HOMILY: The
Holy Trinity, A 2014
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.
I think the most important aspect of
this feast of the Trinity is for us to answer the question: WHO IS GOD FOR ME?
There are many who question the existence of God. We call these persons atheists or agnostics.
They make fun of the very idea of God.
They regard religion as superstition.
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. On the other hand that there is a God is not
like believing in the Tooth Fairy. Most
of us get to know that something is true by reason, or by scientific evidence
or by experience. We know there is a God, however, only by our religious faith.
We believe that God had no beginning and has not end. This God cares about us individually. We
Catholics believe this God is the one who put the earth the right distance from
the sun; that God designed our complicated bodies; who planned our DNA. Obviously, no proof or reason will convince
an atheist. But that there is a God is reasonable and that our faith helps us.
Unfortunately some say that their
experience of God is one of fear, and they think of God as judge who is always
spying on us. The Gospel today tells us
that God does not judge. God sent His Son to save us, not to condemn us.
Each person has a favorite image of
God. 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 Jesus the Good Shepherd that comes to bring us to heaven. In the third century AD, Clement of
Alexandria spoke of God as Father and God as 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.
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 plays 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.. 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.
As we ponder our personal experience of God, and as we struggle to put
words to that experience, we should also ponder our response. How have we
returned God’s statement, “I love you?” Do we behave as a person who believes
that God loves us? Have we heard the urging of Paul to
mend our ways or to encourage one another in our pursuit of God? Just as lovers
strive to discover the depths of each other’s souls, do we choose to strive to
discover the depth of God and His love? The mystery of the Holy Trinity is
tough to understand, but all of the mystery that we need to grasp is that we
are loved by God.
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