Prov 8:22-31; Ps 8:4-9; Rom 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15
The Nature of God
Dear friends, today is the Feast of the Holy Trinity, which occurs on the Sunday after Pentecost. Next Sunday will be the feast of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ). Trinity comes from the Latin “Trinitas,” meaning threefold. As Christians, through the revelation in the Holy Scriptures, we experience God in threefold manifestations: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The feast of the Trinity celebrates God’s closeness to us.
In the First reading, the Spirit of God is presented to us as the ‘Wisdom’ that was always with God before everything was created. He is presented as the architect and craftsman of all that is and who continues even today to make God present to us. St. Paul says that the love of God is poured out to us through the Holy Spirit, who enables us to be patient in suffering. This, in turn, brings perseverance and hope to look forward to God’s promised glory.
In our creed, each of the three persons of the Holy Trinity is defined and his role stated. “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible”. Through the Old Testament, God reveals himself as the Creator and sustainer of all things visible and invisible. Sure, there are many things we cannot perceive with our physical senses, but we know they exist. Different from what the empiricists and the experimental sciences posit, not all knowledge is derived from the senses.
“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him, all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven…for our sake, he was crucified and died. On the third day, he rose from the dead”. Christ is the visible manifestation of God who came to dwell with us to bring salvation from the slavery of sin and eternal damnation. Christ is the sacrament of God the Father – he made the Father known to us, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9)
“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets”. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity who shares equally in the divinity of God the Father and the Son. Thus, we believe in one and only God, manifested to us in three persons.
Every time God acts, he acts as one because he is one. However, we experience him in this mysterious threefold manner. During Creation, God said, “Let us create man in our own image and likeness” (Gen 1:26). We read that the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface before anything was created. God also created heaven and earth through His Word, God the Son. In Mt. 3:16-17, at the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit of God descended upon him in the image of a dove and the voice of the Father proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son”. The time of the Church is the time of the Holy Spirit, who inspires Christians to imitate Christ in their lives and bring God’s love to earth. “But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to complete truth” (Jn 16:13).
What does God mean by revealing himself to us as the Trinity? I believe that God intended us to share in his overflowing love for Himself. It is such an intense love that enables Him to manifest Himself in a threefold manner, yet remain one. God created man and woman and blessed them to be productive and bring children on earth as the fruits of the love and unity between them. God wanted human beings to continue the work of creation and experience, and share in his love. Love cannot be introverted, but always extroverted. Love manifests itself by overflowing outside its source and in the process of creating something. Do you truly love?
Our communities are supposed to be united in love that bears good fruit for their members and the world around them. Love leaves no gap or space for evil that brings division, hatred, selfishness, corruption, envy, jealousy, greed, laziness, within the communities. Love heals all brokenness and reconciles all conflicts. In the world today, the institution of the Family is disintegrating. Faith communities have been invaded by falsehood, greed, selfishness, individualism, and lack of knowledge. Innocent people are being led to self-destruction by their religious leaders. Are you a victim of religious deception?
Dear friends, the mystery of the Holy Trinity teaches us that true love creates seamless unity in all relationships. Let us learn unity in diversity to build families and communities overflowing with love and positive energy.
Happy Feast.
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 