Trinity Sunday (A)

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.

Jn 3:16-18

READING

God so loved the world that he sent his only Son so that those who believe in him may not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not sent his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him.

When the NT used the word God, it usually refers to God the Father.

As parents are concerned for their children’s welfare, so also God the Father is concerned with our welfare. He wants eternal life for us. St. Paul re-affirms this when he wrote: “God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth” (1Tim 2,3).

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The expected response to the Son is faith. Refusal to believe risks condemnation.

Name. In the bible, “name” is not just a label to identify who you are. In the bible the name is the person himself. Hence, in the Our Father “holy be your name” is not about giving reverence to the name of God but about giving reverence to God himself.

Philippians 2,10 says: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” Here it is not just the name “Jesus” that is being reverenced. It is Jesus himself.

Mention of the Trinity

In this gospel passage from John, only Father and Son are mentioned. However, in the second reading the Holy Trinity is mentioned. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” This sentence is used as a greeting by the priest at the beginning of the Mass.

In the gospel for the Ascension, there is mention of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.'”

TALKING ABOUT THE TRINITY

The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yet in the end there is only one God. How do you explain that? Yet theologians have tried to explain that. And it is a valid effort because we human beings need to make sense of everything. We have the need to answer our “whys”. And to do this they have used philosophy which doesn’t really make it any easier for ordinary human b-ings to understand.

Catechists have been more successful. They have used symbols: an equilateral triangle and three intersecting circles. St. Patrick in his efforts at catechizing the Celtics of Ireland used the shamrock.

You may find this “ad hominen” argument amusing in support of the Christian belief in the Holy Trinity. An unbeliever was insulting a Catholic, “You Catholics are stupid. It’s as if you never went to school. How can you believe in this Holy Trinity? Three persons and yet one God. Didn’t you ever learn how to add? One plus one plus one equals three. How can you say one plus one plus one equals one.

“Ah,” the Catholic replied. “But you are mistaken. Since we are talking about God, you can not used an inferior mathematical operation. You have to use the superior mathematical operation. Therefore, one times one times one equals one. So you see we Catholics are correct. There is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, yet in the end there is only One!”

THE TRINITY AND US

John Donne was an Anglican priest who lived from 1572-1631. He was also a poet. He wrote a meditation entitled: No man is an island. Joan Baez may have been inspired by it when she wrote this song:

No man is an island,
No man stands alone,
Each man's joy is joy to me,
Each man's grief is my own.

We need one another,
So I will defend,
Each man as my brother,
Each man as my friend.

Sociology defines man as a social animal. It is his nature to be with others. In the book of Genesis we read God saying: “It is not good for man to be alone.” In that same book, man is said to be created in the image and likeness of God. In other words, we can not be alone because God can not be alone. Therefore, we are not surprised that although God is one, God is not alone. God is Trinity--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And maybe that is why God also created the universe. He wants to be with others.

This Trinity Sunday invites us to reflect on how can we be more like the Trinity.

St. Thomas Aquinas describes the Trinity in terms of relationships. He says that the Father from all eternity is thinking of the Son and the love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit. This description reminds me of a family.

Let us therefore, focus our attention on the family. How can our family become more like the Holy Trinity?

Once I saw written on a sidewalk: Roberta, ti voglio bene. I learned that it means: Roberta, I love you. However, it literally means, I wish you well. But is it not true that when you love someone, you wish him well? But love does not stop at wishing someone well. You have to act on that desire. You have to do something to make that desire a reality. That is why someone observed that love is not just a noun. It is a verb. Why do some parents make the difficult choice of work-ing aboard away from their children? Because they want to give their children a bright tomorrow. And so they work abroad to make that desire a reality.

Do you love one another in your family? That is a good question. But the better question is: What have you done so that your family feels that you love them?

Love is not always about good feelings. Sometimes love requires us to do something difficult. A teen-age mother gave up her baby for adoption to an Italian couple because she believed her baby would have no future with her. In her letter to her baby, she explained why she had to give him up for adoption. She ended by asking her baby to try to understand why she had to give him away. She asked him not hate her for it.

Love is not always about good feelings. Sometimes love requires us to do something difficult as when parents have to punish their children. One time the eldest daughter returned home very, very late, way, way beyond her curfew time. She was in the company of her cousins. But returning home that late was a big transgression. So her parents grounded her for a week. She can only go to school. For that week she can not go out with her friends and cousins.

Love in the family means valuing one another, not taking each other for granted. Parents and children need to use the following words more often: Please, thank you, I’m sorry. Sometimes we vent our anger on our spouse or our children. Would it not be a good thing to say: “Honey, I had a bad day. I’m sorry for taking it out on you.”

And when an apology is extended, let us accept it. Understanding the other person makes it easier to forgive. Children, sometimes your parents are irritable at the end of the day. For a little thing they shout at you. But think: “Maybe Papa is extra-tired today.” Understanding why your father acted that way makes it easier for you to be patient and forgiving.

And finally, a word on “bonding”. A family is not just a collection of people. A family is a group of people who are bonded together. Blood ties and love bind a family together. How do you strengthen those ties that bind the family? I suggest two things. The first is faith that is expressed. Prayer and Sunday Mass are expressions of faith. Father Peyton said: “A family that prays together stays together.”

The second is a common activity. What you do is not as important as that you do it together. Eating together, cleaning the house together, going out to the mall together, going on an outing in summer—these strengthen family ties.

CONCLUSION

Trinity Sunday is a good opportunity for families to work on their family life. I made the following suggestions:
(1) Love must be expressed so that each member of the family feels loved.
(2) Sometimes love means making a difficult decision (such as giving up a baby for adoption) or doing something unpleasant (such as punishing a child).
(3) Saying “Thank you, please and I’m sorry” does wonders for our family re-lationships.
(4) It is easier to forgive and to be patient when we make an effort to under-stand the other.
(5) Doing something together like going to Mass together or going to the mall together help in strengthening family ties.

I asked myself this question: “If ever I find myself at the lowest point in my life, where can I turn to?” Without hesitation, my answer was: my family. I’m sure your answer will be the same. Our families are important. Therefore, let us take care of them.