Today we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity, the feast of the triune God, a fundamental truth of Christianity. We begin every liturgy, and are sent forth at the end, with the blessing of “the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Threes are a theme. In hockey, if a player gets three goals in a game it's called a hat trick, prompting hats thrown in the air. The Florida Panthers had several hat tricks this season, and they're now in the Stanley Cup championship.
The Hurricane season officially began on June 1. Forecasters predict a “near normal” season. But predictions can be wrong. Henry Ford, e.g., was told, “The horse is here to stay, the car is a fad.” Luckily Ford ignored that advice and guesstimates have 1.4 billion vehicles on the road today world-wide.
As for hurricanes I pondered three lessons in the biblical story of Noah and the Ark:
1. Plan ahead. When Noah built the Ark, it wasn’t raining.
2. The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic was made by professionals.
3. No matter how severe the storm, with God a rainbow awaits us.
The Mystery of the Triune God reminds me of a story about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson camping out on the Dartmoor. In the middle of the night, Holmes woke up, shook Watson and said: “Look at the sky, Watson. What do you see?” Watson replied, “I see stars, millions and millions of stars.” “And what does that tell you?”
Watson paused, then replied, “Astronomically, it tells me there are billions of galaxies and countless planets in them. Horologically, it tells me it’s 3 a.m. Theologically, it tells me the universe is charged with the grandeur of God.” Holmes was silent. Watson finally asked, “Holmes, what does this magnificent night tell you?” The detective simply snapped, “Watson, it tells me someone stole our tent.”
Yes, sometimes in our desire to be profound about the meaning of the Trinity, we miss the obvious. The message is simple. God is love; One God in three: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A mystery. And this God invites us into a relationship.
The Hebrew scriptures speak of God as a walking companion, as tender as a mother. A God who wants to share his wisdom with us.
In the New Testament, the images of God in the parables of the good shepherd and the prodigal son are balanced with the last judgment: when we will see who we really are in the awesome light of God.
All these splendid 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. Today’s feast highlights that relationship.
The word of God takes us back over 3,000 years to a key moment in salvation history, the Exodus, or liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt. God calls Moses back to Mount Sinai (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 prayer we hear so often at the beginning of liturgy. Paul might ask us: Do we practice god-like virtues in our daily lives?
The Gospel describes God as the “Tremendous Lover” who became one of us so that we may have eternal life. Do we steer our life toward our ultimate purpose: eternal life with God and each other?
The Trinity – one God in three distinctive modes: Father, Son, and Spirit; a God in whom none is “other”; a God who is love – invites us to reflect upon that relationship.
I think most people are aware of a relationship with God, perhaps more subconscious than conscious. We try to make sense out of life, especially in times of crisis. In moments like these, people often ask the fundamental questions of life. What on earth am I here for? Where is my life going? These are religious questions, and we cannot help but try to answer.
Through the cycle of our own human development, we are forever trying to better integrate our lives. When young, we have so many hopes and dreams. As we move through the middle years, we may want to live for something greater than ourselves, something or someone who gives meaning to our lives.
At times, we may wonder. We seem to have accomplished so little, and soon it will be over. Life seems marred by too many tragedies: illness, societal violence, threats, natural disasters.
But at other moments, experiences lift us up. The joy of friendship, a baby, a golden sunset, an accomplishment. Such experiences can take us out of ourselves and into the presence of an awesome power. We begin to experience the transcendent dimension of our lives. Yes, there must be a gracious God responsible for creating this magnificent universe and our lives: with freedom to pursue true happiness.
Christianity says that there is indeed 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. That is the mystery of the triune God, one in three: Father, Son, and Spirit.
And so let us pray on this Feast that the triune God, model of self-giving love, will empower us to reach out with compassion, forgiveness, a smile, a kind word, a helping hand. And in doing so, we will become more and more like God. Amen.
