June 2020 – Page 2 – deacon rudy's notes

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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Mass Readings
First Reading: Exodus 34:4B-6, 8-9
Responsorial: Daniel 3:52-56
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Gospel: John 3:16-18

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060720.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. These Trinitarian words of Paul that we find in our second reading today are so important that they are part of the beginning of every mass and they set the tone for the love and peace for which all Christians strive.

To summarize G.K. Chesterton, Trinity is a technically correct way of saying, God is love. As we look around the world this year at all the natural disasters like the earthquakes in Puerto Rico, the wildfires that ravaged the Amazon and Australia, a number of humanitarian crises around the world like in Yemen, Venezuela and the US southern border, to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Ebola outbreak in the Congo, and now to the brutal murder of George Floyd that has sparked widespread civil unrest across the United States, it is difficult to see love.

The Trinity is the key to understanding our Christian faith, but if we don’t consider how the Trinity is applicable in our every day lives, then we reduce it to nothing more than a philosophical concept.

Before we try to wade into these rather deep, and perhaps viscous waters, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. Feel free to answer along with me. Do you accept that God is love? Yes. Do you accept that we are all created in the image and likeness of God? Yes. Do you accept conversion is a lifelong process of trying to do good and avoid evil? Yes.

Good! Now that that’s out of the way, what is unconscious bias? An unconscious bias is a learned stereotype that is automatic, unintentional, deeply ingrained, universal, and able to influence behavior. It could cause us to look at someone in a way that is not image and likeness of God. So, unconscious bias is something the discerning Christian struggles against. To put it another way, when we perform an examination of conscience, we need to move beyond a sin, like I bit my sister and kicked the dog, or I kicked my sister and bit the dog, and try to get at the root causes of sin. St. Ignatius and St. Teresa of Avila and perhaps other saints challenge us to examine root causes of sin in our lives. If we do this, we are better able to seek authentic reconciliation and experience the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

That’s important to understand because unconscious bias can stand in the way of us experiencing the God who is love. Take a homeless person for example. I can’t speak for others, but in the United States, the idea that we are each responsible for our own lives and that we should pick ourselves up by our bootstraps is a common sentiment. This idea can help shape my unconscious bias against the homeless, for example. Were I not aware of it and if during my formation before ordination I hadn’t spent time living on the streets with the homeless, then I might look at a homeless person and immediately judge them as a loser, an alcoholic, a druggie. I might even think to myself, “It’s their own fault that they’re living on the streets.”

Please don’t get me wrong I’m not suggesting that there aren’t things in our control that could increase or reduce the likelihood of ending up homeless. But at the core of writing off a homeless person can be a dehumanizing feeling – that somehow they are less than me.

I’ve heard similar language – even from people in my own extended family – about illegal immigrants. That because they break the law by entering the country illegally, they are somehow less than me – less than human – not worthy of our concern.

Now, there’s no clearer example of unconscious bias than racism. Think about Mr. George Floyd. The civil unrest across the United States is not because he was accused of a crime and arrested. No! The country is exploding because something caused a police officer to kneel on Mr. Floyd and kill him. Maybe it was a conscious bias, an unconscious bias, or some hybrid of the two, but people believe that Mr. Floyd was killed because of the color of his skin. All too often, racism can be an automatic, unintentional, deeply ingrained reaction to someone who is different from us. It dehumanizes the other person. Enough is enough!

Where do we go from here? I suggest to you that our faith in the Trinity gives us a way forward. If the Trinity is a community of love, then I am called as a Christian to love those around me – not just my family and friends, but everyone. I’m not talking about some wishy-washy campfire where we all sing kumbaya. Real love modeled on our Gospel John 3:16 means I’m willing to sacrifice for your benefit, not mine. Real love means I’m not afraid to hold you accountable when you do something wrong. Real loves means I will not treat you like you’re beneath me because you break the rules, or you look or sound different from me.

How do I get there? One path that the Catholic tradition gives us is called an examination of conscience. Trying to understand the root causes of sin in our lives – especially if we catch ourselves judging someone on first appearances – is a good step toward healing the wounds of division among us and a great way to experience real consolation of the Spirit. Exchanging the sign of peace that we find in our second reading, another influence on the mass, becomes an act of love when we work to identify and weed out unconscious bias from our lives. I suggest to you that experiencing and sharing the love of the Trinity is the best way forward.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following questions.

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. How can I share God’s love with the world? How am I willing to give myself to love?
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whom have I judged too harshly? How can I engage the broader culture in faith?
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned. Do I know anyone who is searching for God? How can I accompany them on their journey?

I think doing our homework will help us experience authentic discipleship. Do you get it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPEG file.

Learning Opportunities:
1. Francis. Amoris Laetitia. Vatican.va. 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf.
2. Walk by Faith Wednesday Webinars with Deacon Harold, #06 Catholic Response to Racism.” 03 June 2020. Video, 1:04:06. https://youtu.be/V861OUAIlls.

References:
1. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
2. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.
3. Stegman, Thomas D., SJ. Second Corinthians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009.
4. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Faith as a grace, 153
2. The mystery of the Trinity, 202, 232-60, 684, 732
3. The Trinity in the Church and her liturgy, 249, 813, 950, 1077-1109, 2845
4. Name of the Holy Spirit, 691
5. Symbols of the Holy Spirit, 694
6. Baptism, 1214-16
7. Baptism mask us a new creature, 1265-66
8. The Trinity and prayer, 2655, 2664-72
9. The family as an image of the Trinity, 2205

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060720.cfm
Lectionary: 164

Reading 1
Exodus 34:4B-6, 8-9
Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.

Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness 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.”

Responsorial
Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!

Reading 2
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
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.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the holy ones greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Alleluia
cf Revelation 1:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
John 3:16-18
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
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.

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Wait what now? We have to go back to church?

Hello and welcome to another edition of All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we are going to explore what it means to be Catholic. If you have a question that you’d like me to address, send it to me. You may use the comment form on the website, or by email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org. I invite you to share the Good News we discuss on this podcast with everyone you know!

On today’s episode, we’re going to talk about going to church which of course isn’t specifically Catholic. During this pandemic, many of us had had the opportunity to participate in live streamed mass or church services. As regulations are slowly lifted, social distancing standards still in place mean that many churches are still live streaming. But something interesting has been going on, I think. Live streaming platforms often tell you how many people are viewing at any particular moment.

I’ve got to tell you, the numbers have not been terribly large. When our parish back home was allowed to admit some people in for mass, those numbers were fairly meager too. When added to the online viewers, it’s nowhere near the number of people who used to come to church every weekend.

Now, I know there are all sorts of reasons for this. Some people have enjoyed participating in services or masses from other churches. For Catholics, perhaps that might mean participating online in masses with the Pope livestreamed from the Vatican. Or maybe watching a livestreamed mass from New York. I’ve even heard some people say they’ve enjoyed finding very short masses – like 20-30 minutes and done.

There are people who for spiritual reasons or perhaps reasons they don’t understand, they are not drawn watch a livestreamed church service. They’ve remained devout in their own ways.

Of course, there are people who have developed a fear of all gatherings. For example, some of these people who might not be in a high risk category are so afraid of getting sick that, at least in the U.S., they’re pushing for mail-in ballots rather than showing up to the polls in November.

And there are those who only go through the motions, but their hearts were never really into church.

Whatever the reasons, this pandemic has cut us off from our communities. When social distancing is lifted, there are some who may choose never to return.

So, why go to church? For example, is God in church? I would say yes, but does that mean that God is not with me here right now or when I go to market or when I’m in my car or on a bus, a tram or a train?

As one of my favorite theologians, Michael Himes puts it, “The answer is not that God is present there and absent elsewhere, but that, since God is present everywhere, you and I need to notice, accept and celebrate that presence somewhere,” (Himes, Loc 212). He goes on to say that we notice, accept and celebrate God’s presence on Sunday – the Lord’s day, but that doesn’t mean that God takes Mondays off or plays golf on Thursdays. It means that if all time is God’s time, then we better take some time to notice it, (Himes, Loc 212).

So, if God is everywhere all the time, then why does God need us to gather and worship on Sundays? Are you ready for this? He doesn’t. We need a time and a place to pause and acknowledge God’s incredible grace at work in this world. Another way of looking at this idea is the adage, what gets scheduled gets noticed and gets done. Now I can almost hear some of you saying, “Whoa there, deacon, slow your roll! The commandments say keep holy the Sabbath.” And you would be correct. But the commandment isn’t about what God needs, as much as it is about what we need.

In the Catholic understanding, this idea is called the sacramental principle. Himes gives us a good definition in his writing: If something is always and everywhere the case, it must be noticed, accepted, and celebrated somewhere sometime. What is always true must be noticed as true at a particular time and in a particular place, (Himes, Loc 219).

Going to church teaches us how to pause from all the distractions and the busyness of our lives to notice God’s grace all around us. What is God’s grace? Grace is God’s love outside the Trinity, (Himes, Loc 196). What is the consequence of pausing, noticing, accepting, and celebrating at a particular time and at a particular place?

Hopefully, it’s that we begin to realize that we should not divide our lives between “sacred” and “ordinary”. We cannot separate what happens on Sunday from what happens on Monday, (Himes, Loc 270). And church is not an island of grace isolated from an unholy world, (Himes, 278). Church then is a sign – a sacrament if you will – that the whole world is touched by God’s grace. I realize the world doesn’t really look like that right now, but that’s why spreading the Good News is so important. When we are sent out into the world to share the Good News, the message isn’t, “come to church and be holy.” No, the message is, “you are already filled with God’s grace in a world filled with God’s grace. Isn’t it wonderful? Come with me and let’s celebrate God’s grace together in church,” (Himes, Loc 284).

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! I can’t wait for us all to be able to go back to church. Now, go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to All Things Catholic. Please send me your questions! You can use the comment form on the website, or send me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.

This episode was produced by deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal. All Things Catholic will be back next month, and as always, the weekend edition will be back this Sunday. Peace!

References: