Saying good-bye to my mentor throughout Diaconal Formation. . . Fr. Matt Iwuji. . . on Trinity Sunday 🙏🕊❤️
Deacon Phúc’s Homily - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Year C - 6/16/19):
We celebrate today the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. In a little while here, we will recite the Nicene Creed. We profess and believe that God the Father almighty is the maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. He sent forth His only Begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for our salvation. God raised Christ up and, through his glorious Resurrection, reconciled us to Himself. God gives us His Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts so that, through faith, we may come to know and proclaim that “Jesus is Lord” and cry out “Abba, Father!”, and turn to God, not only in times of trials and tribulations in our lives, but out of love and reverence for our Father in heaven who gives us life abundantly.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies us and blesses us with spiritual gifts and fruits so that we may become imitators of Christ Jesus and follow him faithfully in our daily lives. In his humanity, Christ reveals to us the divinity of God, who is love and mercy, so that we may come to know the Father personally as His adopted sons and daughters. St. John the Evangelist wrote that Christ is the Word of God; was with God in the beginning; and, through him, life came to be - “a life that is the light of the human race” (John 1:1-5). Jesus is the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), as we heard in today's first reading, who God poured forth and brought forth before the foundation of the world. Christ was beside God as his “craftsman” and “found delight in the human race” (Proverbs 8:31).
Thus, the foundation of our Catholic FAITH, the basis of our Christian HOPE, and the source of our selfless and sacrificial LOVE for our neighbors are rooted in our belief and love in the Triune God - one God, three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the Most Holy Trinity. Moreover, the Trinity is reflected perfectly in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church - in the communal love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that purifies and sanctifies her during her pilgrimage on earth; in the universality of her prayers (of which the highest prayer is the sacrifice of the Mass - the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist) to give God glory; and in her role in carrying out God’s plan of salvation of the world in her life and her sacraments. We, who are baptized into the One Body of Christ - the Church; who are the apple of God’s eye (Psalms 17:8); and who Jesus found delight in (Proverb 8:31), are called to carry out the mission of the Church - Christ’s mission - to the ends of the earth, until the end of time.
Bishop Robert Barron said that the “minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you’re in mission territory.” However, we are not alone, the Holy Trinity is with us on our journey. This prayer from St. Francis de Sales beautifully captures how the Holy Trinity works in our lives always, never abandoning nor forsaking us, while we sojourn in this life: “Send me, Lord, wherever you please, for when I am sent by you, then I am quite sure that you will help me - in whatever situation I find myself - to fulfil what you ask. Amen.” The Holy Spirit pours out His gifts upon us, gifts which were promised by the Prophet Isaiah and fulfilled on Pentecost: the spiritual gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These gifts of the Spirit help us to see Jesus in others so that we may be Christ to others. When we see Jesus in others and be Christ to others, then those whom we serve will come to see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in us. They will come to know in their hearts and to experience in their lives the love, mercy, and forgiveness of our Father in heaven through our Christian witness.
Finally, I would like to take a moment to briefly speak to all fathers present here. In this month’s issue of the “Columbia”, the official magazine of the world’s largest fraternal organization of Catholic men, there is an article by Gerald Korson, titled “Forming Future Fathers: Your Example Plays a Major Role in Shaping What Kind of Dad Your Son Will Be”. Mr. Korson identifies five ways that you, by your example, can help your sons to become good fathers. They are (1) be a father who loves their mother; (2) be a father who prays; (3) be a responsible father; (4) be a father who is present to his family; and (5) be a father who knows he is not perfect. Our Father in heaven speaks to all fathers directly in today’s readings. In the first reading from the Book of Proverbs, the Father instructs us that “the Spirit of truth. . . will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears. . .” Therefore, we do not have to be heroes. We do not need to know everything or have all the answers. We also do not need to be everything for everyone or do everything for everyone all by ourselves. Rather, we need to be humble men of faith who pray and open our hearts to hear the Spirit of truth and allow him to fill our hearts and guide us, according to God’s plan and will, so that we may better serve our families.
Moreover, let us be men who place our hope and trust in God’s love and mercy, so that we remain steadfast in faith and be the “rock” that our families need us to be, especially in times of trials and tribulations. St. Paul reminds us of this in his letter to the Romans, today’s second reading: “. . .we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint. . .” Personally, God has blessed me with a wonderful dad who continues to be for me an example of love for his family and of humility in serving his family. Most of all, I see in my father a “quiet” strength that has sustained and carried his family through many family milestones, and problems, over the years. I am also blessed with an amazing father-in-law who loves his family, has a great sense of humor and joy for life that is contagious, and whose “quiet” faith and love for our Lord Jesus Christ have helped me grow in my own faith and relationship with our Lord and Savior.
Last, but definitely not least, God has blessed me with a very supportive spiritual father in Fr. Matt Iwuji. Fr. Matt came to St. Albert the Great when I was discerning Diaconal Formation in 2012. Throughout Formation, and even now as I start my ministry as a deacon, Fr. Matt has been a spiritual and pastoral leader for me and a tremendous mentor. I am grateful for the opportunities he has given me to grow as a servant leader in our parish. Fr. Matt has also done a lot for St. Albert the Great these 7 years he has been with us. We pray for God’s blessings upon him in his retirement from active ministry as a priest. Thank you, Fr. Matt, and God bless you always. [Please join us in the courtyard after Mass to show this holy man of God our appreciation for 45 years as a faithful servant of Christ and priest for Holy Mother Church.]
I want to end with these words from St. Josemaría Escrivá on the Holy Trinity; he reflected: “When we recite the creed, we state that we believe in God the Father Almighty, in his Son Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life. We affirm that the Church, one, holy, catholic and apostolic, is the body of Christ, enlivened by the Holy Spirit. We rejoice in the forgiveness of sins and in the hope of the resurrection. But do those words penetrate to the depths of our own heart? Or do they remain only on our lips? The divine message of victory, the joy and the peace of Pentecost, should be the unshakeable foundation for every Christian's way of thinking and acting and living.”
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