I’m writing this on a day where I have too much going on. Or so I think. On a weekend where I feel that I barely have enough minutes where I can sit down and write. At my work, we are implementing a new software system this weekend. If you’re in the IT world, you know how smoothly these things can go sometimes. Yes, there is sarcasm there. So I was working late last night, keeping up on emails today, and then I’ll have to pull another late night tomorrow night as we switch things over. That, coupled with my son’s first ever track meet thrown into the mix that took up our entire morning. We’re going to a party this evening, and of course we have Sunday Mass, housework that always needs done, and then a meeting on a new marriage ministry at our parish. And then, late, late Sunday night, it’s back to work to finish that system installation. On the surface, it’s so easy to get lost in the details, the busyness of a weekend like this. It’s easy to get stressed out, impatient, full of anxiety, wishing I had more time to relax and more opportunity for leisure. It’s so easy to focus on all I have to do and lose sight of where my focus should be at all times and where I need to stay centered. And it’s so easy to not see the forest for all the trees, and fail to see the bigger picture.
The readings on this Holy Trinity Sunday define and portray in one setting God’s bigger picture. Today we celebrate the fact that we have the Holy Trinity and that God’s plan, His masterpiece, has been painted. We can take a step back, and read about how Moses tells the people how great and magnificent God is, he summarizes all that God has done for them and how great His works are, and how there is no person or no other god greater. He is the One.
In the Gospel today, Matthew writes of the resurrected Jesus, leading His disciples up the mountain, and how they worshiped Him, but they still doubted. They all knew the stories of old about Moses and of God’s great works. They were right there, looking at the resurrected Son of God in the face, but yet they still doubted. It is only in the next sentence in the Gospel reading where the bigger picture begins to unfold, where Jesus tells them,
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Up until this point, they are probably thinking about all the stuff they have to do. They are thinking about what they are to do next, some may have families to support, they have to earn a living, and all this other stuff going on. There is so much confusion following Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, and people pursuing them, looking for them too. It was so easy for them to caught up in all the stress, anxiety, and commotion of those day-to-day problems, not to mention the awe and emotions they were dealing with in seeing Jesus again. It makes it so easy not to see the bigger picture. But then Jesus gives them those instructions that change the world, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.
Paul adds to that in his letter to the Romans where it brings it all together,
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
We are adopted as children of God through the Holy Spirit. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – through the Holy Spirit. We can now cry out to God as His true children, asking for His help, His guidance, and His forgiveness. And we can rely on Christ to help us down this road of life, to help us come into communion with the Father, and help us to carry our own crosses we need to bear along the way. All these things that happened throughout history, that grand events that Moses recounts, the purpose of Jesus coming to earth to suffer and die, and then rise from the dead – all of this was leading up to this moment, where the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and gave them the drive, the knowledge, and the love to see their blessings, understand what Christ taught them, to teach it to others and pass it on. They were now seeing the bigger picture – the Holy Trinity.
In looking at the crazy weekend I am having, and thinking about all the things I have to do and get done, and even wondering how I was going to find the time to write this reflection, I slowed down, took a step back and looked at the bigger picture. First, despite the late night and all the distractions, I maintained my early morning prayer routine. And then God helped out a little. The track meet did not last as long as I was expecting. Then we just had a nice thunderstorm go through, making it easy to stay inside and not feel I had to be outside getting stuff done. The sound of the rain on the roof was very relaxing to me, and my emails have stopped coming in on the system installation/testing at work. Suddenly, I had my time to write.
And then I read through the readings one more time, and the phrase “The Bigger Picture” popped into my head, which allowed me to step outside myself and look at the bigger picture of the weekend, and all my blessings hidden within all the things going on. I was fortunate to have a job I like, and this system upgrade will mean a better experience for the many people who use it. After hours are the only times we can do these types of things, and this is a way to serve others. Any issues that come up we will get resolved throughout next week, so there is no need to worry about it. Everything will work out in the end.
We had a beautiful Saturday morning for the track meet, and my son did so awesome for his first time, and the morning was just perfect! We had a nice lunch with my mom and dad, sister and brother in law, and now we are having some leisure time around the house. We will have a wonderful time at the party tonight, and start out Sunday with a beautiful Mass. We’ll have family time, and then a great meeting on our new marriage ministry/family program at our parish, through which we will touch so many families.
And I got to sit down and do what I love to do most – write. I got to write about our Lord’s message today, pray and reflect about the Holy Trinity, and share a reflection with all of you around this beautiful world, even with all its flaws, and do my best to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations”. This is the Bigger Picture. Amongst all the distraction and craziness of life, we must always be looking at the bigger picture, and where it all fits in line. And it all falls in line behind the Trinity. The all consuming Holy Trinity of God, guiding our lives through all the things that arise – work issues, track meets, family events, meetings, and so on. All of this forms our community – and allows us to be that Disciple of Christ. Let’s go forth and follow God’s will, serving Him in all we do.
God Bless.
