Holy Trinity Sunday - 4 June 2023

 

Dear Friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and the readings fittingly give us an insight into the nature of God. But before we get to the readings a little note on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Right at the outset we need to acknowledge that the Trinity is absolute mystery, it transcends our human capacity for understanding. However, from the Scriptures and the tradition of the Church, we believe that God is Triune. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal and distinct from each other. There are three persons in One God. One of the most important aspects of the Holy Trinity is the relationality between the three persons. In the Trinitarian communion, there is complete equality. No higher, no lower; no before, no after; no superior, no inferior.

As all of us are created in the image and likeness of God, God who is the Trinity, God who is communion, by nature we all are communitarian. We cannot live in isolation. We are made to relate to people. The ultimate goal of the Human Person is to become more relational. In the world around us, we see exploitative and oppressive structures and systems - all caste, class and gender discriminations are against the Trinitarian communion. Whenever we see division and disunity be it at our home, society or office or even the country at large we are challenged to restore communion. 

Let us now reflect on the readings of the day. When we think of God in the Old Testament generally we imagine an old man with a long beard and one who is a strict punishing judge. However, this is an incorrect notion about God and today’s first reading gives us a more accurate description. In the first reading taken from the book of Exodus, we have the narrative of the renewal of the covenant with Israel. Why renew you might ask? Exodus chapter 19 onwards details the initial consecration of the people and the giving of the 10 commandments and other laws to Moses. All seems to be going well till then but when Moses gets delayed, the Israelites get impatient and start worshipping the Golden Calf. Moses comes back and disgusted by what he sees destroys the tablets. It is in this context that Moses again intercedes for the people of Israel and God renews the covenant and the stone tablets are replaced. The Lord appears in the cloud, passes before Moses, and proclaims His character. He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Merciful in Hebrew rahamim, is not pity. Mercy is love in action. Mercy triggers you to do something seeing the suffering of others.

Gracious in Hebrew hanan – literally refers to the leaning of a mother over her baby. Here the child can’t give anything back to the mother. Undeserving love is given by the mother. When we are in trouble God gives us this undeserving love.

Slow to anger – Thankfully God is not short-tempered and He is patient with us.

Abounding in steadfast love i.e. hesed and faithfulness – it refers to God’s faithfulness to His people despite them repeatedly going away from Him.

Let us spend some time this week and relish these words and see if we have had an experience of this insanely loving God. How are you being invited to respond to God’s love?

In the second reading taken from St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. Paul’s final words to the Corinthians highlight the church’s reliance on the power of the divine for the hope of its transformation. Paul mentions grace associated with Jesus, love associated with God, and fellowship associated with the Holy Spirit. Greeks often used the word grace (Χάρις - charis) to speak of patronage i.e support, especially financial or political. The word ‘charis’ connoted generosity—generosity that demanded loyalty on the part of the recipient. Christian charis is the gift of salvation to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord.

“the love (agape) of God.” Agape love is an unselfish love that focuses on the needs of the other person rather than one’s own needs. The thrust of agape love is giving—not getting. “the fellowship (koinonia) of the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word koinonia has multiple meanings - Fellowship, participation, sharing, or contribution. The focus is on God as the source of grace, love, and community. Paul describes God as deeply engaged with people through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the gospel taken from John, we have Jesus shocking the Jewish listeners by saying that ‘God so loved the world’. What’s so shocking about that you might ask. It’s not shocking for us today but back in the days of Jesus, the Jews thought that God only loved Israel. The universal offer of salvation and life in Jesus was revolutionary. The doctrine of the Trinity is derived from the self-disclosure of God in Jesus Christ. God didn’t just feel pity for sinful humanity. God’s mercy led him to action. Jesus Christ was sent as the Word made flesh. This Revelation by God has to be complemented by the Response of faith by us humans. What do I mean by this?

Imagine a young boy and a girl are in a relationship. The girl remembers all the important dates and events and ensures that she gives the boy some special gifts. She goes out of her way to help him and care for him. The boy on the other hand does none of this. He doesn’t do anything special for her, neither does he appreciate or respect her. What do you think about this relationship? Definitely, there is something fundamentally wrong in this Relationship, isn’t it? It is what we call a one-sided love. They are not relating to each other. The boy is not responding to the love of the girl.

By faith man freely commits his entire self to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God. It is a total surrender and commitment to God in freedom, who gave himself in Jesus Christ. There can’t be a one-sided love between God and us. Having said this, if only those who believe in Jesus will be saved, what about those who do not believe, those who do not respond in faith? You might say isn’t God punishing them? This is where we need to understand the importance of free will. Each human person has the possibility of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to God. It is the choice we make against God or for God. If someone really and deliberately rejects God, they are themselves choosing a totally isolated existence. God does not impose it as a punishment. Each by their free decisions and actions has made a "fundamental option" for or against God.

In this sense, judgment is already taking place in our response to Jesus each day. The gospel of Matthew (Mt 25: 31-46) tells us that what counts, in the end, is feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked and visiting the sick. That is where judgment is taking place. On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity let us reflect on the aspect of our relationality with others. What is the nature of our relationship with God? Is it a one-sided love story? I pray that we keep growing in the love of the Holy Trinity and respond more generously to this love. May God bless us all.