CYCLE B HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY
1. The term TRINITY in Christian Dogma means there are 3 persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the One God. The Word Trinity itself is not Biblical, rather it is a development in the church Over the years because of controversy.
However the reality of the Trinity is described Scripturally but especially in the NEW TESTAMENT. While it is a Mystery of the Church, and hard to Fully grasp, it becomes manageable when we break it down.
A. So in the TRINITY how do we get to have a God who is a FATHER? The Fatherhood of God is a frequent theme in the Bible but also developed through societal traditions as well. In the patriarchal Israelite Family, the Father was the center of COHESION and held ABSOLUTE authority over its’ members.
God is also seen as the Father of the Israelite nation, because He Formed this people. “…once they were no people, now they are Gods’ people.” And in this formation he established the Covenant. Which in their obedience to the Father, he would provide care for His people.
In the Old Testament the one God who is above all other gods, came to be ‘Father’ because he is the CREATOR of all. He shows His power, concern and care for His creatures.
Important to the Israelites was their Kings, They believed that in the nature of the KINGSHIP, the King was ‘like a son’ to God. He was ‘Anointed’ for the special duty. He became the ‘Fathers’ agent of concern and care for God’s People. The ones he ruled over. David and all others after him were to follow this special job.
Great emphasis on how we view God as ‘Father’ today comes from the New Testament where Jesus directs us to call Him ‘Abba’.
B. So if we have a ‘Father’ In the TRINITY we can have a SON. And Jesus is seen in Scripture as the ‘Son of God’.
1) because the Israelite nation was seen as a ‘Son’ of God, Jesus who was born a Jew would also be a ‘Son of God’.
2) because Jesus was born into the Davidic line, He was of the Kingly line and therefore had a special call as a ‘Son of God’.
3) But more importantly Jesus was the ‘Son of God’ in a way that Conveys the deep, eternal and personal relationship He had with God the Father. Combine that with His obedient and self-giving attitude and this relationship is the epitome of SONSHIP.
C. In the TRINITY we have GOD the SPIRIT: The meaning of ‘Spirit’is wind or breath from God’s Nostrils. Both ‘Wind and Breath’ make appearances in Scriptures and are seen as agents of God’s will or the instruments of His designs.
God’s Spirit is also the Constant though less obvious companion of those who have a particular mission to fulfill in the History of Salvation. The Spirit of God was transmitted to the Leaders (Abraham, Moses, Joshua) The Spirit of God was transmitted on the Prophets, the Kings, and the Servants of the Lord.
The most obvious recipient of the Spirit in New Testament was Jesus. The Anointed one. We have the Virginal Conception, the Baptism in the Jordan, the Transfiguration and Resurrection.
But the Spirit not only proceeds from the Father. Because Jesus was so like his ‘Father’, (He said, the Father and I are one) the Spirit also proceeds from the ‘Son’. The Spirit is transmitted from Jesus to others in His Word, in His Miracles and in His Actions.
And now also in His Church. His Spirit is the principle agent in the Acts of the Apostles. Beginning with the Pentecost to right here today in this Mass.
2. Our understanding of the TRINITY, Father-Son-Spirit is very Central to our Faith. And if we don’t get it, were not alone. For right in the Gospel it says today, the eleven WORSHIPED Jesus, yet in the next breath it says, “THEY DOUBTED”.
The point of Trinity Sunday is that God is working in our lives and in our world. And the more we know how God works, the more things make sense to us when they happen. And when things begin to make sense, the less we will doubt that the ‘FATHER’ Creates and sustains us. The SON is saving us and the SPIRIT is trying to makes us Holy.
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