HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY YEAR C
THEME: GOD’S REVELATION OF HIMSELF
BY: Fr Cyril Unachukwu CCE
HOMILY FOR SUNDAY JUNE 12 2022
God has given us the priceless gift of coming to know Him and of entering into relationship with Him. This gracious gift of God revealing himself to us was a gradual process that takes place throughout the History of Salvation. The apex of this whole process was made manifest in the life and ministry of Christ, who came that we may know God in clearer terms and may encounter Him in the most efficacious way. We are not able to absorb this greatest of gifts on our own. The Holy Spirit, with His manifold gifts and fruits, guides and enlightens us through the way. May we be transformed in and by the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; Amen.
Liturgically celebrating the Most Holy Trinity is a particular instance of our sublime profession of Faith. We profess our faith about who God is, namely that God is absolutely One, and that in Him are mutually and eternally co-existing three divine persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), in eternal love towards each other. We also celebrate how these three Divine Persons have collectively but diversely sustained the whole of the Created Order in their eternal plan for the salvation of all. Certainly, all of the events in the History of Salvation, directly or indirectly, point us to who God is. However, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ remains our clearest point of entrance into the knowledge and understanding of who God is. Jesus knows God in the most comprehensive way and in the best possible manner. He is the Eternal Wisdom of God. The First Reading (Proverbs 8:22-31) spoke of this Wisdom and how deeply He is involved in the whole History of Salvation; “from everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being… I was by God’s side, a master craftsman delighting Him day after day, ever at play in His presence, at play everywhere in His world, delighting to be with the sons of men and women.” Central to the Mission of Christ was to reveal to us and to teach us the true identity of God. In various Passages in the Scriptures, Jesus spoke to us about His Father and towards the end of His ministry, He spoke to us about the Holy Spirit, with a promise that the Holy Spirit will be sent upon believers to guide them into the whole truth of faith and to help them to fruitfully live the Christian Life. In the Gospel Reading of today (John 16:12-15), we heard this again from Jesus; “when the Spirit of truth comes He will lead you to the complete truth… He will glorify me, since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: All He tells you will be taken from what is mine.” The formulation of the profession of faith in the Trinity by the Church in the various Ecumenical Councils and Synods of the past were informed by the data which has been revealed by God in Sacred Scripture and in the sacred and living Tradition of the Church. The Christian Life begins with an initiation into the glory and magnificence of the One God in three Divine Persons. Growth in the Christian Life entails a gradual introduction into the Mystery of God and into the Mystery of His active presence in History. The proper end of the Christian Life is Eternal Life with God.
When we live the Christian Life, we establish a deep relationship with God and come into contact with these divine persons who together but through diverse ways created us, redeem us, sanctify us and generously invite us to eternally dwell with them and in them in the Celestial Realms. Jesus is also the very foundation of every true relationship with God because Himself is living in an eternal and unbreakable relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In fact, He came partly to help us repair our broken relationship with God. Contact with Jesus naturally leads to contact with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Second Reading (Romans 5:1-5) makes this clearer to us; “it is by faith and through Jesus that we have entered this state of grace in which we can boast about looking forward to God’s glory… the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us.” The State of Grace which we gain by the merits of Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit is for the purpose of transforming us into being Sons and Daughters of God, and as such, into living the style of life of the triune God. Living the style of life of the triune God means living in a relationship of communion that not only respects diversity but also promotes collaboration and co-existence. Such style of life makes the mark of God in our lives clearer, makes the world positively, constructively and progressively oriented, and makes us flourish. These are the virtues that God has forever taught us. These are the virtues that the Church presents to us today by celebrating her Profession of Faith in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit. These are the virtues that will ensure the sustenance of the world and the integral development of all human persons.
Heavenly Father, in Your only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, the creative and re-creative rays of Your Eternal Light and Love have shone upon us. May the positive effects and the merits of this gracious encounter with You be sustained by the active presence of the Holy Spirit which has been poured into our hearts; Amen. Happy Trinity Sunday;
Fr Cyril Unachukwu CCE
