Feast of the Most Holy Trinity June 04, 2023
Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18
His disciples answered – Some say you are John the Baptist, some say you are Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets.
And Jesus said – But you, who do you say I am?
Simon Peter answered – Oh, you are the Word made flesh, you are fully human and fully divine, you are the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made and one in being with the Father.
And Jesus looked at Simon Peter with those eyes and said – Huh???
The doctrine of the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
in such a way that each of them is fully and equally God, yet there are not
three Gods but one, cannot be fully comprehended by the human mind. It is a
mystery.
Today is not a Sunday either, to understand the Trinity. It is a Sunday
to know that how our life here on earth is knit from the eternity itself.
If we expected today’s readings to give us a clear and elaborate presentation of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity, we have found out that they simply do not. The doctrine of three persons in one God, equal in divinity yet distinct in personality, is not explicitly spelt out in the Bible. In fact, the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. Early Christians arrived at the doctrine when they applied their God-given reason to the revelation which they had received in faith. Jesus spoke about the Father who sent him (the Son) and about the Holy Spirit whom he was going to send. He said that the Father had given him (the Son) all that he has and that he in turn has given to the Holy Spirit all that he has received from the Father. In this we see the unity of purpose among the three persons of the Trinity.
In other words, the early Christians believed in one God. After the resurrection of Jesus, they experienced Jesus as God. The promise of the Holy spirit and on the Pentecost they experienced Holy spirit as God. However, they maintained the oneness in the three.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Even though we remember the Trinity several times a day, it is difficult to comprehend the full meaning because the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we invoke constitute a great Mystery. The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity consists of this: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but only one God with three attributes. We have Father who is the creator, Son, the redeemer, and Holy Spirit the sanctifier and the counselor. Well, one parishioner said, “The Trinitarian God is a lot like our pastor. I don’t see him through the week, and I don’t understand him on Sunday.”
Dear Friends,
Trinity is the source, model and reference point of all human communities. It is a Source because we are created in the image and likeness of God i.e. Trinitarian God. We are social beings and by nature we are Trinitarian. In us we have Father dimension: Transcendence – capacity to go beyond, Son dimension: transparency/openness and Spirit dimension: Immanence, i.e capacity to go within oneself.
Model: We are community beings. Our communities are modelled after the Trinitarian communion. We come together on Sundays as a community to reflect the Trinitarian aspect in us.
Basic reference point for Christian communion: the entire humanity is a community. We are relational and community people and therefore as a community we refer back to Trinity to live a fitting Christian life.
After being married for 25 years and intending to make their silver anniversary a memorable one, the wife asked her husband to describe her.
He looked at her slowly, and said – You’re A,B, C,D, E,F,G,H, … and I,J,K.
The wife was puzzled and so she asked – Now what does that mean?
So he said – Adorable, Beautiful, Cute, Delightful, Elegant, Foxy, Gorgeous, Hot.
The wife smiled and beamed and said – Oh you are such a sweet darling. What about I,J,K?
He said – I’m Just Kidding!
Hope that the wife won’t ask for any more descriptions when it comes to their golden anniversary.
Well, the man was only one letter away from telling his wife what she meant to him.
From A to K, he just have to move on to L, and L would stand for “love”.
And that’s what the feast of the Holy Trinity is telling us.
Happy Feast
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