The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
(Deuteronomy 4:31-34.39-40; Romans 8:14-17; Matthew 28:16-20)
In the first centuries of Christianity
there was much discussion about the nature of Jesus Christ. A priest named
Arius did not think that Christ could be equal with God the Father. He
rationalized that God has an infinite nature that could not fit into a human
subject. He said it would be like trying to put a mountain into a box. The
great bishop and theologian St. Athanasius refuted Arius's claim. He said that
God is not like other subjects but an incomprehensible mystery. So, he
concluded, we cannot deny what the Scriptures point to. God humbled himself to
become human. On this feast of the Holy Trinity it will be instructive to
examine the Scriptures to learn other aspects of God.
In the first reading Moses describes God as
powerful. He delivered his people from a fierce and mighty nation. He tested
them by denying them water in the desert.
And He worked miracles on their behalf like parting the sea in two. Of
course, we believe that God created everything that exists out of nothing.
Certainly, both the Son and the Holy Spirit can be credited with creation as
well. But we especially imagine God the Father as the Creator.
The second reading tells of the Holy
Spirit. Yes, God is holy. In him there is no blemish from sin at all. Rather his
holiness transcends all things in the universe because of his infinite love,
justice, and wisdom. The reading emphasizes that the Spirit makes us holy as
well. As God's people, the Church stands out against a world known for greed,
lust, and violence. Unfortunately, not all of us live holiness. However, the
Church has many saintly people who serve as models for us. There are volunteers
giving private lessons to poor children. There are the "prayer
warriors" praying in Eucharistic adoration that beginning human life be
respected. And there are parents who work two jobs to send their children to
Catholic schools. Even if we do not do any of these things, we are better
people for knowing these persons and imitating them as much as possible.
The gospel today highlights Jesus promising
his disciples that he will stay with them "until the end of the
world." It should be said as well that God is faithful. He does not stop
helping his people even if they forget about him. Yet some think of God as someone
like us. They see his love as fickle as, in many cases, is our love. It was
recently reported that a couple well known for philanthropy is ending their
marriage. Not surprisingly, there have been reports of infidelity surrounding
the case. God's love is never present one day and absent the next. Rather, it
is stabler and deeper than the water in the oceans.
When we turn to the Father or to the Son or to the Holy Spirit, we are really praying to all three. They are indivisible. However, we do not want to ignore the distinctions between the persons. We can meet this objective by doing an examination of conscience every night in this way. We pray, "Thank you, Father," remembering a blessing that we experienced during the day. Then we say, "Pardon me, Lord," to the Son who died for our sins. At the same time we mention a way in which we failed to imitate Christ. We conclude by saying, “Please, Spirit, help me” with a challenge that we anticipate tomorrow. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit form one God. How this is worked out is beyond our ability to comprehend. Nevertheless, He is always present to hear our prayers.
