Ordinary Time

Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to how the small mustard seed, once planted, becomes a large tree, a place of refuges for all the different kinds of birds. The "seed" is Jesus, planted by God, which died and rose again to give rise to a "large tree" - the universal Catholic Church. Holy Trinity Parish is a branch of that tree in which all of us - a diverse community of "birds" - take refuge, together becoming a place for all to come and worship.
As a parish community, we have the responsibility to give this place a sense of belonging not for just us but those coming to visit, to find rest in Christ not only in the liturgy but through relationship building and our interaction with one another. That is how we will find rest for our souls.

Start memorizing scripture verses that speak to your heart. God’s word is not empty. It’s not just words on a page; it’s living, powerful, effective. It accomplishes God’s purpose. And whether we have years ahead of us, months, or just days, God has a purpose - and it’s His word that will help get us there.

Through our baptism, we die and rise with Christ, and through the spirit of adoption we become the children of God. It is through Christ that we have access to the Father, and Jesus invites us to maintain that access by cultivating a deeper intimacy with the Father in our prayer. To increase intimacy in prayer is to enter into a dialogue with Him, heart to heart, in an encounter at the innermost center of our being.

God is the source of our very being and the ultimate fulfillment of our every desire. He places desires of all kinds in our lives - but he wants them to be enjoyed in their proper place or order so that we don’t become enslaved by them. When God is first, our hobbies, interests, desires, loves, and relationships can all be encompassed by God’s love; by doing so, we are not only free of the temptations of sin that can come with the things of this life, but those people, desires, work, and possessions are enjoyed in the right order, proportion, and place.

Fear is a part of life, and we have all entertained our own personal fears. Our fears are a matter of perspective, especially the fear of death - perhaps the greatest fear of humanity. For those of us with God in our life and faith in Jesus, we have certain hope in the plan of God for us after this life. Remember: sparrows, the simplest of birds, are not without God's divine care - so how much more, then, is His care for you?

Sometimes, bad things happen and we entertain thoughts of God punishing us. We ascribe to God a sense of quid pro quo or wrathfulness because of a sin or a bad decision we have made, but this is the farthest thing from the truth. Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and His love for each of us is perfect, unconditional, and unending.

Theologian G.K. Beale wrote about how we become like what we worship. By worshiping God, who is love, we are conformed into being the loving person God wants us to be. To love as God love forces us to examine how we deal with our relationships and the quality of our love in those relationships. Examine your conscience for where God is in your life. Based on that, reorient that which is blocking His love or increase that which is drawing you closer to Him.

Living the commandment to love our enemies is probably the hardest thing we can do. Simply put, we cannot do this without the supernatural grace of God. Remember that "love" is not the same as “like.” Loving someone is willing good for the other, while liking someone is a much more subjective thing. You don’t have to like everyone, but you must love them.
This commandment is not a suggestion. It’s just the hardest thing to do. So, let us pray for the supernatural grace to love our enemies. Period.