessors, like the Cure of Ars and Padre Pio who clearly had the gift of discernment of spirits. The same may be said of countless other priests whose names are known only to God and to those who have benefited by their ministry. The Holy Spirit has not forsaken his Church and always draws the attention of the world, at least of the well intentioned, to her divine mission.

Charisms should not be confused with the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit which we receive in Baptism and which are strengthened in Confirmation nor with the daily inspirations we receive. This activity of the Holy Spirit directly benefits the individual Christian, and yet it too helps the whole Church just as the sins of Christians harm her. St. Paul asks “Who is weak that I am not affected by it? Who is scandalized that I am not aflame with indignation?” (2 Cor. 11:29).

The Holy Spirit is active in the everyday life of the Church. For good reason he is considered the “soul” of the Church. The early evangelizers preached zealously with his help. The writers of Scripture were inspired and guided as they gave us the Word of God in writing and no less importantly the Fathers of the Church were enabled by the Holy Spirit to witness the perennial tradition of the Church. The graces of the sacraments necessary to our spiritual life come to us through the Holy Spirit. Missionaries are led by the Holy Spirit to preach the faith in distant lands and we are led by the Holy Spirit to pray and live virtuous lives. The Lord’s promise was, “The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you in everything, and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26).

Probably never before has the guidance of the Church been so necessary to Christians as now. Science has embarked upon extensive and rapid experimentation in areas that touch fundamental Christian beliefs concerning human life and dignity. Issues that once were debated in academia are now discussed on radio talk shows—issues like human embryonic exploitation, artificial insemination and fertilization, stem cell research and human cloning. So-called progressive nations have adopted legislation contrary to Christian principles, like abortion, same-sex marriage and assisted suicide. The Church must speak about these matters and speak she does with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Science and legislators have vast sums of money to aid them in their work. The Church has the Holy Spirit to help her guide us to a moral life in this world and to eternal happiness in the next. Only with the Holy Spirit’s help can she fulfill her prophetic role.

Pentecost literally means fiftieth day. What happened on the fiftieth day after Easter must be understood in connection with what happened on Easter Sunday. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave the apostles, who had already received the Holy Spirit, a good shove so that they and their successors would continue the work of Christ on earth to the end of time. On Easter morning Christ gave the Holy Spirit to the Church for the forgiveness of sins. Forgiving sins was vital to Christ’s mission. He died on the cross so that sins would be forgiven. Forgiving sins is vital to the mission of the Holy Spirit working through the Church.

We should not overlook the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the early Church. An angel was sent to her to announce the birth of God’s Son as man. He was “conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.” It was only fitting that she who conceived her divine infant and carried him in her womb for nine months should have been with the apostles as they prayerfully awaited the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for nine days. It was fitting that she should have been present at the birth of her Son’s Church.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 688, 730-731, 741, 774, 813.

Three in One
Trinity Sunday—May 26

“A” Readings: Exod. 34:4-6. 8-9 • 2 Cor. 13:11-13 • John 3:16-18

Title: Trinity: The Revelation of God’s Inner Nature

Purpose: (1) to explain what the Church teaches concerning the Holy Trinity; (2) to encourage adoration of the Blessed Trinity.

We call this Sunday Trinity Sunday for a reason. After celebrating the great events of salvation history beginning with Advent, through Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, it is only right that we reflect on the central mystery of our faith—the Blessed Trinity.

Rabbi Philip Bernstein has written an interesting book, entitled What the Jews Believe. There he says, “Although Jews are able to understand Jesus, the Jew of Nazareth, they have never been able to understand or accept the idea of the Trinity.” This is a thought provoking statement. If there is no Trinity, Jesus is not really the Son of God. He is indeed merely the Jew of Nazareth. If there is no Trinity, there is no Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. In that case there is nothing to today’s solemnity. Knowledge of the Trinity is vital to understanding Jesus and the Holy Spirit—and even God the Father.

There is no denying that the Trinity is often misunderstood and this may be due to the actions of some Christians who have projected a false image of the Trinity. For example, consider the various movements that claim for themselves the special guidance of the Holy Spirit or his gifts. They name themselves after him, after his Pentecost, after his charisms. Is this really the new age of the Spirit? Emotionalism and hysteria are not signs of this. It only means that some Christians have succumbed to a new religious fantasy. They seem to think that once Jesus ascended to heaven, he retired and a new divine person is needed to carry on.

Sometimes it seems as if Christians try too hard to unravel the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, subject the three Persons to a close examination, one by one, dissect the Trinity, as it were.
No wonder the Trinity has become a scandal to some Jews. The pious Jew prays the Shema, his declaration of faith, daily, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord.” Jesus identified this as the first and greatest commandment. So the first thing we must understand about the Trinity is that it does not violate this commandment. There is only one God! How there can be three Persons in one God is undoubtedly a mystery. The mystery in this is that the one God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Three Persons sharing one nature, equal, distinct, and yet inseparable. The Athanasian Creed states our faith in the Trinity succinctly:

Now this is the Catholic faith: We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity, without either confusing the persons or dividing the substance; for the person of the Father is one, the Son’s is another, the Holy Spirit’s another; but the Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.

The Trinity, however, is not only a mystery. It is also an explanation—an explanation of how Jesus Christ came from God as his only Son, of how he was born of the Virgin Mary by the action of the Holy Spirit, of how he rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, of how he ascended to heaven and still is in our midst through the Holy Spirit whom he sends to us. It is an explanation of how the Catholic Church was born on Pentecost by the coming of the Holy Spirit, of how we are united to Christ in his Mystical Body through its soul, the Holy Spirit, of how we share in Christ’s divine life through the grace which the Holy Spirit imparts. The Trinity is a mystery, but it explains many other mysteries of our Catholic Faith.

As we ponder the implications of our faith in the Trinity in our daily lives, the words of Thomas à Kempis immediately come to mind, “What does it profit you to discourse deeply about the Trinity if you are wanting in humility and so are displeasing to the Trinity” (Imitation I, 3)? To be pleasing to the Blessed Trinity we must be in the state of sanctifying grace, keep the supreme law of charity—love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves—and keep the Commandments of God. This is not easy. We often hear the words of the prophet Micah, “You have been told, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8). It sounds so simple, and maybe this is why it is so often quoted. By this time I suspect we have found that it is not so easy. Everything does not depend on us. The Holy Trinity still has much work to do.

Our spiritual life begins with our baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” in the name of the Trinity! The Most Holy Trinity gives us sanctifying grace, or the grace of justification. This enables us to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him. This gives us the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This allows us to grow in goodness through the moral virtues. The Blessed Trinity is the beginning and end of our supernatural life (cf. CCC 1266).

Our prayer life is rooted in our faith in the Blessed Trinity. We begin our daily prayers with the sign of the cross, but without the Blessed Trinity the sign of the cross is meaningless. In itself the cross is only an ancient and barbarous instrument of torture. Even the body of Jesus on the cross alone does not say much. So there was a man, perhaps innocent, perhaps misguided, dead along with two other criminals. The Three Persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit tell the real story. Jesus Christ, Son of God, offered his life for our sins as a sacrifice to his Father. He was not abandoned by the Father because through the Holy Spirit he was raised from the dead. The words of the sign of the cross are more important than the gesture we make.

We usually end our daily prayers with the doxology, “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.” St. Jerome began one of his letters to Pope St. Damasus I with this prayer in honor of the Blessed Trinity. Ever since, it has been on the lips of Christians throughout the world in every age.

Mass begins with the Sign of the Cross and a greeting honoring the Trinity in St. Paul’s words, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Mass continues with the magnificent hymn in honor of the Trinity, “Glory to God in the highest.” Before the Consecration the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that the bread and wine before him may become the Body and Blood of Christ, Son of God. The Mass ends with a blessing in honor of the Blessed Trinity.

Our belief in the Blessed Trinity influences our understanding of the world and of ourselves. Consider the majesty of created nature, so marvelous to behold in springtime. Every morning with the rising sun we praise God the Father for his power, wisdom and bounty. Consider the ineffable love of the Son of God who so loved us, poor mortals that we are, that he deigned to become a human person and out of love for us suffered and died on the cross for our redemption. Consider the never ending work of the Holy Spirit as he unites us to Christ and to each other in the Mystical Body of Christ.

Our belief in the Blessed Trinity identifies us. Pagans, Jews and Muslims do not believe in the Trinity. We do! God the Father made heaven and earth. God the Son provided a ladder for us to climb from earth to heaven. God the Holy Spirit works hard to get us to climb that ladder. We do not climb the ladder alone, we climb it together as the People of God.

Suggested reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 232-267, 1266.

Reverend George M. Franko is a priest of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio. He was ordained in 1950 and is now pastor emeritus of Holy Name Parish in Youngstown. He was engaged in pastoral work during his active ministry. He also served on the Diocesan Tribunal and taught medical ethics at St. Elizabeth School of Nursing. Fr. Franko now does weekend work, substitutes for pastors, and takes preaching assignments. His last series of homilies in HPR appeared in July 2001.

Back to Homiletic & Pastoral Review Table of Contents April 2002

Back to Catholic Information Center Main Periodical Page