REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

Trinity Sunday (19 June 2011)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

The Trinity has a missionary heart...

There were three racehorses sat down drinking iced tea after a hard days racing. One of them was telling the others how he had won 5 races. The second said he had actually won 7 races recently. The third mentioned how he had actually won 9. A greyhound sitting in the corner, sipping his orange juice intervened. “That is nothing. I have won the last 25 races.” “Wow!” said one of the horses, fancy that, a talking dog.”

Sometimes when we discuss about the Holy Trinity you can get lost in the details of how can three persons be in one God and forget to be in awe and wonder at the very mystery of the Trinity! It is not a mystery to be totally grasped and understood intellectually. Remember St Augustine trying to understand the mystery of the Trinity as he walking along the beach. He saw a boy trying to put the ocean into a little hole. Augustine realised that this was futile but the boy reminded him that it would be easier to put all the oceans of the world into the little hole in the sand than to uncover the mystery of the Trinity. The mystery of the Trinity is something much more to be tasted than to be understood, to be experienced than to grasp, to enjoy rather than to solve. Fr Jaime Bonet, the founder of the Verbum Dei community wrote that it would be useless to know the doctrine of the Trinity if we do not taste and experience the goodness of their presence. Some theologians have even questioned if the existence or not of the Trinity would make much difference in the life of everyday believers.

What can be our approach to the Trinity? One way is attempting to find a symbol to explain it. St Patrick used the shamrock, the three leafed clover, with 3 leaves of the one flower. Others, perhaps more mathematically minded, use the figure of the triangle – three sides, equal in length, making up the one shape. All these figures, although helpful, have limitations. Another approach is to look at the three persons – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The relationship between them can be understood in the light of love. God is love and the Father can be seen as the lover, Jesus the beloved and the Holy Spirit as the love between them.

One way to grow in our intimacy with the Trinity is through prayer, through an intimate dialogue with them. We had a prayer meeting the other night and one missionary was presenting to us each person of the Trinity. Referring to God the Father, we were given psalm 139 which speaks of our creation...”In your mother’s womb I formed you, I knit your bones together in secret, fearfully and wonderfully I made you.” This really caught my attention, to find God the Father reminding us though his Word that he made us, and that he made us well. Sometimes we don’t believe in ourselves too much but the Word of God tells us that we have been “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Wow! Next time you are asked how are you, we can respond “fearfully and wonderfully made”!

In fact in all of the created world it is easy to see signs and analogies of the Trinitarian presence. I attended a workshop on psychology for religious life. The speaker, a Jesuit priest and psychologist, was explaining some latest developments in the field of the neurosciences. He made an interesting reference to the development of the brain structure. As we know one part of our brain is very old, evolutionary speaking, and is sometimes termed the reptilian brain. This part controls breathing, heart rate and many other vital functions. The second part of our brain is the limbic system which is vital in our emotions. The latest part of the brain to develop is the neo-cortex which allows us to think, plan, rationalize and engage is spiritual activities. Thus the brain has three parts and the ideal is that they all work together in unity and harmony! That I am governed not just by my reptilian brain (or by the part of me that is still a caveman!) neither to be guided only by emotions that can go awry but to integrate the three levels in a unified and coordinated manner. St Paul speaks about peace and harmony in the second reading of today – “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you” (See 2 Corinthians 13:11)

It is beautiful and amazing that the Trinity who dwells in us want to share their life with us. We can experience in us that peace and harmony that comes from living in conformity to their will. Moses in the first reading has this experience of God. He went up the mountain which as we know is a common place of encounter between God and mankind. The Lord passed in front of him and cried out “"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” (Exodus 34:6). Moses did not know about the Triune God, it had never been revealed to him. He never knew God as Father or was told about the existence of the Holy Spirit. The one who revealed to us the mystery of the Trinity was Jesus of Nazareth. He was the one who told us that God is Father and that God is also Spirit. Jesus reveals the heart of the Trinity especially the salvific will and intention of the Trinity. They did not just want to stay in heaven but to express their love for humanity through the life of Jesus. The heart of the Trinity is missionary as Jesus explains in today’s gospel – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (See John 3:16-17).

A very good question for each one of us is if our love and devotion for the Blessed Trinity lead us to a greater love for humanity and more commitment to the mission? A true devotion to the Trinity is missionary because God sent his Son to save others and we were given the Holy Spirit to help each of us in our own task and mission. Let us pray this Trinity Sunday that we will not about know about them but know them – that we can grow in our relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.