Today
is a great feast in our Christian tradition, Holy Trinity Sunday. This is a great feast because the Trinity is
the foundation and central mystery of our Christian faith. Mystery in this context does not mean a
riddle. Rather, the Trinity is a reality
that we know only through symbol, faith, and worship. God
revealed this mystery in revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
three persons in one God.
This revelation is made most clearly
perhaps at the baptism of Jesus. At the
baptism of Jesus, we first encounter the reality of the Trinity when the Father
testifies about the Son: “This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well
pleased” (Mt. 3:17). At this time, the
Holy Spirit also descends like a dove on Jesus.
The testimony of the Father about Jesus and the descent of the Holy
Spirit convinced John the Baptist that Jesus is in fact the Christ, the
Messiah. These events reveal God as a
Trinity of coequal persons who work together for our salvation. Through the baptism
of Jesus, we come to understand God as the eternal Father, who creates all
things. God is the faithful Son, who
brings eternal life. God is the loving
Spirit, who lives among us and empowers us to follow Jesus and to complete his
mission of bringing about the Kingdom.
Yet, for all this, the Trinity remains a mystery beyond our complete
comprehension.
The first reading from Proverbs
provides some insight into the nature of this mystery. In this reading, a visionary sings about
wonders of divine wisdom expressed in the universe. Indeed, the universe itself
declares that the wisdom of God is the architect of creation. This hymn from
Proverbs offers a beautiful and poetic description of the wisdom of God—his
delight in playing and having fun through the creation and his joy in being
with humanity.
The three readings for today remind
us that God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is intimately and eagerly involved in
human affairs. God is the ground of
truth and love among us. Jesus reveals this
truth in his life and teaching. What the Father reveals through the Son
continues now through the Holy Spirit.
Through the Spirit we come to know the Son and the Father. Through the Spirit we have the truth that God
wished to reveal in and through his Son.
And, through the Spirit we find the salvation that we seek.
Through his life and mission, Jesus
also reveals the truth that God is love.
And love is the principle by which God shapes our own character and
actions. The love of God has been poured
into our hearts, as St. Paul tells us. As a result, we can love because God has loved
us first. In fact, a loving heart is a
natural heart. God’s love for us inspires
and empowers us to love God and to love others as well as ourselves. But, we cannot love God, nor can we love
others without also loving and caring for creation.
This was the motivation of Pope
Francis in issuing his encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si’: On Care for
Our Common Home.” One commentator characterizes
this encyclical as an addition to the Church's social teaching (15). Francis’ emphasis on care for creation stems
from the fact that the earth is our home—indeed, our only home this side of eternity—and,
like any home, must be adequately and properly cared for. Because creation is our common home, Pope
Francis calls attention to the inevitable social purpose of private property in
all its forms that cannot be ignored (93) (Franco).
This feast of the Holy Trinity calls
us to commit ourselves to communion with others, with God, and with his
creation. This is why Paul is quick to
point out that we should mend our ways, encourage one another, agree with one
another, and live in peace. The Trinity
is the perfect example of peace and unity in diversity. For this reason, we most resemble God and
imitate his actions when we live in loving harmony with one another.
When we fall short in our relationship
with God or with others, we truly need to mend our ways. In that respect, we call upon Jesus as
redeemer. Jesus renews and restores the
covenant with God for us as Moses did for Israel. When we sign ourselves in the name of the
trinity, we commit to offering mercy as we receive mercy from God. And through the abiding spirit of Jesus alive
in this community, we may be as merciful as God is merciful.
Today our purpose is to call upon
God—Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit-Among-Us, a God who labors within us and
brings us to birth. This God beyond all names and beyond all human understanding
we call upon in the language of our hearts, the image of our desire. We
love God more than we know or can say about God. We pray that our love will be like God’s
love—creating, redeeming, and renewing. From
beginning to end, we call on God in the universal language of our faith to
renew us in his Spirit—in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
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