Cycle A The Most Holy Trinity

 Exo. 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Cor. 13:11-13; Jn. 3:16-18

The story of the Old Testament is the story of Israel discovering, over centuries, that the God who rescued them from slavery in Egypt was the creator of the whole world, and that there is only one God.  By the end of the Old Testament period, the Jewish people had become convinced monotheists, believing that there is only one God – a unique belief in the History of Religions.  But this Creator stands outside the world he has made and doesn’t have to obey its laws.  As Isaiah puts it, ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.’

Trinity Sunday celebrates one of the most difficult themes of the Christian faith, the concept of one God in three persons. 

The trinity is a mystery. It cannot be explained by human and finite minds. If God is God, high and mighty above us, we cannot know all about God. There is always something we cannot know about God because God is greater than we are. 

The first person of the Trinity is called  Father. He is God the Creator. We call the first person of the Trinity "Father" because that is what Jesus called him and taught us to call him. 

We call the second person of the Trinity "Son" He was sent by God to us, to be God with us, to live  with us. He was , the greatest gift from God who saved the world, all of creation, all of us, through His living, teaching, sacrifice and resurrection. He is God The Redeemer.

When Jesus prepared to return to his Father, he promised another Advocate - the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit--the presence of God would be with us (John 15:26). He is God The Sanctifier. The Holy Spirit brings new birth from above, to transform, renew, sustain, to make us children of God. 

St. Augustine, one of the most astute thinkers the Christian Church has ever produced, was walking along the seashore one day while pondering the doctrine of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He seemed to hear a voice saying, "Pick up one of the large seashells there by the shore." So he picked it up. Then the voice said, "Now pour the ocean into the shell." And he said, "Lord, I can't do that." And the voice answered, "Of course not. In the same way, how can your small, finite mind ever hold and understand the mystery of the eternal, infinite, Triune God?"

The mystery of Trinity teaches us the importance of this unity.

Rodney Glen King was an African American who was a victim of police brutality. Years ago, he was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers during his arrest. But the offices were acquitted by the court. Fury over the acquittal spilled over into the streets. Then King asked, “Can’t we all get along?’ That’s what Paul is saying to the church at Corinth. Can’t we all get along? We can never duplicate the perfect harmony and unity of the Trinity, but we can try to get along. If there could only be some unity in our community, in our city, and in our country things will be different. If there could only be some unity in our family relationships it will be make a great difference. Some families are fighting and striving with each other. Can’t we get along in our homes, in our families, on our jobs, in our churches? Can’t we all get along? 

The  Gold-Saddle Goatfish gives us a great lesson. The gold-saddle goatfish is a small fish native to Hawaiian reefs with a distinctive colouring. In the past few years, divers in Hawaii have come across a fascinating phenomenon. During their regular dives, they’ve begun to notice a large fish with the same brilliant colours as the gold-saddle goatfish. Upon closer inspection, the divers realized this wasn’t one large fish, but in fact a school of gold saddle fish swimming together in such impressive unity and in such a perfect fish-shaped pattern as to appear like one imposingly large fish, not to be trifled with. It turns out, when the gold-saddle fish feels threatened, they join together, unified in fish formation to appear much larger.

The gold saddle goatfish provides an important lesson for those facing threats. When we are faced with problems we should not turn inward, trusting only ourselves. Rather we should “huddle up” with our neighbours, our friends, and our community to face the oncoming problems.

Unity will provide us great strength to face anything. Consider the power in a team of horses pulling a plow. Consider the power in a Train being pulled by 3 engines.  Consider the power of Prayer when two or more agree. Consider the power that’s in love when Family member’s come together and help each other in time of need or destruction. When they are together, they wonk wonders.

May God give us strength to follow the lesson of Trinity and be advocates of Unity in our families and in our society.

Satish