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| Andrei Rublev's Icon of the Trinity |
Scriptures speak of God as a walking companion, as tender as a mother, a God who wants to share his wisdom, a good shepherd, all balanced with the last judgment: when we see God face to face. All these images cannot capture fully the inexhaustible reality of God.
And no human relationship can completely satisfy us. We were born to live in relationship with God – the triune God – and today’s feast highlights that relationship.
Sunday's word of God takes us back to a key moment in salvation history, the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt. God calls Moses to Mount Sinai a second time (after the Hebrews had broken their covenant) and reveals He is a merciful, compassionate and faithful God. Moses then begs God to dwell with his people. And God does!
Paul in his farewell letter appeals to the Christian community in Corinth to live a godlike life and then blesses them with that introductory prayer we hear so often at the beginning of liturgy.
The Gospel according to John describes God as the Tremendous Lover who became one of us so that we may have eternal life.
The Holy Trinity – one God yet distinctive in modalities or persons of Father, Son, and Spirit; a God in whom none is “other”; a God who is love – invites us to build on that relationship with God and one another.
Most people are aware of a relationship with God, perhaps more subconscious than conscious. We are forever trying to make better sense out of life, especially in times of crisis. In moments like these, people often ask the fundamental questions of life: What am I here for? Where is my life going? These are religious questions, questions we cannot help but try to answer.
As we go through the cycle of our own human development, we are forever trying to better integrate our lives. We may want to live for something of ultimate meaning. At times, we seem to have accomplished so little. Life seems marred by too many tragedies. Recent news has looked like a “perfect storm.” Pandemic masks, and restrictions at churches. The tragic death of George Floyd. Fiery protests. And hurricane season is here.
But at other moments, experiences lift us up. The joy of friendship, a golden sunset, a good accomplishment. We begin to experience the transcendent dimension of our life. Yes, there must be a gracious God who is responsible for this magnificent universe and for creating our very lives: with the freedom to pursue true happiness.
A gracious God whose presence among us can heal the brokenness of human life. This God became flesh in Jesus and is alive among us by the power of the Spirit. This triune God, the model of self-giving love, empowers us to reach out to one another with compassion, forgiveness, a helping hand. And in that, we become like the triune God.
