Holy Trinity Sunday: Year A

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you from now till the end of your life. Happy Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity! + John I. Okoye 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Exodus 34,4-6.8-9;  2 Cor 13,11-13; John 3,16-18: Holy Trinity Sunday: Year A)

            Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity which is the origin and destination of every liturgical celebration. During Advent and Christmas the Church meditated on God’s merciful love for sending his Son into the world. During Lent and Easter we contemplated the infinite goodness of the Son of God who gave his life for us and rose on the third day. At the feast of Pentecost the Church celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit that was sent by the Father and the Son to bring to completion the work of salvation. After
these memorable celebrations of the history of salvation, the church deems it a necessary opportunity to unite in a single celebration, the three divine persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. From Jesus’ teaching we can affirm that the Blessed Trinity, that is the existence of only one God in three equal and distinct Persons, is a reality and not a figment of the mind. There are several gospel passages, especially in the gospel of John, that refer to this mystery. We have for example: I came from the Father into this world; now I am leaving the world and returning to my Father (John 16,18); Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me (John 14,11); the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things (John 14, 26). We have the same attestation in the mandate of Jesus to his Apostles: Go and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28,19). The existence of the Blessed Trinity is not in doubt as we can see from the revelation made by Jesus himself. However, it is not possible for us, as long as we are in this world, to comprehend with our finite minds, the mystery of the Blessed Trinity; the mystery of God. The reasonable approach in contemplating this mystery is to make effort to know and appreciate how God manifests Himself, and what are the signs of his presence and actions. Today’s three readings will aid us in this regard.

    The first reading from the Book of Exodus follows the apostasy of the people in worshipping the golden calf. Moses ascends the mountain again to intercede, offering his own life for the people. This evokes yet another revelation of God as a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, rich in kindness and fidelity, truly a God who knows the suffering and weakness of humanity and is constantly summoning them back to his love and mercy. The gospel reading from John contains one of the most-quoted New Testament text: God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. In this passage, Jesus reveals the face or nature of God not in his essence as God but in what He did and does still in favour of the people. The God who heard the cries of his people in Egypt, witnessed their affliction, and came down to save them (Exod 3,7-10) now sends his Son, the Word-made-flesh (John 1,14) so that the world, that is everyone who believes in him, may be saved.  God the Father loved the world and sent his Son, the Son in his personal commitment accepted to be made man and sacrificed his own life for the salvation of man. In the short passage from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians, Saint Paul offers us, not only an explicit affirmation of the existence of the Blessed Trinity, but also the fact that the Blessed Trinity is present and works in us, if we do not break our relationship with the three Divine Persons through sin. That is why St. Paul had to wish the Corinthians and us: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Jesus had indeed clearly affirmed: If anyone loves me...even my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home in him (John 14,23). St. Paul adds an important fact, which is, that God of love and peace shall be with us if we strive for perfection, seek to support and help one another and live in harmony and peace.

Reflecting on this solemnity of the Blessed Trinity we note that God who is beyond our comprehension is also the God who has came down into the chaos of our world in order to save us. We see this in both the first reading and the gospel. The covenant language in the reading from Exodus underscores God’s unfathomable goodness. God’s graciousness and mercy are not rewards for our fidelity but are instead extended to us in our sinfulness. It is God’s saving grace that transforms us, not any merit on our part. In the gospel we are assured that Jesus was sent into the world to save it not to condemn it. Such openness and love is so unlike human sentiments. It is understandable that all we can do is stand in awe before such a stupendous love. What should then be our response to God’s immense love for us? The response to the responsorial psalm, To You glory and praise for evermore suggest that our primary response to God should be one of praise. God is full of blessings and has bestowed this blessings upon us for no other reason than that He loves us. There has never been a time when this was not true, from the time of our ancestors to the present day. There is no place over which God does not gloriously rule: in the heights, over the depths, in the Temples on earths and from the throne of heaven. Words cannot explain God’s wonder: all they can do is to repeat our praise. Our praise of God should not be only in words but also in deeds especially actions of charity towards our needy brothers and sisters. We can also praise God in our efforts to maintain and preserve the life of the Blessed Trinity that was poured into our souls as sanctifying grace at our baptism. May we, therefore, continue this life of praise to God until the relationship of love between everyone of us and the Blessed Trinity which began at Baptism, matures into complete and inseparable union in the kingdom of heaven.  Happy Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity +John I. Okoye