In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Okay, now, be honest. When you just made the sign of the cross, was that an instinctive reaction, or were you really thinking of what you were doing?
Too often, I think, we get into habits where we do things without thinking about them. When we come into church, the first thing we do is to dip our fingers into the holy water and cross ourselves. Do we really understand what that means and what is signifies? Or is this something that we just do? It’s a reminder of when we were baptized “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” received the Holy Spirit and became members of the Church.
When we say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” this is prayer itself. Did you know that? When we say “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” we are calling out to God – not just to the Father in his glory and power, not just to the Son in his humanity, and not just to ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen and encourage us. We are calling out to the Triune God in His fullness.
Every single Mass begins with the priest saying the words “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” and every Mass concludes with a blessing in the same way. This is how we begin all prayer, by invoking or calling upon God in a special way, in a way that we will never completely understand; but when we make the sign of the cross and call upon God “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” we are making a gesture that is one of the most basic and sacred signs of our faith.
This gesture or sign tells us and others who we are. In a special way, the sign of the cross defines us as Christians, and more specifically, as Catholics. But even more importantly, the sign of the cross and these words, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” reveal to us who God is.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, our belief in the three persons in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a God who reveals himself to us, in unique and special ways. It’s hard to overestimate the importance of the Trinity to us as Christians. But the Trinity not a math problem; it’s a mystery that transcends human reason. It’s a mystery because we cannot fully explain or understand it.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of the faith” (CCC 234). It’s the central mystery of our faith because it is the mystery not of what God does in salvation history, but of who God is, in himself for all eternity. But the Trinity is not just a doctrine of the Church; it’s our belief in the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who continually create, save, and sustain us and all of creation.
I heard it explained this way in a Bible Study a number of years ago: “God is all knowing. He knows everything perfectly. He knows Himself perfectly. And God’s knowledge of himself is so real, it embodies Himself. It is Himself. And that’s the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity: God the Son. But God isn’t just all knowing. He’s also all loving. And so the Father looks upon the Son with Love, and he pours himself out in Love to the Son. And the Son in return gives himself all that he is back to the Father. And that very pouring out in love between the Father and the Son is so real, it is embodied by a Third Person: The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the bond of Divine Love between the Father and the Son.” Isn’t that beautiful?
The readings for this Sunday don’t explain the Trinity, or tell us anything about the physical makeup of God. They don’t tell us the “how” of the Trinity; that’s not what is really important. What is important are the many ways God reveals himself to us and makes himself present to us. These readings today give us images of God that help us to understand who God is. They help us see that God is active in so many different ways in the world, and in all aspects our lives.
In the first reading from Proverbs, we see Wisdom portrayed in the figure of a feminine person, who was present at the beginning with God at the creation of all things. Not only was Wisdom with God to witness His creation, but she also participated in His creation, and shared in His plan from the beginning. Since Wisdom is part of How God shows His glory, she has a share in His divine nature.
Our Gospel reading, from John, is probably one of the best examples of the work of the Trinity in the New Testament. The focus is on the Holy Spirit, but John makes the unity of God very clear. This passage speaks of the role of the Holy Spirit who would reveal the truth to the disciples. The Spirit reveals these things because the Spirit is obedient to the Father, even as the Son is obedient to the Father when he died on the cross. John tells us in this passage that Jesus is the complete revelation of the Father, and that the Spirit will carry this revelation to future generations.
In other words, God reveals himself completely in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But our understanding and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah needs the presence of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God who continues to fill our hearts with love and peace.
Jesus tells the disciples, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, this one will guide you along the way of all truth.” This reminds me of when I was very young and needed an explanation from Mom or Dad on why I should or shouldn’t do something. The answer I almost always got was, “Because I said so.” They knew that whatever explanation they gave me would probably be too confusing to me, or I just wouldn’t accept it, so they told me only what I could understand. And when my Dad said, “Because I said so,” I understood what he meant. Even when I was a teenager and young adult, some of what my parents taught me was still confusing. It wasn’t until much later that I could understand just what they were teaching me. That’s one of the roles of the Holy Spirit, to teach us what we couldn’t understand before.
I’m going to ask all of you to do me a favor. When we renew our Profession of Faith in the Creed in just a few minutes, listen closely to the words we say. Try to hear this Profession of Faith as if you’ve never heard it or read it before, and see how there is a definite relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Remember, the Creed doesn’t offer any proof of the Trinity; it expresses our faith and belief in the one true God.
The Trinity is a relationship based on cooperation and mutual respect. The Son willingly obeys the Father out of love, and never feels that this takes away his dignity. The Father only wants what is good for the Son and for us. The Spirit is that love which unites the Father and the Son and us.
The Trinity tells us about the inner life of God – the intimate love and communion that constantly flows between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s the same love and communion He wants with each one of us, and that He wants us to have with one another. God is not isolated or uninvolved with us. His very existence is all about relationships. God wants a relationship—an intimate relationship—with each one of us.
These readings today tell us something of how God reveals himself to us, but they also show us that God shares himself with us. If we believe that we were created in the image and likeness of God, then it only makes sense that we are meant to share ourselves and our lives with one another. God creates out of a generous act of love. He doesn’t need to create. He isn’t made any better or bigger by the existence of anything else. He’s perfectly happy within himself. But we are created in his image and likeness because He wants to share who he is with us, and he wants us to do the same.
God gives us an invitation to a journey of a shared life with Him; a relationship with Him. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “The ultimate end of the whole divine economy is the entry of God’s creatures into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity” (CCC 260).
We are challenged on this Trinity Sunday to follow the example of the Most Holy Trinity. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together in communion with one another, with none overpowering or consuming any other, we should base our relationships with each other the same way.
There is no jealousy in the Trinity – only mutual respect and profound love. Just think how much better and healthier our families, parishes, and all of society would be if we could all share this same love and respect with each other and for all of God’s children.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.