Walking with Jesus: The Most Holy Trinity

For Sunday, June 4, 2023

Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18

Today is the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, which poses a simple question: What does that mean? How can I understand that there are three persons in one God? Few doctrines in the Dogmatic Theology are as confusing and difficult to understand as the Trinity. Attempts have been made to explain this — perhaps the most famous is St. Patrick using the shamrock: three leaves, one plant. Unfortunately so many people we encounter follow the only “trinity” they know: “Me, myself, and I.” Today's readings are a powerful source of what it means to have a God who loves us totally. In creation, His plan was to create people out of love — who nurture and become people of love, and show this love in all their relationships so that others can know that God loves each and every person individually. This plan is for all to be with Him forever in heaven. Not difficult at all to understand, but difficult if I, myself, me — keep obstructing God’s plan by feeling and living as one is the be-all and end-all of life.

The location of our first reading sets us up for a dramatic encounter with God. It takes place on Mt. Sinai. It's interesting in Scripture that some powerful manifestations of God’s presence happen on a mountain; here with Moses on Mt. Sinai, and later with Jesus at a place in Galilee called Transfiguration Mountain. In each of these encounters the Hebrew word YHWH is translated as LORD. To the Jewish people this was the unspeakable, divine name. In following the Exodus travel experiences and the consistent, obstinate … headstrong … inflexible … unyielding attitudes of the people, we might expect God to come in a fit of rage and anger. This reaction so often shows our own attitude — how we would react — but is far away from God and who God is. Moses describes the experience succinctly and beautifully: “Having come down in a cloud, the Lord stood with Moses there and proclaimed His name, ‘LORD.’ Thus the Lord passed before 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] This is how God describes Himself.

We are sandwiched in time between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Hopefully we have experienced the love, care and forgiveness of our parents and passed this on to our children and grandchildren. But God’s love is deeper and forever. Too often we spend too much time trying to explain Trinity Sunday and leave little time to understand how we have been touched by love. Moses explains that this attitude is from a stiff-necked people. How guilty I am of this. He said we have no claim to any favors or privilege … but that God is always leading us if we allow Him to walk with us and love us.

Paul gets right to the point and even deeper when offering directions for each of us:  “… rejoice … mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace” [2 Corinthians 13:11]. These words describe God’s characteristics because they line us up to live God’s life, “and the God of love and peace will be with you” [2 Corinthians 13:11]. Paul prays that the Lord may continue to bestow grace, love and following on all members of the Church. Do we pray for the Church? For each other? For all God has chosen to lead us closer to Himself?

John sums up God’s relationship with all creation not as one of condemnation and anger, but one totally focused on love. This is not just any type of love, but a supreme love toward precisely who and what resists it. This is how God acts, and Jesus is the total example of that overflowing love. There is no negative in God; there can really be no negative in love. Paul describes the inventory of gifts from the Holy Spirit that focus on love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous. Love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interest, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth, it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” [1 Corinthians 13:4-8] Whenever we talk about love, we can make a direct point in looking at God because God is love. In rereading Paul’s letter on love, we can easily and sincerely substitute the word love with God: Yes, God is patient, God is kind, God is not jealous, God is not pompous or inflated or rude, etc. God is love.

So I reflect on:

• A wonderful reflection is to close your eyes for a moment. Picture yourself flooded with God’s love. What was it like? Reflect this vision with a close relationship.
• How can I mend my ways … live in peace?  Share these with a close relationship.

Sacred Space 2023 states:

“They looked down from heaven — The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — with love for Their people — for all of us. They could see men and women of all races, colors, ages, faiths, holiness and sin. They knew help was needed for the human race and they waited a long time before the time was right. Prayer inserts us into our true space of belonging — into the community of the Trinity — and in that prayer we are called to bring this divine help to the human race.”