5/22/2016 – the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – John 16:12-15

      Think about some experience you had that was rather complex and multi-faceted. It may be you a trip or adventure you took, or the years you spent in high school or college, or a long time at a job.  I think about one of my missionary experiences, either in Ecuador or in Canada or in South Texas working with the children of migrant farm workers.  Those experiences were both full of joys and heartache, full of challenges and struggles, full of growth and setbacks.  It is really difficult for me to describe one those experiences in all its complexities and nuances.  I about think this on the weekend that we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity.  A lot of Catholic priests start out a homily on the Trinity by stating that the Trinity is a mystery of our faith and that it is impossible to completely comprehend the Trinity in all its complexity.  How do we even begin to talk about the Trinity?  In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church very boldly states:   “The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life” (number 234).

      Imagine being an early follower of Christ.  Some people in Ancient Israel thought Jesus was a great teacher, or a great proclaimer of God’s Kingdom, and perhaps he is even the Messiah.  But Jesus as the incarnation of the eternal God?  Or as the Second person of a Trinity of God?  What does that mean?  This would all seem illogical or beside the point.  Indeed, the word Trinity does not appear in Sacred Scripture, but there does appear the mention that there are three distinct entities – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – that are equally divine, yet comprising one God.  We hear Jesus invoking the Father in the Gospel today as he talks about sending the Holy Spirit to us to help lead us to the truth after he is gone.  The term Trinity was coined in the Early Church and this theological concept of the Trinity was fleshed out and developed. 

      The Trinity does matter to us today. We indeed participate in the life of the Trinity as disciples of Christ.  Gregory of Nyssa, an Early Church Father from the 4^th century who wrote a great deal about the Trinity, stated that “Holy Baptism imparts to us the grace of eternal life because of our faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

        So, what are some things that we can take away from our celebration of the Holy Trinity today?  First of all, the Trinity does matter, because Christianity is more than following God’s laws and commandments and attending church.  As disciples of Christ, we are in a relationship with God, so who God is really matters.  Our Creator, who is a Trinity of divine persons, invites us into an intimate relationship with him.  Second, as remember that God is the most perfect expression of love, it make sense that God is not solitary but rather an eternal community of three persons who pour out themselves in love for one another. We are called to emulate the love of the Trinity.   The spiritual and corporal works of mercy that have been hanging up on banner during our Year of Mercy highlight some of the ways we can live out the love of the Holy Trinity in our daily lives.

        Third, there is both unity and diversity in the Trinity, something we must remember when we live in the unity and diversity of our community of faith.  The Trinity is indivisible, it cannot be divided, yet at the same time it is composed of three different persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This unity in diversity of the Trinity invites all of us with our own gifts and own personalities to participate in its divine life.  The Holy Trinity gives us true and lasting life to those whose lives are touched by God.

         Finally, we can say that a lot of our Christian concepts of morality flow directly from the Trinity.  Before Christianity, the philosophies of Greece and Rome, as well as other religions of the ancient world, did not have the concept of the uniqueness and dignity of each individual person, for in the doctrine of the Trinity, we see three unique persons who possess the same exact divine nature, but who are irreplaceable in the uniqueness of their personhood.  It is then ironic but not surprising that as so many in the West abandon their belief in the Triune God, we undermine the foundations of personal dignity and many of the freedoms that we held so dear for generations.  Yes, the Trinity does indeed matter today.