HOLY TRINITY (C)

For us Christians, truth is not a matter of giving assent to some intellectual proposition, but a person – Jesus Christ. We believe that the fullness of truth is to be found in Him. Now Jesus may be distinct from the Father & the Holy Spirit but He cannot be separated from them. It’s a package deal. The Father loves the Son unreservedly, the Son loves the Father unreservedly, & the Spirit is the bond of charity that holds them together.

For us, this gives us a fundamental clue about the nature of the universe: it is characterized by unconditional love. However, this is not obvious at first sight. For those who live on the superficial level that worldly values teach, it makes no sense at all. There is so much beastly behavior in the world, how could this be? Are Christians living in some dream world in which we’ve convinced ourselves that God exists & that He is good?

The answer is to be found in our Lord Himself. He had no illusions about human nature or about what was going to happen to Him. He didn’t shrink from torture & ridicule because He knew the power of redemptive suffering for good. Only those who can abandon themselves to the Father as He did can begin to appreciate the profound Love that permeates all of existence, even when it may be horrific.

Yes, we have the parables like the parable of the Prodigal Son. It really should be called the parable of the Prodigal Father, who lavished his love on both sons, even though one was a bum & the other a self-righteous jerk. More importantly, though, is the example of our Lord Himself who could weep over Jerusalem because her people could not recognize the time of their visitation by God. In many ways, they were more to be pitied than Jesus Himself because of their spiritual blindness.

That same spiritual blindness surrounds us today & even infects members of Christ’s Body. If our Christian witness in our secular, materialistic culture has been pitiful, it is often because we ourselves have not been truly converted to a life lived in Christ. We may pay lip service to our faith, but then live as if it made no difference whatsoever.

We are beginning to pay the price for our lukewarmness & casual religiosity. It should come as no surprise that we hear so many voices of indifference if not hostility to the Gospel message today. Sow the wind & reap the whirlwind.

So you see, the teaching about the Holy Trinity is not just some esoteric, theological doctrine that only academics debate. It goes to the heart of what animates the entire universe, & if it does not animate us, we have a problem. Why doesn’t it give us insight into the rationale for our existence? When the Judgment Day comes, we are going to have a lot of explaining to do. The answer, “I had more important things to do” simply will not hack it. Nothing could be more vital to our genuine happiness. Therein lies the tragedy. AMEN!