SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
(Exodus 34:4-6.8-9; II Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18)
Most preachers dread the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. They
don't know how to explain a mystery so profound that many say it doesn't make
sense. However, the doctrine of the Trinity is the basis of the Christian
faith. Somehow we have to say something that makes reasonable our belief that
God is both one and three. In the process we hope that the explanation
increases our faith.
Let's start with the second reading. Perhaps this passage
was chosen for today's mass because it refers to the Trinity. As the conclusion
of his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul blesses his readers in the name of
God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But another part of the passage
is also striking.
Paul says, "Greet one another with a holy kiss." “Kiss”
here is a sign of peace between people, but it is even more an expression of
love. For this reason people missed this symbolic act during the Covid
restrictions. In fact, in many places today people still do not share this
gesture of fraternity before Communion continues to be missed. As distance
learning is not a substitute for the classroom, and as video calls are not a
substitute for the presence of loved ones at Christmas, you cannot equate the
waving of a hand with a chaste kiss.
The kiss indicates a relationship of friendship between
people. We don't kiss foreigners but dear acquaintances. It also expresses both
the joy of seeing the other and the willingness to forgive any offense that has
been committed. We remember how the father kissed his son profusely when the prodigal
returned home. With a kiss, one breathes over the other, indicating the desire
to share one’s life with him or her. Of course, the kiss at mass can be abused
or misunderstood. However, since the first centuries of Christianity, it has
been used to express love and unity.
“God is love” – says the First Letter of John. It could not
be love if God were alone. True love always has an object other than the self.
Self-love is really a parody because it divides the person in two. It is really
solo pride or, better, selfishness. When Jesus instructs us to love others as
ourselves, he only means to attend to the needs of others as we attend to our own.
God's love has existed for all eternity. God the Father and
God the Son have always loved one another with the Holy Spirit serving as a
type of kiss between them. Because of the enormity of this love, it was desired
that it be shared with others. Thus God created the universe to be recipients
of his love. He reserved his highest affection for human beings, whom he created
in his image. They, that is we, not only receive his love but also must imitate
it.
The gospel tells us the extent of God's love for us. He says
that it is so much that he gave his only Son so that we might share in his
divine life. God gets nothing for himself in his enormous display of love. But
like any Father, he wants all his children to share what he has. If we want to
please him, let us do the same. That is, let us love not only our family and
friends, but everyone.
There is a Hebrew word for the love of God that all Bible
students learn. It appears in the list of adjectives presented in the first
reading. Hesed is faithful, generous, and undeserved love. On this
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity we can say that the Father is hesed,
that the Son is hesed, and that the Holy Spirit is also hesed.
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