Today, the first weekend after the end of the Easter season, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Doctrine of the Trinity was enunciated in the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in the fourth century, one of the fundamental doctrines of Catholicism and the greatest mystery of our faith, namely, that there are three divine persons sharing the same Divine nature in one God. Many of the Church Fathers wrote in defense of the Trinity, most notably Tertullian of Carthage from the 3rd century, St Athanasius of Alexandria from the 4th century, and St Augustine of Hippo from the 4th and 5th century. We took an entire course on the Trinity in seminary, a course that was called The Mystery of God.
A story has been passed down from the Council of Nicaea that states that St Spyridon from Cyprus was asked how three can simultaneously be one. He responded by taking a brick and squeezing it. The clay softened in his hands, a flame flared out of the brick and water flowed out of it. Spyridon proclaimed: “As there is fire and water in this brick in the same way there are three persons in the one Godhead.”
I love the reading from St Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians that we hear from today. This letter ends with the conclusion of that letter which you commonly hear from the priest at the beginning of mass: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” In that reading, Paul also tells us to mind our ways, to encourage one another, and to live in peace, so that the peace and love of God be with us. So, although there was a lot of discussion and development regarding God as a Trinity of persons in the Early Church, we hear from Paul a profession the Trinity, which he uses to bless the Christian community of Corinth.
Probably the most famous profession of our Christian faith is found in our Gospel reading today, from the third chapter of John. This profession comes in John’s Gospel right after Jesus’ visit from Nicodemus, a Pharisee who comes in the darkness of night to learn from him and to ask questions. We profess our faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We profess that faith in the Creed each Sunday at Mass. But, the community of persons in the Triune God is more than a doctrine we profess: it is a reality that we are called to live out each day in our life of discipleship.
The Episcopal Conference of Latin American Bishops was formed in 1955 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The fifth conference of the Latin American Bishops was held in the country of Brazil in the basilica of our Lady of Aparecida in 2007. In a document entitled DISCIPLES AND MISSIONARIES, the Bishops proclaimed the following: “The church is called to a deep and profound rethinking of its mission … confirming, renewing, and revitalizing the newness of the Gospel rooted in our history.” I love the title of this document, because the Bishops are implying that one cannot be a disciple of Christ if one is not missionary in spirit. The final version of that document was written by a committee headed by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires at the time, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who the world now knows as Pope Francis. Out of our relationship with the Triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are called to profess our faith as disciples of Christ as proclaimed in the Gospel of John today. And as disciples of Christ, in the spirit of the apostles of the Early Church and the apostles, we are called to bring the Gospel message to the world. As we reflect on the Most Holy Trinity today, let us remember that each time that we make the sign of the cross, we affirm our commitment to live in loving relationship with our Triune God and with our each other. As we receive the blessing of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, we are called and empowered to a relationship with one another and to an exchange of love with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
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