The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
This year has been the year of tornadoes, inexplicable weather patterns, flooding and numerous weather-related death and destruction. When we see natural devastation like we have seen recently in our own city of Dayton, OH, it can be very difficult to sit before God without feeling frustrated and terribly sad. It is often very hard to reconcile the greatness of God with the utter misery and pain caused by natural disasters. “Why could God not have stopped all the destruction we have seen this year?” Sometimes it is not uncommon for people to get angry with God. In our minds, only God is more powerful than the powers of nature. It does not make sense that a compassionate, loving and good God does not positively intervene to stop utter devastation.
Today, I am not here to defend God. Neither is this homily meant to reconcile God’s omnipotence and human suffering or to justify human fate. I am merely trying to reflect on the nature of God. Indeed, on this the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, we are led to reflect on God’s nature and God’s relationship with us. As believers, and yet as people affected by the events around us, we are compelled to ask, “Who is God?” In fact, what can we sensibly say about God? That is the topic of my homily.
Based on today’s readings, let me say three things about God, about us, and about God’s relationship with us.
- God is Eternal. The first reading today is taken from the book of Wisdom. In the Christian Tradition Wisdom is associated with the Holy Spirit. Often Jesus is also referred to as the Wisdom of God. The point of the reading, though, is that Wisdom, whether we think of Wisdom as the Holy Spirit or Jesus or both, was present with God before creation. In other words, God, not matter how we think of God, is eternal. The word ‘eternal’ is a common word, but it is hard to wrap our minds around the concept. As human beings, we cannot comprehend reality without space and time. For example, this Mass has a beginning and an end. That is the only we can understand it. We cannot understand and ‘eternal’ Mass. So too with human lives, the earth and all around it. Reality as we know it, the earth, all of creation, the entire solar system and beyond has a beginning and an end. There are bound to be storms, quakes, floods, birth and death. This is who we are as mortal beings. It is part of our mortal nature. The death and devastation around us say to us that we are mortal beings who are part of a mortal universe. One day, all of creation will be no more. Only God will be forever for God is eternal.
- God is Relational. Simply God is because is eternal and we are mortal does not mean that God is separated from our mortal nature. If there is anything that that the feast of Trinity tells us is that God is relational. The relationality between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is seen in today’s gospel reading. Even as Jesus speaks about the coming of the Holy Spirit, he also says, “Everything the Father has is mine.” The picture we get is one of relational harmony and mutuality between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But the relationship between the three persons is not an inward-looking relationship. It is a relationship that bears fruit. Creation itself is the fruit of the relationship between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. All the beauty, the splendor, the intricacy, the sheer genius we see in creation is a reflection of the Trinitarian relationship. At the center of creation is the human person. This is beautifully expressed in the very last phrase of today’s first reading. Wisdom, talking about the most magnificent work of creation says, “and I found delight in the human race." The entire history of salvation as we know it is a result of God’s relationship with the humanity. God sent Jesus who gave us the Holy Spirit and we are now drawn in the relationship between the persons of the Trinity. We become part of the Trinitarian relationship and the Triune God becomes part of us. God, the Trinity is relational.
- God is Love. In spite of the natural disasters and the death and devastation around, it is not death and destruction that defines creation. It is the beauty, the sheer magnanimity, the mind-boggling intricacy and connectedness of creation that defines it. It is very similar to the Christian story. In spite of the brutal death of Jesus on the cross, it is not hatred or prejudice that defines Christianity. The Christian story is a love story. Similarly, God and creation are primarily defined by love. As today’s second reading says, “The love of God has been poured into our hearts….” In fact, even though creation is mortal, the universe and everything in it has been redeemed by the love of God. Whether, we die in a devastating storm or a natural death the bottom line is the all of creation has been redeemed by God in and through Jesus Christ. We belong to God. And because we have been redeemed by Christ and we belong to God, even though we are part of mortal creation, we will be eternal like God. And this has been accomplished by the work of the Triune God who is love.
It is in the Eucharist that we experience most intimately, the eternal, the relational, loving, and redeeming nature of God. It is also in the Eucharist that that we are saved by our eternal God from the perils of our human condition. As we make the sign of the cross today and as we receive communion, let us put our faith and trust in God.
- Satish Joseph