Readings: Pro 8:22-31; Rm 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15
Communion, fellowship and
relationship are the key words that help to capture the message of this Sunday.
But first a story. A story is told about St. Augustine walking on the beach and
reflecting on the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Suddenly he saw a boy in front
of him who had dug a hole in the sand and was going out to the sea back and
forth, and bringing some water to pour into the hole. St. Augustine asked him,
“What are you doing?” “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole.”
“That is impossible, the whole ocean will not fit into that hole,” said St.
Augustine. The boy replied, “And you cannot fit the Holy Trinity into your tiny
little brain.” The boy vanished, and then St. Augustine realized he had been
talking to an angel. I tell this
story because there has always been a mistake in approaching the Holy Trinity
as a mystery for theological speculation. The Holy Trinity is a life of
communion to be lived and shared. How do we live and share the life of the Holy
Trinity in everyday life? As we enter the Church, we always bless ourselves
with Holy Water, “In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
to remind ourselves that we are baptized in the name of the Triune God. Our
Christian faith and life revolves around the Holy Trinity which is the center
piece of our Christian faith. That is why we always begin and end all our
prayers, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit". We begin and end each Mass with the sign of the Cross to remember
that the Eucharistic celebration is an invitation to be in God’s triune
presence. Today listen to the words used in the Liturgy of the Eucharist and
you will be amazed at how Trinitarian those prayers are. We use such a language
to deepen our relationship with the triune God and so grow in communion with
one another. We are created for communion; for relationship with the divine and
with one another.
The gift of the Holy Spirit received on Pentecost is an infusion of
God’s life of communion in our lives that energizes us in a powerful way. The Holy
Trinity therefore is not just a subject of theological speculation on the three
divine persons. Rather, it is a life of communion; a life to be lived and
shared. You and I were created for communion. Therefore, we need to go beyond
talking about love, communion and putting those ideas into practice by being
instruments of God’s mercy, reconciliation and compassion. That is why God in
creating us does not put us directly into heaven, because if He did so, we
would mess life up there! Our life here on earth is a time to live a life of sharing,
healing and communion with the people God has given us. So what message do we
take home? 1) The Holy Trinity is a model for a life of communion to be lived
and imitated. 2) The solemnity challenges us to be instruments of God’s mercy, reconciliation,
healing and compassion. 3) One way of living such a life is prayer together,
for example in a family or in a Basic Christian Community that overflows into
the sharing of faith and healing of those who may be wounded in our community.
©2016 John S. Mbinda
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