Homily for May 18, 2008

The Holy Trinity, A
Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9
Deuteronomy 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
John 3:16-18

Our daily lives are filled with mysteries or puzzles. The color of grass, an electric current, our genetic code, gravity, the workings of a computer-- all are mysteries to those of us who have little knowledge of the world of science. There are mysteries all around us. If we find mysteries in our day to day living, then it should not surprise us that there are mysteries in the SUPER-natural order. Also, very often we accept a truth on faith rather than on reason or experience. For instance we believe that Antarctica exists, even though we may have never been there; we believe that George Washington lived though none of us ever met him. We believe these things on the authority of human beings.

Today we focus on a supernatural mystery of the highest order -- the mystery of the Blessed Trinity -- that in God there are three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but there are not three gods, but ONE God. We know this because Jesus told us that it is true. And so we believe it because of Jesus. That there is a Holy Trinity, that there are three persons in one God, is a truth of Christians which was first written about in St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, our second reading for today. But we could never discover the truth of the Trinity by reason alone.

We believe it because God alone made it known to us. It is also for us to accept the fact that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons, not different ways for us to know how God works. Yet we understand their roles in three different ways: We think of the Father as Creator; of the Son as Savior, and of the Holy Spirit as sanctifier or the one who helps us to become holy. Yes, this can be confusing.

Each of us should ask the question: WHO IS GOD FOR US? And we should make every effort to answer that question for ourselves. God for us should be a God with which we have made a personal relationship. This God cares about us individually.

Other religions like Judaism and Islam also believe in one God. This set them apart from other peoples like the Romans and Greeks who believed in many gods and goddesses. Today we often hear about the new atheists. These are a collection of writers who have come together recently to make fun of the very idea of God. They regard religion as superstition. They regard evolution as providing the best account of who we are, where we have come from and where we might go. They often describe religion as a virus. We, however, maintain that believing in a personal God is the basis for living as a good person. We believe that the purpose of human life is not the survival of the fittest, but the ability to understand and to love.

Trinity Sunday is more than a celebration of a matter of faith. It is a day that challenges us to consider God, who God is, and what part God play in our life. It is a day that challenges us to ask ourselves: am I a follower of Jesus Christ or merely an admirer. It is a day that leads us to ponder whether saying I BELIEVE IN GOD really makes any difference in how I live.
Our second reading is part of a letter which St. Paul wrote to those who lived in Corinth. Corinth was located on a narrow piece of land between the Aegean and Adriatic Seas in Greece. This location made Corinth a seaport with a population of about 700,000. It was famous for the temple of Aphrodite who was the goddess of love. It was also a city known for every kind of corruption and sin that you can imagine. Often those who lived rather loose lives were said TO BEHAVE LIKE A CORINTHIAN. Paul came twice to preach the message of Jesus to these persons. Paul kept telling the people that they must mold their behavior around their faith in Jesus Christ.

This feast of the Trinity is a celebration of God's love for each person. The first reading tells of the steadfast love and tenderness God has for the people of Israel. In the gospel, God as Father extends this covenant to all people who believe. The image which shows this love in its fullness is Jesus washing his disciples' feet at the Last Supper. Flesh touches flesh, a gesture which prefigures the emptying of Jesus in love for others, as he accepts death on the cross.

Faith overcomes doubt and is the gift which enables us to persevere, even in times of difficulty. The Trinity reveals a God who exists in relationships of love. God the Spirit helps us to love others more deeply. When the faces of others call out, whether at home or from the television, each one asks, "Where are you?" Our connection with other people calls for a deepening of solidarity, an increase in support, care, and love. In the midst of the horror of war, there were moments of tenderness where the wounded were cared for, the dying comforted, humor enjoyed and friendship shown. Love of neighbor and love of God united in these ordinary acts of love.

Each person has a favorite image of God. Different images help people to understand God at different times. In the past, it was often the statue of the Sacred Heart, which consoled people and reminded them of God's love and compassion. Often at a funeral, the image is that of Christ the Good Shepherd. Christian faith is a journey on which we are often called to let go of inadequate images of God and discover new ones. Clement of Alexandria, who lived in the third century AD, spoke of God as Father and Mother--Father as Creator and Mother as Compassion. For him, and maybe for some of you, feminine images of God help you understand the depth of God's love for humanity.

The mystery of God and of the human person are bound together, since each woman and man is created in the "image and likeness of God." If it is difficult to understand God, it is equally difficult to understand another person. If a human being is such a mystery, then to grow in accepting others is a great task. Do I cling to stereotyped images of others, which block me from seeing their goodness? Does my self-image prevent God deepening my faith? How might the face of another person be calling me to love?

We can never express or explain the mystery of the Trinity to ourselves or to others. Review your prayer life. It is important, however, that in prayer, you may at one time pray to the God as father, or to Jesus as brother, or to the Holy Spirit. They are not jealous. Whether you pray to one or another, they all listen, and all give you an answer in their special way.
The sign of the cross is the special prayer of the Trinity.