May 22, 2016
Most Holy Trinity
What can we say about God and the mystery of the Blessed Trinity? God is the Supreme Being who made all things. God made us to love, serve and obey him in this world and be with him in heaven. God is one. There are three persons in God. (My recollection from the Baltimore Catechism) It may appear that we can say many things about God but we must be reticent or restrained. Human words are inadequate to explain the mystery of God. Only if God reveals the hidden divine mystery can we have any sense of God’s inner being. Our readings today are appropriate for the feast. The Book of Proverbs speaks of Lady Wisdom (in the Bible heavenly wisdom is thought of as a woman) who is with God at creation. St. Paul writes to the Church at Rome with a salutation to Jesus Christ, to God and to the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel according to St. John, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit and bring the disciples to greater understanding. But today I want to call attention to our responsorial psalm (Psalm 8) where the Jewish poet poses a question to God. “When I behold the heavens, the work of your hands, the stars and moon set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him? What is the son of man that you should care for him?†The psalmist believes God Creator has entered into covenant with the Jewish people and made them stewards of creation. Jesus says something similar in the Gospel according to St. John: “God so loved the world that he gave us his only son that whoever believes in him may not perish but comes to eternal life.†Eternal life is entering into life of the Blessed Trinity. God is one. We share this belief with Jews and Muslims. But we also believe that God is Father, Son & Holy Spirit. There is always oneness/unity and community in God. St. Augustine reminds us that Jesus as the Word or Wisdom of God and the Holy Spirit are with the Father at creation. The Father and Spirit are with the incarnate Son during his earthly existence. The Father and Son are always with the Holy Spirit indwelling in the Church. Perhaps the key to understanding the Trinity is not be found in our minds but in our hearts. “God is love and those who abide in love abide in God.†We experience at times and imperfectly that our love can create, our love can redeem and our love can sanctify – all attributes of God. On the feast of the Blessed Trinity there is no need for a long homily. Before the mystery of God the best response is wonder and silence!
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Pentecost
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Corpus Christi
