Homily - Holy Trinity Sunday - Be As God

A few years ago I was chatting with my then 9 or 10 year old nephew who lives in Ohio. He is a great person; he has a huge heart. Plus he loves to fish. I asked him if he ever wanted to come to Nevada to visit me. He said no. He does not like all that sand.

Forgive me for repeating, but 30 years ago when I made the move to Nevada, and after becoming an unemployed geologist, I went to a local Parish, a large one for Sunday mass. I sat by myself, nobody said hi. No person greeted me. The next weekend I headed down to Our Lady of Wisdom. I was greeted, welcomed, talked to and invited to come and be a part of that community. It changed my life.


Who are we as disciples ofJesus, as Christians, as Catholics, as parish? How are we?  What are our perceptions of what it means to live as Catholic, Christian? Maybe our minds need updated, after all Nevada is not the Sahara desert.

The Most Holy Trinity is a community. God is relational. God created humanity to be in relationship with God and to be incorporated into that same divine Trinity. The whole plan of salvation is this relationship. God communicates with the ancestors, Abraham and Sarah. God calls Israel into a covenantal relationship so that all the world can know of God through them.  

The Son of God became Human, so that we humans can become as God.  God wants us completely. 


Here’s the trick though. God is God. God is perfection. God cannot be anything less otherwise God would not be God. Still with me?  Therefore to be with God, and since God can’t be any less, it means we humans we must become as God, not God, but as God or God-like.

Not like our movies show us, all glowing with supernatural powers. That is the wrong perception.

Jesus reveals the fullness of God. Jesus himself was fully Good and fully human.  Jesus who welcomed; Jesus who healed; Jesus who forgave; Jesus who created community; Jesus who gave of himself to die on a cross; Jesus the humble; Jesus the lover; Jesus the human.  All these are God as well. This is the revelation of God. This is what it means to be as God.

We celebrated last weekend the coming of the The Holy Spirit. This love of God comes upon us to fulfill our human nature, so that we can be united with God; and thus build heaven here on earth. The Holy Spirit comes upon us to transform us, move us to a different path, open our hearts and minds to new perceptions. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us to become as God.

Sin is wherever and whenever we fail to be human and as God.  Sin when we refuse to welcome, choose to not heal, to not forgive; when we divide, give in to our fears.  Sin is whenever and wherever we advocate violence towards another human person. It is when we exclude others.   

Sometimes we are blind to our sinfulness, blind to our exclusion of others; our prejudices and bigotry; sexism, disdain for any that dares to contradict our own views. Sometimes I don’t think we perceive the level of violence we promote, based on some posts on facebook that I have seen this past week from those who call themselves Catholics.

Yet, we are redeemed. The Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit calls us to repent, to change our lives.   We are called to follow the path that brings us to fullness of life; to expunge whatever wound, fear, hate lingers within.  To become as God. 

This Eucharist celebrates our redemption and our transformation.  We extend our hands to the Christ, to receive and open ourselves to be fulfilled.

The Community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can accept nothing less.  The Community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit welcomes all.

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