Homily: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Readings: Prv 8:22-31; Ps 8:4-9; Rom 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15

__________________________

First, to all the fathers out there, and to the grandfathers and great-grandfathers...I think I’ll stop there. Happy Father’s Day! Enjoy your special day tomorrow, and the dinner at the fine restaurant, where the waiter will no doubt hand you the check…Hey, it’s what fathers do.

But this day also has a special meaning for me. For 28 years ago I was ordained as a deacon on the Saturday before Trinity Sunday…and that’s today. During the little celebration that followed my ordination, my pastor said, “You know, deacon, since you and I minister at Holy Trinity Parish, and since it’s Holy Trinity Sunday, I think you should preach at the 9 o’clock Mass tomorrow.” I was hoping for maybe a few days to prepare my first homily, but no. I suppose my homily was okay, but I didn’t save it so I can’t reuse it today.

Tomorrow, then, is Trinity Sunday, which we now celebrate at this Vigil Mass. It’s official name? The “Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.” It’s the day we celebrate the key tenet of our Christian faith: the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And yet, interestingly, the word, “Trinity”, cannot be found anywhere in Holy Scripture. The closest we come is final verses of Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus commands the disciples:

“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.”

This is the great commission Jesus gives to the Church, and it remains in force because we have not yet come to the end of the age. Embedded in that commission we encounter the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the triune God of Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier.

You and I call on the Trinity whenever we pray. When we make the Sign of the Cross, we lift up our prayer in the name of this Blessed Trinity. And yet how many of us really understand this divine relationship, this dogma that in one God there are three divine persons? The answer, of course, is: none of us. For the Trinity is the mystery of mysteries. Over 1,500 years ago, St. Augustine asked:

“Who can understand the Trinity? …who, when they speak of it, also know of what they speak?”

And yet, we continue to speak of it, and we strive to understand at least something of this divine relationship as it has been revealed to us. But in that striving we must be careful, since our theology can  sometimes complicate the simple truths that God reveals.

As I like to remind the folks who take part in our parish Bible Study, the Word of God wasn’t written only for theologians. It was written for all of us. The Holy Spirit inspired the works of Scripture, infused them with many simple truths about God, about humanity, about salvation. And these truths that God has revealed through Scripture and Tradition can be accepted by all of us who respond in faith.

Recall that scene in chapter 16 of Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus and the apostles are gathered in Caesarea Philippi under those towering cliffs, and Jesus asks them, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Jesus then asks them, “But who do you say that I am?”

And that’s when Simon Peter, filled with the Spirit, responded with the simple truth:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

This was no theologian speaking. These were the words of the disciple, the follower of Jesus; these were the words of the apostle, the one who is sent out to evangelize the world. These are your words and my words, the words of the faithful. But they are also the words of God Himself, for as Jesus went on to say:

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”

This and other truths of our faith are packed into the Creed, that wonderful statement of our faith that we’ll proclaim together a few moments from now. Listen carefully today to the words that we proclaim, for the Creed is a statement of faith centered on the Holy Trinity.

It begins with the Father:

“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth…”

It continues with the Son:

“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages…begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father.”

And concludes with the Holy Spirit:

“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son…”

In the Creed we declare in faith what we believe about the Trinity. Yes, we believe, even if, in its mystery, full understanding is beyond us in our humanity. But just like Peter, you and I pray and hear those words, and in faith, we come to understand. Like Peter we know that Jesus is a distinct person, and we believe too what Jesus reveals about His relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It’s a relationship in which neither Father, Son, nor Holy Spirit exist in separation or act in isolation. Where Jesus is, so too is the Father. As Jesus put it to the apostle Philip…

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

And in today’s passage from John’s Gospel, Jesus spoke, too, of the Spirit:

“…the Spirit of truth…will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Yes, the Three are always One, and, sisters and brothers, that’s enough for me.

You see, if we really want to define the Trinity, we can define it with one four-letter word: Love. As St. John reminded us twice in his first Letter, “God is Love”; yes, the Trinity is Love. And John went on to reveal to us that all love begins with God, not with us. That’s right we take God’s love and share it as best we can with others. In the Trinity, then, we see the same kind of love that God demands of us.

As God revealed to Peter, He likes to keep things simple. We’re the ones who complicate everything. Jesus told us to do two things:

Love the Lord your God with your whole mind, heart, soul and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.

Then he gave us a parable, the Good Samaritan, and showed us that everyone is our neighbor, no exceptions. We must love them all. But He went on, didn’t He? And told us to love each other in a special way:

“Love one another as I have loved you.”

Jesus is always doing that, isn’t He? Telling us to do the impossible.

“Love your enemies...Love one another as I have loved you…Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

And we say, that’s impossible for us. And God replies, “You’re right, you can’t do it, not alone. That’s why I’ve given you My Spirit.”  And through this gift of the Spirit, we can carry God’s perfect love into the world.

Our personal experiences of love, the deep love between husband and wife, the love of strong, long-held friendships, the sacrificial love of a mother for her child – all of these give us a glimpse, if only a glimpse, into the love that is the Trinity.

In loving one another we experience the delight and beauty of unique and close human relationships, of being there for each other, something enriching and satisfying – indeed, mutually life-giving, self-giving!

If the very essence of the Trinity is constant, enduring love, then the mother of a newborn infant must grasp something of the doctrine of the Trinity as she lies awake in a darkened room and listens to the sound of her baby’s breathing. Yes, the love of the Trinity is a vigilant love.

If the essence of the Trinity is ever-giving love, then the care-giving spouse of an Alzheimer’s patient or the parent of a special needs child experience the fury of God to protect, to nurture, and to hold the most vulnerable close to His heart. 

It’s through the best of our humanity that we see the divinity of God within us,

About 40 or 45 years ago, I was waiting for a plane at Dulles International Airport outside Washington. (That’s when visitors could actually go to the gate to greet those flying in.)

As I waited to board my flight, an El Al flight from Tel Aviv landed and the passengers began to file into the terminal as the next gate. One young man, in his thirties and wearing a yarmulke, stepped from the jet-way and looked anxiously around the waiting room. Just then a small boy broke away from his mother, ran to the man and jumped into his arms, all the while shouting, “Abba! Abba!” The love on the man’s face was special indeed.

As I watched this little family drama, I couldn’t help but wonder, if our souls call out to the Father – “Abba! Father!” – can you imagine God’s delight?

This demonstration of love I witnessed, and all other expressions of human love, are mere shadows of God’s enduring love.

Yes, the Trinity exists in a communion of love. And as the Trinity reaches outside itself, it shares it all with us. Again, as Paul wrote to the Romans…

“…the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

The Father loves us so very much…and through this love, the Son gave up his life for our sake…a love poured into our hearts by the Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we accept within us and extend to others the same love with which God loves us.

And so today, and every day, we pray in the liturgy to our Heavenly Father:

“…through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.”