Homily for the Week of May 26, 2013

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Proverbs 8:22-31 Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 This year our Memorial Day weekend occurs at the same time as the Feast in honor of the Holy Trinity of our Catholic faith. Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have died. Nearly every nation in the world has a cemetery where there is a tomb that contains the remains of an unknown soldier. The most famous one in the United States is at Arlington Memorial Cemetery in Washington. Their the Tomb of the Unknowns includes the remains of soldiers from World War I and II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. On the tomb are the words: Here Rests in honored glory an American Soldier known only but to God. The words Known Only but to God are appropriate for our feast today. Today we Catholics celebrate a mystery known only but to God. It is the mystery of the Holy Trinity. How many times a day do we make the sing of the cross? We did this at the beginning of this Mass, some of you may have done this as you entered the church or you began a prayer. The sign of the cross is used at a blessing, at a wedding, at a Baptism. By so do we are invoking the blessing of one God and three persons. But we cannot explain or have a reason as to why or how it is that in one God there are three persons. It is a mystery known only but to God., Each Trinity Sunday we only scratch the surface of this great mystery of our Catholic faith. The Mystery of the Holy Trinity is known through divine revelation. That doesn’t mean that it is contrary to reason but it goes beyond what our limited human reason can comprehend. It is based on faith. In a similar sense we believe that the Tomb of the Unknowns does contain the remains of soldiers. It could theoretically be the tomb of anyone who fell in service of the nation in question, Much work goes into trying to find a certain soldier, and to verify that it is indeed one of the relevant nation's Today we come face to face with what religion calls mystery. Often events in our life are mysteries. All of us live with mysteries. A mystery is something or some event which is difficult or impossible to understand or explain. Examples are the mysteries of outer space, or the mystery hidden in a riddle, or the mysteries hidden in old abandoned houses. Sometimes we refer to persons we know by saying he or she is a mystery to me. Some particular trades or jobs or specialties contain mysteries such as the mystery of analytical geometry or psychology. The medical profession deals with the mysteries of the human body day after day. Some people spend hours watching mystery programs on TV. So it is reasonable to believe that all religions have mysteries. Religions have teachings or beliefs that go beyond human understanding. Catholics believe that God has provided us with some supernatural truths that are necessary for salvation, but some of these truths we could never know without God revealing them to us Inquiring minds want to know. We want an intellectual handle on God. Ultimately, though, God is a mystery, and the Trinity is the central mystery of our Christian faith. Faith is really the foundation of our Catholic religion. Our Catholic religion is founded on faith or believing in its truth. Many people today, especially young persons do not think much about religion because they consider that it can not be proven. They compare the search for God like the search for Bigfoot. But religion extends what can be seen through a microscope. So often we depend on inherited beliefs. Our faith in what we learned in school or on our jobs. But we need to have faith in faith. We all live by some kind of faith or trust. None of us could possibly go through life by trying to prove with certainty all that we rely on. For example can anyone prove with 100 percent certainty that someone loves them? But we all believe in love and have faith in love. We all have faith that the laws of science and the laws of mathematics will never change. So even science depends on faith. We believe that the labels on our grocery products are true, until some consumer agency makes us doubt. Today I could explore with you our Catholic faith doctrine on the Trinity. I could use St. Patrick’s explanation to the Irish people 1800 years ago that the shamrock has three petals but is one leaf. While it is very important to know about God, it is more important to know God; therefore, today is not a celebration of Catholic doctrine in a mystery but it is a celebration that we can know something fundamental about God: God knows us and loves us, and God wants us to know it. Ultimately God is Love, and we can experience this love. God has revealed himself throughout human history, and during those centuries, human beings have experienced God in a variety of ways. Historically God was experienced as ‘‘Creator.” God revealed himself in the person of Jesus. Jesus changed our word for speaking to God to emphasize the role of God in our lives: God is Father, the life giver. The Trinity is an expression of perfect love. It is a love that Jesus wants us to share. We cannot understand this love; it is simply too much to bear. But with the Holy Spirit, we can begin to approach understanding. All that the Father has belongs to Jesus precisely because Jesus is perfectly united with the Father. Jesus wants us to be part of this, so the Holy Spirit is given to show us the way. Today, on this feast of the Blessed Trinity, we are not directed to understand a mystery of our faith and religion. We are, however, invited to renew our faith in the mystery of God the Father as our creator and provider, God the Redeemer as our for giver and redeemer, and God the Holy Spirit as our sanctifier. As you make the sign of the cross today remember that you are telling yourself and anyone else who sees you that you believe that in God there are three persons: the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit known only but to God.