Word to the Wise
Sunday, June 15, 2025 - Trinity Sunday - C
[Prov 8:22-31; Rom 5:1-5; John 16:12-15]"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth....He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you." [John]
Christian faith in the trinitarian nature of God did not spring full blown initially from the Bible even though it is revealed through the passages of scripture, for example, that are proclaimed on each of the three Sunday liturgical cycles - A, B and C! (We are in cycle C at the present time.) Those who are interested in plumbing the depths of the mystery of God's triune nature will find ample material in the writings of such figures as St. Athanasius, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. On an everyday basis, I like to say the Holy Trinity gets into everything Catholic, for sure. How many times do we make the Sign of the Cross? If we say the words that should accompany the gesture, we are expressing our faith in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit! We became members of the Body of Christ when we were baptized "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Every celebration of the Eucharist or the other sacraments begins in the same way! One very Catholic way of bringing a meeting to order is to say loudly: IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AMEN. That "AMEN" is a profession of faith in what we just said!! And, we often see athletes of all kinds making the Sign of the Cross before attempting important plays!
Yes, the Holy Trinity, for all the centuries of writing and reflection dedicated to learning and understanding, remains a "mystery" in the sense that there will always be more to learn that we have not yet discovered. What is known is an invitation to experience a love far greater than any we could imagine. In matters of human love, we can always be surprised by what we continually learn about our closest and most intimate friends over many years of a long relationship. The "mystery" of God's love that Jesus reveals, and the presence of the Holy Spirit to help us understand and believe in that love, is what we celebrate today. AMEN