Homilies

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY: EMULATING AND LIVING OUT THE MYSTERY

OUR CELEBRATION TODAY is exceedingly special because the mystery of the Trinity is central to our Christian faith. We profess that we believe in one God in three divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This belief is outwardly expressed each time we make the sign of the Cross. However, this mystery has not been easily understood. As one famous theologian had said, for an ordinary Christian believer there are actually three Gods, not one. The gospel passage tries to help us understand our belief in the one and triune God.

First, in the Trinity there is communion. Their communion can be seen as an inner communion. The three persons are united with each other. In this gospel passage, Jesus first speaks of the Holy Spirit, and then of the Father. Elsewhere in the gospels, we heard Jesus saying about his oneness with the Father. He and the Father are one. St Paul also talks about the oneness of the Father and the Son in the Spirit. In fact, he calls the Holy Spirit as the "Spirit of the Father" and "Spirit of the Son." Moreover, the communion of persons can also be seen externally. In the work of salvation, the Father initiated it, the Son implemented it, and the Holy Spirit continues it until today. This is the beauty of the Trinity: they live in communion among each other and they are united in themselves and in their work.

Second, in the Trinity, there is communication. In the gospel today we heard the nature of this communication. Jesus said, "Everything that the Father has is mine" and further he said, when the Holy Spirit comes, he will also "take what is mine." What Jesus wants to say is this: the Father is the source of every being, every gift, everything. We all know this and we agree with it. But everything that the Father does is always shared or communicated to the Son. So, everything that the Father does is always being done with or through the Son. Now as Jesus was about to go back to the Father, the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father through Jesus. Here, Jesus said that everything that he has will now be taken by the Holy Spirit. So Jesus said, the Holy Spirit will guide us to all truth, he will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears from Jesus. So, we could say that theirs is the best model for communication, for a proper communication.

Third, in the Trinity, there is love. We have heard from the lips of Jesus saying that the Father loves him, and he loves the Father. That love is being extended to humanity. St Augustine was the first Church Father who developed a theology of the Holy Spirit as love. The Holy Spirit is love that binds the Father and the Son. The result of this love-bond is the unity and communion of the three persons in one God.

What do these communion, communication, and love of the one and triune God say to us? As what Leonardo Boff said, the Trinity can be relevant to our day-do-day life because God offers us hope. Our world characterized by division, miscommunication, hatred, war etc., and the Trinitarian life offers us an answer, a solution to our present problems. The Trinity gives us hope because through them we can change the world for its betterment. For struggling Christian families because of miscommunication and misunderstanding, they can look at the Trinity for some help. Yes, the Trinity is a model for us to see and emulate. But in emulating its communion, communication and love, we are also entering into the mystery. The more we live in communion and harmony, the more we understand and live out the mystery of the Trinity. HAPPY TRINITY SUNDAY TO ALL!

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