Fr. Louis Birabaluge sx
SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY TRINITY
After the great liturgical season of Easter, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity which means God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Please, do not expect to find the word “Trinity” in the Bible, in the Word of God. The word Trinity (Trinitas in Latin) was used by Tertullian, a great Christian writer of the 3rd century. He used this word to explain the divine communion, the relationship among God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Of course, Trinity is a human way of speaking about the mystery of God. We all acknowledge that no human word is able to explain clearly who is God. Anyway, our ancestor in faith Tertullian tried to find out who God was according to him. His experience challenges each of us to reflect from his own experience of faith, and find his own way to express who is God for him.
For the community of christian believers, God is the One revealed by Jesus. Being the Son of God, he allowed his disciples to call God, Father, Papa, Dad: Abba (2nd Reading). Jesus himself was aware of being the Son of God. Before to join his Father, he promised to his disciples the Holy Spirit. After the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus’ disciples started to preach the Good News openly. They baptized people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In doing so, they fulfilled the commandment given to them by Jesus (Mt 28: 19-20).
In the Creed, our profession of faith, our ancestors in faith have also tried to explain us this mystery of God. Let us not forget that some Christians at the 3rd and 4th centuries lost their lives to defend this faith. Even today, we have Christians killed because they refuse to betray their faith in God revealed by Jesus. They sacrifice their lives to remain faithful to the faith received from the Apostles. To remain faithful for them is matter of life or death.
The attitude of the first Christians and all present martyrs of faith is really different of our attitude today. Our faith seems sometimes to be a faith of low price. It doesn’t cost much. Some of us are now moving from church to church; if not from religion to religion. For them, faith in God is like clothes which they change time to time. As we celebrate the Holy Trinity, God Father, Son and Holy Spirit, let us renew our commitment to faithfulness.
Trinity means communion without excluding diversity. It is a mistake to think that God the Father is the Son, or to think that the Son is the Holy Spirit. Though, this difference is true, it doesn’t exclude communion. Only the experience of true love can help us to understand this reality within the Trinity. The solemnity of the Holy Trinity is a big question to our divisions and exclusions. We cannot honestly believe in the communion of God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit and continue to exclude others because of their tribal, racial and social origins.
As Christians, when we recall to our minds the exclusions throughout the world, the divisions in families, tribalism...we have just to bow down our heads and say to God: Papa God, have mercy on us. Forgive us because we have betrayed our faith, our promises of baptism.
Yes, with baptism, we have been introduced in the communion of God. We have received the spirit of sons. We have become children of God, as Saint Paul says to the Romans (2nd reading). The Eucharist is our sharing of Jesus’ life. It nourishes and strengthens our communion with God.
May the Spirit of God help us to be signs of communion. May Jesus help us in our journey of making the world one family (Saint Guido Maria Conforti). In this way, we can now truly sing: “Where charity and love are, there is the God of our Christian faith”.
SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY TRINITY
After the great liturgical season of Easter, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity which means God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Please, do not expect to find the word “Trinity” in the Bible, in the Word of God. The word Trinity (Trinitas in Latin) was used by Tertullian, a great Christian writer of the 3rd century. He used this word to explain the divine communion, the relationship among God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Of course, Trinity is a human way of speaking about the mystery of God. We all acknowledge that no human word is able to explain clearly who is God. Anyway, our ancestor in faith Tertullian tried to find out who God was according to him. His experience challenges each of us to reflect from his own experience of faith, and find his own way to express who is God for him.
For the community of christian believers, God is the One revealed by Jesus. Being the Son of God, he allowed his disciples to call God, Father, Papa, Dad: Abba (2nd Reading). Jesus himself was aware of being the Son of God. Before to join his Father, he promised to his disciples the Holy Spirit. After the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus’ disciples started to preach the Good News openly. They baptized people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In doing so, they fulfilled the commandment given to them by Jesus (Mt 28: 19-20).
In the Creed, our profession of faith, our ancestors in faith have also tried to explain us this mystery of God. Let us not forget that some Christians at the 3rd and 4th centuries lost their lives to defend this faith. Even today, we have Christians killed because they refuse to betray their faith in God revealed by Jesus. They sacrifice their lives to remain faithful to the faith received from the Apostles. To remain faithful for them is matter of life or death.
The attitude of the first Christians and all present martyrs of faith is really different of our attitude today. Our faith seems sometimes to be a faith of low price. It doesn’t cost much. Some of us are now moving from church to church; if not from religion to religion. For them, faith in God is like clothes which they change time to time. As we celebrate the Holy Trinity, God Father, Son and Holy Spirit, let us renew our commitment to faithfulness.
Trinity means communion without excluding diversity. It is a mistake to think that God the Father is the Son, or to think that the Son is the Holy Spirit. Though, this difference is true, it doesn’t exclude communion. Only the experience of true love can help us to understand this reality within the Trinity. The solemnity of the Holy Trinity is a big question to our divisions and exclusions. We cannot honestly believe in the communion of God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit and continue to exclude others because of their tribal, racial and social origins.
As Christians, when we recall to our minds the exclusions throughout the world, the divisions in families, tribalism...we have just to bow down our heads and say to God: Papa God, have mercy on us. Forgive us because we have betrayed our faith, our promises of baptism.
Yes, with baptism, we have been introduced in the communion of God. We have received the spirit of sons. We have become children of God, as Saint Paul says to the Romans (2nd reading). The Eucharist is our sharing of Jesus’ life. It nourishes and strengthens our communion with God.
May the Spirit of God help us to be signs of communion. May Jesus help us in our journey of making the world one family (Saint Guido Maria Conforti). In this way, we can now truly sing: “Where charity and love are, there is the God of our Christian faith”.