“1+1+1=1?”

BASED ON CATHOLIC LITURGICAL READINGS

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, YEAR A

THEME: “1+1+1=1?”

((Readings: 1^st:Ex 34:4-6.8-9; Ps:Dan 3:52-56; 2nd: 2Cor 13:11-13; Gos: Jn 3:16-18))

Today we celebrate one of the greatest mysteries of our Christian faith; the Holy Trinity, the nature of God as we believe it has been revealed to us. The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity was established by Pope John XXII in 1334 AD. Most often, we Catholics make a sign of the cross meaning in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are not three gods but one God. Each one of them is a completely distinct divine person but they are never separated such that there is a unity in essence and relation within the three divine persons. We profess this Faith because God has revealed Himself to us as a Trinity in the history of salvation. Mathematically speaking it means that in God 1+1+1=1.

Now the above mathematical equation is called a trinitarian formula which cannot be scientifically, logically, philosophically, or theologically explained without causing confusion. We can only appreciate it with the eyes of Faith as a mystery and an article of our Faith. “May the Lord enlighten the eyes of your minds…” (Eph 1, 18).

A story is told about St. Augustine, one of the intellectual giants of the Church. He was walking by the seashore one day, attempting to conceive of an intelligible explanation for the mystery of the Trinity. As he walked along, he saw a small boy on the beach, pouring seawater with a shell into a small hole in the sand. “What are you doing, my child?” asked Augustine. “I am trying to empty the sea into this hole,” the boy answered with an innocent smile. “But that is impossible, my dear child,” said Augustine. The boy stood up, looked straight into the eyes of Augustine, and replied, “What you are trying to do – trying to comprehend the immensity of God with your small head – is even more impossible.” Then he vanished. It was an angel sent by God to teach Augustine a lesson. Later, Augustine wrote: “You see the Trinity if you see love.” According to him, the Father is the lover, the Son is the loved one and the Holy Spirit is the personification of the very act of loving. This means that we can understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity more readily with the heart than with our feeble mind.

Trying to explain how three persons are one God may take an eternity. However, looking at the salvation history we see God expressing Himself as the Father, the Son, and the holy spirit. Number 3 is a symbol of God’s power expressed by the trinity and that is why I like three points homilies. Trinity reveals the following elements about God:

1) ONE MISSION OF CREATION AND SALVATION. We know that God is one; we believe that He is the Father who created the universe; we believe that He is the son, who came into this world like one of us to save us; we believe that he fulfills his plans of love by his spirit. The first reading from Exodus, God the Father reveals himself to Moses as God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness. After our disobedience to his command, the Father sent the Son to redeem the world (Jn 1, 1-3). Ultimately, the Father and the Son sent us the Holy Spirit as our Counselor and Advocate (Act 1, 8. 2) to accomplish the work of salvation. The God who created the universe is the same God who came to save it and who is our advocate and consoler.

(2) TRINITY REVEALS A PERFECT UNITY AND LOVE: The trinity reveals Unity in the Divine nature. So, the prayer of Christ to the Father: “May they be one, as we are One” (Jn 17:22), is a prayer that arises from Trinitarian love. Therefore, the whole church and each family that forms the universal Church is the sacrament of the Trinity, and as such must be characterized by love and unity. Like the Holy Trinity, we can live and work together as one family of God. This is because, we bear one and the same image of God, and were baptized by the same Spirit of God whose mark we bear (Eph 4, 30). So, IN SPITE OF OUR INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES AND DIFFERENCES, UNITY IS POSSIBLE AND A FUNDAMENTAL OPTION.

(3). THERE IS POWER IN THE TRINITY. One Author said that there is a great Power in Unity. This power is first expressed in the mysterious work of creation. I always marvel at how the three Divine persons collaborated in the creation story. God the Father used the word (God the Son) to create and breathed his Spirit in us to live. That is the reason why we make the sign of the cross, baptize in the name of the Trinity, and conclude our prayers invoking the Trinity. This is one of the greatest treasures that we unknowingly possess. Unfortunately, many Catholics are shy to make the sign of the cross in public places like in public transport, hotels, or in the market. Let us be proud to be Catholics and always make the sign of the cross anywhere without fear or shame.

The celebration of the Holy Trinity is a challenge to my relationship with God and Neighbor (Me, God, and Neighbor). Are we united and bonded together with love in our families and communities? As we praise the most Holy Trinity, let us pray for the Grace of love and unity and learn to imitate the triune God.

PRAYER: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning and ever shall be a world without end. Amen

Fr. Antony Muchui, SVD

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“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the word and the spirit of Grace; and may the heart of Jesus live in the heart of all the people. Amen” SVD Prayer