The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
We have often heard about St. Patrick and his use of the shamrock to explain the Trinity. I recently came across a more modern explanation that I had not heard before. C.S. Lewis used the analogy of a three dimensional picture to explain the Trinity. If we draw a line on a piece of paper it becomes a one-dimensional image. You can make that line a square if you add length and breadth to it. Now, it is a two dimensional square but the same image. Make the square into a cube, by adding two more lines in such a way that now there is depth in the picture, which is the third dimension. So now there is one image but three dimensions. Trinity, according to C.S. Lewis is like that - three persons yet one God.
For me, though, here is the more serious question – Does it really matter that God is Trinity? What difference would it make it God was not “three persons one God?” In our ordinary life, what is the practical implication of knowing that God is Trinity? Basing myself on today’s Scripture let me discuss this question in three points.
a) Understanding God as Trinity is to understand ourselves as relational. If we believe that we are created by God in God’s own image and likeness, then to know who we really are we must have some knowledge of the God who created us. Today’s first reading from the book of Wisdom is a feeble attempt at describing God. Wisdom tells us about God that God is eternal, creative and source of life. The New Testament also reveals to us that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and that they work in harmony, in love and in self-giving for the creation and redemption of the world. What does that say about us? That we are relational beings; that our relationships are meant to be creative rather than destructive; that our actions need to be life affirming; that our actions need to be salvific and redeeming actions; that we are meant for harmony and unity; that love is our guiding principle. Often enough, as human beings we stray from our calling. But the Trinity can always bring us back to our original nature and purpose.
b) The Trinity tells us that God is community. God is revealed in the Scripture as a community. If human beings are made in God’s image and likeness then it is in our very nature to build community. It is contrary to human nature to act against the good of the world and the people that live in it. Let us take example of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Apart from the damage to the people and the environment, the most frustrating part of this tragedy is the blame game. Uppermost in mind of every party involved is to throw the blame on the other in order to evade liability. Rather, could the government and the BP, Halliburton and Transocean all come together as human beings committed to the human community to solve the crisis? Selfishness, self-centeredness, self service is contrary to God in whose image we are all created. Every marriage that breaks due to selfishness, every family that splits because of the selfish need of another, every war that serves self-interest, every crime committed is an act contrary to human nature. Belief in God as Trinity is a commitment to community and the common good.
c) The Trinity is the epitome of love. The second reading tells us about the “love of God that has been poured into our hearts...” God’s love is expressed in the cross of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Trinity by nature is love. If God as Trinity is love and you and I are fruits of God’s love, then, love must define our thinking, our words and our actions. Here is a guiding principle for our lives: My thoughts, my words, my actions – may they be the most loving thing. The cross of Christ was not the easiest thing – but it was the most loving thing. Spending time in prayer is not the easiest thing but it is the most loving thing. Disciplining children is not the easiest thing but it the most loving thing. Sharing my wealth is not the easiest thing but it is the most loving thing. Overcoming resentment and forgiving is not the easiest thing but it is the most loving thing.
Everything that I have said about the Trinity is celebrated in this Eucharist. The Father sends the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine and transforms them into the body and blood of Christ. It cannot get more Trinitarian than that. Let us pray that as we receive Christ in communion we may grow deeper in our communion with God and with one another. Amen.