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HOMILIES ARCHIVE
HOMILIES
Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Year C)
2278
3
0First Reading
A reading from the Book of Proverbs (8:22-31)
Thus says the wisdom of God: "The Lord possessed me, the beginning of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago; from of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains of springs of water; before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet the earth and fields were not made, nor the first clods of the world.
"When the Lord established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep; when he made firm the skies above, when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth; when he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command; then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the human race."
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9)
(R) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place - what is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him? (R)
You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet. (R)
All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas. (R)
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (5:1-5)
Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our heart through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Gospel Acclamation
(R) Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come. (R)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (16:12-15)
Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
There is a story called "The Three Hermits" by Leo Tolstoy. Once three Russian monks lived quietly on a distant island. Nobody ever went there. However, one day, a bishop heard about these monks and decided to pay a visit to learn more about their hermit life. Upon arriving on the island, he discovered that the monks did not know any formal prayers, not even the Lord's Prayer! So, he spent all his time and energy teaching them the Our Father prayer although they struggled to grasp it, and then left them. As his departing boat was entering the open sea, the bishop noticed the three monks walking on the water. In fact, they were running after the boat. When they approached it, they cried out, "Dear bishop we have forgotten the Our Father Prayer that you taught us. We don't remember anything. Please teach us once again."
The bishop, overwhelmed by what he was seeing and hearing, asked them, "But... my brothers, how have you been praying all these years? They answered, "Oh! We just say, three of us here and three of you up there, have mercy on us." The bishop, deeply moved by their simplicity of their faith said, "Go back to your island and continue to pray as you had always done and be at peace."
The story teaches us that we simply need a childlike faith to believe in a God who has made Himself known to humanity, primarily through creation, Scriptures, and Jesus Christ, and to respond to His invitation to a deeper connection and relationship with Him. That is, faith in God is more than just reciting formal prayers or having knowledge of them. It involves a deep sense of trust and the development of a personal and intimate relationship with God. However, childlike faith is not blind faith. While blind faith is characterized by unquestioning acceptance of something without a reason or understanding or evidence, and sometimes driven by fear or desire for security, childlike faith is characterized by trust, humility, and openness.
One of the most difficult Christian beliefs for people to accept is the Trinitarian nature of God. As Christians, we are to believe in one God who exists as three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but are equally God and work together in perfect unity, and are worthy of same worship, confidence, and obedience, Matthew (3:16-17, 28:19-20), Mark (12:29), John (1:14), Acts (5:3-4) and 2 Corinthians (13:14). However, because of our difficulty to grasp fully this complex nature of God with our human mind, this core belief is also considered a mystery. Some people find the whole concept illogical and incomprehensible, leading them to abandon their faith or reject Christianity. Today, the celebration of the Holy Trinity encourages us to accept and believe in our Trinitarian God even though we cannot fully understand everything about this or anything else, just like we don't need to fully or perfectly know and understand everything about something to accept it.
However, it is still possible to find answers to many questions we raise concerning this doctrine and come to a solid grasp of what it means for God to be three in one by reading, meditating upon and speaking about it. Even without a complete understanding, contemplation on this belief can deepen our faith and appreciation for the Triune nature of God. Pope Saint John Paul II said that because we are created in God's image, we are endowed with the capacity to understand God to some extent. This capacity is rooted in our inherent desire and ability to know and love. However, this understanding is not complete or exhaustive, as God's nature transcends human comprehension.
Recitation of the Nicene Creed every Sunday, particularly during the Mass, can be one of the powerful ways to not only affirm our faith in the Trinitarian God but also meditate on its meaning and implications, leading to a greater understanding of the mystery. In the profession of faith, we declare, "I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible." By saying so, we acknowledge that God created everything and therefore, we do not worship the created things, such as idols, material possessions, or even aspects of nature, but only the one God, who is the creator of everything, Exodus (20:4).
At the same time, God is more than just the Creator. He is also the sustainer and provider of all things, both material and spiritual, Hebrews (1:3). He meets all our needs and guides us through life's challenges. That's why, in the Old Testament time, people frequently called out to God for help in times of trouble, distress, or need. And God's fatherhood was revealed through His relationship with the people as their creator, protector and guide, but less personal and intimate father-child relationship because of their sin.
However, "when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son," Jesus, to reveal Himself and His Fatherly love to us, Galatians (4:4). During His earthly ministry, Jesus consistently demonstrated God's fatherly love through acts of compassion, service, and teaching. He showed love by healing the sick, comforting the distressed, and forgiving the sinners, mirroring the compassionate nature of God the Father. He also often referred to God as "Father" or "my Father," and taught His disciples to address God as "Father", Mark (14:36), signifying the close and intimate relationship, similar to that of a father and child. Hence, we declare, "I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father." By saying so, we acknowledge that Jesus, also, is not created, but is God. He was "not made," but is "consubstantial with the Father," meaning that He shares in the same substance as the Father - is one in being with the Father. Jesus was not created, but "through him all things were made."
And then we profess our faith in the third person of the Trinity: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life." By saying so, we acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is also Lord who shares authority and power as God the Father and the Son, and is the source of life, both physical and spiritual. In today's gospel, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as a separate entity from Himself and the Father, but He will not speak on His own authority, John (16:12-15). He says that as the "Spirit of Truth" the Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth after He departs. He will declare what He hears, revealing things to come and glorifying Jesus by taking what belongs to Jesus and making it known to them. Thus, in these few lines of creed, we summarize our belief in our Trinitarian God.
We call this a mystery, not because it lacks meaning or is incomprehensible, but because it is a profound and rich truth about God that transcends human understanding. In spite of all we might know and understand, we can never adequately understand the doctrine of Trinity. It remains, and will always remain, a profound mystery of faith. It was a complex and ultimately mysterious doctrine, even for the greatest minds like Saint Augustine who, after Saint Paul, is renowned for his profound philosophical and theological insights. In his spiritual autobiography, The Confessions, Augustine recounts a vision where he sees a boy trying to fill a small hole in the sand with water from the ocean using a seashell. Curious, Augustine asked, "What are you doing?" The boy replied, "I'm trying to fit the entire ocean into this hole." Augustine smiled and said, "That's impossible. The ocean is too big for such a small hole." The boy looked at him and said, "And so is the mystery of God too big for your mind to fully understand." Then the boy vanished. In that instant Augustine realized that the mystery of the Holy Trinity was like the vast ocean- immeasurable, unfathomable, and beyond the capacity of the human mind to fully grasp.
Today, as we celebrate the solemnity of the Holy Trinity, our Church invites us to simply acknowledge what we believe about God, who has revealed Himself in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Spirit - and at the same time seek to know and understand the Trinity more deeply. In today's gospel, Jesus tells us that there is still so much that He wants to say to us, but we cannot bear it now. But when He comes, He will guide us to all truth, John (16:12). This means that Jesus has more profound truths to reveal, but we lack the capacity to understand it for now.
However, He assures us that the Holy Spirit will lead us to the complete truth by referring us to Jesus, by leading us to a deeper grasp of all that Jesus said and did. We can never fully comprehend all at once not just the mystery of the Trinity but all the mysteries of our Christian faith. But when we surrender our hearts and minds to God, we can become more receptive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and He will reveal Himself to us gradually, bit by bit. Believing in Jesus' promise, let us wait expectantly for the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and remind us of Jesus' teachings, so helping us to grow in our faith and understanding.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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