June 7, 2020

Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity

“A Mystery Revealed to be Revered”

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

“What do you think of when you make the sign of the cross?” a catechist asked. A little boy replied, “The old man, the young guy, and the bird.” Can we blame him for such a poor image of the Blessed Trinity? Whatever can be known of God is infinitely less than what God is. God transcends everything in our thoughts. Yet the Trinity—God in his inner most life— is the central mystery of our Christian faith and life.
 
In today’s Mass we shall address God the Father in these words: “...with your Only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, you are one God…not in the unity of a single Person but in a Trinity of one substance…For what you have revealed to us of your glory we believe equally of your Son and of the Holy Spirit…so that you might be adored in what is proper to each Person, their unity in substance, and their equality in majesty”—a mystifying theological statement! This side of heaven, we shall never fully grasp this mystery. What we can know is revealed in the Scriptures.
 
The term Trinity is not found in the Bible, but it is foreshadowed in the Old Testament and revealed in the New where Our Lord speaks explicitly of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The early Church seeking a greater understanding of this mystery developed terminology derived from Greek philosophy—terms we might recall from our Catechism: substance, person, and relation. This process helped the Church respond to heresies that denied Christ’s divinity, questioned whether Christ was truly human and whether He is equal to the Father.
 
Ultimately however the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity is not so much a matter of the head as of the heart, because the nature of God is primarily relational. The Trinity is a communion of love, and the baptized are invited into that relationship, that communion of love.
 
Today one word looms large for me. It describes what is essential in any relationship, but especially our relationship with God: reverence. Reverence rises from our awareness of the surpassing greatness and holiness of God and of our smallness before him.
 
Fr. Augustine Wetta suggests “If you don’t find God’s divine power a little intimidating, there is probably something wrong with you. We should not be in the habit of thinking that Jesus would be grateful for our friendship. We should love him, but we should also be in awe of him…Our ultimate objective is to discover the perfect love that ‘casts out all fear’ but be careful you don’t wind up sliding into a comfortable familiarity that drives out all respect. Fear and love must go together.” (Humility Rules, pp 32-34).
 
Reverence is shown by avoiding all that would offend the Lord by sin. It is shown by a regular examination of conscience and sacramental confession. It is shown by our respect for the Lord’s name; by never using it profanely.  
 
Reverence is shown by our conduct in God House; by helping to create a climate conducive for prayer, by our silence and respect for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
 
Reverence is shown by our care for sacred vessels that are used in God’s service and images that point us to God and his holy ones.
 
But reverence also has an “everyday form” that also points us to our brothers and sisters. Every person, from the moment of conception must be revered for they are made in the image and likeness of God. They are to be revered even when they are annoying or disagreeable. The words we speak and how we express them are important. We should respect their dignity and right to privacy, especially in these days when the tendency is to run to social media to publicize everything we see and hear.
 
Yes, on Trinity Sunday we should consider the virtue of reverence. Perhaps this prayer is appropriate:

Enable me, O Blessed Triune God, to collect and compose my thoughts before I pray. May I be careful to have my mind in order when I take upon myself the honor to speak to the Lord of the universe. You, O Lord are too great to be trifled with, too wise to be imposed on by a false devotion and you loathe a sacrifice without a heart. Help me to have a habitual sense of your perfection.
 
Keep me from engaging in rash and hurried prayers and from abrupt breaking away to follow business or pleasure, as though I had never prayed. Help me always to realize that You, who dwell in the center of my being wants always to listen with love to all that occupies and preoccupies my mind. Amen