On the rectory renovation.

This past week I moved back to the rectory. The renovation was worth the wait. It really feels different. It is nice. I would like to thank the parish for the renovation of the rectory. I would like to thank Deacon Steve for helping to coordinate the project and being in contact with the contractor. I would like to thank the staff and all parishioners who helped with the project. I initially told you that the cost was going to be $53,000. Including some extra things that came up during the renovation and the new blinds, the total cost became $60,000. The parish received $11,800 from individual donations for the renovation. The total funds used from the parish funds were $48,200. I would like to thank the parishioners who made these donations and all of you for your continued generosity toward our parish. During the time of the renovation, I stayed at The Inn at Anderson Creek. An anonymous donor took care of the expenses, and I am so thankful for this great act of charity. The Lord says in the gospel, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward” (Mark 9, 41).

On the Readings.

The Church invites us to celebrate the Most Holy Trinity today. This solemnity falls each year on the Sunday after Pentecost. One way to see this feast is that, after the work of the salvation of the world was accomplished and performed by the three persons of the Holy Trinity, there should be a celebration where we honor them all. We saw the work of the Son during Holy Week and Easter, culminating with his glorious Ascension into heaven. Then we saw the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples to start the Church’s process of sanctification. Today we honor the three of them, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

To honor the Holy Trinity in the liturgy and in our daily life is important. The reason is that, as Saint Paul said it, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17, 28), and consequently all we do in the spiritual life and in our regular life has to do with the Holy Trinity. Since the knowledge of God and our communion with God in eternal life are the goals of our life, we need to learn about the Holy Trinity and be aware of the actions of each of the three persons in our life, in the Church and in the world.

Learning about the Holy Trinity is a fascinating subject. One of the best teachers on this subject is Saint Augustine. Our prayer shows the way we understand the actions of each person of the Holy Trinity. The prayers at Mass are mostly raised to the heavenly Father and some to the Son. In our personal prayer we are to invoke the action of the Holy Spirit which is called grace to help us accomplish the goals of our spiritual life.

Today’s solemnity allows us to realize how ubiquitous the Holy Trinity is in our life. Let us ask the Lord, the Beloved Son of the Father, to grant us the grace to grow in the knowledge of the Holy Trinity to love them more each day.

On the moment to stand at the presentation of the gifts.

After the bread and wine is placed on the altar and the priest washes his hands, he stands in the middle of the altar and says, “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father”. The directions from the Roman Missal state the following: “The people rise and reply: ‘May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church’”. So, the moment to stand is after the priest has concluded his invitation to pray and simultaneously as the congregation’s reply begins. You may check the Breaking Bread Hymnal on page 11 and see the directions to stand at the presentation of the gifts.