May 30, 2021: The Most Holy Trinity
The belief in the Trinity is so central to Christian faith that a person enters the Church through baptism and faith in the “name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The origin of our baptism formula comes from the commission that the Apostles received from Jesus before he ascended into heaven. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
In the few minutes we have during Mass, we cannot plumb the depth of the theology of the Holy Trinity. Trinitarian theological concepts like immanence, transcendence, ontological, economical, generation, and procession are best left for personal study time. It’s like looking up at the dark sky through a telescope. Wherever we point our telescope, we are only seeing a tiny sliver of the vast Universe which God created. If the Universe is unfathomably vast, how much more unfathomable is the mystery of one God in Three Persons? Yet, God desires himself to be known to us and he desires to be loved by us; He desires to be in a loving relationship with us. As we grow in knowledge about God through Sacred Scriptures, prayers, and charity to our neighbors, we grow in love for God and we realize how much we are loved by God. This growing relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is initiated by God himself. He is the one who is constantly pursuing us, for He is in love with us. This is difficult to fathom. Why would God who is so transcendent and vast be interested in tiny beings like us? Perhaps an analogy of the birth of a child will be helpful here.
As a celibate priest, I can’t fully appreciate the great desire that a newly married couple, their parents and family have for pregnancy. How did you react when you found out that your daughter, daughter-in-law, or sister-in-law was pregnant? Did you scream and jump up and down like those grandparents you see in the Youtube videos? One newly married couple decided to document on video the pregnancy and birth of their first child. The video showed family members gathered at the hospital on the day of the delivery, anxious and excited. The husband was present in the delivery room when the baby arrived. The mother caught the first glimpse of her baby; she was awe struck that such a beautiful child came forth from her. The husband could not stop crying seeing his newborn in the embrace of his wife. One by one, family members came in, and they could not hide their wonder and joy at the sight of the baby. If an earthly family was so excited and joyful about the arrival of a newborn, how about the Heavenly Family of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Can we imagine the surprise, awe, and wonder of God at the creation of each of us?
The unity and love in the Holy Trinity calls us to unity in our relationships, friendships, marriages, families, and communities. God has created each of us with unique talents and gifts so that we would live and work together to accomplish God’s mission for this world. God desires for us to recognize differences in each of us as a catalyst to build up His Kingdom, for our life here on earth is a time to share, heal, and live in communion with all God’s people.
All honor to God, the Giver of Life, To Christ, the Risen One, And to the Spirit, Bond of Love Let Glory and Praise be Sung!
https://youtu.be/l0-ifRuJg8E
