For four consecutive weeks, hardcore fictional movies have broken all records at the box office: Spiderman III, Shrek III, and Pirates III. That completely fictional movies would be this successful is really fascinating. After all, we don’t find people spinning webs and flying around in real life. We don’t find ourselves magically transported in space and time in real life. And “up” is not “down” in real life. Why have these movies captured the imagination of the general public? Mystery – perhaps, that is the answer. From my perspective, these movies transport us from the real world into a mysterious world and it fascinates human imagination. In fact, as human beings, a sense of mystery is ingrained in each one of us. And that is why the outer space and the ocean bed intrigue us.
However, human capacity for the mysterious is not limited to the physical world. Karl Rahner, the famous theologian said that human beings are born with this sense of mystery and thus human beings constantly strive toward the transcendent. The highest point of this transcendence is God.
Today, we celebrate the feast of the Trinity – God as three persons yet one God. This is difficult for human beings to comprehend.It is a mystery. However, let me make three observations points in this regard. First, human beings cannot fully comprehend God. In fact, the more we think we know God the deeper the divine mystery becomes. All we can do is use analogies to understand the mystery that God is. For example, C.S. Lewis used the analogy of a three dimensional picture to explain the Trinity. If we draw a line on a piece of paper it becomes a one-dimensional picture. You can make that line a square if you add length and breadth to it. Now, it is a two dimensional picture but the same square. Make the square into a cube, by adding two more lines in such a way that now there is depth in the picture, which is the third dimension. So now there is one image but three dimensions. Trinity, according to C.S. Lewis is like that - three persons yet one God. Second, the things we do know about God who is known not because of human ingenuity but God’s revelation. We know that God has created us and revealed himself to us. Thus, we know God as our creator, our redeemer, and our destiny. Thus, we know God as Trinity because Jesus revealed that to us, as we heard in the gospel reading. Third, one day we shall see God face to face. And then we shall know God as God really is.
I want to take each of these points and draw practical implications for us.
First, the feast of the Trinity is an invitation to enter into the depths of God. We see an example of that in today’s first reading. God speaks to the author and reveals God to him. He becomes aware of the richness and depths of spiritual realities. He becomes aware of Gods’ wisdom in creation. Awareness of such realities happen in prayer. And what I mean by prayer is not merely saying our morning and night prayers, but sitting in silence and discovering the Triune God who is within us. By prayer I mean developing a deep personal relationship with God, deeper than any human relationship. And as we do that, God takes us deeper and deeper into the mystery of his being. God invites us today to enter into his very life.
Secondly, if as the first reading tells us, God is our Creator then, then we can only know ourselves if we know God. This happened to me. I still remember my growing up years when I was trying to find myself. I did not like myself, I thought I was useless, not good enough to be loved; I was not talented, and could hardly say two sentences without stammering. And then I discovered a God who loved me unconditionally. It was this discovery that changed my life. The more I got to know God, the more I got to know myself. The more I discovered God the more I found myself. My vocation stems from this knowledge of God. I am a priest today not because of who I am but because of who God is. As St. Paul says in today’s second reading, hope can only come when we know that the love of God has been poured into our hearts. We can only know the meaning of our lives, our destiny, and our purpose if we know God.
The third practical implication of the feast of the Trinity is that God has revealed himself to us as community – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The relationship between the community of persons is a model for our relationships. Relationships break to the extent that either of the partners in a relation fails to genuinely respect, love, honor, commit oneself to the relationship. In the work of our redemption, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit had their own roles to play and they did so in fidelity, love, and obedience. The feast of the Trinity should lead us to recommit ourselves to our relationships. Let us pray for the difficult relationships in our lives.
The climax of every Eucharist is the doxology. “Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours almighty Father, forever and ever Amen. It is a Trinitarian prayer of praise. In fact, every Eucharist is a celebration of the Trinity – Jesus offering his sacrifice to the Father made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us today, lose ourselves in this mystery.
