HOMILY FOR THE MOST HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY, YEAR B
HOMILY FOR THE MOST HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY, YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY AND THE LESSONS FOR US
BY: Fr Peter Gabriel Okon.
Deut 4:32-34,39-40 / Psalm 33:4-5, 6&9,18-19, 20&22 (R.12b) / Romans 8:14-17 / Accl. Rev. 1:8 / Matt 28:16-20
Today, we celebrate one of the most profound solemnities in the Church, the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The word Trinity was coined from the Latin word “trinitas” by Tertullian (160-225 AD), meaning “three members” and in this sense, The Holy Trinity refers to the three Persons in One God; The Person of the Father, as distinct from the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but One in essence and Godhead.
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To begin with, we must remind ourselves, that the Holy Trinity which we seek to reflect upon is a mystery – a truth that is beyond our human understanding, only accessible through actual revelation by God. So we must remain humble even as we dispose ourselves through love and service to God’s self communication to us in time.
Consequently, the definition of Theology by St Anselm can be helpful in attempting to understand why the doctrine on Holy Trinity remains a mystery. According to Anselm ” Theology is simply FAITH SEEKING UNDERSTANDING – “fides quaerens intellectum.”
With the above, it became clear that we cannot completely understand the Person or Being of God through rational endeavour alone, but rather we continue to seek and understand God as He reveals Himself to us in time and History through the instrumentality of Faith. Thus, our understanding or study of God, of The Trinity can be arrived at only with a living experience and practice of Faith. It starts with Faith, is guided by Faith and it enhances Faith. Here St Anselm say , I BELIEVE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND – “credo ut intelligam”. This is the only basis to understanding the doctrine of Holy Trinity; One God, Three Persons.
Faith in itself is an existential attitude rooted in a fundamental option, which permeates the believers whole existence in response to God’s call and gifts. By faith we freely commit ourselves to God who reveals or gives Himself to us. (Hebrews 11:1, tells us “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities that are unseen). Speaking of revelation here, God communicates or reveals Himself to us in stages as seen in the scriptures.
In Gen 1: 1-3, we see the Trinity at creation. God the Father creating by means of the Word (The Son), through the Power (or Breath) of the Holy Spirit. At the Annunciation in Luke 1: 30-35, The Father sends the Angel Gabriel to Mary, who conceived the Son by the Power of the Holy Spirit. And again at the baptism of Jesus, (the Son) in Matthew 3: 13-17, The Father spoke, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon the Son. Each of these instances reveals something of the Trinity to us.
In the economy of salvation, the Father is the Absolute and Eternal creative power, The son is the consubstantial Word of the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the uncreated person, who proceeds from the Father and the Son as their Eternal Love, and in this, the unity of the Trinity is preserved. “In the Church one God is preached, who is ‘above all things and through all things and in all things’. Yes, certainly, “above all things’ as the Father, the first principle and origin; and truly ‘through all things’, that is through the Word, and finally ‘ in all things’ in the Holy Spirit” (St Athansius).
Dearly beloved, one lesson to be learnt from the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is their Unity. The unity of the Holy Trinity can be visibly seen in created things, although they do not exhaust all there is about the Holy Trinity. Many theologians have likened the unity of the Blessed Holy Trinity to the Sun. The Father being the Sun, the Son being the radiance from the sun and the Holy Spirit as the heat emanating from the sun. All three are different but cannot be separated. You cannot take the heat away from the sun, nor it’s radiance. The three are inseparable and distinct at the same time, so also with the Holy Trinity.
The Unity of the Holy Trinity is the most perfect example for every family and community. The Father is never envious of the Son, neither is the Son envious of the Holy Spirit. We therefore should learn to accommodate everyone within the family and our communities as belonging to the same origin and of the same essence as we are. We should learn union and love, collaboration and co- responsibility from the Holy Trinity, even as we look forward to union with the Triune God.
May the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit abundantly bless us and expunge from our hearts every element of division and hatred, so as to make room for peace, love and harmony Amen.
Wishing you a blessed Holy Trinity Sunday.
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