20210530 HOLY TRINITY AS THE RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION OF GOD
30 May, 2021, Trinity Sunday
First reading |
Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40 © |
The Lord is God indeed: he and no other
Moses said to the people: ‘Put this question to the ages that are past, that went before you, from the time God created man on earth: Was there ever a word so majestic, from one end of heaven to the other? Was anything ever heard? Did ever a people hear the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire, as you heard it, and remain alive? Has any god ventured to take to himself one nation from the midst of another by ordeals, signs, wonders, war with mighty hand and outstretched arm, by fearsome terrors – all this that the Lord your God did for you before your eyes in Egypt?
‘Understand this today, therefore, and take it to heart: the Lord is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other. Keep his laws and commandments as I give them to you today, so that you and your children may prosper and live long in the land that the Lord your God gives you for ever.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 32(33):4-6,9,18-20,22 © |
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
By his word the heavens were made,
by the breath of his mouth all the stars.
He spoke; and it came to be.
He commanded; it sprang into being.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.
Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
Second reading | Romans 8:14-17 © |
The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Rv1:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
the God who is, who was, and who is to come.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 28:16-20 © |
Go and make disciples of all nations
The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’
HOLY TRINITY AS THE RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Dt 4:32-34, 39-40; Ps 33; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20]
There is so much division in society today, simply because the individual is facing a crisis of meaning and purpose. Because of secularism, man does not believe in a creator or the existence of the Ultimate, whom we call God. He has no idea of his origin, purpose in life or the outcome at the end of this life. The world teaches us that the universe, and that includes us all, comes from the random interactions of the atoms. It is by accident that we were born into this world. Life has no meaning, no intrinsic value, except to make the most of what this world offers, at the end of which we return to the universe as atoms. This lack of purpose means that we are called to live for ourselves. There is no reference point, no objective truth or morals to follow. It is all about me finding fulfillment in this life. People are important to me insofar as they can enrich my life. This is what individualism is all about.
The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity reveals to us the oneness of God. When we speak of the Holy Trinity, we affirm that God is One. This God is experienced as the creator, protector, the deliverer, the savior, the redeemer and the sanctifier. The doctrine of God is not an empty doctrine or mere words. The world’s denial of the existence of God did not begin as an intellectual problem. Indeed, all of humanity until the 18th Century, when rationalism and empiricism dominated western philosophy leading to atheism, believed in some kind of the sacred and the spiritual dimension of reality which we call by different names. The existence of God was put into question only when God was no longer felt or experienced in our lives in a scientific and technological world.
The basis for the doctrine of the Holy Trinity must begin from a concrete experience of God. The first reading affirms the mercy and goodness of God, not just in His creation of the world, but as its deliverer and protector. “Has any god ventured to take to himself one nation from the midst of another by ordeals, signs, wonders, war with mighty hand and outstretched arm, by fearsome terrors – all this that the Lord your God did for you before your eyes in Egypt? Understand this today, therefore, and take it to heart: The Lord is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other.” But more importantly, God has been gracious to Israel for He had chosen them among all peoples, gave them the Promised Land and made them into a nation. Moses reminded the people, “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Dt 7:7f)
However, the world sometimes cannot see that God loves us and that He is our creator and provider. This is because of the sufferings we experience in the world. Often, we face overwhelming struggles in life. We see so much injustices and innocent suffering because of evil men who seek power and wealth at the expense of others. We find such things happening in our families, in our offices and in society. Why do innocent people suffer under the hands of corrupt and evil people? Then there is illness and destruction of life because of natural disasters, such as this Covid-19 pandemic. So it is difficult to believe that God is love and mercy. And if we do not experience His love and mercy, then He is redundant to us since He cannot help us. Whether He exists or not will not make much difference in our lives. This is when people become skeptical of God’s existence, become agnostics and then atheists.
This was why Jesus came to the world to reveal to us the love and mercy of His Father. In the gospel, St Matthew portrayed Jesus’ departure at the mountain, just as He began His ministry at the mountain when He was tempted. (Mt 4:1-11) He also began His mission by going up the mountain to teach His disciples. (Mt 5-7) Through His words followed by His deeds of welcoming sinners, eating with tax-collectors and performing healing miracles, Jesus revealed to the disciples the love and mercy of God. It was on Mount Calvary that He was lifted up for all to see the unconditional love of God without reservation.
Finally, Jesus concluded His mission on earth by sending out His disciples as they gathered at the mountain. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” In falling down to worship Jesus, they acclaimed Him as Lord and God. Jesus affirmed the fulfillment of the prophecy to Daniel when the Ancient One seated on the throne gave the Son of Man, the “authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.” (Dn 7:14) It would be the turn of the disciples to manifest the love and mercy of God in their own lives.
But lest we only know about Jesus in the scriptures but do not feel His presence in us, the letter to the Romans speaks of our experience of sonship with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. “Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.” It is the Holy Spirit that makes it possible for us to access the Father’s love and share in the Spirit of Jesus by making us adopted sons and daughters of God. With the Holy Spirit in us, we experience true freedom in Him, filled with “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal 5:22f) It is this peace, joy and love that we experience in our lives and in our relationship with God and our fellowmen that mediate the truth of God’s presence in our hearts.
In the light of the Christian experience of God who makes Himself present in Jesus, His only Son and continues to be present in us through the Holy Spirit, the confession of faith in God is therefore a Trinitarian God. This God, although one in being, reveals Himself to us in three distinct ways, which we call, “persons” as Father, Son and Spirit. Without Christ, we would never have known that God is Father, Son and Spirit. This explains why the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a revealed truth, not just as an idea but concretely as experienced in salvation history. Hence, this God is never alone because He is love. Otherwise, He would be loving Himself and that would be narcissism and egoism. If God is love, His partner cannot be the world because God existed before the world was created. Otherwise, He would not be God unless He is eternal. Hence, in the inner life of God, we see the three persons, Father, Son and Spirit, although distinct, works together in unity and in perfect communion with each other. God as Trinity is not only One but in perfect communion in every way.
The implications for us today is that if we are created in the image and likeness of God and share in Christ’s sonship, our relationship with God and our fellowmen cannot be one of isolation and alienation. We are called to relate to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit so that this God remains personal to each one us, someone whom we can relate to individually. It also means that if we were to find fulfillment and meaning in life, we must be like the Holy Trinity, to live for each other, with each other, in each other and by each other. Like Jesus, we are called to be pro-existence, pro-life, pro-love. There is no other way to find meaning in life unless we are conscious of our individuality like the three persons, distinct from others, and yet at the same time, such individuality does not make us separated from others. Rather, in our diversity, we build a stronger unity among ourselves, because we who are all unique and blessed in different ways, have much to enrich the lives of others just as others enrich our lives. Hence, like the Holy Trinity, where God loves us in His Son and together with the Father and Son give us His Spirit of love, we too must live and work in communion with our brothers and sisters, respecting our uniqueness and common call to unity.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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