Sunday, June 15, 2025

 

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

(Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15)

The Holy Trinity is a mystery. It cannot be fully understood. Yet each year we make “a raid into the inarticulate” when we celebrate its feast on the Sunday after Pentecost. Whether a joy or a burden, it seems that only on this day do we reflect on how God can be both three and one.

Since ancient times, there have been two approaches to understanding the Trinity. One is called “economic” and the other “immanent.” To speak of “the economic Trinity” implies the study of God interacting with creation. Of course, God acts with creation every moment. If He did not, creation would cease to exist. However, the interactions traditionally considered of the “economic Trinity” are creation, redemption, and the history of salvation. We scrutinize the Bible to determine the role of the three persons of the Divine Trinity in these and other matters.

The “immanent Trinity” refers to the relationships among the three persons. The Bible does not help us much here. We must turn to philosophy for clues for our investigation. 1,700 years ago, the Church accepted the idea of ​​Saint Athanasius and other Church Fathers that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have the same divine nature. This nature, which each possesses in its fullness, makes possible the paradox that the three are the same in all respects except that they differ in their relationship with one another. Instead of following this philosophical line of investigation, we will focus on the economic approach since today's Mass readings indicate the roles of the one God in our salvation.

The first reading from the Book of Proverbs personifies wisdom as God's companion in creation. In fact, wisdom speaks as if she were a person, saying that she has existed "at the first " and has been God’s "craftsman." These qualifications make us think of the Son and also the Spirit. Saint Paul even writes that Jesus Christ is "the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:24). And we know that wisdom is the first gift of the Spirit mentioned in the Book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 11:2-3). We may conclude that absolute wisdom is an intellectual virtue possessed by God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The second reading also emphasizes the roles of the Son and the Holy Spirit. It recounts that Jesus Christ (the Son) reconciled us with the Father through his death on the cross. It also relates that the Holy Spirit has renewed us in love so that even the suffering caused by our sins may merit eternal life. We know that the Holy Spirit is associated with reconciliation, as indicated when the priest says in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, “(The Father) … sent the Holy Spirit for the remission of sins…” Likewise, the Son effects love in our hearts, as Paul further attests in this same Letter to the Romans: “…neither death nor life … nor any other creature will ever be able to separate us from the love of God, manifested in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Gospel indicates how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit cooperate with each other. It shows that all three have the same knowledge by stating that the Spirit reveals the truth of the Son received from the Father.

In the end, it can be dizzying for many to reflect on the Holy Trinity. It is a mystery that admits no resolution because God is always beyond understanding. However, we can contemplate it, appreciate it, and give thanks for it.  Considering the Trinity increases our faith and nourishes our love.

Sunday, May 26, 2024

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

(Deuteronomy 4:31-34,39-40; Romans 8:14-17; Matthew 28:16-20)

Many preachers don't like to preach today. They say something like: “How can I explain the Holy Trinity to others? It's as complicated as teaching Einstein's relativity." This statement is curious because, according to theologians, God is above all simple.

When the theologians say that God is simple, they mean, in the first place, that He has no parts. As a spiritual being, God has no extensions like legs, a mouth, or a brain that mighty be described as tall, fat, dark, or any other quality. But God's simplicity goes beyond being spiritual. God was never created so that He could be called either old or young. Likewise, he has never been dependent on anything or anyone so that it might be said that He has lacked something.  Nor has He changed so that it might be said that He has improved or diminished.

Yes, we can say that God is true, loving, wise, etc., but not in the sense that God has the characteristics of truth, love, wisdom, etc., like we may have; that is, up to a certain point. Rather because God is simple, He must be truth, love, wisdom, etc., in themselves.  This means that God is the basis of truth, love, wisdom, and all other qualities, including existence. In other words, if it were not for the presence of God to it, nothing can have truth, love, wisdom, or even existence.

The First Letter of John tells us, “God is love.”  The phrase itself indicates why the One God may be likened to three persons.  To achieve love, three things are necessary. There must be a lover, a loved one, and a relationship between the two. We usually identify God the Father as the lover and God the Son as the beloved although we can say with equal validity that the Son loves the Father. Anyway, the relationship between these two is God Holy Spirit. Although God is perfectly content with this mutual love, He wanted to share it with humans. We not only exist because God loves us, but we have the Holy Spirit to love like God. We can sacrifice what is precious to us, even our lives, for the good of another.

There was a young woman who did exactly that. After graduating from college she dedicated six years as a missionary bringing the faith to other college students. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, always welcoming newcomers at assemblies and spending most of her time with those who seemed in need of a friend. At the age of thirty she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and died a year later. Two months before her death, the young woman wrote a letter to Jesus. She told him: “Jesus, not only do I want to be a saint, but I want to be a great saint who brings others to you -- of course for your greater honor and glory!”

The Church has declared this young woman a “Servant of God.” She is on her way to being recognized as a saint. For us she serves as a model and a sign. We should also love others by trying to bring them to God. Furthermore, she shows us how true love is not exclusive but, as in the Holy Trinity, solicitous of others.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

 

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.