Most Holy Trinity Sunday Homily
May 30, 2021
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
We always
begin our prayer invoking the Holy Trinity.
We are Baptized and become Christian by the Trinitarian formula. Indeed, the Trinity is fundamental and basic
to our Christian faith.
But, as
important as the Trinity is, it is often mis-understood. We are tempted to say that the Trinity is a
“mystery” – which it is – and then leave it at that. However, I think we can explore this mystery
further in a profitable way. Let’s see
if we can.
Mathematics is
the language of the universe (here turn over first sheet 1 + 1 + 1 = 3). From quarks and leptons and electrons and
atoms, all the way to enormous galaxies and supermassive black holes, dark
energy and anti-matter, and everything there is, mathematics describes and
defines all of reality. Pretty
amazing. Therefore, we can very
confidently say that 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.
That statement is true for all time, from the time of the dinosaurs to
the Neanderthals to the Emperors of ancient Rome and ancient China, up to our
own day, and way way beyond, this is TRUE.
And it is true over the entire universe, and even the multiverse, if you
believe in such things.
But, when we
come to the Most Holy Trinity, even mathematics breaks down. (flip to the next page). 1 + 1 + 1 = 1.
What do you
think? Frankly, this doesn’t make
sense.
Our
monotheistic brothers and sisters, the Moslems, who do not believe in the
Doctrine of the Trinity, but emphasize strongly the unity of God, say God is
one, and only one, and there is no other god.
But we
Christians, rather contradictorily, say YES, there is only ONE God, and God is
ONE, AND God is THREE.
Why do we make
this seemingly absurd declaration? Because of our experience.
We experience
God in different ways. God is the source
of all being. God is not an object, not
even a noun, but a verb, an active reality. God is a being that really is “to
be”. Holding all creation in existence
every moment. God is the creator, yet
radically different and separate from Creation. We call God “Father”, as the loving source
of existence itself.
But, we also
experience God in a specific, unique, concrete human person; who lived about 2
millennia ago, in the land now called Palestine; He taught us about His Father, and he remained
perfectly in tune with His Father’s Will, which we call “obedience”. By this “obedience” Jesus broke the power of
sin and death, and being raised up from the dead on the third day, opened for
us the future of eternal life.
And finally,
we experience God in our hearts and in our lives as closer to us than our own
breath. We open ourselves to the
sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit to console us in troubles, to fortify us
in difficulties, to lead us into a life that is holy and full of meaning, and
worth, and love.
Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, three modalities, three experiences, three Persons in One
God. All one, all equal. Three equals one. The God of mystery and love, Who became one
of us out of love and lived our history, and now sanctifies us, makes us holy,
and fills us with Love. The Lover, the
Beloved, and the Love that unites them, one Love, shared with us. One
Trinitarian God. The mystery of the Trinity
is essential to our salvation. Our hope
of salvation only makes sense in the mystery of the Trinity. So we have very good reason to celebrate this
Feast today.
May we always live “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
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