Homily for Trinity Sunday May 27, 2018
Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity. This doctrine matters. It should change you. This doctrine should be a radical and defining part of your life. Maybe that seems a bit counter-intuitive to you. The Trinity seems kind of obscure and hard to grasp, right? It is the teaching that there is one God who is Three Persons. It’s a mystery, we are told. It’s said to be a profound revelation of the inner life of God himself. And yet, it sounds kind of lofty and arcane… like something that’s above the heads of most people.
Actually, look up. There on our ceiling we have a classic diagram used to describe the Trinity. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. But, the Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Yet, there’s still only one God and all Three Persons are that one God. Kind of weird, right? Perhaps it sounds a bit circular or just plain contradictory.
And if you think you understand it, you’ve probably got it wrong. It’s not really something you can “figure out” and comprehend in a rational way. And, yet it is something true and something that can make a huge difference in your life. So, in honor of the Three Persons of the Trinity, let’s focus on three lessons we can learn from this reality.
First, this is a revelation, not an explanation. Being Catholic doesn’t actually make sense if you only rely on your own thoughts and reasoning. Catholicism is first and foremost a faith. It is the claim that God revealed something to us that we could not have known without him. Faith is the supernatural ability to see a truth that is beyond our reason. It doesn’t contradict reason, but it does transcend it and reach into places our minds could not go on their own. The case in point is this first lesson of the Trinity.
The revelation of the Trinity is a mystery, not a clever idea. There are a lot of analogies to try to explain the Trinity: Three states of water: liquid, solid, and gas or the famous three leaf clover… or the family: Man, Woman, and Child. The Psalm today hints at one such analogy. It talks about the Lord creating everything. He creates through his word, and through his breath. The Lord, The Word, The Breath – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – all created everything together. There is something distinct about them, but they are all one Lord, one God.
Still, none of these analogies are perfect. As a mystery, the Trinity has to simply be believed and encountered. In fact, it is the central mystery of our faith, the most important truth, the biggest secret, the most profound teaching that we have. But it is a revelation and it requires an act of faith.
And the second lesson flows from the first. The second lesson is that this truth, this faith, only works if you are in relationship. Notice what the Gospel says when Jesus shows up on the mountain: “When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” They are looking at a man who was dead a few days earlier but is now standing in front of them. They have enough faith to go to the mountain and even to worship Jesus, but there are doubts. Does this stop Jesus? Does he say, “hold up, I need you guys to never have doubts or we can’t do this.” No. In fact, he actually kind of just piles on a little more.
While they are still grappling with the resurrection, Jesus dumps a whole mission on them: teach all nations, baptize… oh and by the way, I’m going to just suddenly give you an explicit description of the Trinity for the first time ever. This command to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the first time the Trinity is named outright. Jesus names three persons, but he specifically uses the singular word “name.” One name, three persons… One God, Three persons. Boom, mind-blowing truth just there…
It took centuries for the Church to figure out ways to best describe the Trinity, and it’s still not perfect. But that’s just it. Jesus doesn’t give them a formula, he gives them a promise. This revelation only makes sense in relationship, so Jesus says, “I am with you always, to the close of the age.” The Trinity is an eternal relationship of Three Divine Persons in One God. So, believing in the Trinity, encountering that mystery is a lot like getting to know a person; It is something that happens over time and with repeated interactions. Sure, you can describe your best friend to another person, but your deepest “knowledge” of your best friend is something beyond words. They are not a set of ideas, but someone you never stop getting to know. That’s because every person is a mystery. That’s because every person is created in the image of the Trinity. So, if you have doubts, the answer is not just research, but to also relate to God. To speak and walk with Him.
Which brings us to the Third Lesson: Love. God the Father loves the Son with everything that He is. The Son loves Him back with everything that He is. The Holy Spirit is the Love that they share. St. John tells us that God is Love. God is a Trinity. Therefore, the Trinity is Love. So, believing in the Trinity takes Faith. That Faith requires a relationship to work, and the only way to relate to Love itself is to, well, Love. And we learn how to love best from what I’ve just said about the Trinity… to give one’s whole self. God, as a Trinity, was perfectly happy without us. He doesn’t need us. But he wants us. He wants us to exist for the sole purpose of receiving the gift of His love.
So, let God give you what he wants to give you. The teachings of the Church and Scripture. The graces of the sacraments. The community of Faith that is the Church. Then, love Him back. Give yourself to Him. Pray like you’re talking to God; Do it every single day. Be kind and generous to the people made it God’s image, which is everyone. Most of all, come to Mass. Place your heart and mind, your hopes and worries, your joys and pains on this altar. Offer your whole self to God as I offer this Mass with you and for you.
Ultimately, this is as close as we can get to the Trinity on this side of heaven. God has revealed himself to us through faith. That faith demands a relationship. And that relationship reaches its fullest expression in the mutual exchange of Love that is the sacrifice of the Mass. When you can see that, you will realize the Trinity is not just some obscure doctrine… it is everything. And blessed are we who have been chosen to know the Trinity, to walk with the Trinity, to be loved by and to love the Trinity who is Love.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.